Romans 8:12-30 Discussion Questions
The Inheritance Guaranteed and Creation Renewed
1) Somewhat surprisingly, Paul starts out this passage by stating that we have an obligation or are in debt. According to this passage, why are we in debt and who are we indebted to?
2) Once again in Romans, Paul appears to be echoing the story of the exodus in which the nation of Israel traveled out of slavery in Egypt, was led by God through the wilderness, became tempted to return to Egypt when things got hard but ultimately moved toward the Promised Land. How is the book of Exodus glimpsed in verses 12-17?
3) What does it mean to be "led by the Spirit" (verse 14)? What are the privileges of being "led by the Spirit" (verses 14-17)?
4) In verse 17, Paul says that Christians are to be heirs. Picking up on Israel's vocation in the Old Testament, what is our inheritance (see Genesis 17.3-8, Psalm 2.7-8, and Romans 4.13)?
5) Paul says that we are co-heirs (joint heirs) with Christ. Does this surprise you? What do you understand it to mean?
6) At the end of verse 17, what do we learn about the benefits and costs of being co-heirs of Christ?
7) Describe all the things that creation is experiencing and "doing" in verses 18-25.
8) "Glory" is another key term in Paul and in the Bible. What do you understand it to mean? What is "the glory that is going to be unveiled for us" in verse 18?
9) Who is groaning in these verses and why?
10) In verse 23, what does it mean to say that we have “the first fruits of the spirit”? According to this verse, what happens when we are adopted?
11) In verses 24-25, why are we groaning while are waiting for adoption? What is the significance of the fact that we are hoping for that which we can’t see right now? What is the appropriate stance for Christians in our current situation (consider Phil. 3:13 and 2 Cor. 4:17-18)? What can that tell us about the appropriate role of the church in the labor pains that the world is going through now in 2020?
12) In verse 26, how does the spirit help us in these trying times? Why is our groaning “too deep for words”?
13) In verse 27, who is the "searcher of hearts"?
14) In verse 28, there is ambiguity around the implied subject of who "works for the good of those who love God". Some translations say "all things", some say "God", some say "the Spirit". Which translation makes the most sense for you? Who are "those who love him"?
15) Paul closes and summarizes this passage by tying together five key verbs: Foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified. How do you understand these five verbs and how they work together?
16) What does it mean that those who God foreknew he also predestined to be "conformed to the image of his son"?
17) It is often noted that Paul used the word "glorified" in the past tense. Have we already been glorified?
18) This passage (verses 18-30) is the final conclusion to the long argument he has been building since Chapter 5. How would you summarize this conclusion?
2) Once again in Romans, Paul appears to be echoing the story of the exodus in which the nation of Israel traveled out of slavery in Egypt, was led by God through the wilderness, became tempted to return to Egypt when things got hard but ultimately moved toward the Promised Land. How is the book of Exodus glimpsed in verses 12-17?
3) What does it mean to be "led by the Spirit" (verse 14)? What are the privileges of being "led by the Spirit" (verses 14-17)?
4) In verse 17, Paul says that Christians are to be heirs. Picking up on Israel's vocation in the Old Testament, what is our inheritance (see Genesis 17.3-8, Psalm 2.7-8, and Romans 4.13)?
5) Paul says that we are co-heirs (joint heirs) with Christ. Does this surprise you? What do you understand it to mean?
6) At the end of verse 17, what do we learn about the benefits and costs of being co-heirs of Christ?
7) Describe all the things that creation is experiencing and "doing" in verses 18-25.
8) "Glory" is another key term in Paul and in the Bible. What do you understand it to mean? What is "the glory that is going to be unveiled for us" in verse 18?
9) Who is groaning in these verses and why?
10) In verse 23, what does it mean to say that we have “the first fruits of the spirit”? According to this verse, what happens when we are adopted?
11) In verses 24-25, why are we groaning while are waiting for adoption? What is the significance of the fact that we are hoping for that which we can’t see right now? What is the appropriate stance for Christians in our current situation (consider Phil. 3:13 and 2 Cor. 4:17-18)? What can that tell us about the appropriate role of the church in the labor pains that the world is going through now in 2020?
12) In verse 26, how does the spirit help us in these trying times? Why is our groaning “too deep for words”?
13) In verse 27, who is the "searcher of hearts"?
14) In verse 28, there is ambiguity around the implied subject of who "works for the good of those who love God". Some translations say "all things", some say "God", some say "the Spirit". Which translation makes the most sense for you? Who are "those who love him"?
15) Paul closes and summarizes this passage by tying together five key verbs: Foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified. How do you understand these five verbs and how they work together?
16) What does it mean that those who God foreknew he also predestined to be "conformed to the image of his son"?
17) It is often noted that Paul used the word "glorified" in the past tense. Have we already been glorified?
18) This passage (verses 18-30) is the final conclusion to the long argument he has been building since Chapter 5. How would you summarize this conclusion?