Bible Study Snacks: Romans 1:8-17

Hello, everyone!

I am so glad that you could join me again! It was a very busy week around here for me, but I managed to make it through in one piece. I hope that all is well in your life, and that you are ready to dig a little deeper into the Book of Romans. I also hope that these studies are proving helpful to you. As I have mentioned before, our pace will be deliberately slower than other studies. Why? I feel that there is so much to learn from every verse and word of the Bible that it will pay off in the long run if you are given smaller, more tasteful bites of scripture to learn rather than simply swallowing one big piece and not savoring what God is serving you.

Seriously, we could zip through the Bible very quickly if we wanted to, but this is not a race. If you wish for a faster pace, I must tell you that you won’t find that here. There are other Bible studies available that might suit you better. However, I think you’ll enjoy this slower journey. Think of it as the difference between taking an express train to your destination, or a car. The train will get you there faster, but you’ll miss a lot of the scenery and details along the way. Right? Now, if you are ready, let’s begin our study!

Let’s pray:

Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Today, we will be looking at Romans, Chapter 1:8-17. Take a few minutes to read these verses if you haven’t already (it will be helpful!)

First, I feel that a little review and background might be in order before we go on. As is the custom in most of his epistles, Paul begins by extending greetings and offering thanks. Identifying himself as a bond-servant of Christ, he mentions his apostleship and its mission in the gospel of God concerning His Son: to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles (1-6). Addressing the recipients of his epistle as "all who are beloved in Rome, called as saints," he extends to them the popular two-fold greeting of that day: "grace" and "peace" (7).

Looking ahead, you will see that he (Paul) is thankful for their well-known faith and reveals his desire to visit Rome and to proclaim the gospel there (8-13). The motivation behind that desire is his sense of obligation and bold conviction that the gospel is God's power to save (14-17).

Study Questions:

1. Verse 8 tells us that we should have an attitude of ___________________ toward all other members of the church. (Romans 1:8)
2. We should also have an attitude of _______________(Romans 1:9)
3. What was Paul’s request in verse 10? (Romans 1:10)
4. Why did he yearn and long to see these church members? (Romans 1:11)
5. What did he expect to receive from them? (Romans 1:12)
6. Why didn’t Paul come right away to see the church members in Rome? (Romans 1:1; Romans 15:22, 23)
7. What one word could we replace for the different people mentioned in verse 14?
8. How are we to feel concerning our obligation to present the Word of God to everyone? (Romans 1:15)
9. Why shouldn’t we be ashamed of the Gospel? (Romans 1:16)
10. A person can only have God’s righteousness by _________________ (Romans 1:17)

List at least three changes you desire to take place in your life because of these verses.

After answering the study questions, read Romans 1:8-17 again. Pause at each verse and read the question and verse as many times as you feel necessary. You might see something new that you missed the first time around. As we go along in our studies together, I pray that God’s message will continue to come through loud and clear to you. The next time we meet, we will study Romans 1: 18-32.

Until next time...may God bless you!

Sheri