Daily Study Guide
Forum 1 - Monday, December 23 @ 12:05p
Forum 2 - Monday, December 30 @ 12:05p
Forum 3 - Tuesday, January 7 @ 12:05p
12/18 - Acts 22-23 & Read Introductions
The letter to the Romans is an interesting mix of logical arguments and allusions to truths from the Old Testament. As you’re going through this study, try to track with both: look up the biblical references you come across while reading, and attempt to follow the line of reasoning Paul develops throughout the book.
To help with this, about half of the daily scheduled readings are supplementary to Romans, to help you better understand the topics Paul discusses. There will also be references and other helps listed out on this page if you want to clarify something or dive deeper into the material.
Today, before we start, read Paul’s testimony as he reports it in Acts 22-23, and the introductory material for Romans here.
Optional extra content: Steps to Tracing an Argument
12/19 - Romans 1
Why is Paul unashamed of the gospel? What reason does he give that makes the gospel worth being bold about?
Which item in the list of vices in verses 29-31 can you identify most in your life, either presently or from another time?
Skip ahead to Romans 3:22-26: these verses are all a part of the same argument, developed from chapters 1 - 4, and beyond. Pray to confess and repent from the sin you identified in the previous question, and remind yourself of the gospel truth Paul lays out in the Romans 3 verses.
How should you respond to this passage?
References in Romans 1: verse 17 quotes Habakkuk 2:4.
Optional extra content: “Not Ashamed of the Gospel” sermon
12/20 - Psalms 8 & 19
Reread Romans 1:19-20. Psalms 8 and 19 contain imagery and details of how God is revealed in his creation. The stars, the moon, the mountains, children, the sky, the sunrise, heat from the sun, and other things are all listed as pointing to God’s glory. What in nature points you to God?
Psalm 8 begins and ends with “Lord our Lord,” lit. “Yahweh our Lord.” Read what the word “Lord” means here. What does it mean that Romans 1:1-4 calls Jesus “Lord”?
What are these Psalms communicating about God’s word/law overall?
Optional extra content: “General and Special Revelation”; Sleeping at Last - “Side by Side”
12/21 - Romans 2
With verse 4, read 2 Peter 3:8-10. What do these verses say about what God wants for those who turn away from him? About what happens if we remain faithful?
Much of this chapter speaks to hypocrisy, which is when we hold others to moral standards or beliefs to which we don’t uphold ourselves. Are there any cases of hypocrisy that you’ve heard of recently, in the news or otherwise?
What is more important to you, your beliefs and hidden obedience, or what you say and do in public? Why?
How have you been hypocritical in your own life?
References in Romans 2: verse 24 quotes Isaiah 52:5.
Optional extra content: “The Mosaic Law: its Function and Purpose in the New Testament”
12/22 - Catch Up Day
The letter to the Romans is immensely applicable to our lives, even today, and especially at UT-Austin. During the catch-up days, consider choosing a verse which is relevant to your life from the past week’s readings, and begin to memorize it over the next week.
12/23 - Romans 3
Note: for clarity in this chapter in particular, remember to look at the vocabulary listed in the introductory materials!
What does this chapter imply about what sin does to our relationship with God?
What does it mean that God is “both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (v. 26)?
Do you think it’s fair that God doesn’t punish us for our sin, if we only believe in Christ? Why or why not?
References in Romans 3: verse 4 quotes Psalm 51:4; verses 10-12 quote Psalm 14:1-4 and 53:1-3; verse 13 quotes Psalms 5:9 and 10:7; verse 14 quotes Proverbs 1:16 and 3:15-17 and Isaiah 5:7-8; verse 18 quotes Psalm 36:1.
12/24 - Psalm 14 & Genesis 15
In different ways, Genesis 15 and Psalm 14 are both poetic and vivid with imagery. What emotions does Psalm 14 evoke? What would you feel if you were present with Abraham in Genesis 15?
