1. God justifies the ungodly according to

1. Since God owes us

   Reveal Answer
   , what we receive from Him is a
   Reveal Answer
   , not an
   Reveal Answer
   . (vv.1-5; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 11:35; John 3:27, 4:10; Job 41:11; Psalm 50:10-11; Romans 6:23; Acts 2:38)
   

2. The

   Reveal Answer
   of God and being seen by Him as
   Reveal Answer
   is a palpable blessing that ushers us into true
   Reveal Answer
   ! (vv.6-8; Psalm 32; Psalm 51; 1 John 1:9; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 8:32,36; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Romans 8:1-2)
   

3. Walk in the

   Reveal Answer
   of men and women who live(d) by
   Reveal Answer
   . (vv.9-12; 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16; Romans 1:16; Titus 2:11; John 5:24; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Timothy 4:12; Philippians 3:17; Hebrews 13:7; 1 John 2:6; Matthew 5:16; Proverbs 13:20)
   
   
   
   

Taking it Further to Help You THRIVE…

1. Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
   

2. Clearly, it is easier to boast about something we have done/made happen/earned than to boast about something/a gift that happened outside of our strength, action, or control. Why does Paul say that Abraham (and we) can’t boast about being made right with God / our salvation? Despite this truth, when/how are we tempted to think ‘we have done something special’ or we are somehow ‘better than’ someone else? Why is this dangerous?
   

3. In Psalm 32, David was descriptive about how horrible he felt as a guilty man and how incredibly blessed he was once God forgave him. Pause and reflect for a few moments…how does it ‘feel’ to know that you are forgiven by God and set free? Discuss this with the group. (In what ways have you allowed these blessings become stale in your life?)
   

4. Here is an argument we often hear: “I hear you say that we are saved by faith and not by works, but James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. So we aren’t saved just by faith.” How would you respond to this person? How do we reconcile Paul’s message in Romans 3-4 with James’ message in James 2?
   

5. In verses 3,4,5,6,8,9,10, and 11, Paul mentions belief/faith being “counted” to Abraham (and to us who believe) as righteousness. (Paul is quoting Genesis 15:6.) What does ‘count’ mean in these verses? How does this to speak to how we are saved and brought back into a right relationship with God (and how we are not)?
   

6. Name/discuss one person in your life who has been a ‘role model’ in the faith in whose footsteps you can walk. What was the biggest difference they made in your life?