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THE GOSPEL IN ROMANS
If someone wants to follow Jesus, it is essential that they understand the gospel and its impact on our daily lives. This series will dive into some of the essential teachings and beliefs of Christianity, seen throughout the book of Romans. Explore the answers to some of life’s biggest questions, and discover the power of God for salvation to all who believe! |
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IN ROMANS
We’ll unpack the details of that plan together as we explore the gospel in Romans over the next several weeks. First, we’ll focus on the beginning - God’s Love and Plan.
THE STAGE IS SET
So what is this book of Romans anyway? Great question. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul around 57 AD to new Christians in the city of Rome. There are a few things we should know about these people.
The Apostle Paul was one of the main leaders of the early church, but he wasn’t always a Christian. He was a devout Jew and religious leader who thought Christians were blaspheming God. What did he do about this, you ask? He arrested and even killed many Christians… until one day he met Jesus and realized Jesus had not only died but had indeed come back to life. That changed everything.
The city of Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire, making it the most influential city in the world. It was full of people from all over the world who worshiped many different gods. Has anyone here ever seen the movie Gladiator? It shows that Rome was also a city full of great violence and immorality.
The Christians in Rome were both Jews and Gentiles. Jews are people who were given God’s Law – you know the 10 Commandments – and sometimes thought they were the only ones who could be God’s people. Gentiles are people who are not ethnically Jewish and in ancient writing were often called “Greeks.”
In this letter, Paul clearly explains what the gospel is, why it’s needed, and how it works in our lives. In the book of Romans, Paul teaches that God reveals His righteousness and His wrath (that is, His holy anger) against sin, which means that God will judge people for their sinful rebellion. Yet at the same time, God reveals His great love and mercy for everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, then came back to life three days later.
MAIN POINT
READ THE PASSAGE
Romans 1:1-7, 14-17
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let’s unpack the definition of some of the key terms in this passage.
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The Righteousness of God: God’s moral character that is wholly good, pure, and without corruption.
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Sin: Anything we say, think, or do that breaks God’s laws. It’s all the ungodly things we do and all the godly things we know we should do but choose not to do.
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The Gospel: The good news that Jesus died in our place and rose from the dead to make a way for us to be made right with God.
Why would anyone ever be ashamed of the gospel? The world is full of people who do not believe in Jesus and who make fun of those who do. Throughout history, Christians have been mocked and ridiculed for believing that Jesus was born of a virgin, or that He is the Son of God in the flesh. Christians can face shame or embarrassment for believing that Jesus is the only way we can be saved. Or other times Christians are mocked because they refuse to do the things that everyone else around them is doing. Whatever the reason, it is common enough that Paul sees the need to address it!
Read Luke 4:3-4
First, the devil tempts Jesus to use His powers to turn stones into bread and break His fast. There is nothing wrong with bread, of course, but Jesus was there to fast and pray. And God had not given Jesus miraculous powers to make bread whenever He got hungry. This reminds us that the devil and the world love to tempt people to “meet legitimate desires in forbidden ways.”[1] We all want food, money, intimacy, and a good self-image. So Satan tempts us to get these in ways God has forbidden. Rather than giving into this temptation to satisfy his temporary hunger, Jesus remains steadfast, displaying faith in God’s ability and faithfulness to sustain and provide for His people.
Paul gives two reasons why we shouldn’t be ashamed of the gospel. First, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. The message of who Jesus is and what He came to do for us is full of God’s power. God in His power created the world and raised Jesus from the dead. If you believe the gospel, God will make you a new creation and raise you to a new life. The gospel is so powerful that if you truly believe this message, you will be forgiven of all your sins and will live with God forever. The second reason we shouldn’t be ashamed of the gospel is because in it the righteousness of God is revealed to us.
Read Romans 1:17
Paul states that the righteousness of God is able to be seen and experienced by faith; those who have faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God, have His righteousness revealed in their lives. This has two implications – God is righteous, meaning He cannot ignore sin, and that God gives his righteousness to those who place their faith in Christ. God put the sin of the world on the sinless Jesus who died in our place, so that all who believe in Him can receive forgiveness, having their sin removed and God’s righteousness given to them.
When we truly understand what Jesus did for us in the gospel, it’s hard to be ashamed of that, right? When we comprehend the richness of God’s love and compassion for us sinners who deserve to die and spend forever in hell, it ought to awaken a grateful boldness in us. We should have boldness that makes us willing to stand up for Jesus in front of others, even if that means we stand alone. And we should have the courage to tell others about Him.
Maybe you are reading this and are thinking, “That’s a great story, but why should I believe any of this?” Read verse four again - Jesus was declared to be the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead. When Paul realized Jesus really had come back to life, he went from being a Christian-killer to being a Christ-preacher. The reason you should believe in Jesus is because after He died for all of our sin, He was raised to life on the third day, defeating sin and the grave, proving once and for all that He truly is God in the flesh, and He alone has the power to save sinners. Because this is true, we should all follow Him!
DECISION POINT
Do you believe that even though you are a sinner who deserves God’s judgment, that through faith in Jesus, God can and will forgive you of your sins and give you His righteousness? If you have already placed your faith in Christ, will you be unashamed of the fact that Jesus is the only way to experience freedom and forgiveness of sin? If you are nervous about sharing this with others, ask God to give you boldness to share!
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What questions or hesitations are keeping you from placing your faith in Jesus?
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If you are a follower of Christ, what tempts you to be ashamed of your faith? How does the truth of the gospel encourage and empower you to be bold in your faith?
MEMORY VERSE
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16
We’ll unpack the details of that plan together as we explore the gospel in Romans over the next several weeks. First, we’ll focus on the beginning - God’s Love and Plan.
MAIN POINT
Because of our sin, every person is separated from our holy God and deserving of death and eternal punishment in hell.
READ THE PASSAGE
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Before we get into the passages in this section, let’s define some key terms you will see.
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The Wrath of God: God’s red-hot, holy anger toward everything that is unjust, impure, and ungodly.
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Wage of Sin: The death penalty that we have earned for ourselves by being sinners.
Read Romans 1:18-20
You might ask, “What is God so wrathful or angry about?” These verses show two things. First, we are all “sinful, wicked people.” We have all done things we know to be wrong. It gets worse. We are also sinful and wicked people who “suppress the truth by their wickedness.” What does it mean to suppress the truth? It means we ignore truths we know to be real.
God tells us that the creation He made is more than enough evidence that He exists. But the reality is that people don’t want to admit that God exists because that would mean they are not their own boss. It would mean they are accountable to God who alone decides what is right and what is wrong. So, God is angry because people sin and suppress the truth.
