Study Guide
Romans Part 7
"While We Were Still Sinners"
Sometimes you can get access to certain places not because of what you know but because who you know! Association is key. How much more when it comes to our faith? All of humanity finds itself in Adam, but we have an opportunity to receive the love and grace of Christ and be joined to him! Listen in as Pastor Markus Witherspoon, from our Tierrasanta campus, encourages us to respond to God's love.
In this message you will be challenged and encouraged to:
- See solidarity with the sin of the world
- Receive and reflect God's love
Newbreak’s Sermon Study Guide is an in-house resource that serves sermon-based Life Groups and/or individuals who want to reflect further on how the message contributes to their spiritual formation.
Icebreakers for Life Groups
- If you could have dinner with any fictional character from a movie, who would it be and why?
- What’s the kindest thing someone has done for you?
Read Romans 5:6-11 (CSB)
Christ died for us because He loved us at our worst.
In Romans 5:6-11, Paul reminds us that God’s love for us is unconditional, and it’s exemplified through His free gift of reconciliation. Paul begins by sharing a practical example of sacrificial love in vs.7-8. We can imagine that someone might be willing to give their lives for another person if that person was good and noble. Most of humanity would never sacrifice themselves for someone who was considered hostile or evil. This is why God’s love for us is so divine. God proved His love for us by dying for us when we were lost in our sins.
Even when we were at our lowest point, God still loved us. God was for us before we were reconciled and living obedient lives. God's love for us has never been, is not, and will never be based on our goodness but solely on His immense love. God extends His love toward us so that we, in turn, would turn toward Him. Our next step is to share that same love that we have received with others.
Paul ends this amazing passage with an incredible encouragement in vs.11. Since God's love cannot be earned, we no longer have to strive for it through good works. Because of this, our boasting cannot be in anything we have done but only in His grace and love. Rather, Paul teaches that if we have any reason to boast, it should be in the greatness of our God and the incredible love He has shown us through His works!
Discussion Questions
- Paul describes our previous condition as helpless (vs.6), ungodly (vs.6), sinners (vs.8), and enemies of God (vs.10). How do these descriptions cause you to feel? Why would Paul first begin with our previous state rather than our future state?
- Verse 6 reminds us that Christ died for us “at the right time.” What does that mean, and how does God’s timing play a role in our faith journey?
- In light of this passage, how might God be calling you to love others in your life, even those who may seem “undeserving?”
Read Romans 5:12-21 (CSB)
Through Jesus, God's grace covers our sin and makes us right.
In verse 12, Paul personifies sin as a power that “came into” the world (5:12) and “exercised dominion” over us (5:21). Sin was passed down to every person through Adam and with it came death and destruction. The human race inherits this broken condition of sin (vs.14).
Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf (“the gift”) overturns the curse going all the way back to Adam in Eden (vs.15-16). Instead of receiving condemnation for our actions, God’s gift of life helps justify us before God (vs.16).
Just as Adam’s sin passed down the sinful nature and brought condemnation to all men, Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross provided justification for all who believe (vs.18-19).
Discussion Questions
- How have you seen the effects of sin in this world and in your own life?
- How does knowing that you’re justified through Christ change the way you live?
- What’s one practical step you can take this week to walk in the freedom of God’s grace?
When in Romans
In the middle of the first century, in the heart of the Roman empire was a group of house churches that believed that Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and risen from the dead, was the true Lord of the world! The Romans had to be some of the bravest, most tested Christ-followers as they were heavily persecuted by the rulers of the day. Therefore, Paul writes a letter to them, expressing what he wishes he could say in person to them. The contents of this letter are so revolutionary that for 2,000 years churches all around the globe read it, reflect on it, and apply these truths to their lives. Join us as we venture through Romans and see how the gospel's message gives us a new identity and a new way to live!