Romans

This course teaches the theology of salvation and missions as explained in the book of Romans, discussing several issues that have been controversial in the church.

Course Description

Paul’s letter to the Roman believers explained his mission and message. He explained the theology of the gospel in order to explain why everyone in the world needs it. This letter has had a great impact on the church throughout history. Many controversial doctrines are rooted there. This course examines the teachings of the book of Romans and applies them to Christian living.

Lesson Design

The lessons are designed to be taught in one session each, but the time needed for each lesson might be two hours or more. If shorter sessions are necessary, lessons can be divided into smaller amounts of material.

The class should frequently refer to the “Outline of Romans” that is available in the appendix or additional files. As the class studies each passage, remind the students of how that passage fits into the context of that part of the book, and the context of the whole book.

Review questions are provided for each lesson. At the beginning of each class session, the class leader should ask the review questions for the previous lesson and a few questions from other past lessons. Make sure that all of the students help give answers. If someone is not participating, direct a question to him by name. This is a good time to correct misunderstandings of the material. The review questions are the same questions to use for the final test. Review and correct the answers as needed. Class leaders can access an answer key that is available in the appendix or additional files.

Discussion questions and in-class activities are indicated by ►. For discussion questions, the class leader should ask the question and allow several students to answer briefly. Sometimes the question reviews material that has just been studied. At those times, the students should be able to give the right answer. If there is confusion, the class leader should explain the material more thoroughly. At other times, the question introduces new material. Then, it is not necessary that the students answer accurately, and it is not necessary to come to a conclusion. The question only prepares them to learn the new material.

It is not necessary to look up every scripture reference in parentheses. References are provided to support the statements.

Sometimes a footnote will show where to find other material in the lesson or in another part of the course. It is not necessary to go to that material unless the class needs more explanation immediately.

The class leader could ask a student to explain quotations that are in footnotes along the sides of the lessons.

Most lessons have a box with a picture and a historical note about Rome. The note is not related to the lesson. It is not necessary to include the historical note in the lesson presentation. For users of the app or website courses, the notes about Rome are complied into one PDF file available in the appendix or additional files.

At the beginning of each class session, the class leader should collect the written assignments from the previous session and lead the group in a brief discussion of their writings.

Assignments for Students

This is a Bible class. Students should keep their Bibles open and look at the passage being studied.

A chart is provided for keeping a record of completed assignments. The chart is available in the appendix or additional files.

During the weeks of this course, the student should prepare three sermons or lessons based on a passage in Romans and present them to groups other than the class. After each presentation, he should ask some of the hearers to tell him how the presentation could be improved. He should give the class leader a copy of his presentation notes, a description of the group and event when he spoke, and his plans for improvement.

The student should prepare at least two conversations with believers from churches with doctrine different from his. He should ask them to explain why they hold their doctrine. He should explain passages from Romans that are relevant to the topic. He should write a description of the conversation and give it to the class leader. It is best if this assignment is completed after Lesson 9 is studied.

Except for Lesson 12, each lesson has a writing assignment. Each of these should be completed before the next class session. They should be given to the class leader at the beginning of class. The class leader should lead a short discussion of the students’ writings.

At the end of the course is a final test. Students should complete the test individually without help and without looking at any written material. The list of questions is available in the appendix or additional files. The test can be scheduled for the same session when the last lesson is covered or at a different time. To shorten the time needed for taking the test, the teacher may select 20 questions to use. To write the answers for 20 questions may take an hour for some students. The students should not know which questions will be used and should study all of the review questions.

Students should be at every class session. If a student misses a session, he should study it, review it with the class leader, and write the assignment.