But there is a third thing God is angry about. People sin. People suppress the truth. We also swap God out. The truth is that the heart of man is made for worship. If we will not worship God, we will worship something else instead. Listen to how Paul puts it in the next few verses.
Read Romans 1:21-23
You may be thinking, “I don’t worship birds or animals, and I certainly don’t have a statue I bow down to!” Oftentimes people today think that they don’t worship idols, but what Paul is saying here is that anything that takes the place that God should have in our hearts is an idol.
The truth is that the idols of our day are not typically statues of metal or stone, but rather they are the things that capture and guide our hearts. Today’s idols are beauty, wealth, fame, and ultimately, even ourselves. We as humans are consumed with looking good, having nice things, being smart and successful, and being in control of our lives. While none of these things are inherently evil, it is when they take the place of God that it becomes idolatry. So what does that mean for us? Let's keep reading to see what Paul has to say next.
Read Romans 1:28-31
This is the result of our idolatry; God allows us to experience the consequences of our own choices and actions. Consider what from this list is present in your own life, and perhaps the bad news will continue to become more and more clear to you. Can anyone truly say that they are not a sinner who has suppressed the truth about what God says is right and wrong? Haven’t we all in one way or another swapped God out as King of the Universe, and have put ourselves in His place?
Oftentimes, when people hear this truth, they will admit that they are not perfect, but in the same breath will say, “But at least I’m not as bad as other people!” Paul figured we’d say that, so he addressed it in the next few verses.
Romans 2:1-3
Think about it this way: picture someone walking up to you on the street and punching you in the face. How would you react? Most people will probably say that it was morally wrong for them to do that! If a police officer then came to you afterward asking about it, you would likely want the other person to face some consequence for what they did. Now imagine someone just down the street from you doing something far worse than just punching someone in the face, and the police officer had to leave to deal with it – even though someone else did something worse, wouldn’t you still want the person who wronged you to be punished?
If you agree that the person in that example did something wrong and that they deserve to face the consequences of their actions, then you are admitting to believing that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and that people who do wrong things should be punished, regardless of how bad another person’s wrongs might be.
That brings us to the bad news: we are all sinners who have broken God’s laws. There is no way around it! That is the reality of our condition, and it is the very thing that separates us from God. Romans 3:23 says it like this: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
And if we have all sinned against God, and done what is wrong, then what is the consequence for that? The punishment, or the wage, that we earn for ourselves when we fall short of God’s standard is spiritual death. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”
The very bad news that Paul has outlined in these passages is that all of us are guilty sinners, in the hands of a holy God who is angry about our rejection of Him and His law, and we all are condemned to spiritual death in hell, where we will be separated from the grace and love of God for all of eternity. Consider the weight of that truth as you examine your life.
At the beginning of this section you read about the idea of receiving the maximum wage for little work, and how from a heavenly perspective that is both very good news, as well as very bad news. The very bad news is that even when we only work a little bit of sin, we receive the maximum wage, which is death. But here is the very good news - because of what Jesus has done, for absolutely no work at all you can receive the maximum wage of righteousness, which is life with God now and forever, experiencing the grace and love that is only found in Christ!
DECISION POINT
Our Bible passages here teach us that we have all sinned, suppressed the truth, and have swapped God out as the one that we should worship. We also learn about God’s anger toward sin, and that all who sin, will face the consequences of those actions. If you recognize and acknowledge that this is true of you, then there is only one solution - faith in Christ who alone can save you from the consequences of your sin, and can bring you into a relationship with God, your creator. Will you do that today?
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In the list of sins in Romans 1:28-32, which ones do you see the most in your life?
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What’s one new thing you learned about the bad news of your sin that makes the gospel good news?
MEMORY VERSE
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23
MAIN POINT
Jesus came and lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death that we deserved to satisfy God’s holy anger and to reconcile us to God.
READ THE PASSAGE
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking the definitions of some key terms in this passage.
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Justice - is when we get exactly what we deserve. God is exercising justice when He condemns sinners to hell who have not put their faith in Jesus for salvation.
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Mercy - is when we do NOT get what we deserve. God shows us compassion and does not treat us as we deserve to be treated.
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Grace - is when we get what we do NOT deserve. God shows us undeserved favor that we did not earn. Grace is a free gift.
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Reconciliation - is what Jesus does to restore us to a right relationship with God. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin with His sacrifice, we can be restored to an unbroken friendship with our Creator.
We’re about to find out just how awesome Jesus is. God is well aware of our sinful and separated condition and that we are utterly hopeless to fix the broken relationship with God on our own efforts or through our good deeds. So, Jesus, motivated by a deep and profound love for us, came to earth as a human on a cosmic rescue mission to bring us back to God.
Romans 5:6 says, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” To say that we are “utterly helpless” is to say that there is nothing we can do to fix our condition of sin. This is a real problem, one that only Jesus can solve - and so he came and died for us sinners, because of the amazing love He has for us!
Some might say God had given us no actual proof that He really does love us. But check out Romans 5:8. “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” The proof of God’s love is found in the reality of what Jesus has done in dying in our place. But even more than that, is the fact that He didn’t wait until we started being good, or until we did something to deserve being rescued. Even while we were sinning and rebelling against Him, he died for us. This is so important to understand. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up, which we can never truly do, but chose to give His life for us even though we do not deserve it – that is called grace!
And that grace changes everything. Look at Romans 5:9. “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Why do we need to be saved from God’s condemnation? Because God is just. Condemnation is the natural consequence for our sin - it is what we deserve! God would not be just to simply brush the sin under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen, and so someone has to pay the penalty of our sins. But God shows His great mercy by not giving us what we deserve, which is eternal punishment in hell, but by sending Christ to take our place, to pay the penalty for sin that we cannot, and to make a way for us to be with God. Are you starting to see how amazing the gospel is and why it’s such good news? But it gets even better. Not only does God the Father accept Jesus’ death as a sacrifice for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus, but He also makes us His friends. Following Christ is not just to save us from hell, but also to bring us into relationship with Him!
Read Romans 5:10-11
The apostle Paul goes on to explain the benefits of being made God’s friend, saying that we who place our faith in Christ are reconciled to God. Because Jesus shed His innocent blood for us, we can have hope - He has restored the relationship between us and our creator that sin has destroyed.
Read Romans 5:15-16
The Bible teaches us that Adam, the first human, rejected God, sinned against Him, and dragged all of humanity after him into the consequences of that sin. Adam has caused us to be enemies of God, but Jesus has made it possible for us to become friends once again with Him. Jesus came to fix what Adam and his sin broke! This is the best news that anyone could possibly share: God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus!
