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Thread: Community Bible Study

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    Resident Chocolate Monster Lista's Avatar
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    Community Bible Study

    I love the book of Romans, so I thought I would start our community study there. I went to Biblegateway.com and copied and pasted from the NIV translation. (please feel free to look at any other translation you would like) give us YOUR thoughts on these verses:

    Romans 1New International Version (NIV)

    1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

    7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

    Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome

    8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

    11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

    14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[f]

    God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

    18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

    21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

    24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

    26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

    28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

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    Resident Chocolate Monster Lista's Avatar
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    wow...harsh verses at the end...but true to where we are in our society right now. Specifically, "25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" I think this is the heart of the seeker sensitive church right now.

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

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    Romans is one of my favorites too. It always gives me hope.

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    What do the first six verses tell us about the gospel?

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

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    Quote Originally Posted by JeffDoles View Post
    What do the first six verses tell us about the gospel?
    That's what we're doing here...going through, and expressing what these verses mean to us....so feel free to expound on that. I'm trying to keep it out of the, "one person is leading this" type of study. I really just want it to be a free for all.

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

  10. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Lista View Post
    That's what we're doing here...going through, and expressing what these verses mean to us....so feel free to expound on that. I'm trying to keep it out of the, "one person is leading this" type of study. I really just want it to be a free for all.
    I bring it up because this is how Paul introduces himself in verse 1: as one who has been set apart for the gospel. Then in verse 2, be begins describing something about that gospel for which he was set apart. He calls it the "gospel of God."

    Many people jump to verse 16, where Paul says he is not ashamed of the "gospel of Christ," because it is the power of God to every one who believes, Jews and then Gentiles. But the "gospel of Christ" is verse 16 is the same as the "gospel of God" in verse 1. So what is this powerful gospel he refers to in verse 16? It is described in verses 2-6, in which Paul speaks about the gospel in a way that we are often not accustomed to.

    We may be familiar with the "Four Spiritual Laws" as a presentation of the gospel. We may be familiar with the "Romans Road" presentation, in which we skip through several verses in Romans. But here in these first verses of his letter, Paul actually describes the gospel he was set apart to preach. So I would like to raise the question for discussion about how does Paul describe the gospel in those verses?

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

  12. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by JeffDoles View Post
    I bring it up because this is how Paul introduces himself in verse 1: as one who has been set apart for the gospel. Then in verse 2, be begins describing something about that gospel for which he was set apart. He calls it the "gospel of God."

    Many people jump to verse 16, where Paul says he is not ashamed of the "gospel of Christ," because it is the power of God to every one who believes, Jews and then Gentiles. But the "gospel of Christ" is verse 16 is the same as the "gospel of God" in verse 1. So what is this powerful gospel he refers to in verse 16? It is described in verses 2-6, in which Paul speaks about the gospel in a way that we are often not accustomed to.

    We may be familiar with the "Four Spiritual Laws" as a presentation of the gospel. We may be familiar with the "Romans Road" presentation, in which we skip through several verses in Romans. But here in these first verses of his letter, Paul actually describes the gospel he was set apart to preach. So I would like to raise the question for discussion about how does Paul describe the gospel in those verses?
    Hey Jeff,

    I just joined back up about a week ago and have not posted until yesterday.

    I say this because I want you to know up front that I'm not "trolling" you or anything.

    That being said, why don't you just tell us what you think the Holy Spirit is saying in this passage?

    EDIT:

    That was not to sound sarcastic, I really want to know what you are getting at.

    kinda "cut to the chase"
    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

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    Super Moderator Quest's Avatar
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    Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
    Not sure what you are looking for; I don't see a different concept of the gospel. It is both God's gospel manifested through Jesus and His resurrection 'sealed the deal' so t speak.

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

  16. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by GodismyJudge View Post
    Hey Jeff,

    I just joined back up about a week ago and have not posted until yesterday.

    I say this because I want you to know up front that I'm not "trolling" you or anything.

    That being said, why don't you just tell us what you think the Holy Spirit is saying in this passage?

    EDIT:

    That was not to sound sarcastic, I really want to know what you are getting at.

    kinda "cut to the chase"
    I've got a lot I can say about it, and have said elsewhere. But I don't want it to end up being one person leading. I would rather see some discussion happen, and I thought this would be a good discussion question.

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

  18. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Quest View Post
    Not sure what you are looking for; I don't see a different concept of the gospel. It is both God's gospel manifested through Jesus and His resurrection 'sealed the deal' so t speak.
    Well, for instance, in verse 2, Paul says, "the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures." What does that suggest about the gospel in relation to the OT. And how did the OT speak about the gospel?

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    FresnoJoe (09-28-2015)

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