Romans 3 Bible study guide: Everyone on Level Ground

Open with

Have you ever been given something you knew you could never pay back? How did it feel?

Read together

Romans 3:1-20, then Romans 3:21-31. If you are leading, read the plain-words note on Romans 3 first (linked below).

Discussion questions

1. Verses 10 to 18 string together Old Testament lines, starting with "There is no one righteous, not even one." Does that feel fair, harsh, or honest to you? Why?

2. Verse 20 says the law makes us "conscious of our sin." How can rules show us our problem without being able to fix it?

3. Verse 21 begins "But now." What changes in the story at that point?

4. Paul says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (v. 23) and are "justified freely by his grace" (v. 24). Which half of that is harder for you to accept, and why?

5. Verse 25 calls Jesus "a sacrifice of atonement." In your own words, what did Jesus do for us on the cross?

6. Verse 27 asks, "Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded." How should that change the way Christians treat people who don't believe?

For our lives this week

When you notice yourself feeling better than someone this week, remember verse 22: "There is no difference." Everyone stands on level ground.

Close in prayer

Thank Jesus for the gift you could never earn. Ask God to help you rest in his grace instead of trying to prove yourself.

Leader tip

Verse 23 is famous, so people may switch off. Slow down on verse 24 and the word "freely." That is where the good news lands.