Going Deeper — Answer Key

The Book of Romans — Answer Key

This is the answer key for the Book of Romans study. Use it to check your own work after you have answered each question honestly. All the answers are in bold. Some questions are personal — they are marked “Personal answer” and give a model of what a good answer includes; your own answer may be worded differently, and that is fine.

Chapter 1

1. Verse 17: How is one made right in God’s sight?
   Answer: We are made right in God’s sight by faith in Jesus Christ, from start to finish: “This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith” (Romans 1:16–17). It is through faith in Jesus, not through our own goodness (Romans 1:17; 3:22).
2. Verse 20: If somebody lives, past, present or future, who has never read the Bible, or never heard the gospel, or never heard the name of Jesus, do they have an excuse on Judgment Day?
   Answer: No. Paul says that God’s eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen in everything God made, “so they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:19–20). Creation itself testifies about God to every person, so no one can claim they had no way to know He exists (Romans 1:18–20).
3. Verse 25: Give an example of something in your life that you have worshipped and served instead of God.
   Answer: Personal answer — Anything we put ahead of God fits here: money, work, comfort, pleasure, sports, other people’s approval. Paul says people “worshiped and served things God created instead of the Creator himself” (Romans 1:25). A good answer names one specific thing honestly and brings it to God in repentance.

Chapter 2

1. Verse 1: Who are the people Paul is referring to who are sexually immoral, backstabbers, wicked in every way, and disobedient to parents, etc.?
   Answer: Paul is describing people everywhere who live in sin after turning away from God (Romans 1:29–31) — and then he turns the same charges on anyone who condemns others while doing the very same things: “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse!” (Romans 2:1, 3). No one, religious or not, escapes God’s judgment (Romans 2:1–3).
2. Verse 11: If you are Jewish, does that make you closer to God than Gentiles?
   Answer: No. “For God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11). Being Jewish meant being entrusted with God’s Word (Romans 3:1–2), but what God looks for is a heart changed by His Spirit, not outward identity (Romans 2:28–29), and He “will judge everyone according to what they have done” (Romans 2:6).

Chapter 3

1. Verse 20: Is it possible to be made right with God by obeying the law?
   Answer: No. “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (Romans 3:20).
2. Verses 10–12: Is it possible to be made right with God by being good?
   Answer: No. The Scriptures declare, “No one is righteous—not even one… No one does good, not a single one” (Romans 3:10, 12), and “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). Our goodness can never earn us a right standing with God.
3. Verse 22: What is the way that God has shown us to be made right with Him?
   Answer: God makes us right through faith in Jesus Christ: “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are” (Romans 3:22). God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight through Christ Jesus, who freed us from the penalty for our sins (Romans 3:24).
4. Verse 28: Is there anything we need to do in order to be made right with God?
   Answer: Yes — one thing: believe. We place our faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 28). Faith is not a work that earns salvation; it is trusting in what Jesus has already done: “We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law” (Romans 3:28).
5. Verse 31: Does the law matter at all?
   Answer: Yes. The law shows us how sinful we are and points us to our need for a Saviour (Romans 3:20), and Paul says of faith, “only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law” (Romans 3:31). The law still teaches us God’s ways, and it is fulfilled as we love others (Romans 13:8–10).

Chapter 4

1. Verse 3: Why did God count Abraham as righteous?
   Answer: Because he believed God: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Romans 4:3). His righteousness was credited to him because of his faith, not because of his works (Romans 4:3–5).
2. Verse 13: Did Abraham know Jesus?
   Answer: No. Abraham lived about 2,000 years before Jesus was born, so he never knew Jesus by name or saw His earthly life. But God promised Abraham that through his family all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3), and that promise pointed forward to Christ (Galatians 3:8; John 8:56).
3. Verse 23: Did Abraham have a Bible?
   Answer: No. The written Scriptures came centuries later, through Moses and others. Abraham knew God’s word because God spoke to him directly — calling him and giving him promises — and Abraham believed what God said (Genesis 12:1–4; 15:1–6).
4. Verses 20–21: How did Abraham know God?
   Answer: God made Himself known to Abraham personally: He spoke to him, called him out, and gave him His promises. Abraham knew God by hearing His word and trusting it — he “was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises” (Romans 4:20–21).
5. Verse 22: What did Abraham have to do in order to be counted as righteous by God?
   Answer: Nothing but believe. Abraham did not earn his righteousness by works; he trusted God’s promise, “and God counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Romans 4:3, 22). Even when there seemed no reason for hope, he believed God (Romans 4:18–21).
6. Verse 24: What do you have to do in order to be counted as righteous by God?
   Answer: The same thing Abraham did — put your faith in God through Jesus Christ: “People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners” (Romans 4:5). God counts us right with Himself when we believe in Him “who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:24).

