On Sunday, August 30 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based out of Romans 1:18-32. This message was part 3 in the “Good News” series. Below are a set of questions for personal reflection or group discussion related to the message.
Questions:
- Read Romans 1:18-32
- Have you ever tried to conceal a flaw in order to sell something? Did concealing the flaw work? Why or why not?
- In Romans 1:18-3:20, Paul details how God knows ALL about our sinfulness. The things that we cannot hide, the flaws we try to conceal, and even deficiencies we are not even aware of . . . yet He loves us anyway and provides a way for humanity to be saved in Christ. How does (understanding this big picture) help you appreciate the painful details of humanity’s sinfulness in these sections?
- A primary idea of this section is that mankind’s sinfulness is not a matter of ignorance (we just don’t know any better) but a matter of volition (a rejection of the truth we have received about God). What are some of the things about God that humanity (regardless of where they live) are able to see? How has humanity rejected this natural revelation in favor of their own ideas?
- God’s judgment (or wrath) is revealed against sin. One of the primary ways in which God’s wrath is revealed right now is not by His active intervention, but by the removal of His protection. In other words, because of sin from a people who wanted to live life without God, God has given them over to a “godless” kind of life where they then have to reap the negative consequences of that. In what way have you seen this to be true in your life?
- What are some areas in your life where you are tempted to make some thing (even something good) an ULTIMATE THING — thus supplanting God as the master of your life?
- Paul uses the sexual arena of life in 1:26-27 as an example of how humanity can exchange His natural revealed order for something we think we want. Why do you think he chose to highlight sexual sin here in these verses?
- These verses (1:18-32) remind us of the sinfulness we all experience in our own lives and in the lives of others. Left unattended, this sinfulness leads to God’s wrath and the removal of His presence. However, there is another way. In Christ, “the righteousness of God is revealed” in humanity by faith. Are you trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? If so, how does this passage encourage you? If not– why not?
To access the entire “Good News” study, click here.