What similarities or differences do you see between the description of people as sinful in Romans 3 and Psalm 14?
Genesis 15 is quoted in Romans 4:3, but you might begin to see the connection to Genesis 15 near the end of chapter 3. How does the fact that “he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6) fit with the reasoning of Romans 3?
Optional extra content: “God’s commitment to Abraham”
12/25 - Romans 4
What does our “work” (sin) get us? What is done so that we receive righteousness from Jesus?
Verse 19 describes circumstances which would have made it difficult for Abraham to believe God’s promise. What is something God promises in his word that is difficult for you to believe because of your circumstances?
References in Romans 4: verse 3 quotes Genesis 15:6; verses 7-8 quote Psalm 32:1-2; verse 17 quotes Genesis 17:5; verse 18 quotes Genesis 15:5.
Optional extra content: “How does Jesus Fulfill the Law?”, and/or “The Place of the Law”
12/26 - Genesis 16 & 17
Chapter 16 occurs, as you’d expect, right after the narrative in Genesis 15 when God tells Abram, “Number the stars, if you are able to number them … So shall your offspring be” (15:5). How does chapter 16 relate to and build off of this promise?
God’s promise entails that this offspring comes through Abram’s wife, Sarai. Though Hagar’s child won’t be the recipient of God’s promises, how does God still graciously provide for her?
What do chapters 16 and 17 reveal about our relationship to God through faith like Abram’s?
Optional extra content: “Genesis: Covenant”
12/27 - Romans 5 & Genesis 3
What does it mean to “have peace with God?” What implications of that does Paul spell out at the beginning of the chapter?
Read verses 7-9 again. Can you think of a “righteous person” for whom you’d be willing (hypothetically) to give up your life? How does that compare to Jesus giving up his life for sinners?
Chapter 5 is one of the few in Romans which doesn’t quote anything from the Old Testament! However, there is clear reference to Adam, the first man, and the first sin ever committed by him (in Genesis 3). What is the comparison drawn here between Adam and Jesus Christ?
Optional extra content: Read 1 Corinthians 15 to see another place where Paul uses Adam as an example (“type”) pointing to Christ.
Also, “Our First Federal Head”
12/28 - Romans 6
Many people today still struggle with the idea, “Why could I not just continue to sin forever, if God will have grace for me either way?” What is Paul’s argument against that mentality here? Write it out in your own words.
Consider memorizing some section of Romans 6:1-14, or verse 23 if you haven’t memorized that before. There are several verses there which are very important to our lives as Christians, particularly in Austin as opposed to most of the rest of the American South. Here is an app which can help with verse memorization.
How are you a “slave” to something in your life? How could you submit to God in that area and become a “slave to righteousness?”
Paul wrote this letter to an entire church of Christians. We often need help from Christian community to become slaves to righteousness instead of sin. Who is someone you could reach out to, today, to help you?
12/29 - Catch-Up Day
12/30 - Romans 7
What is the relationship here between “the law” and sin?
What is a way in which you want to grow to “bear fruit for God?” How is that accomplished?
Do you feel the same way as Paul expresses in verses 21-24? What is the conclusion that he comes to at the end of the chapter?
References in Romans 7: verse 7 quotes Exodus 20:17 / Deuteronomy 5:21.
Optional extra content: Psalm 119 is virtually a love letter to God’s word/law. Read a few sections of Psalm 119 for a more-thorough description of it, and our relation to it.
12/31 - Galatians 5 & Deuteronomy 5
Read Romans 7:4 again. Given the passage from Galatians, what might be the “fruit” Paul is talking about bearing? What examples of those “fruit” has God produced in your life?
Read Romans 7:7-8 again. Look through passage from Deuteronomy and consider what sins you’ve become aware of in your own life. If you’re able, pray to God to ask for forgiveness for that sin, and the desire to turn back to him.
Optional extra content: Look at this article about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. At the bottom of the page there are links to explanations of each quality in the list; feel free to look at those also if you’d like more clarification on any of them.