Chapter 5

1. Verse 1: What do we have to do to have peace with God?
   Answer: We have peace with God by being made right with Him through faith in Jesus: “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1). Peace with God is received by faith, not earned by effort.
2. Verse 2: What does it mean to share God’s glory?
   Answer: It means we confidently and joyfully look forward to the day we will be with God and share in His glory. Because of our faith, Christ “has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (Romans 5:2).
3. Verse 3: What do we do when we have problems and trials?
   Answer: We rejoice in them, because God uses problems and trials to grow us: they “help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3–4). So we trust God in our trials instead of giving up (Romans 5:3–5).
4. Verse 10: What has God done for us so that we can be friends with Him instead of enemies?
   Answer: God sent Christ to die for us while we were still His enemies: “Since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved from God’s condemnation” (Romans 5:10). God did for us what we could never do for ourselves (Romans 5:6–10).
5. Verse 8: What does it mean to us that Jesus died for us even while we were sinners?
   Answer: It means God’s love does not wait for us to clean ourselves up first: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). Jesus died for us at our worst — that is grace, love we did not deserve and could never earn (Romans 5:6–8).
6. Verse 20: Why was God’s law given to us?
   Answer: The law was given to expose our sin: “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were” (Romans 5:20). The law shows us our need — and “as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant” (Romans 5:20–21).

Chapter 6

1. Verses 3–4: What happens to us when we are baptized? (When does baptism take place?)
   Answer: In baptism we are joined to Christ in His death and resurrection: our old life is buried with Him, and we are raised to live a new life — “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (Romans 6:3–4). Baptism takes place when a person has believed in Jesus and turned to Him; it is the believer’s act of obedience that pictures dying to the old life and rising with Christ (Romans 6:3–5; Acts 2:38).
2. Verse 6: How does sin lose its power in our lives? How does this affect us practically?
   Answer: Sin loses its power because our old sinful self was crucified with Christ, so we are no longer slaves to sin: “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6–7). Practically, we count ourselves dead to sin, refuse to let sin reign in us, and offer ourselves to God instead of to sin (Romans 6:11–13).
3. Verse 11: What does it mean to be dead to sin and alive to the power of God through Christ?
   Answer: It means sin no longer has the authority to command us, and our new life belongs to God. Just as Christ died to sin once and now lives for the glory of God, “you should also consider yourselves dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10–11).
4. Verse 14: What does it mean that we live under the freedom of God’s grace?
   Answer: It means sin is no longer our master, because our standing with God rests on His gift, not on our performance under the law: “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14). Grace frees us from sin’s rule — it is never a licence to keep sinning (Romans 6:1–2, 15).
5. Verse 22: What does it mean when it says we are now slaves of God and we do things that lead to holiness and that results in eternal life?
   Answer: It means we now willingly serve God the way we once served sin: we obey Him from the heart, and the fruit of serving Him is a holy, set-apart life that results in eternal life — “Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living… you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life” (Romans 6:17–18, 22). In Christ we become servants instead of selfish.
6. Verse 23: Can you be a Christian and still experience the wages of sin?
   Answer: Yes. Sin still pays its wages: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God forgives us in Christ, but sin brings real harm and death into our lives, and Paul warns that if we offer ourselves back to sin as its slave, its end is death (Romans 6:16, 21, 23). That is why we must not let sin reign in us (Romans 6:12).

