Romans 11:25-36
1. We started by looking at how God is faithful to His promises in v. 25-29.
A: Paul begins this section with another warning in v. 25 about being wise in your own eyes. What are ways that people can think too highly of their own opinion concerning spiritual matters?
B: We then see in v. 25-27 that the partial hardening of Jews has led to salvation among the Gentiles that will then lead to a great revival among the Jews in the future. How does the work of God in the past offer hope and confidence when looking towards the future? How does understanding salvation in this passage as being the work of God give confidence that this will all come to pass?
C: Paul says in v. 28 that security for Israel will ultimately be found in the promises God made to the forefathers. Romans has consistently pointed us to the goodness of understanding the Old Testament. How does understanding the background of the Old Testament help us make sense of the New Testament, especially in passages such as this one?
D: God’s plan & God’s word is unstoppable as we see in v 29. What changes when a person realizes that God is all-powerful and nothing can prevent God from accomplishing His purposes?
2. Next we moved into v. 30-32 to see Paul reaffirm what he has said.
A: This habit of repetition is rooted in wanting people to hold tight to the truth, rather than abandon the truth. How are you saturating your mind with the truth of God’s Word right now? What truths have you recently spent time considering & affirming?
B: We then took time to define the terms, “disobedience”, “mercy”, “justice”, & “grace.” How were these terms defined and why is it important to have clear understanding of these terms?
C: We see in this passage that God could have executed justice, but instead chose to show mercy. Looking at Ephesians 2:4-6…how does believing salvation is because of God’s causation rather than humanity’s determination bring glory to God rather than to ourselves?
3. We then moved into v. 33-36 as doctrine now leads to doxology.
A: Paul gets to the end of this doctrinal section and concludes it with praise of God for His greatness. When is a time in your life when you’ve grown in your understanding of God and that has led to praise of God?
B: It was said that, “The reason we struggle to pursue God as we ought is because we don’t know Him as He is…” How does a lack of discipline in reading the Scriptures, spending time with the people of God, taking time to pray to God impact so many components of life?
C: This section makes it clear: sound, biblical doctrine leads to praise of God. What are ways you want to grow more sound & biblical in your thinking of God?