1/1 - Romans 8
What a beautifully hopeful passage! What is a verse or concept in this passage that encourages you as we enter into 2025?
Do you think that in your life overall, you “walk according to the Spirit?” What is a way to turn your mind away from being “set on the flesh” and further “set on the Spirit?”
What does it mean that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us?” What implication should that have for fear, insecurity, anxiety, or discouragement in our own lives?
References in Romans 8: verse 36 quotes Psalm 44:22.
Optional extra content: “Have you Misread Romans 8?”
1/2 - Romans 9
What does this chapter communicate about God’s power and authority?
What does it communicate about God’s faithfulness to his people (those he’s chosen)?
References in Romans 9: these will be further examined in a summary tomorrow, but verse 7 quotes Genesis 21:12; verse 12 quotes Genesis 25:23; verse 13 quotes Malachi 1:2-3; verse 15 quotes Exodus 33:19; verse 17 quotes Exodus 9:16; verse 25 quotes Hosea 2:23; verse 26 quotes Hosea 1:10; verse 27 quotes Isaiah 10:22-23; verse 29 quotes Isaiah 1:9; and verse 33 quotes Isaiah 28:16. About one third of Romans 9 is a quote from the Old Testament!
Optional extra content: “God’s glory, judgment, and mercy in Romans 9:19-23”
1/3 - Read Summary of the Old Testament stories quoted or referenced in Romans 9
Did you already know / remember all of these stories? If not, which were new or surprising?
What effect does it have that Paul uses so many quotations from the Old Testament in chapter 9?
Optional extra content: Redemption Church - “Stronghold”
1/4 - Exodus 9 & Jeremiah 18
Exodus 9 is the middle of the plagues God sends against Egypt, as explained in yesterday’s reading and written in Exodus 7-12. What do these plagues show about God’s power?
Imagine you’re an Israelite in ancient Egypt, enslaved under brutal and increasingly-difficult work conditions with little to no compensation. How would you respond in this situation to God working miracles to liberate you from your oppressors?
Reread Romans 9:18-24. How does Jeremiah 18 further clarify or supplement the illustration in Romans?
Optional extra content: “How God Makes Known the Riches of his Glory to the Vessels of Mercy”
1/5 - Catch-Up Day
1/6 - Romans 10 & 11
Verses 8-13 have a poetic symmetry to them, reflecting the repeated themes of “confession” and “belief.” As an aid to understanding, here is a diagram to summarize those connections:
a) Confess -- “Jesus is Lord” (v. 9a)
b) Believe -- “God raised him from the dead” (v. 9b)
c) =Saved (v. 9c)
b) Believe -- heart; justified (v. 10a)
a) Confess -- mouth; saved (v. 10b)
b) Everyone who believes will not be put to shame (v. 11)
a+c) Everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved (v. 13)
What does it mean to “have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge?” (see 10:2-4) Have you ever behaved in that way?
People need to hear about Jesus in order to believe in him (see 10:14). What is a step you can take to tell others about Jesus over the remainder of this break? Over the next semester?
Much of chapter 11 explains how the errors of Israel made a way for more people (Gentiles) to come to God; or more generally, that God uses the mistakes and sins of some people ultimately to bring about good for others. Have you seen any examples of this in your own life?
References in Romans 10: verse 8 quotes Deuteronomy 34:10; verse 11 quotes Isaiah 28:16 (probably); verse 13 quotes Joel 2:32; verse 15 quotes Isaiah 52:7; verse 16 quotes Isaiah 53:1; verse 18 quotes Psalm 19:4; verse 19 quotes Deuteronomy 32:21; and verse 20 quotes Isaiah 65:1-2.
References in Romans 11: verse 3 quotes 1 Kings 19:10, 14; verse 4 quotes 1 Kings 19:18; verse 9 quotes Psalm 69:22-23; and verse 26 quotes Isaiah 59:20-21.
