J.D. opened this session by saying that, in Romans, Paul makes a case for why the gospel is the answer to humanity’s problems. What are some of humanity’s most prominent problems today? What significant and confounding troubles have you encountered in your own life?

Paul opens the book of Romans with a lengthy greeting. Who is Paul addressing his letter to? Why is it important for us to recognize that Paul is writing to Christians?

Early in this passage, Paul introduces readers to the word “gospel.” In verses 2–3, he refers to the gospel as “the gospel of God . . . concerning his Son.” Why is it important for us to know that the gospel concerns the Son, Jesus Christ?  

These first seven verses feature the Son prominently. Paul calls himself a servant of the Son, he calls Jesus the powerful Son of God, and he bookends these verses by saying that both he and his readers are “called” by the Son. What do you think it means to be called by Jesus Christ? To what extent do you understand yourself to be called by him?

What difference has it made in your life to know that you’re called by Jesus?

In verses 8–12, Paul describes his affection for those he’s writing to, saying that he very much wants to see them. Why did Paul want to see them? Who are the people in your life whose faith strengthens and encourages you? To what extent do you prioritize being with those people regularly?

Paul next tells of the drive he feels for preaching the gospel, describing himself as “obligated” as a minister of the gospel. J.D. pointed out that some translations use the word “debtor,” which is a word he focused on, saying, “Paul feels like he’s indebted to the Romans to get the gospel to them.” In what ways do you view being a recipient of the gospel as an obligation to share it? To whom do you feel obligated to share the gospel? 

Paul used another word to describe the urge he felt for sharing the gospel, saying he was “eager” to preach the gospel to those receiving his letter. What things tend to dampen your eagerness to share God’s good news with others?

How might you develop an eagerness to share the message of the gospel with the people around you?

One reason Paul was so eager to share the gospel was that he knew it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” He was not only eager to share it, but he was also unashamed of it. In what ways do you find sharing the gospel uncomfortable? How has that discomfort prevented you from sharing the good news with others?

How might focusing on the power of the gospel help you to push through the discomfort you sometimes experience when sharing the good news of Jesus?

That the gospel offers salvation to “everyone who believes” is a startling statement. In making that statement, Paul was addressing the division between the Jews and Gentiles in the church of Rome. What are some of the divisions that the church experiences today? In what ways does this passage in Romans address these divisions?

Paul summed up, at least in part, what makes the gospel so powerful: “in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” What makes the gospel so revolutionary is what it reveals about how we become righteous—not through earning it but as a gift received through faith. How does the gospel’s view of righteousness disagree with how we tend to think we become righteous? To what extent do you try and earn your righteousness?

 In your daily life, how can you practice living by faith?

At its core, the gospel is the good news that the righteousness of God is given as a gift to all who believe in Christ. Have you received this gospel as a gift? If so, to what extent are you committed to continue diving deeper into it, like J.D. encouraged, and sharing it with others?

J.D. mentioned three very specific words Paul used to describe his commitment to the gospel: eager, indebted, and unashamed. What words would you use to describe your own commitment to sharing the gospel? In what ways are these words either similar to or different from Paul’s?

What could it look like for you to grow in your commitment to sharing the gospel? Who should you spend time with to have your faith strengthened and encouraged, such that you can say with Paul, “I am unashamed of the gospel”?

The book of Romans is a clear, in-depth look at the gospel. It contradicts our worldly assumptions, telling us not of how we can achieve righteousness, but of how we receive righteousness from God through faith.

The gospel is not a message that we receive and then move on from; it’s a message we receive and are transformed by throughout our lifetime. The transformational power of the gospel creates an eagerness in us to spread this good news to all who have not received it.

Let’s commit ourselves to go and tell the world the good news of the gospel.