Paul outlines God’s case against all people.  180820_001

1.       Has anyone ever asked you the question, “How can a loving God send anyone to hell?“  If so, how did you answer them?  If not, how would you answer such a question?  Have you ever wondered about this yourself?

 2.       In spite of the wicked people described in this passage, who is our real enemy?  In what ways do we tend to make the victims of sin and Satan our enemies?

 3.       Read verses 18-20.  Why does Paul say that people are without excuse?  Can you think of ways that you suppressed the truth of who God is before you came to Christ?

 4.       Read verses 21-23.  How has people’s rejection of God caused their thinking to become futile and their foolish hearts darkened?  What do you think Paul means by this?  Can you think of some examples?

 5.       Read verses 24-27.  Paul implies in these verses that people abandoned God’s ways for their own.  Jim suggested people could know how God wants us to live through the Bible and through our consciences.  What are some things that people know instinctively are right and wrong?  Why don’t we all do what we

6.       Jim said that we should not uses Paul’s words in verses 26 and 27 about homosexuality as a “whipping post” to shame those who claim to be gay or lesbian.  What should be our attitude toward such people?  Do you think loving gays and lesbians is being “soft on sin”?  How can we love them without compromising God’s standards?

 7.       Read verses 28-32.  What do you think Paul meant when he said that “God gave them over to a depraved mind”?  After reading the list of sins in verses 29 through 31, do you think Paul was being too harsh, or even judgmental?  Why or why not?

 8.       According to verse 32, what is God’s final verdict for those do such things?  In spite of God’s sentence, what do people continue to do?

9.       What are some of the “take-aways” you received from this passage?