While this is incredible news, the reality is that not everyone will experience this. While Romans 5:17-19 does say that many will receive God’s grace, it does not say everyone will. The amazing gift of righteousness and reconciliation between man and God is only for those who receive it by placing their faith in Christ. Anyone who rejects Christ, and refuses to accept this gift, will continue to be an enemy of God. While this may seem harsh, the reality is that God gives everyone the opportunity to receive this gift.
DECISION POINT
Will you accept the reality of how hopeless and futile it is to try and fix the relationship between you and God that your own sin has ruined? Do you believe that Jesus offers the only way back into a right relationship with your creator? There is no amount of good you can do to earn God’s favor or grace; Jesus is the ONLY way! If you would like to respond to Jesus today, check out this page for more information.
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Where do you see the presence or consequences of sin in your own heart and life? How does the news that Jesus made a way for you to be reconciled to God impact the way you look at your own sin?
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What is something that might be holding you back from receiving this gift of grace from Christ? What might be causing you to be hesitant?
MEMORY VERSE
But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
We all love receiving gifts. Whether it's for our birthday, Christmas, or any other reason, everyone enjoys getting gifts! Imagine for a moment that someone gets you the perfect present, maybe something that you didn’t even realize you were wanting or needing. After you unwrap it and see what it is, would you then hand it back and say, “Thanks for the gift, but I’m okay. Keep it.”?
n many ways that is what people are doing when they reject God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and righteousness. God has given you the best gift that anyone could possibly imagine through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God is offering something that, whether you understand it or not, your heart has always desired. Here we are looking at the next part of the gospel: OUR RESPONSE. How will you respond to the gift that God is offering to you?
MAIN POINT
We receive salvation when we trust Jesus. Trusting Jesus means placing our faith in His finished work on the cross to pay for our sins and make us right with God.
READ THE PASSAGE
Romans 5:1-2
Romans 10:9-13
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking a key term you read in these verses.
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Justified - This is a legal term that means to be made innocent and to be given right standing with God. It means that there is no balance due on our legal account because the debt has been paid in full.
Read Romans 3:19-22
Here Paul begins to shift from focusing on the reality of our guilt, to the promise of God’s grace. He writes about how the law was given to show the world their guilt before God. Paul tells us that no one can keep the law of God perfectly, and that we are all sinful. However, despite the reality of our sin, God has made a way for us to be justified, or made right, with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, is the only one who never sinned against God, and so He is the only one who can make us right with God by taking our sin and giving us His righteousness!
Read Romans 3:23-24
Paul goes on to point out once more that we all have sinned and have broken God’s law, and yet because of His grace, and the work of Jesus Christ, God has made us justified in His sight. It is only through faith in Christ, believing that He alone has made a way for reconciliation between God and man, that this is possible.
Read Romans 5:1-2
For those who have placed their faith in Christ, Paul says that they have been made right before God and are at peace with Him. Again and again you see that the word of God says that it is only through faith in Christ that these things can be true for an individual. So what does that mean? How do we do that? Thankfully, Paul doesn’t leave us guessing - he gives us very clear instructions.
Read Romans 10:9-13
There are two things to highlight in these verses. First, we must be willing to verbally and publicly declare that Jesus is Lord. This means we need to confess that Jesus truly is the son of God, who came to take away the sin of the world, who died and rose again. The term “Lord” also carries with it an implication that Jesus is the one who guides and directs your life, not you.
Second, Paul says that we must believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead. It is not enough to say the truth, but we must also believe that it is true. If we do this we will be saved! This is the good news – God doesn’t require anything from us other than our faith that Jesus is the Lord who died, and rose again on the third day.
DECISION POINT
This leaves us with just one simple question: Do you believe? Will you receive the free gift of grace offered to you in Christ by placing your faith and trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross? As you consider this, take a moment to answer the following questions:
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Do you recognize that you are a sinner?
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Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?
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Do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins and was raised from the dead 3 days later?
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Do you understand that you can do NOTHING to earn His love and forgiveness, but that it is offered freely to those that put their trust in Him?
If you have answered yes to these questions, then place your trust in Christ, and receive the free gift of grace. Take a look at the Next Steps page to learn what comes next for a new follower of Christ! If you are unsure, or if you are still figuring out what you believe, that is okay – keep reading! Check out this page as you are wrestling with questions about who Jesus is, what He has done, and what it means to follow Him.
MEMORY VERSE
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Have you ever been rock climbing? If you have, you know just how exhilarating and also terrifying it can be. You are trusting that the rope and harness will support your weight as you climb. Before you begin your climb, you look at the thin rope that should keep you from falling, and you have to trust that it will, in the hands of the expert holding the other end, keep you safe. As you go further and further up the wall, you are continuing to exercise the faith that you had when you first began.
In many ways, this is the same as following Jesus. If you have faith in the rope of salvation that is held secure in the hands of Christ, you can face the challenges of life that lay before you. You can climb freely because of the confidence that Jesus will strengthen you when you are weary, catch you when you fall, and encourage you along the way! No matter what, He is with you! In this section we will explore what it means to be safe and secure in God’s hands, because of what Christ has done!
MAIN POINT
Christians are eternally uncondemned and eternally loved by God who guards them through the challenges of life.
READ THE PASSAGE
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking a key idea found in these verses.
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Eternal Security - this means that because Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and has reconciled us with God, it is impossible for true believers to ever lose their salvation.
Romans 8 is considered by many to be one of the most important chapters of the Bible. It is packed full of the gospel and how Jesus shows His profound love for us. One of the most common fears Christians deal with is that they believe that God will still condemn them for their sin. His grace in the gospel just seems too good to be true. But this is a complete misunderstanding of what the gospel means!
Read Romans 8:1
What Paul writes here is incredibly clear! For those who belong to Christ, that is for Christians, there is no condemnation. For followers of Jesus, nothing that they have done in the past and nothing that they will do in the future will bring condemnation upon them! But how is that possible?
Read Romans 8:2-4
The reason that this is true is because Jesus did what none of us could. Jesus perfectly kept God’s law and commandments, and because of His grace, He freely trades His righteousness for our sinfulness. Think of it this way - if you were taking a test and got every question wrong, you would rightfully deserve a 0. Then Jesus comes along, takes the test and gets every single question right, earning a 100% on the test. What Jesus does is He takes our 0% for His grade, and gives us the 100% that He alone deserved.
In the gospel, this is what Jesus does for those who follow Him. He takes their failures, and the condemnation that goes along with it, and exchanges it with His own righteousness. What Paul is saying in these verses is that salvation is eternally secured for the followers of Christ because they are eternally free from condemnation! This is the core of the gospel message, that through His work on the cross and His resurrection, Christ has made this possible! But what does that mean for the followers of Jesus today? How does this good news affect not just their eternity, but also their present experience in this world?
