Session 3
Romans 3:21-4:5
Memory Verse: Romans 3:23-24
That Sunday morning, I arrived at church as usual,
prepared my heart, and reviewed my message.
Then, I got a call that one of our members had lost her brother,
so I left briefly to pray with her.
The last thing I remembered was pulling out of her driveway.
I later awoke in a haze, trying to make sense of what was happening.
That’s when I saw Santa Claus.
Not the one in the red suit, but my friend, Farris, who sat in for Santa at the local mall.
He kept his beard year-round, but now he was dressed for church and knocking on my window.
I also remember some guys putting me on a stretcher and into an ambulance.
Turns out that as I was pulling out of our church member’s driveway, my van was hit by another car going 65 miles an hour.
I am thankful for those who rescued me that day,
people who helped when I had nothing to offer.
Today’s passage examines saving faith and how God provided for us when we had nothing to offer beyond pain and confusion.
As you study the session, consider how you can express gratitude for His grace.
We put our faith to work every day.
When we sit in a chair, we trust it to hold us upright so we won’t fall on the floor.
We entrust our lives to a bridge to safely get us across a river.
Throughout our daily routines, we put our faith in people around us.
We trust that the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening.
However, we tend to struggle with trusting the Lord. (PSG, p. 28)
Explain that there are things we accept by faith,
like believing chairs will hold our weight.
List other examples of everyday faith.
the importance of faith when it comes
to experiencing the forgiveness God offers through Jesus:
Nothing we do will ever be enough to earn God’s forgiveness.
For that reason, we cannot brag about what we have done to be righteous.
Our right standing with God comes through Christ alone.
He offers the gift of His forgiveness freely to every person in the same way.
When we turn to Christ by faith, we will be forgiven. (PSG, p. 29)
Consider where they have placed their faith and why.
Discuss other things people might trust to find peace with God
and why those things are ultimately futile.
Paul focused on proving that we’re all sinners who have
no power to save ourselves.
In this session, we’ll see that God has made a way for faith to be the solution to a right standing with Him.