Chapter 7

1. Verse 4: Why can we produce a harvest of good deeds for the Lord?
   Answer: Because we now belong to the risen Christ. We died to the law so that we could belong to Him “who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God” (Romans 7:4). Joined to Jesus, our lives serve God in the new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:4–6).
2. Verse 6: What does it mean to live in the Spirit?
   Answer: It means serving God in the new way of the Holy Spirit rather than in the old way of trying to keep a written code: “Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6). The Spirit leads and empowers our new life from the inside (Romans 8:4–6).
3. What does verse 17 mean to you?
   Answer: Personal answer — Verse 17 says, “I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.” A good answer recognises the war inside every believer: our new heart wants to obey God, but the sinful nature still pulls the other way (Romans 7:17–23). It teaches us we cannot win by willpower alone — we need Jesus and the power of His Spirit (Romans 7:24–25; 8:1–2).

Chapter 8

1. Verse 1: Some people are condemned, and some people are not condemned. What makes us not condemned?
   Answer: Belonging to Christ Jesus makes us not condemned. God did what the law could not do: He sent His own Son to pay for our sins, and “the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” So “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1–3).
2. Verse 5: What does it mean to be controlled by the Spirit? What do we have to do to be controlled by the Spirit?
   Answer: It means the Holy Spirit, not our sinful nature, directs our thoughts and choices: “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). We live under His control as we set our minds on what pleases Him, follow His leading day by day, and by His power put to death the deeds of the sinful nature (Romans 8:5, 13–14).
3. Verse 6: Being controlled by the Spirit leads to life. What does this mean practically to each of us?
   Answer: Personal answer — It means life and peace in everyday living: “letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Practically, a good answer points to real changes: growing freedom from sin’s habits as we put them to death by the Spirit (Romans 8:13), the Spirit helping us pray in our weakness (Romans 8:26), and the settled confidence that God works everything together for our good (Romans 8:28).
4. What does verse 11 mean to you?
   Answer: Personal answer — Verse 11 says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” A good answer takes hold of both parts: the same Spirit who raised Jesus lives in me now, and one day He will give life to my mortal body too — resurrection life has already begun in me (Romans 8:11).
5. Verse 17: What does it mean to be heirs of God? What do we inherit?
   Answer: It means that, as God’s children, we share in everything that belongs to Christ: “Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Romans 8:17). We inherit eternal life and future glory with Christ — though “if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17–18, 30).
6. In verse 26 it says the Holy Spirit will pray for us with groanings. What does this mean?
   Answer: It means that when we are weak and do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit prays for us Himself: “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness… the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26). And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, “for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Romans 8:27).
7. Do you believe verse 28?
   Answer: Personal answer — Verse 28 says, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” A believing answer is yes: not that everything that happens is good, but that God is at work in everything — even the hard and painful things — for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
8. Verse 34: Is there anyone that can condemn us?
   Answer: No one. God Himself has given us right standing with Himself, so no charge can stand against His chosen people: “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself” (Romans 8:33). And no one can condemn us, “for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:34).
9. Verses 38–39: Is there anything that we can do that will make God stop loving us?
   Answer: No. Paul is convinced that “nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38). Our sins grieve God and need confessing, but nothing we do can separate us from His love: “nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
10. Verses 38–39: Is it possible to be His child and then behave badly enough that He kicks us out?
    Answer: No. A child of God who behaves badly will face the Father’s loving correction, but he cannot be thrown out of God’s family, because our place rests on Christ: “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), and nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38–39). God disciplines His children to bring them back (Hebrews 12:6–11), but He does not disown those who belong to Christ (Romans 8:30, 38–39).

