Small Groups and Bible Studies

1. What’s something you used to feel awkward about but now
don’t mind talking about at all? What changed?

2. Read Romans 1:1-7. How does Paul describe his identity and
purpose in verse 1? Why does Paul place such a strong
emphasis on Jesus Christ when defining the gospel in verses
2–6? In what ways does the gospel give direction and urgency
to Paul’s life? What might it look like for the gospel to more
clearly define our mission as a church or as individuals?

3. Read Romans 1:8-15. What motivates Paul’s desire to visit
and encourage the believers in Rome? Who does Paul say he is
“obligated” to, and what does that obligation involve? Why is
Paul eager to preach the gospel even to people who are
already believers? What would eagerness for the gospel look
like in your daily rhythms this week?

4. Read Romans 1:16-17. According to these verses what does
the gospel accomplish that nothing else can? How is God’s
righteousness different from the way people often think about
being “good enough”? How does “the righteous shall live by
faith” challenge self-reliance or performance-based faith? How
does understanding the gospel as God’s power for salvation
change the way we approach everyday life?

5. Where do you see opportunities to live on mission with the
gospel in your current relationships or routines? What fears or
obstacles most often keep us from sharing or living out the gospel?

No Questions

1. What’s something you were confident you were “good at”
until you realized the standard was much higher than you
thought?
2. Read Romans 2:1-29. According to Romans 2, why is it so
tempting for people to believe that being moral or religious
makes them right before God? Knowing that righteousness
doesn’t come from our morals or religiousness, which part of
this chapter most challenges that assumption for you
personally?
3. In verses 1-3, Paul confronts those who judge others while
doing the same things. Why do you think judging others can
make us feel spiritually secure? According to verses 2-11, what
principles does God use to judge humanity? How do these
differ from how we tend to evaluate ourselves and others? In
verses 12-16, Paul explains that knowing God’s law is not the
same as obeying it. How does this challenge the idea that
“knowing the right things” equals righteousness?
4. In verses 17-20, what religious privileges does Paul list that
the Jews trusted in? What are modern-day equivalents
Christians might rely on today? Verses 21-24 expose a gap
between what people teach and how they live. Why does
hypocrisy among religious people damage God’s reputation?
According to verses 25–29, what does Paul say truly defines
someone as belonging to God? Why is inward transformation
harder to trust than outward religious activity?

5. Where are you most tempted to trust your own goodness,morality, or religious behavior instead of God’s grace? What
would change this week if you truly stopped trying to prove
yourself right before God and instead rested in His transforming grace?

1. Share about something you tried to fix yourself but
eventually realized you needed help (a car issue, tech problem,
home project, etc.). What made you finally admit, “I can’t fix
this”?

2. Read Romans 3:1-8. What questions or objections does Paul
raise in verses 1–5? How does Paul respond to the idea that
human sin somehow makes God look better (vv. 5–8)? Why do
you think Paul spends so much time addressing excuses and
objections before making his main claim? Which excuses for sin
do you see people commonly make today? Which ones do you
personally relate to most?

3. Read Romans 8:9-20. According to verse 9, who is under sin?
Who is included—and excluded? What does Paul mean by
saying that “no one is righteous” (v.10) and “there is no one
who does good” (v.12)? How is that different from saying
people never do good things? How does this challenge
common beliefs like “I’m basically a good person” or “God will
grade on a curve”?

4. What role does the Law play according to verses 19–20?
What does verse 20 teach about our ability (or inability) to fix
our sin problem through obedience or effort? How does this
confront pride—especially spiritual or moral pride?
5. Why is admitting our helplessness so uncomfortable? What
does it threaten in us? What does it practically look like
to “admit you need saving” in everyday life, not just at
conversion?

1. What’s a gift you’ve received that you didn’t earn but meant
a lot to you? How did it feel to receive it? Was it hard or easy to
accept? Why?

2. Read Romans 3:21-24. Who does the phrase “for all who
believe” include, according to verse 22? In verse 24, how are
people justified—what specific words describe how and why?
What does it mean that justification is described as a gift of
grace rather than a reward? Where are you most tempted to
rely on your own performance rather than trusting in God’s
grace?

3. Read Romans 3:25-26. In verse 25, what role does faith play
in relation to Jesus’ blood? How does Jesus’ sacrifice
demonstrate God’s righteousness rather than ignore sin?
Why is it important that God remains both “just” and
the “justifier” (v. 26)? How would your relationship with God
change if you fully trusted that Jesus’ work, not yours, secured
your righteousness?

4. Read Romans 3:27-31. What problem do verses 27–28
address about boasting? Why does faith eliminate boasting?
What does that reveal about the human heart? How would you
explain “justified by faith apart from works of the law” in your
own words? How would you explain justification by faith to
someone who believes Christianity is about being a good
person?

5. How does fully accepting justification by faith change the
way you deal with guilt, shame, or fear of condemnation?
What would it look like this week to rest in Christ’s finished
work instead of striving to earn God’s approval?

