Session 8

Believe

Romans 9:30-10:3,9-17

Memory Verse: Romans 10:9

Everyone who confesses and believes in Jesus will be saved.

As a boy, I wanted to impress a friend down the street.
Since having a pond behind our house wasn’t enough,
I made up a story about a ship that sank in our pond
with a chest of diving suits inside.
At first, my plan worked, as my friend kept asking me
about the diving suits.
My lie was reaping benefits and getting me the attention I craved.
However, things turned south when he suggested sneaking out
to the pond after dark and diving down to get the suits.
Of course, I knew there was no boat or suits.
Finally, I decided to speak some truth.
I had to come clean about my lie.

Things worth believing are grounded in truth.
We can believe a lot of things, but they have to stand up
to the light of day.
Thankfully, salvation comes by God’s grace through faith.
As we embrace what Jesus did for us on the cross,
our sins are forgiven, and we experience a new and living hope
(1 Pet. 1:3).

FIRST THOUGHTS

When people hear about someone making a confession,
their thoughts may go to the criminal justice system.
Thinking that way wouldn’t be a mistake.
When a person confesses to a crime, it usually means
that the law has been broken and justice will be served.
In the legal system, confession confirms guilt
and results in punishment.
But in the gospel, confession of Jesus acknowledges our need
for Him and leads to freedom and salvation. (PSG, p. 73)

Ask:

• What’s the connection between confessing to a crime
  and believing that you broke the law? (PSG, p. 73)

ENGAGE

Share:

Confessing Christ
This is a different kind of confession,
but it still involves telling the truth.
Rather than admitting a mistake, we are affirming Jesus
as the one true hope for all that we have done wrong.

Ask:

• From what you’ve learned from Romans,
  how did many Jews feel about accepting Jesus as the Messiah? Why?

Context:

Today’s session focuses on Romans 9-10,
where Paul turned his attention to the nation of Israel.

Paul exposed his heart for Jewish people as he wrote to the church in Rome.
He recounted how God had blessed them throughout their history
as His people.
God had embraced them as His people, given them His law,
graced them with His presence, and fulfilled His promise to them regarding Jesus Christ.
In the face of their rejection of Christ, Paul insisted
that God had not failed them. (PSG, p. 74)

Say:

Paul longed for his fellow Jews to accept Jesus.
His words remind us that salvation is open to all
who will confess Him as Lord and believe that His death paid
the price for their sin.