Read Romans 8:28
One common misunderstanding of the gospel is that if we follow Jesus, nothing bad will ever happen. But what the Bible actually says, and what Paul emphasizes here, is that for the follower of Christ, in the midst of the challenges that are faced in this life, God will work it together for their good. This does not mean that bad things will not happen, but that when they do, God will use them to produce goodness in us and for us. This also doesn’t mean that bad things are good, but rather that the bad things we experience - the hardships, abuse, sickness, bullying, death, or anything else we might face - are not able to overcome God’s power, goodness, and grace, that is available to us through faith in Christ.
Read Romans 8:31-32
Paul hammers this point home, declaring that with God, nothing and no one can stand against us, not because of who we are, but because of who He is! Paul says that God, because of His great love, has promised us everything we need, even His own Son, who He sent to die in our place. This is not an open promise that He will give you everything you want if you just believe enough, but rather, it is a guarantee that God will provide everything that a follower of Jesus needs to live for Him. He does not always answer our prayers in the ways we want or expect, but He will always give us what is best for us!
Read Romans 8:33-34
As you continue on in this passage, Paul’s main point is laid out clearly. If God has forgiven you, then no one and nothing can condemn you! You may not always feel forgiven. You may at times feel guilty for past sin in your life, but what Paul says here is that because of the work of Jesus, forgiveness is guaranteed.
Read Romans 8:35-39
If Paul’s point is that there is no condemnation for the follower of Christ, then we see clearly the implication of that! If that is true, then of course nothing can separate us from the love of God seen and experienced in Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of the challenges that followers of Christ face day by day, we will still be secure in the love of God, forever! This is the good news - Christians, who have placed their faith in Christ, trusting in His power to save and forgive, are eternally uncondemned and eternally loved by God.
DECISION POINT
If you have trusted Jesus to be your savior, to forgive you of your sins, and to cover you with His righteousness, then you can trust Him to keep you secure eternally. However, if you have not taken that step of faith to trust in Jesus, then condemnation is still on you, because of your sin. It is only through faith in Him, that the promises in Romans 8 can be yours. What is keeping you from placing your trust in Jesus today?
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What does it mean that followers of Christ will never be condemned for their sin? Why is that such a big deal?
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How does this truth impact the way you view God? How does it impact the way you view yourself?
MEMORY VERSE
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
As we come to the final part of The Gospel in Romans, let us first review what we have seen so far:
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GOD - the gospel is God’s love and plan to save His people.
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OUR CONDITION - we are sinful and separated from God.
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GOD’S SOLUTION - God sent Jesus to die in our place to pay for our sins, and then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and making a way for us to be made right with God.
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OUR RESPONSE - we gain salvation by accepting Jesus as we individually put our faith in Him.
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OUR SECURITY - we are eternally uncondemned and eternally loved by God.
Throughout the whole series we have highlighted the core truths of what God has done for us in light of our eternity, but this final section talks about what life with Jesus looks like now in our day to day lives. Here we will explore OUR SANCTIFICATION, the process of followers of Jesus becoming more like Him as they walk in gospel obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit.
MAIN POINT
Christians grow to become more like Jesus as we put our sinful thoughts and actions to death by the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to transform our way of thinking from worldliness to godliness.
READ THE PASSAGE
Romans 12:1-2
Galatians 5:16-24
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking a key idea found in these verses.
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Sanctification - God’s work in the lives of Christians to make us more like Jesus. Christians grow in holiness and godliness over time as we put away sinfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read Romans 8:5-8
Paul paints two pictures here - one of the life of the person apart from Christ, and the other of the one following Christ. Those who follow Jesus should look vastly different than those who don’t. When Jesus gives someone His righteousness and holiness as they place their faith and trust in Him, it affects the way they live daily.
Read Romans 8:9-11.
The good news that Paul shares here is that the followers of Jesus are not expected to become more like Him on their own, but rather that God gives them the Holy Spirit, who empowers them to live the way we ought to. This is how the gospel affects the daily life of a Christian - when Jesus saves someone, He sends the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, to literally live inside of the Christian, to make them more like Jesus. The very same power that brought Jesus from the dead, is now given to the followers of Christ to enable them to live as God calls them to! And as Paul goes on to say, those who are filled with this Spirit, are also adopted by God, becoming His sons and daughters. This is an incredible thing!
Read Romans 8:12-14
What Paul says here is that the way to grow in holiness, to become more like Jesus and to honor God in all that we do, is to live by the Spirit. Before following Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to put sin to death, but afterward, by the power of the Spirit, sin no longer rules over the Christian’s life. But what does that actually mean?
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You will still be tempted. Whether from the world around you, or from your own heart’s sinful desires, sin will continually seek to pull you back into old habits and lifestyles. At times, followers of Jesus will still fail, choosing sin over holiness.
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With the power of the Holy Spirit living within followers of Jesus, they can actually say no to sin, knowing that ultimately Christ has already won the battle against sin on our behalf.
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Christians cannot defeat and resist sin on their own, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit! Pursuing holiness and rejecting sin is a daily rhythm, where followers of Jesus must daily ask God to help them live for Him & to forgive them of the ways that they have given into sin.
Jumping briefly over to the book of Galatians, another letter written by Paul to encourage and instruct Christians, this process is laid out clearly. He talks about the reality of an ongoing war against sin that followers of Christ engage in, how the Holy Spirit is the key to victory in that war, and the incredible fruit that Christians can see in their lives because of the power of the Holy Spirit! The way we fight against sin is to daily confess to God any sin in our lives, and to ask Him to help us live a life pleasing to Him through the Holy Spirit living within.
Read Romans 12:1-2
As we wrap up this series, these two final verses highlight the need for followers of Christ to live lives of holiness and obedience. The way to worship God is to be transformed by the Holy Spirit living within, and through that reality, to honor God in everything. Through this, over time, followers of Christ will come to understand God’s will for them more and more, and will continue to look more and more like Jesus in everything!
Living the Christian life doesn't have to be as complicated as many think it is. Because of what Christ has done, His followers don’t have to be perfect in order to earn God’s love and favor. The love of God experienced through Christ’s work and the presence of the Holy Spirit, make followers of Christ more and more like Him every day. This is the promise of the gospel! If you want this, to know Christ, to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately to experience true freedom from sin, then trust in Jesus today!
DECISION POINT
If you are a follower of Jesus, will you commit to relying on the Holy Spirit, resisting sin, and seeking to honor God in all you do? If you are not yet following Christ, what is holding you back? The best thing you can do is to trust Jesus as your Lord and savior, ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit, and begin walking with Him! Spend time reading the Bible, talking to God in prayer, and seeking out the people of God in the local church.
