ST NICOLAS, NEWBURY

HOME GROUP QUESTIONS

FROM SUNDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2007

ROAMING ROMANS SESSION 2: ROMANS 1:18-32

1. You might like begin by discussing how you respond to the idea of "an angry God"? What is your initial response? How does it make you feel?

2. Then perhaps I would suggest you pray, and ask for God's help as you look at his word. Ask for wisdom and understanding, and a humility to hear what God has to say.

3. Read Romans 1:18-32

4. If you're feeling a bit down after all that you might like to re-read Romans 1:16-17 to remind yourselves that there is good news too but that we only really see it when we accept the bad news first!

5. As I did in my sermon, I would like you to grapple with three simple questions as you look at this passage. Why? Who? and What?

6. Why is God angry? Who is he angry with? What does his anger look like?

7. Why is God angry? (v18-20) How is God's anger different from ours? What makes us angry? Would God be God if evil in the world didn't bother him?

8. Who is he angry with? Do you recognise yourself in verses 18-20? Why do we find it easy to apply verses 21-27 to others? What does Jesus have to say about all our sexual ethics in Matthew chapter 5? Do these passages still apply? And if so how do we stand up for them in our contemporary culture? How do verses 28-31 bring things closer to home?

9. What does God's anger look like? Have you seen the key refrain in verses 24, 26 and 28? Why is this so devastating? What are the consequences of this? I think Paul uses sexuality as an example here, but nonetheless what can we learn?

10. How are we to respond to such a passage as this? Do we recognise ourselves? Are we ready to repent and ask for a fresh touch of the Spirit? Are we ready to speak and act differently in the world, for the sake of the world?

11. Again you might like to finish with Romans 1:16-17 - sin does not have the last word!

Edward Hobbs
24 September 2007