ST NICOLAS, NEWBURY

HOME GROUP QUESTIONS

FROM SUNDAY 20 JANUARY 2008

ROAMING ROMANS SESSION 9: ROMANS 5:20-6:14

1. Begin by reading Romans 5:20-6:14.

2. What is the issue that Paul is dealing with in this chapter?

3. Do you think he means 'May I continue to sin?' or 'Must I to continue to sin?' in verse 1? What's the difference?

4. What do you understand by the phrase 'We died to sin'? Why then is sin still part of our experience?

5. Why does Paul bring up the subject of baptism in verse 3? What has this got to do with us and sin?

6. How would you answer someone who said 'This is all very well, but I don't feel dead to sin at all!'

7. Read Romans 4:18-21. How does the story of Abraham help us to make sense of what Paul is saying in chapter 6?

8. What does it mean in practice to 'count yourselves dead to sin' (verse 11)?

9. 'Do not let sin reign...' (verse 12). So why do we?

10. A bus driver drove his bus round the same route, day after day, month after month. And then, one day, his numbers came up in the national lottery and he won a large sum of money. He gave in his notice at the bus depot and then, to celebrate his win, bought himself a brand new Ferrari. Driving along in his new car, he happened to be going along one of the same roads as used to be on his bus route. Instinctively, he signalled to turn right at the lights. But then, 'hold on a moment - I don't have to do that,' he said to himself. 'I'm free to go where I choose. And I choose not to be constrained by my old habits of bus driving. I choose to go straight on.' Which is exactly what he did. But it took a while to get used to... What does this story have to do with Romans 6?

11. Pray together for the ability to live in the light of this chapter.

David Stone
22 January 2008