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What are some of the ways the world around you tries to make you conform to it? How are those things contrary to the way God is calling people to live?
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What is something you feel God is calling you to do after reading through this series?
MEMORY VERSE
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
We’ll unpack the details of that plan together as we explore the gospel in Romans over the next several weeks. First, we’ll focus on the beginning - God’s Love and Plan.
THE STAGE IS SET
So what is this book of Romans anyway? Great question. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul around 57 AD to new Christians in the city of Rome. There are a few things we should know about these people.
The Apostle Paul was one of the main leaders of the early church, but he wasn’t always a Christian. He was a devout Jew and religious leader who thought Christians were blaspheming God. What did he do about this, you ask? He arrested and even killed many Christians… until one day he met Jesus and realized Jesus had not only died but had indeed come back to life. That changed everything.
The city of Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire, making it the most influential city in the world. It was full of people from all over the world who worshiped many different gods. Has anyone here ever seen the movie Gladiator? It shows that Rome was also a city full of great violence and immorality.
The Christians in Rome were both Jews and Gentiles. Jews are people who were given God’s Law – you know the 10 Commandments – and sometimes thought they were the only ones who could be God’s people. Gentiles are people who are not ethnically Jewish and in ancient writing were often called “Greeks.”
In this letter, Paul clearly explains what the gospel is, why it’s needed, and how it works in our lives. In the book of Romans, Paul teaches that God reveals His righteousness and His wrath (that is, His holy anger) against sin, which means that God will judge people for their sinful rebellion. Yet at the same time, God reveals His great love and mercy for everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, then came back to life three days later.
MAIN POINT
READ THE PASSAGE
Romans 1:1-7, 14-17
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let’s unpack the definition of some of the key terms in this passage.
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The Righteousness of God: God’s moral character that is wholly good, pure, and without corruption.
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Sin: Anything we say, think, or do that breaks God’s laws. It’s all the ungodly things we do and all the godly things we know we should do but choose not to do.
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The Gospel: The good news that Jesus died in our place and rose from the dead to make a way for us to be made right with God.
Why would anyone ever be ashamed of the gospel? The world is full of people who do not believe in Jesus and who make fun of those who do. Throughout history, Christians have been mocked and ridiculed for believing that Jesus was born of a virgin, or that He is the Son of God in the flesh. Christians can face shame or embarrassment for believing that Jesus is the only way we can be saved. Or other times Christians are mocked because they refuse to do the things that everyone else around them is doing. Whatever the reason, it is common enough that Paul sees the need to address it!
Read Luke 4:3-4
First, the devil tempts Jesus to use His powers to turn stones into bread and break His fast. There is nothing wrong with bread, of course, but Jesus was there to fast and pray. And God had not given Jesus miraculous powers to make bread whenever He got hungry. This reminds us that the devil and the world love to tempt people to “meet legitimate desires in forbidden ways.”[1] We all want food, money, intimacy, and a good self-image. So Satan tempts us to get these in ways God has forbidden. Rather than giving into this temptation to satisfy his temporary hunger, Jesus remains steadfast, displaying faith in God’s ability and faithfulness to sustain and provide for His people.
Paul gives two reasons why we shouldn’t be ashamed of the gospel. First, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. The message of who Jesus is and what He came to do for us is full of God’s power. God in His power created the world and raised Jesus from the dead. If you believe the gospel, God will make you a new creation and raise you to a new life. The gospel is so powerful that if you truly believe this message, you will be forgiven of all your sins and will live with God forever. The second reason we shouldn’t be ashamed of the gospel is because in it the righteousness of God is revealed to us.
Read Romans 1:17
Paul states that the righteousness of God is able to be seen and experienced by faith; those who have faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God, have His righteousness revealed in their lives. This has two implications – God is righteous, meaning He cannot ignore sin, and that God gives his righteousness to those who place their faith in Christ. God put the sin of the world on the sinless Jesus who died in our place, so that all who believe in Him can receive forgiveness, having their sin removed and God’s righteousness given to them.
When we truly understand what Jesus did for us in the gospel, it’s hard to be ashamed of that, right? When we comprehend the richness of God’s love and compassion for us sinners who deserve to die and spend forever in hell, it ought to awaken a grateful boldness in us. We should have boldness that makes us willing to stand up for Jesus in front of others, even if that means we stand alone. And we should have the courage to tell others about Him.
Maybe you are reading this and are thinking, “That’s a great story, but why should I believe any of this?” Read verse four again - Jesus was declared to be the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead. When Paul realized Jesus really had come back to life, he went from being a Christian-killer to being a Christ-preacher. The reason you should believe in Jesus is because after He died for all of our sin, He was raised to life on the third day, defeating sin and the grave, proving once and for all that He truly is God in the flesh, and He alone has the power to save sinners. Because this is true, we should all follow Him!
DECISION POINT
Do you believe that even though you are a sinner who deserves God’s judgment, that through faith in Jesus, God can and will forgive you of your sins and give you His righteousness? If you have already placed your faith in Christ, will you be unashamed of the fact that Jesus is the only way to experience freedom and forgiveness of sin? If you are nervous about sharing this with others, ask God to give you boldness to share!
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What questions or hesitations are keeping you from placing your faith in Jesus?
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If you are a follower of Christ, what tempts you to be ashamed of your faith? How does the truth of the gospel encourage and empower you to be bold in your faith?
MEMORY VERSE
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16
We’ll unpack the details of that plan together as we explore the gospel in Romans over the next several weeks. First, we’ll focus on the beginning - God’s Love and Plan.
MAIN POINT
Because of our sin, every person is separated from our holy God and deserving of death and eternal punishment in hell.
READ THE PASSAGE
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Before we get into the passages in this section, let’s define some key terms you will see.
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The Wrath of God: God’s red-hot, holy anger toward everything that is unjust, impure, and ungodly.
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Wage of Sin: The death penalty that we have earned for ourselves by being sinners.
Read Romans 1:18-20
You might ask, “What is God so wrathful or angry about?” These verses show two things. First, we are all “sinful, wicked people.” We have all done things we know to be wrong. It gets worse. We are also sinful and wicked people who “suppress the truth by their wickedness.” What does it mean to suppress the truth? It means we ignore truths we know to be real.
God tells us that the creation He made is more than enough evidence that He exists. But the reality is that people don’t want to admit that God exists because that would mean they are not their own boss. It would mean they are accountable to God who alone decides what is right and what is wrong. So, God is angry because people sin and suppress the truth.
But there is a third thing God is angry about. People sin. People suppress the truth. We also swap God out. The truth is that the heart of man is made for worship. If we will not worship God, we will worship something else instead. Listen to how Paul puts it in the next few verses.
