The Great News of the Gospel – Part 1

<p>If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one book of the Bible with you, a great choice might be… Romans. What an incredible overview of the entire Gospel message!</p> <p>Here’s the opening message to my new series on Romans called “The GREAT News of the Gospel.” It addresses important questions like: <em>Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead? What is “the obedience of faith”? Is the Gospel for everyone or only the “elect”?</em></p> <p>There’s nothing more important than understanding righteousness by faith. It reminds me of the Italian expression <em>il dolce far niente</em> (meaning “the sweetness of doing nothing”). Not sure where I’m going with this? Let Romans help you with the art of doing nothing: “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).</p> <p>Are you doing <em>nothing</em> to get right with God? <em>Nothing</em> to get more forgiven? <em>Nothing</em> to get closer to Him? I sure hope so, and you’ll discover why in this powerful and liberating message.</p> <p><strong>Discussion Questions for Romans 1:1-17</strong></p> <ol> <li>Read verse 2. What was promised beforehand? Can you think of any place in the Old Testament it was promised?</li> <li>Read verse 4. How specifically has Jesus proven His identity?</li> <li>Read verse 5. What is the obedience of faith?</li> <li>How should we understand the use of the word “called” in this chapter? How does this jive with “For many are called but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14)?</li> <li>Read verse 11. What does “impart some spiritual gift” mean here in context?</li> <li>Read verse 13. Was God telling Paul where to go and when so he would not waste time? In your opinion, why or why not?</li> <li>Read verse 16. Who is the Gospel for? Who can get saved? How does this verse help us understand the true meaning of predestination later in Romans?</li> <li>Read verse 17. What does it mean to you to be righteous by faith?</li> </ol>