Test — Romans Chapters 1–8: Saved by Faith Alone

1. According to Romans 3, how is a person made right with God?
   A) By obeying the law perfectly
   B) By being a good person
   C) By placing our faith in Jesus Christ
   D) By being born into the right family
   Answer: C — “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22; see also 3:28).
2. Why did God count Abraham as righteous (Romans 4)?
   A) Because of his many good deeds
   B) Because of his faith — he believed God
   C) Because he was circumcised
   D) Because he kept the law his whole life
   Answer: B — “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Romans 4:3). “People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners” (Romans 4:5).
3. What does Romans 6 teach about sin’s power over a believer?
   A) Sin still rules over us completely
   B) We are dead to sin and alive to God through Christ
   C) We will never struggle with sin again
   D) Baptism doesn’t really matter
   Answer: B — Paul teaches that when we were baptized into Christ, we died to sin; we are now dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus (Romans 6:2–11).
4. Short answer: According to Romans 8:1, what is there now for those who belong to Christ Jesus?
   Answer: No condemnation — “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
5. The Gospel — the Good News of Romans — is that we are saved by:
   A) Faith, plus enough good works
   B) Faith alone, in Jesus Christ
   C) Following church traditions
   D) Trying hard enough for long enough
   Answer: B — “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ… This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith” (Romans 1:16–17). The Gospel is that we are saved by faith, and faith alone.
6. Short answer: In your own words, what is faith?
   Answer: Faith is trust — believing God and taking Him at His word, like Abraham, who “believed God” (Romans 4:3). Faith is not just knowing facts about God; it is trusting Him personally, and trusting in Jesus for our salvation.
7. Faith is trust — and real trust in Jesus always leads us to:
   A) Do whatever we want
   B) Obey Him
   C) Hide our faith from everyone
   D) Nothing — nothing changes
   Answer: B — Paul says the Good News goes out to the nations so that people will believe and obey God (Romans 1:5). Faith is trust, and trust demands obedience — if we really trust Him, we do what He says.
8. Which one has it in the right order?
   A) We obey God so that He will save us
   B) We are saved by faith — and because we are saved, we obey
   C) Obedience earns us a place in heaven
   D) Salvation only comes after a lifetime of good deeds
   Answer: B — When people work, “their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners” (Romans 4:4–5). We do not obey so we will get saved — we obey because we are saved.
9. Short answer: Finding the truth means finding ______. And the closer we get to Him, the ______ we get.
   Answer: Jesus; humbler. Finding the truth means finding Jesus. And there is no room for boasting: “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No” (Romans 3:27). The closer we get to Jesus, the humbler we get.
10. In Romans 6, Paul says we are no longer slaves of sin. What have we become instead?
    A) Slaves of God — doing what leads to holiness and results in eternal life
    B) Free to do absolutely anything
    C) Slaves of the law
    D) Our own masters, answerable to no one
    Answer: A — Freed from slavery to sin, we have become slaves of God, doing the things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life (Romans 6:18, 22). In Christ we become servants instead of selfish.

Chapter 9

1. In verse 14, who will God show mercy to?
   Answer: Whoever God chooses. God says, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose” (Romans 9:15), and “it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it” (Romans 9:16). Mercy is God’s free decision — it depends on Him, not on our effort (Romans 9:16, 18).
2. In verse 32, how are we made right with God?
   Answer: By faith. God’s people stumbled because they pursued a law that would make them right “not by faith but by their own works. They stumbled over the great rock in their path” — Christ (Romans 9:32). But God promises, “anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced” (Romans 9:33) — we are made right with God by trusting in Jesus, not by our works (Romans 9:30–33).

Chapter 10

1. In verses 9 and 10, how are we made right with God, and what does it mean that we are saved by openly declaring our faith?
   Answer: We are made right by believing in our hearts, and we are saved as we openly declare our faith: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9–10). Openly declaring means faith is not kept hidden — real trust in the heart comes out of the mouth and confesses Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:10).
2. In verse 13, who is saved if they call on the Lord?
   Answer: Everyone who calls on Him: “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Romans 10:13). There is no distinction — “Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him” (Romans 10:12).
3. Verse 14: Who are the ones God has called to tell others how to be saved?
   Answer: The ones God sends — the messengers who preach the Good News. People cannot believe, or even hear, “unless someone tells them. And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?” (Romans 10:14–15). So God calls and sends His people to tell others about Jesus: “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15, 17).

