Romans 13-16

Questions

2009

Chapter 13- Respect for Government

Paul continues the practical application of the grace we have received through Christ.  The new Christian faith was already undergoing persecution and Paul himself fell victim to much persecution, largely from individuals, not as much from government authorities at this time.  However, the time was near when Nero and other Roman emperors against The Way would institute severe persecution.  Paul gives the Roman Christians guidelines on how to deal with any government, hostile or friendly.

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and God appoints the authorities that exist. 13:2" 

1.   Every time these verses are mentioned, someone objects and claims that this cannot be so.  What about Hitler, Stalin, Ho Chi Min, etc.?  What about Dar Fur, Somalia, the Sudan?  Was/is God really in charge, even of these corrupt regimes?  (A) The Greek for “obey” means “to be subject,” used of a soldier’s ___________ obedience to his superior officer.  Scripture makes one exception to this command: when obedience to civil authority would require ______________ to God’s Word (Ex. 1:17; Dan. 3:16-18; 6:7,10).  Obedient to all civil authority?  Yes, to __________ position of authority without regard to competency, morality, reasonableness, or any other qualification.
2. Isn’t it possible that some government authorities came into power another way?  (A) No, God is _____ in charge.  God alone is the sovereign ruler of the universe.  MacArthur says that He has instituted 4 authorities on earth: 1) the government over all ________; 2) the ________ over all believers; 3) ________ over all children; 4) ________ over all employees.  Government’s authority comes from and is defined by God.  He instituted human government to _______ good and to _________ sin in an evil, fallen world.
3. What if I choose to disobey?  (A) Since all government is God-ordained, disobedience is _______ against God and you are subject to __________ from the government, not from God.  There are times when a believer must, by obeying God, bring upon himself the judgment of _____.  God does not approve of all the human rulers do.  He certainly does not approve of corruption, brutality, and oppression, yet he appoints ________ authority that exists.
4. It does not seem fair.  How can a perfect God choose imperfect leaders and governments?  (A) He chose ___ didn’t He?  No earthly government is better than the men of whom it consists.  Someday Christ will rule the earth with an iron-fist.
5. The NLT translates v.4 by saying, “…if you are doing something wrong, you should be afraid, for you will be punished.”  Again, this is a weak and poor translation of the original that says, “But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s ________, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices _______.”  Most conservative commentators conclude that this refers to capital punishment, established in Gen. 9:5,6, and it has not been abolished.  The sword seems to speak of the ultimate power that God gives to government.
6. We obey government authorities because God appointed them.  What are two other reasons we obey?  (A) V.5 –“to keep from being __________ and to keep a clear __________.”  Anyone can obey because of fear, but the Christian ought to obey because of conscience.  God has built into us that “still, small voice” that is our conscience and keeps us from doing wrong.  When we _______ it we run into trouble.
7. Like the tithe, we are to give to everyone, everything that is due them (v.7).  This includes taxes, assessments, judgments, fines, tickets, bills, etc.
8. Verse 8 brings us to a different level – it tells us to pay our debts “except the debt of ___ for others.  You can never finish paying that!  If you love your neighbor, you will _______ all the requirements of God’s Law.”  To love one another is the very basic principle of the Christian life.  When we practice love, there is no need for any other laws, because _______________!  If we love others, we will not sin against them.  Our motive for obeying God and helping others is the love of Christ in our hearts.  This is the Christian ideal, but we know that the heart of man is sinful – if only we could practice the ______ love of Christ, we would not need government to control us.  Someday!
9. What does Paul mean in v.11 when he says, “Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”?  Aren’t we saved when we believe?  (A) Paul is saying that the time is ____, that this era of grace is drawing to an end.  Our spiritual apathy, unresponsiveness, and laziness to the things of God must be put aside.  This salvation spoken of is not justification, we are already declared right with God, but the _________ aspect of our salvation, ___________.  We will be glorified when Christ returns which draws closer every day.  Our lives are to be ________ in preparation for that great time.
10. And how do we live a holy life?  (A) V.14, “But ____ the Lord Jesus Christ take _________ of you (put on the …), and don’t think of ways to ________ your evil desires.”  This summarizes sanctification, the ____________ spiritual process in which those who have been saved by faith are __________ into His _______ and likeness.  We have ______ been declared sanctified, justified, holy and blameless before God; we are constantly _________ holy, in the image of Jesus as the Spirit works in our lives and we submit; we will one day achieve ______ sanctification, when we are completely in the image and likeness of Christ, __________ in heaven with Him.  Praise God!