Optional extra content: “Good News for All”
1/7 - Isaiah 52 & 53
How can you see God’s love illustrated in these chapters?
How can you see God’s justice illustrated in these chapters?
Chapter 53 is talking about the Messiah to come, whom we in the New Testament era know to be Jesus. What parallels do you see between these descriptions and Jesus’ ministry, life, death, and resurrection?
1/8 - Romans 12 & 13
While the first eleven chapters were mostly doctrine and explanation of God’s character, chapter 12 begins the section which explains how we should act in response to everything said in those earlier chapters.
In 12:9-21, which of those commands do you follow best in your life right now? Which is the hardest for you to follow?
Reflect on 13:8-10, and then look back over Deuteronomy 5. In what ways are each of those commandments fulfilled by loving others with a true love from God?
References in Romans 12: verse 19 quotes Deuteronomy 32:35; verse 20 quotes Proverbs 25:21-22.
References in Romans 13: verse 9 quotes Exodus 20:13-17 / Deuteronomy 5:17-21; and also Leviticus 19:18.
Optional extra content: “Obedience to Civil Authorities”
1/9 - 1 Corinthians 13
While Romans 13:8-10 describes how “love is the fulfilling of the law,” 1 Corinthians 13 describes the actual characteristics of love. It is the most comprehensive treatment of “love” (Gk. ἀγαπή [agapē]) in the New Testament.
Reflect on the attributes of love provided in 1 Corinthians. Which of these do you most appreciate from other people? Which would you most like to grow in?
God is the perfect representation of this: 1 John 4:8 even says, “God is love.” Which of the characteristics of love do you most appreciate that God shows to you?
1/10 - Romans 14
How have you “despised” or “passed judgment” on another person in the community of faith? What does this passage say you should do in response to that?
Have you ever done something which you found morally justifiable, but which caused another believer to stumble? How did you / should you have righted that situation?
The last sentence of verse 23 has potentially huge implications. How often do your actions “proceed from faith?” What does it mean if they don’t?
References in Romans 14: verse 11 quotes Isaiah 45:23.
Optional extra content: “Principles for the Exercise of Christian Liberty”
1/11 - Romans 15 & 16
Who are some people who have bared with your weaknesses and failings? In what way does “bear[ing] with the failings of the weak” (15:1) reflect Christ to others?
What does it look like, in the communities you’re a part of, to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (15:7)?
Chapter 16 has a long series of greetings to Paul’s friends and companions at the church in Rome. Greet one of your brothers/sisters in Christ! Send a text message or call to another student in the BSM to encourage them with something from this study.
References in Romans 15: verse 3 quotes Psalm 69:9; verse 9 quotes 2 Samuel 22:50 / Psalm 18:49; verse 10 quotes Deuteronomy 32:42; verse 11 quotes Psalm 117:1; verse 12 quotes Isaiah 11:10; verse 21 quotes Isaiah 52:15.
Optional extra content: “Introduction to Paul’s Missionary Journeys”
1/12 - End of Study Reflection Questions
For the next few questions you may want a blank piece of paper and something to write with.
Think back, or briefly look back through chapters 1-3. Summarize in a few sentences the “big picture” of what sin is.
Do the same for chapters 4-8. Summarize again, this time the “big picture” of how we are able to come back into relationship with God despite our sinfulness.
Once more, do the same for chapters 9-11. Summarize the picture that this paints of God’s authority and power.
Finally, look through chapters 12-16 again. What are a few concepts or commands you’d like to remember and act on, as you move into the new semester?
Did you learn anything new in this study about God’s character? About humans generally? About yourself specifically?
Take some time to pray to God about all of these things. Praise him for his righteousness and all-powerfulness; thank him for his mercy on us despite our sinfulness; repent / ask for forgiveness for your shortcomings; and ask him to help you going into this next semester.
We will likewise be praying for you, as we all kick off Spring 2025 at UT! See you soon! :)