Bible Study on Romans 5:10 ("Enemies of God")
Romans 5:10
“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (NIV)
Welcome to the Bible Study Guide for Romans 5:10, which leverages questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide when studying this verse. Below are the questions the Chara team chose to ask, in the order they chose to ask them, but feel free to use other questions or change up the order as you dive into this passage. For ANSWERS from the Chara team on these questions, check out the video below.
RESEARCH
Observations & Questions: What questions do you have when you read the passage? You may be asking yourself “are we really enemies of God?” or “what does enemies of God really mean?”
AUTHOR
Person/Style: Who was the author? What literary style did the author use and how does that help us understand how to read the book of Romans? (Hint: You learn more of the author in Romans 1:1 or in the intro of Romans in a Study Bible). What can you learn about Paul’s relationship with the church of Rome in Romans 15:20-24?
HISTORY
Who was it written to? (Hint: Read Romans 1:7 or the intro to Romans in a Study Bible)
AUTHOR
Purpose/Point: What was the author's purpose, why was it written, and what insight does it provide into the passage? One thing you’ll likely discover is that because Paul is writing to both Jews and Gentiles, he was trying to unite them as a group in their thinking around sin and how they gained right-standing with God. What else do you learn about Paul’s purpose in writing this letter?
CONTEXT
Immediate: What is the theme or main idea found in the surrounding paragraph(s) and how does that help determine what Romans 5:10 means? Read Romans 1-5:10, if you have time to get the full thought of the letter Paul’s leading up our verse. At minimum, read Romans 5 and notice connective words (like “therefore”) to make sure you are capturing a complete thought.
RESEARCH
Translation: Does another Bible translation (or version) add perspective or clarity on what the original language was trying to communicate? If you don’t know the definitions of “justified” or “reconciliation” consider reading Romans 5:9-10 in a different Bible translation to get a clearer understanding of what these verses are saying (Hint: check out the New Living Translation or New International Reader's Version)
AUTHOR
Patterns: What is highlighted through the use of parallelism in verses 9 and 10? What similar idea is Paul trying to get across by putting these two verses back to back?
CONTEXT
Book/Bible: Is the theme repeated throughout Romans? What understanding does the rest of the Bible provide?
ENEMIES OF GOD: What can we learn about God’s wrath, being separated from God, or being God’s enemies? (Hint: look at cross references, or turn to your concordance to look up words like “enemies” or “separated” which should lead you to verses like Isaiah 59:2, Ephesians 2:12, and Romans 3:9-18, where Paul quotes a bunch of Old Testament passages to underscore the point that we’re all sinners in need of a Savior)
GOD’S LOVE: What Bible passages can you discover that gives a better understanding of being reconciled/restored with God? What can we learn about God’s love for us? (Hint: look at cross references, which should lead you to verses like Romans 8:31-35, Ephesians 2:3-5 and Colossians 1:21-22)
HISTORY
Why was this message given to those people at that time? Given that Paul is speaking to Christian Jews and Gentiles, why do you think He was emphasizing the need for faith in Christ alone? Is it possible that the Jewish people were trying to rely too heavily on their works in the law to be in right standing with God? (Hint: Read Romans 3:22-28 to get a sense of the message Paul was communicating in his letter)
APPLY
Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
Reflect: What specific questions do you have upon further reflection of the passage? Is there a verse that you’d like to memorize to speak truth to your heart and mind? Consider Romans 5:10 or Romans 3:23-24.
Join the Chara Project team as they study Romans 5:10 and see their ANSWERS to the questions asked from the CHARA Bible Study Guide.