Chapter 11

1. In verse 22, how can we be guaranteed that God will be kind to us?
   Answer: By continuing to trust in His kindness. Paul writes that God is “kind to you, if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22). We stand by faith, not by pride: “Don’t think you are better than they are” (Romans 11:18, 20).
2. Verse 33: Is it possible for us to understand God’s ways?
   Answer: No. Paul bursts out in worship: “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Romans 11:33). We can truly know God and trust Him, but no one can fully understand all His ways (Romans 11:33–36).

Chapter 12

1. Verse 1: How do we practically give our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice? Why is this true worship?
   Answer: We offer God our whole selves, every day — our bodies, time, work, and choices — because of all He has done for us: “Give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1). This is true worship because worship is not only singing; it is a life surrendered to God.
2. Verse 2: How do we let God transform us?
   Answer: By letting God change the way we think: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). God renews our minds through His Word and His Spirit as we stop copying the world.
3. Verses 6–8: What do you think your spiritual gift is? Is it possible to have more than one gift? Is it possible to have different gifts throughout your life?
   Answer: Personal answer — Paul lists gifts such as serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing kindness to others (Romans 12:6–8). A good answer names what God seems to have put in you: look at how you naturally strengthen others, what the church keeps asking of you, and what bears fruit. Yes, God can give a believer more than one gift — our gifts are “different gifts, according to the grace given to us” (Romans 12:6; see 1 Corinthians 12:11) — and He may use us in different ways in different seasons of life. The gifts are His to give, and ours to use for others.
4. Verse 21: How do we conquer evil?
   Answer: By doing good: “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” (Romans 12:21). We refuse to pay back evil for evil, we leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19), and we answer wrongdoing with God’s goodness — blessing and even feeding those who wrong us (Romans 12:14, 17–20).

Chapter 13

1. Verses 1–7: What does it mean to submit to our authorities? What does it mean to pay taxes?
   Answer: We respect and obey the governing authorities, because all authority comes from God and those in authority are “God’s servants” working for our good (Romans 13:1, 4, 6). For conscience’s sake we do what is right and pay what is owed: “Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority” (Romans 13:5, 7).
2. Verse 9: What is the one Commandment that sums up all the Commandments?
   Answer: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Paul says the commandments “are all summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:9–10).
3. Verse 12: Are there any dark deeds in your life that you should remove?
   Answer: Personal answer — Paul gives examples in this chapter: wild parties and drunkenness, sexual promiscuity and immoral living, quarreling and jealousy (Romans 13:13). A good answer honestly names anything in your life that belongs to the darkness and lays it aside: “Remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living… clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:12, 14).

Chapter 14

1. What does verse 1 mean to you?
   Answer: Personal answer — Verse 1 says, “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” A good answer means receiving fellow believers warmly without judging them over disputable matters, instead of arguing with them or looking down on them (Romans 14:1–3, 10).
2. Verses 2–6: Give examples of some of the issues where we condemn one another.
   Answer: Paul’s examples are food, drink, and special days: one believer eats anything, while another eats only vegetables (Romans 14:2), and one person considers one day more holy than another while another treats every day the same (Romans 14:5–6, 21). Today we condemn one another over similar matters of conscience — things like worship styles, clothing, holidays, and entertainment choices — but “who are you to condemn someone else’s servants?” (Romans 14:4, 10).

Chapter 15

1. Verse 2: Give examples of ways we can build each other up instead of cutting each other down.
   Answer: Personal answer — Paul says those who are strong “should be willing to bear with the frailties of others… We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord” (Romans 15:1–2). Good examples include encouraging someone who is struggling instead of criticising them, welcoming people the way Christ welcomed us (Romans 15:7), praying for one another, speaking words that give hope, and being patient with others’ weaknesses (Romans 15:1–5).
2. Pray verse 13 for each other.
   Answer: Personal answer — Verse 13 is itself a prayer: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Pray it over each other personally — name the person, and ask the God of hope to fill them with His joy and peace as they trust Him (Romans 15:13).