Chapter 14 –The Danger of Criticism

We are all at different levels in our walk of faith.  Some are new Christians, weak in the faith.  Some have been Christians for a long time and are still weak in the faith.  Some are strong, deeply rooted in Scripture and in the Spirit, but we believers are all children of the most high God and we are to accept and love one another.

1. Who are those “weak in the faith?”  (A) Paul often ran into this type of believer; ones who are unable to ______ of the religious ceremonies and rituals of the past.  The weak Jewish believer had difficulty abandoning the rites and prohibitions of the ___ Covenant – he felt he must keep the old dietary laws, observe the Sabbath and offer sacrifices in the Temple.  The weak Gentile believer had practiced ____ worship and its rituals and felt that having anything at all to do with these practices would lead him into sin.  Both had sensitive consciences in these areas, and were not _________ enough to be free of those beliefs.
2. How is the “mature” believer to act toward these brothers?  (A)  They are not to ____________ on those who believe other than they do (v.3).  Some of this had to do with meat that was offered to idols and then sold at a cheap price in the market place.  The mature believer, walking in Christian _______, has faith, based on the teachings of the NT, that all foods are clean.  A believer with a weak conscience may have problems about eating these foods.  So the principle is that we do not __________ one another, the weaker or the stronger – we are all children of God, members of His family, ________ in His eyes.
3. Another principle seen in v.4 is that we believers are servants of the Lord.  As servants, what right do we not have?  (A) We do not have the right to ____!  God will tell each one whether he is right or wrong and help them do as they should.
4. In matters of keeping the Sabbath or “holy days,” how is a believer to act?  (A) V.5, “Each person should have a ___________ conviction about this matter”  You might ask, “What about the Lord’s Day?”  It was indeed a special day in the life of the early Christian.  It was the Day of His Resurrection; He met with His disciples on the next two Lord’s days; the HS was given on the Day of Pentecost, the first day of the week; the disciples gathered to break bread of the first day; Paul instructed the Corinthians to take a collection on the first day.  But rather than being an obligation, like the Sabbath was, it was a ___________, in which we can set it apart for worshipping and serving our Lord.  It is simply a matter of doing what one thinks will please the Lord.
5. V.9 is important and often overlooked or misunderstood.  “Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that He might be Lord of those who are alive and those who have died.”  Why is this important?  (A) Jesus died not only to _____ us from sin, but also to ________ us to Himself; to establish Himself as ________ over all the saints.  Allowing Jesus to be Lord over you means giving up ____________ – everything – so that He might completely live in you and you in Him.  Making Him Lord means _____________ all of your desires, wants, needs, hopes, fears, all that you are and all that you ever hope to be, to Him, the Savior.  You cannot live the __________ of the Christian life until He is your Lord!
6. V. 10 says that we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and each will give an account of himself.  Does this mean that we will be judged for our sins?  Can I still lose my salvation?  (A) The Judgment Seat of Christ is that place where Christians will have their ______ judged by the Lord.  It has ______ to do with our sins, since Christ paid for them and they can be held against them no more (Rom.8:1).  This is the “Bema” seat, used in athletic contests to judge the athletes.  See 1 Cor. 3:10-15 for another look at the Judgment Seat.  We each give an _______ of our selves.  Either our works are of no consequence and are _____ up, or they pass the test and we receive a _______.  Either way, we are still saved!
7. Are we to leave each other alone and have no fellowship when we don’t agree?  (A) No, that is not ___________ love.  We are to edify one another, to build one another up in the faith.  One-way to do this is to do nothing to make a brother/sister _________ in their faith.  If you are convinced one way and they are convinced another way, let _____ win out.  Why destroy someone’s walk to prove a point?  Love is the ultimate commandment that covers all of the law.  Both need to grow:  The strong believer in ________ and the weak believer in __________, and we help one another do just that.

Chapter 15 – Living To Please Others

There are always going to be these two sides of faith, that is, the stronger believer on the one hand, and the weaker believer on the other.  Education, societal differences, personalities, environment, and many other factors all go to make up an infinite mix of belief standards.  Paul implies that he is one of the strong believers when he says, “We may know that these things make no difference, but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves (v.1).”