Read Romans 1:21-23
You may be thinking, “I don’t worship birds or animals, and I certainly don’t have a statue I bow down to!” Oftentimes people today think that they don’t worship idols, but what Paul is saying here is that anything that takes the place that God should have in our hearts is an idol.
The truth is that the idols of our day are not typically statues of metal or stone, but rather they are the things that capture and guide our hearts. Today’s idols are beauty, wealth, fame, and ultimately, even ourselves. We as humans are consumed with looking good, having nice things, being smart and successful, and being in control of our lives. While none of these things are inherently evil, it is when they take the place of God that it becomes idolatry. So what does that mean for us? Let's keep reading to see what Paul has to say next.
Read Romans 1:28-31
This is the result of our idolatry; God allows us to experience the consequences of our own choices and actions. Consider what from this list is present in your own life, and perhaps the bad news will continue to become more and more clear to you. Can anyone truly say that they are not a sinner who has suppressed the truth about what God says is right and wrong? Haven’t we all in one way or another swapped God out as King of the Universe, and have put ourselves in His place?
Oftentimes, when people hear this truth, they will admit that they are not perfect, but in the same breath will say, “But at least I’m not as bad as other people!” Paul figured we’d say that, so he addressed it in the next few verses.
Romans 2:1-3
Think about it this way: picture someone walking up to you on the street and punching you in the face. How would you react? Most people will probably say that it was morally wrong for them to do that! If a police officer then came to you afterward asking about it, you would likely want the other person to face some consequence for what they did. Now imagine someone just down the street from you doing something far worse than just punching someone in the face, and the police officer had to leave to deal with it – even though someone else did something worse, wouldn’t you still want the person who wronged you to be punished?
If you agree that the person in that example did something wrong and that they deserve to face the consequences of their actions, then you are admitting to believing that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and that people who do wrong things should be punished, regardless of how bad another person’s wrongs might be.
That brings us to the bad news: we are all sinners who have broken God’s laws. There is no way around it! That is the reality of our condition, and it is the very thing that separates us from God. Romans 3:23 says it like this: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
And if we have all sinned against God, and done what is wrong, then what is the consequence for that? The punishment, or the wage, that we earn for ourselves when we fall short of God’s standard is spiritual death. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”
The very bad news that Paul has outlined in these passages is that all of us are guilty sinners, in the hands of a holy God who is angry about our rejection of Him and His law, and we all are condemned to spiritual death in hell, where we will be separated from the grace and love of God for all of eternity. Consider the weight of that truth as you examine your life.
At the beginning of this section you read about the idea of receiving the maximum wage for little work, and how from a heavenly perspective that is both very good news, as well as very bad news. The very bad news is that even when we only work a little bit of sin, we receive the maximum wage, which is death. But here is the very good news - because of what Jesus has done, for absolutely no work at all you can receive the maximum wage of righteousness, which is life with God now and forever, experiencing the grace and love that is only found in Christ!
DECISION POINT
Our Bible passages here teach us that we have all sinned, suppressed the truth, and have swapped God out as the one that we should worship. We also learn about God’s anger toward sin, and that all who sin, will face the consequences of those actions. If you recognize and acknowledge that this is true of you, then there is only one solution - faith in Christ who alone can save you from the consequences of your sin, and can bring you into a relationship with God, your creator. Will you do that today?
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In the list of sins in Romans 1:28-32, which ones do you see the most in your life?
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What’s one new thing you learned about the bad news of your sin that makes the gospel good news?
MEMORY VERSE
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23
MAIN POINT
Jesus came and lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death that we deserved to satisfy God’s holy anger and to reconcile us to God.
READ THE PASSAGE
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking the definitions of some key terms in this passage.
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Justice - is when we get exactly what we deserve. God is exercising justice when He condemns sinners to hell who have not put their faith in Jesus for salvation.
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Mercy - is when we do NOT get what we deserve. God shows us compassion and does not treat us as we deserve to be treated.
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Grace - is when we get what we do NOT deserve. God shows us undeserved favor that we did not earn. Grace is a free gift.
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Reconciliation - is what Jesus does to restore us to a right relationship with God. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin with His sacrifice, we can be restored to an unbroken friendship with our Creator.
We’re about to find out just how awesome Jesus is. God is well aware of our sinful and separated condition and that we are utterly hopeless to fix the broken relationship with God on our own efforts or through our good deeds. So, Jesus, motivated by a deep and profound love for us, came to earth as a human on a cosmic rescue mission to bring us back to God.
Romans 5:6 says, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” To say that we are “utterly helpless” is to say that there is nothing we can do to fix our condition of sin. This is a real problem, one that only Jesus can solve - and so he came and died for us sinners, because of the amazing love He has for us!
Some might say God had given us no actual proof that He really does love us. But check out Romans 5:8. “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” The proof of God’s love is found in the reality of what Jesus has done in dying in our place. But even more than that, is the fact that He didn’t wait until we started being good, or until we did something to deserve being rescued. Even while we were sinning and rebelling against Him, he died for us. This is so important to understand. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up, which we can never truly do, but chose to give His life for us even though we do not deserve it – that is called grace!
And that grace changes everything. Look at Romans 5:9. “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Why do we need to be saved from God’s condemnation? Because God is just. Condemnation is the natural consequence for our sin - it is what we deserve! God would not be just to simply brush the sin under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen, and so someone has to pay the penalty of our sins. But God shows His great mercy by not giving us what we deserve, which is eternal punishment in hell, but by sending Christ to take our place, to pay the penalty for sin that we cannot, and to make a way for us to be with God. Are you starting to see how amazing the gospel is and why it’s such good news? But it gets even better. Not only does God the Father accept Jesus’ death as a sacrifice for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus, but He also makes us His friends. Following Christ is not just to save us from hell, but also to bring us into relationship with Him!
Read Romans 5:10-11
The apostle Paul goes on to explain the benefits of being made God’s friend, saying that we who place our faith in Christ are reconciled to God. Because Jesus shed His innocent blood for us, we can have hope - He has restored the relationship between us and our creator that sin has destroyed.
Read Romans 5:15-16
The Bible teaches us that Adam, the first human, rejected God, sinned against Him, and dragged all of humanity after him into the consequences of that sin. Adam has caused us to be enemies of God, but Jesus has made it possible for us to become friends once again with Him. Jesus came to fix what Adam and his sin broke! This is the best news that anyone could possibly share: God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus!
While this is incredible news, the reality is that not everyone will experience this. While Romans 5:17-19 does say that many will receive God’s grace, it does not say everyone will. The amazing gift of righteousness and reconciliation between man and God is only for those who receive it by placing their faith in Christ. Anyone who rejects Christ, and refuses to accept this gift, will continue to be an enemy of God. While this may seem harsh, the reality is that God gives everyone the opportunity to receive this gift.
DECISION POINT
Will you accept the reality of how hopeless and futile it is to try and fix the relationship between you and God that your own sin has ruined? Do you believe that Jesus offers the only way back into a right relationship with your creator? There is no amount of good you can do to earn God’s favor or grace; Jesus is the ONLY way! If you would like to respond to Jesus today, check out this page for more information.
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Where do you see the presence or consequences of sin in your own heart and life? How does the news that Jesus made a way for you to be reconciled to God impact the way you look at your own sin?
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What is something that might be holding you back from receiving this gift of grace from Christ? What might be causing you to be hesitant?
MEMORY VERSE
But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
We all love receiving gifts. Whether it's for our birthday, Christmas, or any other reason, everyone enjoys getting gifts! Imagine for a moment that someone gets you the perfect present, maybe something that you didn’t even realize you were wanting or needing. After you unwrap it and see what it is, would you then hand it back and say, “Thanks for the gift, but I’m okay. Keep it.”?
n many ways that is what people are doing when they reject God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and righteousness. God has given you the best gift that anyone could possibly imagine through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God is offering something that, whether you understand it or not, your heart has always desired. Here we are looking at the next part of the gospel: OUR RESPONSE. How will you respond to the gift that God is offering to you?
MAIN POINT
We receive salvation when we trust Jesus. Trusting Jesus means placing our faith in His finished work on the cross to pay for our sins and make us right with God.
READ THE PASSAGE
Romans 5:1-2
Romans 10:9-13
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking a key term you read in these verses.
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Justified - This is a legal term that means to be made innocent and to be given right standing with God. It means that there is no balance due on our legal account because the debt has been paid in full.
Read Romans 3:19-22
Here Paul begins to shift from focusing on the reality of our guilt, to the promise of God’s grace. He writes about how the law was given to show the world their guilt before God. Paul tells us that no one can keep the law of God perfectly, and that we are all sinful. However, despite the reality of our sin, God has made a way for us to be justified, or made right, with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, is the only one who never sinned against God, and so He is the only one who can make us right with God by taking our sin and giving us His righteousness!
Read Romans 3:23-24
Paul goes on to point out once more that we all have sinned and have broken God’s law, and yet because of His grace, and the work of Jesus Christ, God has made us justified in His sight. It is only through faith in Christ, believing that He alone has made a way for reconciliation between God and man, that this is possible.
Read Romans 5:1-2
For those who have placed their faith in Christ, Paul says that they have been made right before God and are at peace with Him. Again and again you see that the word of God says that it is only through faith in Christ that these things can be true for an individual. So what does that mean? How do we do that? Thankfully, Paul doesn’t leave us guessing - he gives us very clear instructions.
Read Romans 10:9-13
There are two things to highlight in these verses. First, we must be willing to verbally and publicly declare that Jesus is Lord. This means we need to confess that Jesus truly is the son of God, who came to take away the sin of the world, who died and rose again. The term “Lord” also carries with it an implication that Jesus is the one who guides and directs your life, not you.
Second, Paul says that we must believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead. It is not enough to say the truth, but we must also believe that it is true. If we do this we will be saved! This is the good news – God doesn’t require anything from us other than our faith that Jesus is the Lord who died, and rose again on the third day.
DECISION POINT
This leaves us with just one simple question: Do you believe? Will you receive the free gift of grace offered to you in Christ by placing your faith and trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross? As you consider this, take a moment to answer the following questions:
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Do you recognize that you are a sinner?
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Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?
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Do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins and was raised from the dead 3 days later?
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Do you understand that you can do NOTHING to earn His love and forgiveness, but that it is offered freely to those that put their trust in Him?
If you have answered yes to these questions, then place your trust in Christ, and receive the free gift of grace. Take a look at the Next Steps page to learn what comes next for a new follower of Christ! If you are unsure, or if you are still figuring out what you believe, that is okay – keep reading! Check out this page as you are wrestling with questions about who Jesus is, what He has done, and what it means to follow Him.
MEMORY VERSE
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Have you ever been rock climbing? If you have, you know just how exhilarating and also terrifying it can be. You are trusting that the rope and harness will support your weight as you climb. Before you begin your climb, you look at the thin rope that should keep you from falling, and you have to trust that it will, in the hands of the expert holding the other end, keep you safe. As you go further and further up the wall, you are continuing to exercise the faith that you had when you first began.
In many ways, this is the same as following Jesus. If you have faith in the rope of salvation that is held secure in the hands of Christ, you can face the challenges of life that lay before you. You can climb freely because of the confidence that Jesus will strengthen you when you are weary, catch you when you fall, and encourage you along the way! No matter what, He is with you! In this section we will explore what it means to be safe and secure in God’s hands, because of what Christ has done!
MAIN POINT
Christians are eternally uncondemned and eternally loved by God who guards them through the challenges of life.
READ THE PASSAGE
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking a key idea found in these verses.
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Eternal Security - this means that because Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and has reconciled us with God, it is impossible for true believers to ever lose their salvation.
Romans 8 is considered by many to be one of the most important chapters of the Bible. It is packed full of the gospel and how Jesus shows His profound love for us. One of the most common fears Christians deal with is that they believe that God will still condemn them for their sin. His grace in the gospel just seems too good to be true. But this is a complete misunderstanding of what the gospel means!
Read Romans 8:1
What Paul writes here is incredibly clear! For those who belong to Christ, that is for Christians, there is no condemnation. For followers of Jesus, nothing that they have done in the past and nothing that they will do in the future will bring condemnation upon them! But how is that possible?
Read Romans 8:2-4
The reason that this is true is because Jesus did what none of us could. Jesus perfectly kept God’s law and commandments, and because of His grace, He freely trades His righteousness for our sinfulness. Think of it this way - if you were taking a test and got every question wrong, you would rightfully deserve a 0. Then Jesus comes along, takes the test and gets every single question right, earning a 100% on the test. What Jesus does is He takes our 0% for His grade, and gives us the 100% that He alone deserved.
In the gospel, this is what Jesus does for those who follow Him. He takes their failures, and the condemnation that goes along with it, and exchanges it with His own righteousness. What Paul is saying in these verses is that salvation is eternally secured for the followers of Christ because they are eternally free from condemnation! This is the core of the gospel message, that through His work on the cross and His resurrection, Christ has made this possible! But what does that mean for the followers of Jesus today? How does this good news affect not just their eternity, but also their present experience in this world?
Read Romans 8:28
One common misunderstanding of the gospel is that if we follow Jesus, nothing bad will ever happen. But what the Bible actually says, and what Paul emphasizes here, is that for the follower of Christ, in the midst of the challenges that are faced in this life, God will work it together for their good. This does not mean that bad things will not happen, but that when they do, God will use them to produce goodness in us and for us. This also doesn’t mean that bad things are good, but rather that the bad things we experience - the hardships, abuse, sickness, bullying, death, or anything else we might face - are not able to overcome God’s power, goodness, and grace, that is available to us through faith in Christ.
Read Romans 8:31-32
Paul hammers this point home, declaring that with God, nothing and no one can stand against us, not because of who we are, but because of who He is! Paul says that God, because of His great love, has promised us everything we need, even His own Son, who He sent to die in our place. This is not an open promise that He will give you everything you want if you just believe enough, but rather, it is a guarantee that God will provide everything that a follower of Jesus needs to live for Him. He does not always answer our prayers in the ways we want or expect, but He will always give us what is best for us!
Read Romans 8:33-34
As you continue on in this passage, Paul’s main point is laid out clearly. If God has forgiven you, then no one and nothing can condemn you! You may not always feel forgiven. You may at times feel guilty for past sin in your life, but what Paul says here is that because of the work of Jesus, forgiveness is guaranteed.
Read Romans 8:35-39
If Paul’s point is that there is no condemnation for the follower of Christ, then we see clearly the implication of that! If that is true, then of course nothing can separate us from the love of God seen and experienced in Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of the challenges that followers of Christ face day by day, we will still be secure in the love of God, forever! This is the good news - Christians, who have placed their faith in Christ, trusting in His power to save and forgive, are eternally uncondemned and eternally loved by God.
DECISION POINT
If you have trusted Jesus to be your savior, to forgive you of your sins, and to cover you with His righteousness, then you can trust Him to keep you secure eternally. However, if you have not taken that step of faith to trust in Jesus, then condemnation is still on you, because of your sin. It is only through faith in Him, that the promises in Romans 8 can be yours. What is keeping you from placing your trust in Jesus today?
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What does it mean that followers of Christ will never be condemned for their sin? Why is that such a big deal?
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How does this truth impact the way you view God? How does it impact the way you view yourself?
MEMORY VERSE
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
As we come to the final part of The Gospel in Romans, let us first review what we have seen so far:
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GOD - the gospel is God’s love and plan to save His people.
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OUR CONDITION - we are sinful and separated from God.
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GOD’S SOLUTION - God sent Jesus to die in our place to pay for our sins, and then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and making a way for us to be made right with God.
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OUR RESPONSE - we gain salvation by accepting Jesus as we individually put our faith in Him.
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OUR SECURITY - we are eternally uncondemned and eternally loved by God.
Throughout the whole series we have highlighted the core truths of what God has done for us in light of our eternity, but this final section talks about what life with Jesus looks like now in our day to day lives. Here we will explore OUR SANCTIFICATION, the process of followers of Jesus becoming more like Him as they walk in gospel obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit.
MAIN POINT
Christians grow to become more like Jesus as we put our sinful thoughts and actions to death by the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to transform our way of thinking from worldliness to godliness.
READ THE PASSAGE
Romans 12:1-2
Galatians 5:16-24
STUDY THE PASSAGES
Let's start with unpacking a key idea found in these verses.
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Sanctification - God’s work in the lives of Christians to make us more like Jesus. Christians grow in holiness and godliness over time as we put away sinfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read Romans 8:5-8
Paul paints two pictures here - one of the life of the person apart from Christ, and the other of the one following Christ. Those who follow Jesus should look vastly different than those who don’t. When Jesus gives someone His righteousness and holiness as they place their faith and trust in Him, it affects the way they live daily.
Read Romans 8:9-11.
The good news that Paul shares here is that the followers of Jesus are not expected to become more like Him on their own, but rather that God gives them the Holy Spirit, who empowers them to live the way we ought to. This is how the gospel affects the daily life of a Christian - when Jesus saves someone, He sends the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, to literally live inside of the Christian, to make them more like Jesus. The very same power that brought Jesus from the dead, is now given to the followers of Christ to enable them to live as God calls them to! And as Paul goes on to say, those who are filled with this Spirit, are also adopted by God, becoming His sons and daughters. This is an incredible thing!
Read Romans 8:12-14
What Paul says here is that the way to grow in holiness, to become more like Jesus and to honor God in all that we do, is to live by the Spirit. Before following Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to put sin to death, but afterward, by the power of the Spirit, sin no longer rules over the Christian’s life. But what does that actually mean?
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You will still be tempted. Whether from the world around you, or from your own heart’s sinful desires, sin will continually seek to pull you back into old habits and lifestyles. At times, followers of Jesus will still fail, choosing sin over holiness.
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With the power of the Holy Spirit living within followers of Jesus, they can actually say no to sin, knowing that ultimately Christ has already won the battle against sin on our behalf.
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Christians cannot defeat and resist sin on their own, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit! Pursuing holiness and rejecting sin is a daily rhythm, where followers of Jesus must daily ask God to help them live for Him & to forgive them of the ways that they have given into sin.
Jumping briefly over to the book of Galatians, another letter written by Paul to encourage and instruct Christians, this process is laid out clearly. He talks about the reality of an ongoing war against sin that followers of Christ engage in, how the Holy Spirit is the key to victory in that war, and the incredible fruit that Christians can see in their lives because of the power of the Holy Spirit! The way we fight against sin is to daily confess to God any sin in our lives, and to ask Him to help us live a life pleasing to Him through the Holy Spirit living within.
Read Romans 12:1-2
As we wrap up this series, these two final verses highlight the need for followers of Christ to live lives of holiness and obedience. The way to worship God is to be transformed by the Holy Spirit living within, and through that reality, to honor God in everything. Through this, over time, followers of Christ will come to understand God’s will for them more and more, and will continue to look more and more like Jesus in everything!
Living the Christian life doesn't have to be as complicated as many think it is. Because of what Christ has done, His followers don’t have to be perfect in order to earn God’s love and favor. The love of God experienced through Christ’s work and the presence of the Holy Spirit, make followers of Christ more and more like Him every day. This is the promise of the gospel! If you want this, to know Christ, to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately to experience true freedom from sin, then trust in Jesus today!
DECISION POINT
If you are a follower of Jesus, will you commit to relying on the Holy Spirit, resisting sin, and seeking to honor God in all you do? If you are not yet following Christ, what is holding you back? The best thing you can do is to trust Jesus as your Lord and savior, ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit, and begin walking with Him! Spend time reading the Bible, talking to God in prayer, and seeking out the people of God in the local church.
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What are some of the ways the world around you tries to make you conform to it? How are those things contrary to the way God is calling people to live?
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What is something you feel God is calling you to do after reading through this series?
MEMORY VERSE
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2