Chapter 16

1. Phoebe is a female and she holds what position in the church, verse 1?
   Answer: Paul calls Phoebe a deacon — a servant of the church in Cenchrea: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea… For she has been helpful to many, and especially to me” (Romans 16:1–2).
2. Verse 3: Paul speaks of Priscilla and Aquila as his co-ministers. What does this say about females working in ministry?
   Answer: It shows that women worked right alongside Paul in genuine ministry. Priscilla and Aquila were his “co-workers in Christ Jesus” who even risked their lives for him, and a church met in their home (Romans 16:3–5). God calls and uses women as true partners and servants in His work, not as bystanders.
3. In verse 17, Paul warns about people who are teaching a false gospel, which is dividing the church. Give some examples of false teaching today that divides the church.
   Answer: Paul warns against people who “may cause divisions among you by teaching you things that differ from what you have learned” and who “serve their own personal interests” with smooth talk (Romans 16:17–18). Examples today include teaching that we are saved by our works rather than by faith in Christ, teaching that denies who Jesus is or that He is the only way to God, and “gospels” twisted to enrich or flatter the teacher — anything that contradicts God’s Word and divides His people (Romans 16:17–19).

Test — Romans Chapters 9–16: Saved by Faith Alone

1. According to Romans 10:9, how does a person receive salvation?
   A) By going to church every week
   B) By openly declaring that Jesus is Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead
   C) By being baptized in water only
   D) By keeping the whole law
   Answer: B — “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
2. According to Romans 12:2, how are we transformed into new people?
   A) By copying the behavior and customs of this world
   B) By letting God transform us, changing the way we think
   C) By trying harder in our own strength
   D) By following our feelings
   Answer: B — “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2).
3. Short answer: According to Romans 13:8, what is the one thing we always owe each other?
   Answer: Love — “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:8).
4. According to Romans 14:17, the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of:
   A) Rules and regulations
   B) Living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
   C) Judging one another
   D) Church traditions
   Answer: B — “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
5. Romans 9:16 teaches that God’s mercy — being made right with Him — depends on:
   A) How hard we work for it
   B) Whether we choose it for ourselves
   C) God, who decides to show mercy
   D) Which family we were born into
   Answer: C — “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it” (Romans 9:16). The Gospel is that we are saved by faith, and faith alone — it rests on God’s mercy, not our effort.
6. Short answer: What is faith, as Romans 10 shows us? (Hint: it happens in the heart, and it comes out of the mouth.)
   Answer: Faith is trust in the heart that shows itself — “It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:10). Faith is believing God in your heart — trusting Jesus — and not being ashamed to say so.
7. Because we trust Jesus, Romans 12:1 calls us to:
   A) Give our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice
   B) Live only for ourselves
   C) Do nothing — obedience doesn’t matter
   D) Impress people with how religious we are
   Answer: A — “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1). Faith is trust, and trust demands obedience.
8. A man says, “If I obey God well enough, then He will save me.” Is he right?
   A) Yes — obedience is how we get saved
   B) No — we are saved by God’s grace through faith; we obey because we are saved, not to get saved
   C) Yes, if he obeys for long enough
   D) Yes, but only the big commandments count
   Answer: B — Salvation is “through God’s kindness… not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved!” (Romans 11:6). We do not obey so we will get saved — we obey because we are saved.
9. Short answer: Complete this truth: Finding the truth means finding ______, and the closer we get to Him, the ______ we get. (And Romans 11:33 asks: can we ever fully understand God’s ways?)
   Answer: Jesus; humbler; no. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Romans 11:33). Finding the truth means finding Jesus — and the closer we get to Him, the humbler we get.
10. What does Paul call Phoebe, Priscilla, and Aquila in Romans 16 — and what does that show us about serving?
    A) They were spectators, watching from the sidelines
    B) They were co-workers and servants in the ministry — in Christ we become servants instead of selfish
    C) They were strangers to Paul
    D) They were critics of the church
    Answer: B — Paul commends Phoebe, a servant (deacon) of the church (Romans 16:1), and calls Priscilla and Aquila his co-workers in ministry (Romans 16:3). Followers of Jesus serve — we become servants instead of selfish.

Going Deeper Bible Study — Answer Key — The Book of Romans. Questions by Pastor Carson Cole, Victory on the Rock. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT).