Context

• What is the new message that Paul is in the process of conveying to the Christians in Rome? [ Romans 3:21-25a ]
• How was Abraham justified as righteous before God? [ Romans 4:1-3 ]
• How are all people (Jews and Gentiles) similar in this matter?

Characters

• What was God’s promise to Abraham? [ Romans 4:18-19 ] ([Genesis 12:1-3], [ Genesis 17:15-18:15 ])
• What could Abraham have thought concerning God’s promise?
• Why might Abraham have been able to look beyond these doubts towards God’s promise?
• Who “counted” Abraham’s faith as righteousness? [ Romans 4:22 ]
• How did Paul use Abraham’s example to encourage both Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome? [ Romans 4:23 ]
• Given Abraham’s example, if Christians live lives of faith, what might God do for them in his grace?
• While Abraham’s action was to hold on to a belief that God would create a multitude from him, what is the action of faith that Paul is encouraging those in Rome to have? [ Romans 4:24 ]
• Given the context of [ Romans 5:3-4 ], what might faith in Christ lead to for the Christians in Rome?

Application

• We are similar to the Christians that Paul wrote to in Rome. What is the encouragement to us? [ Romans 4:24 ]
• Abraham’s faith was an active faith of trusting that God could work through the impossible position that he found himself in. The Christians in Rome would have had to suffer for their faith. How might faith in Jesus manifest itself in our lives? How might we live differently?