Discovering God's Good News for You: A Guide to Romans 1-8

By Stonecroft Ministries

How could a hard-hearted killer and Jesus-hater become the greatest-ever advocate for Christianity? Only because of the completeness of the transforming work of Christ.

That man, who became known as the apostle Paul, later wrote to the Christians in Rome, thoroughly explaining the unique greatness and power of God’s good news. Everyone is dead toward God because of sin and stands condemned, but anyone may gain right standing with Him through Jesus Christ. This rightness can come only by believing—by faith. Nothing can earn, buy, or be exchanged for it. And it brings new life and inner change.

This easy-to-use study of the first eight chapters of Romans offers open-ended discussion questions, Bible passages, and helpful explanations and applications to help you, or you and your group, grasp the wonder and transforming power of God’s work in your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780736958394

Book preview

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cover photo © WerksMedia / iStock / Thinkstock

DISCOVERING GOD’S GOOD NEWS FOR YOU

Stonecroft Bible Studies

Copyright © 2014 by Stonecroft Ministries Inc.

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-5837-0 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5839-4 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s and publisher’s rights is strictly prohibited.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!

Introduction

1. Can We Know God?

Romans 1:1-32

2. Is Everyone Guilty?

Romans 2:1–3:8

3. How Can We Be Put Right with God?

Romans 3:9–4:25

4. Dead to Sin—Alive to God

Romans 5–6

5. Conflict and Victory

Romans 7–8

Know God

Who Is Stonecroft?

Books for Further Study

Stonecroft Resources

Contact Stonecroft

The Abundant Life Bible

Notes

Acknowledgments

Stonecroft wishes to acknowledge and thank Janice Mayo Mathers for her dedication in serving the Lord through Stonecroft. Speaker, author, and member of the Board of Directors, Jan is the primary author of revised Stonecroft Bible Studies. We appreciate her love for God’s Word and her love for people who need Him. Special thanks goes to the team who prayed for Jan, and those who edited, designed, and offered their creative input to make these studies accessible to all. Stonecroft is also grateful to Lucille Sollenberger, who is now with the Lord she loved and served, for the original development of this study.

Welcome to Stonecroft Bible Studies!

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done… God wants to be in relationship with you. And one place He tells you about Himself is in His Word—the Bible. Whether the Bible is familiar or new to you, its contents will transform your life and bring answers to your biggest questions.

Gather with people in your communities—women, men, couples, young and old alike—and dig into the heart of the Good News as explained by the apostle Paul. Find out how being right with God is a gift from Him because of what His Son, Jesus Christ, did—and how our faith, and nothing more, gains us access to an unbreakable family relationship with the Father.

Each chapter of Discovering God’s Good News for You includes discussion questions to stir up meaningful conversation, specific Scripture verses to investigate, and time for prayer to connect with God and each other.

Discover more of God and His ways through this small-group exploration of the Bible.

Tips for Using This Study

This book includes several features that make it easy to use and helpful for your life:

• The page number or numbers given after every Bible reference are keyed to the page numbers in the Abundant Life Bible. This paperback Bible uses the New Living Translation, a translation in straightforward, up-to-date language. We encourage you to obtain a copy through your group leader or at stonecroft.org.

• Please make this book and study your own. We encourage you to use it and mark it in any way that helps you grow in your relationship with God!

If you find this study helpful, you may want to investigate other resources from Stonecroft. Please take a look at Stonecroft Resources in the back of the book or online at stonecroft.org/store.

stonecroft.org

Introduction

The book of Romans centers on the topic of salvation and the truth that salvation is available only through the Gospel of Christ. Paul, the author of Romans, had achieved all the typical marks of success as a Pharisee. He was passionate about his work and did