Romans Online Bible Study — Let’s Wrap It Up!

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. — Romans 3:23-24

His grace is eternal. ~ Max

Hey, friends! It’s wrap-up week for the Romans OBS and if you’ve been with us through a study before you know exactly what to do! If this is your first study, this is our week to re-watch the videos, go through notes, review Bible memory verses… everything! It’s a chance to spend time in reflection and catch up if you’ve fallen a little behind to get every last morsel possible from Romans: In the Grip of Grace. We don’t want to miss one bit!

Question: What was your very favorite verse you memorized? I know, it’s tough to pick! If I had to choose, it would be:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing, and perfect will. — Romans 12:2

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in this story, it’s that there is soooo much grace in Jesus Christ! We can’t comprehend the expanse of it. We can’t understand the goodness of it. And, we can’t even get out of it! How amazing!

Because grace is God’s very nature, grace was here before anything was ever created. We were born into a legacy of grace. We were welcomed into a relationship of grace with God. He invites the Body of Christ to operate out of grace.

We can’t earn our way out of our sinful nature (legalism). We can’t prove ourselves. We can’t slide into Heaven on someone’s else’s coattails. Pointing fingers won’t do. Comparing ourselves to others we think have lived worse lives than us won’t work. We will never be enough on our own. So… a “circumcision of the heart” as Paul said, is what we need!

Salvation is God’s business, and God’s alone. ~ Max

We need Jesus. It’s that simple. We need a relationship with Him.

Holiness demands that sin be punished. Mercy compels that the sinner be loved. How can God do both? The answer… is Jesus. ~ Max

Sin always equals death. Every time.
Sin kills. It murders. Sin mutilates.

Isn’t it frustrating that we keep going back to it?!

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 6:22-23

We keep messing up, going back to our old habits, doing what we don’t want to do, and even wanting to sin! We are drawn to sin because we’re made of flesh and this isn’t Heaven yet.

Sin will always separate humans from God, but He in His outrageous love always forgives His children over and over, again and again. Every single sin ever committed and that will ever be committed was already taken care of on the Cross.

With one sacrifice, He made perfect forever those who are being made holy. — Hebrews 10:14

That’s grace!

[God’s grace] does not… depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. — Romans 9:16

We are chosen, we are God’s people, His children, for a purpose.. We are to display His glory through our messed-up stories because He shines through us. We are to tell of His grace!

Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. — Romans 10:4

Everybody is welcome. Everyone is even. We all start from the same place — saved by grace! Loved. Welcome to the table. It’s an “all-skate”! Talk about grace!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. — Romans 12:1

Our Heavenly Father is just a call away when we need help. ~ Max

Given that, how can we not share that grace with others? How can we not look at other messes just like us through the lens of grace? Our call is to be unified in the Body of Christ, no matter how different we are, no matter what we disagree about, no matter if we worship standing up with our arms raised or holding a hymnal, whether we dance or don’t dance, sport tattoos or not, are politically left- or right-wing, parent permissively or authoritatively, read the KJV or the Message, or any other division we picky people can find!

Obviously, we don’t have agape love naturally. We are naturally divisive and disputatious. We don’t have that kind of love without God the Holy Spirit. It’s His grace that leads us to love self-sacrificially and outside our comfort zone.

We love because He first loved us. — 1 John 4:19

We’re loved and so we love.

It’s by the Holy Spirit that we show love and grace to one another. And, it’s how we demonstrate to the world that we are who we say we are!

I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. — John 13:34

Let’s be people of grace!

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. — Romans 15:7

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! — Romans 7:25

Amen? Amen!