Romans 1:18-2:16 Questions by Stephen Ricker

A World Without Faith
Questions for Study 2

Romans 1:18-2:16
Memory Verse: 18


I. People in the World Deliberately Reject God (1:18-21)

1. Against whom is God's wrath revealed? How do people suppress the truth? What is the truth they suppress? Why do people who deliberately reject God have no excuse?

2. Why should men honor and thank God? Why do they not? Why is this a suppression of the truth?

3. Why happens to the mind and heart of one who deliberately refuses to glorify and thank God? (21)

II. The Result When Men Live Without Faith (1:22-31)

4. Look at verse 22. How do men who live without God become fools? (23)

5. Find the verses in which the phrase "God gave them over" is repeated. What does this mean? Why is this an expression of God's wrath? What is God's purpose in "giving them over to..."?

6. Look at verse 25. What foolish exchange do men without God make? Why can't God take care of liars? Look at verses 26 and 27. How do godless people invert creation order? How does this perversion destroy people and provoke God's anger?

7. Read verses 28-31. What happens to society and families when individual people do not retain the knowledge of God in their hearts? What will happen to this kind of society and family?

8. Why do people who know what is right become advertisers of evil-doing?

III. The Legalistic Jews (2:1-5)

9. Look at 2:1-3. Who else is a suppressor of the truth and under the wrath of God? Why is it wrong to pass judgment on others? Why is God's judgment right?

10. How do self-righteous people abuse God's love? (4) What should people do instead of judging others? (5)

IV. God's Righteous Judgment (2:6-16)

11. Look at 2:6-7. What is God's standard for judging? In these verses, what are the two different directions men seek? What is the result in each case? How does the fact that man is created to live for God's glory help us understand this?

12. What does it mean that God judges according to conscience? What does this tell us about men and about God? How can we live by the truth?