First Sunday in Lent

Introduction

Last week’s reading from Joel 2 emphasized the coming day of the Lord and exhorted all of God’s people to repent and return to God. This week, in Romans 10, we are encouraged to call upon the Lord. Lest we believe that our returning to God is ultimately a matter of works or our own merit, Paul wants us to see that repentance first involves a change of mind and heart: calling on God to save us. We don’t save ourselves, but in repentance, our lives do change. When we are dead to sin, we cannot continue living in it.

Part of the Lenten paradox we are considering in this series is the joy of this free salvation which comes with the grief for the sins which made Christ’s sacrifice necessary. We will also see another tension…

1. When did you call on the Lord? What was it like—why did you do it? Comparing experiences among participants or members of the congregation will display the diversity of ways in which God brings us to faith.

2. When someone speaks of “the gospel,” what do you think of? What does Paul mean? How are they different and why?

3. How have you publicly confessed Christ? What does that confession mean for you, now, in your life?

4. When we say “Jesus is Lord,” what do we mean? How have you meant it when you said it in the past? Why is Jesus being Lord important?

5. Why is justification by faith so important to including gentiles among God’s people?

6. If justification is by faith… what is the role of doing good…