Ideas and questions to help group members and leaders prepare to study Romans 7:1-6; 14-23; 24-25

Romans 7:1-6; 14-23; 24-25 Questions

Warm up in pairs: Name something that you want to do but did not have the ability-past, present or future.

Romans 7:1-6

1. In his example of marriage, does Paul say that if a woman’ husband dies that she is free to marry again with no stigma of any kind?  Yes. If we have died to the law, are we free to give ourselves to another, i.e. Christ? Yes. Can our relationship with Christ ever be broken by death? No
2. Should the fact that we now belong to Christ make a difference in the way we live? Yes.
3. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, could we belong to him? Absolutely not.
4. Since we belong to him, what are we to do? Bear fruit for God. What kind of fruit? The fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23) and new believers.  Ask group members for other suggestions.
5. Why do we sometimes not bear fruit for God? Walking in the flesh and not the Spirit.
6. What is the fruit for death he refers to? Any works of the flesh. All works of the flesh are dead works.  Have someone to read Gal. 5:19-21 and ask if any of these could be considered fruit for death.
7. Is there any significance that he uses the word “new” with the Spirit and “old” with letter of the law? Very much so. What other synonyms can group members think of for new and old? 
8. Is the fact that the law convicts us of sin a good thing? Very much so. Do some people stay away the teaching and preaching of the Word because they do not want to be convicted of sin? Yes.

 Romans 7:14-23

1. Ask group members to get back into pairs and summarize what Paul’s real conflict was. Have them share some of their answers with the group.
2. Can a person living according to the sinful nature have the desire to do good? Yes, but they do not have ability to do good. See  Psalm 119:97.
3. Was Paul saying the law was a bad thing? Not at all.  Can the law make a man good? No.

 Romans 7:24-25

1. In 7:22 he refers to delighting in God’s law, in his inner self, and in 7:25 he refers to serving the law of God in his mind. Are these one in the same? They are in the sense that neither are part of the members of his body or flesh.  It was his flesh, not his mind or inner self that were the problem. (If the group leader is familiar with or has access to the Disciple’s Personality from Master Life by Avery Willis, the illustration would be helpful here.)
2. Is Romans 7 the end of the story? No, it is not. The answer to his and our dilemma comes in Romans 8.