1. What is one thing in life that gives you confidence or security
when facing a difficult situation?

2. Read Romans 8:1-17. According to verses 1–2, what is now
true for those who are in Christ Jesus? Why is the
statement “no condemnation” such a powerful declaration for
believers? What actions of the Spirit are described in verses
9–11? How does the indwelling Spirit enable believers to live
differently than those controlled by the flesh? What practical
habits help you set your mind on the Spirit rather than the
flesh?

3. Read Romans 8:18-27. What comparison does Paul make
between present suffering and future glory in verse 18? Why
does Paul connect suffering with future glory? What is the
believers’ present experience according to verses 23–25? What
does it mean that believers groan inwardly while waiting for
redemption? How can viewing suffering through the lens of
future glory change how we handle trials?

4. Read Romans 8:28-39. What promise is given in verse 28?
What does it mean that God works all things together for
good? What sequence of God’s work is described in verses
29–30? How do these verses show God’s active role in a
believer’s salvation and sanctification? What conclusion does
Paul reach about God’s love in verses 38–39? What does this
passage teach about the permanence of God’s love?

5. Which verses in Romans 8 most reassure you of God’s love
and why? What practices help redirect your mind toward
spiritual things during the week?

1.  If a famous or important person came to your town, how would people welcome hem? What kind of recognition would they receive? If Jesus entered your town, hov lo you think people would react
2.  Read Matthew 21:1-6. Why do you think Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a horse? How does the passage in Matthew 21:5 fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah? (Look at verse 5, referencing Zechariah 9:9. How would this prophecy influence the disciple’s response to Jesus’ command? Why is obeying Jesus’ commands sometimes a struggle?
3.  Read Matthew 21:6-11. What does the crowd’s reaction reveal about their expectations of the Messiah? How do you think their perception of Jesus might have been different from the true nature of His mission? What misunderstands can our culture have about Jesus’ mission? Is there any confusion you might have about Jesus’ mission?
4.  According to verse 10 what was the city’s reaction when Jesus arrived? Why do you think they reacted that way? What did the crowd’s answer to the cities question reveal about their perception of Jesus’ identity? What misunderstandings does our culture have about Jesus’ identity? Is there any confusion you might have about Jesus’ identity?
5.  How do you respond to Jesus as King in your own life? Do you recognize Him as the Messiah, or are there ways you still struggle to understand or accept Him as King? In what areas of your life do you need to better align your expectations of Jesus with who He truly is, rather than who you want Him to be?

1. What’s something you believed was true until you
found out you were completely wrong? (Example: a
song lyric, a “fact” you learned as a kid, or thinking you
were going the right way on a road trip.)

2. Read Acts 2:22-32. According to verse 22, how had
God already authenticated Jesus before His death?
What does Peter say happened to Jesus in verses
23–24? What does the resurrection prove about who
Jesus is? Why is the resurrection essential to the
Christian faith and not just an “extra” belief? How does
Jesus’ resurrection give confidence to believers today?

3. Read Acts:2:33-36. According to verse 33, where is
Jesus now and what has He received from the Father?
What conclusion does Peter want Israel to come to in
verse 36? What evidence does Peter point to in order to
show that Jesus has been exalted? How does Jesus’
exaltation build on and complete the message of His
resurrection? What does it practically mean to live as if
Jesus is truly Lord?

4. Read Acts 2:37-41. How do the people respond
emotionally to Peter’s sermon in verse 37? What
specific response does Peter call for in verse 38? What
does it mean to repent in this passage? When people
hear the truth about Jesus today, what are some
common ways they respond instead of repenting?

5. Why is it important that Easter is not just about
inspiration, but about vindication — that Jesus was
proven to be exactly who He said He was? What is one
step of obedience or trust God may be calling you to
take this week?

1. What’s something you’ve tried to explain to someone that
should have been simple… but somehow became way more
confusing than it needed to be? (Examples: directions, a recipe,
how to use a remote, setting up Wi-Fi, etc.)
2. Read Romans 9:30-33. In verses 31–32, what does Paul say
Israel was pursuing, and why did they fail to attain it?
According to verses 32–33, who or what did Israel “stumble”
over? What does it mean that Israel pursued righteousness “as
if it were based on works” instead of faith? Is there someone in
your life who may think Christianity is mainly about being a
good person? How could you lovingly help clarify the gospel for
them?
3. Read Romans 10:1-13. According to verses 9–10, what are
the simple truths to believe to in order to be saved? What
does verse 9–13 teach us about how simple and accessible the
gospel really is? How can Christians accidentally complicate the
gospel when sharing it with others? If someone asked
you, “What must I do to be saved?”, how would you answer
based on this passage?
4. Read Romans 10:14-21. In verse 14–15, what chain of events
does Paul describe that leads to someone believing? What role
do preachers / messengers play in God’s plan according to this
passage? According to verse 16, did everyone who heard the
good news respond in faith? How does this passage help us
understand that rejection is often not about the clarity of the

message, but the condition of the heart? How can we
stay faithful in sharing the gospel even when we don’t see
immediate results?
5. Which of these is harder for you personally right now:
Keeping the message simple? Or staying encouraged when
people don’t respond? What is one practical step you can take
this week to be more faithful in sharing the good news?