Romans 9 Bible study guide: Has God's Promise to Israel Failed?

Open with

Is there someone you care about who doesn't share your faith?

Read together

Romans 9:1-18, then Romans 9:19-33. If you are leading, read the plain-words note on Romans 9 first (linked below).

Discussion questions

1. Paul says he has "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" for his own people (v. 2). Who do you carry that kind of sorrow for?

2. Verse 6 insists "it is not as though God's word had failed." Why would Paul need to say that?

3. In verse 16 Paul says it "does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy." How do you feel about that?

4. The potter and clay picture (vv. 20 and 21) can feel uncomfortable. What questions does it raise for you? It's OK to say so.

5. Christians read this chapter differently: some see God choosing individuals for salvation, and others see God's plan for whole peoples. How can people who disagree on this still worship together?

6. Verse 33 ends with the promise that "the one who believes in him will never be put to shame." How does that sit beside the hard parts of this chapter?

For our lives this week

Pray every day this week for one person you named in the opening question, with the same kind of love Paul has for his people.

Close in prayer

Thank God for his mercy. Ask him to give you a heart for people who don't know him, and trust him with the questions you can't answer.

Leader tip

This is one of the most debated chapters in the Bible. Don't try to win the debate. Let people voice questions, and point them back to God's mercy, which runs through the whole chapter.