1. What basic problem is he dealing with in the life of a believer?  (A) He is dealing with ___________.  True Christian love is not selfish; rather it seeks to _____ with others and make others happy.  It is even willing to ________ the younger Christian, to help them along in their spiritual development.  We don’t endure others; we encourage them!
2. Jesus is our great example.  He paid an awful price in order to minister to us.  Paul used the examples of the freedom of eating and drinking in his argument.  His point is, “Does a strong Christian think he is making a great _______ by _______ some food or drink?  If he does, let him ________ his sacrifice by the sacrifice of Christ.  None could ever match the sacrifice of Calvary.
3. We might say that a person’s spiritual maturity is revealed by his sensitivity.  How so?  (A) He is _______ to give up his _____ that others might be helped.  He does this as a ________, not a burden.  Mature believers sacrifice to help younger Christians grow in the faith.  We must learn to take the “I” out of our spiritual language.  A famous quote, author unknown goes, “Not me Lord, but Thee!” or, “Not my will Lord, but Thine.”
4. How can we find help in accomplishing this task?  (A) Through the _____ of God (15:4) and __________ (15:5,6).  Specifically – “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to _______ us.  They give us hope and encouragement…” and “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete _______ with each other – each with the ______ of Christ Jesus toward the other.  Then all of you can join together with ____ voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
5. What is the ultimate result of our efforts to lift one another up through prayer and by obeying His word?  (A) V.7 –“So ______ each other just a Christ has accepted you; then ____ will be ________.”  If the perfect sinless Son of God was willing to bring sinners into God’s family, how much more should forgiven believers be willing to warmly embrace and accept each other in spite of disagreements over issues in belief.
6. What is the point Paul is making in 15:9-12?  (A) To show that God’s plan has always been to bring the Jew and Gentile ____ into His kingdom and to soften the __________ of Christian Jews against their Gentile brothers, Paul quotes from the Law, the Prophets, and twice from the Psalms, the three divisions of the OT – proving God’s plan from their own Scriptures.
7. What qualities should characterize the church  (14:17; 15:13)?  (A) 14:17 – “Living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the HS.”  15:13 – “God will keep you happy and full of peace, over flowing with hope in the HS.”
8. The words Paul writes to the Romans in v.14 can and should apply also to us.  These are?  (A) That we are full of _________, knowing these principles of _____ ________ with others in the Spirit and able to _______ others all about them.
9. This past week, how did you feel about your life being “a fragrant sacrifice to God, pure and pleasing to Him by the HS (v.16)?  Was it?  What can you do to make it so?

 Chapter 16 – Paul Greets His Friends

Paul closes his letter to the Romans by commending Phoebe (which means bright and radiant) by giving her the highest of compliments – that she is a servant to the church, helping many in their needs.  In the early church, women cared for the sick believers, the poor, strangers, and those in prison.  They instructed the women and children.

1. Paul goes on to commend other things in the lives of the persons mentioned in vv.1-16.  Name some?  (A):

q      Priscilla and Aquila – were co-workers in the ministry and risked their lives for Paul.  They hosted a church in their home.

q      Epenetus –the first convert to Christianity in Asia.

q      Mary – a hard worker (to the point of exhaustion) for the benefit of others

q      Andronicus and Junia – Prisoners for their faith and respected among their peers.

q      Ampliatus –one of the Lord’s own.

q      Urbanus – Paul’s co-worker in Christ

q      Stachys – beloved

q      Apellas –approved in Christ

q      Tryphena,Tryphosa, and Persis – the Lord’s workers

q      Rufus –the son of Simon of Cyrene who helped carry the Lord’s cross, picked by the Lord to be His own (sovereign election).

2.     Paul has been teaching that acceptance and non-condemnation is critical for believers, but in vv. 17-20, he gives a caution against harmful teachings and practices that undermine the truth of Christianity, cause divisions and upset the people’s faith.

3. What is his recommendation?  (A) To stay away from them (v.17)!  Real love is ready to forgive evil, but will not condone it or ignore it.  Those who truly love other believers will warn them about sin and harm.

One last admonition –to see clearly what is right and to stay innocent of any wrong, and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet!  Stay strong! The Battle is the Lord’s and the outcome is assured.  Simply do your part as He blesses you.