Know: Understand that salvation is universally available for all who believe in Jesus Christ.
Feel: Empathize with people of every race and ethnic origin, realizing that all are in need of the same grace that comes from God for salvation.
Do: Extend the message of the gospel to everyone he or she meets.
Learning Outline:
Know: Salvation Is Universally Available Through Christ.
Is there any group of people on earth that is beyond the reach of God’s grace? Why, or why not?
Does salvation, because it is universally available, mean that everyone will be saved? Why, or why not?
How is salvation obtained?
Feel: Find Common Ground With All Humanity.
When do you feel the most connected with the people around you?
In terms of worthiness of salvation, is any one people group different from another? Why, or why not?
Do: Share the Universal Nature of Salvation With Those Around You.
How can sharing the gospel help to break down walls of racial prejudice?
How would you treat people differently if you could see them as if they were in the same situation as you are?
Summary: Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is available to all people on earth, if they choose to place their faith in Him. This reality means that all people are the same in their need of salvation. By understanding this truth, we can be empathetic toward all people and be more readily available to God for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Romans 11:1
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Recognizing that God seeks to save everyone can help Christians be more empathetic and open to all groups of people around us.
Just for Teachers: Help your class to move beyond the terms Jew and Gentile in order to understand that salvation is open to all groups of people on earth. This includes Muslims, Hindus, terrorists, drug addicts, homeless people, wealthy people, black people, white people, yellow people, brown people—everyone. After all, the word Gentile in Greek means “nations,” meaning all nations that are not Israel.
Opening Discussion: Cory took a group of high school students to a homeless shelter as part of a local mission project during their spring break. Each student was given various ways to help out. Cory was assigned to help paint shelving in a storage room. He was working alongside a resident of the homeless shelter, who had been turning his life around through the program the shelter offered.
While they painted, Cory asked him about his story. The man told Cory that he had been a pastor not so long ago. The stress of the pastorate had gotten to him, as well as to his family. As he had watched his church break apart and his family along with it, he found himself alone and wanting a way to escape. He was staying with an old friend of his because his divorce had left him without a home. This “friend” offered him drugs. The man never thought he would ever take any kind of drug, but in that moment of desperation, he found himself saying Yes. That was the beginning of an addiction that ended with his overdosing in a park. He had been in the shelter’s program for a while now and was getting clean, and finding recovery and a sense of purpose again. Other residents in the shelter had begun to call him “pastor” and would come to him for spiritual advice.
After hearing his story, Cory began to realize just how vulnerable we all are. Here were two men, both of them pastors. It is the grace of God alone, and nothing in ourselves, that prevents us from falling into the pit of depravity and tragedy.
Questions for Discussion:
Describe a time when you found yourself identifying with a person with whom you did not expect to identify.
How does it change our attitudes toward people when we come to recognize ourselves in them?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: As you work through the different sections of Scripture in Romans 10 and 11, continue to draw your class back to the theme of the lesson and these chapters, which is that righteousness is by faith. Salvation comes not through our own efforts but through the fulfillment of the law in Christ.
Bible Commentary
I. Desire for Salvation (Review Romans 10:1–4 with your class.)
It is important to recognize the motivation for Paul behind his words in chapters 10 and 11. Paul’s motivation is his desire for all people to find salvation. It is not just any salvation—it is salvation based on the righteousness of God, not the righteousness of works and self-striving. Paul describes the salvation that the Jews had sought as their own righteousness, as opposed to the righteousness of God. Salvation based on the efforts of people is actually disobedience to the salvation that is from God.
Paul describes Christ as “the end of the law” (Rom. 10:4, NKJV). Some have said that this text means that Christ has abolished the law. The word end in this passage is translated from the Greek word telos. This word would be better translated as “fulfillment.” Christ is the fulfillment of the law rather than the end of the law. Human effort was unable to keep the law or fulfill it. Thus, it was necessary for Christ to come and fulfill the law and the covenant between God and humanity so that salvation could be made available for all people.
Discussion Questions
Are there ways in which we are supposed to be righteous? If so, how? If not, why?
In that way, how do you think Christ is the fulfillment of the law?
II. Submitting to Jesus as Lord (Review Romans 11:5–14 with your class.)
The process of salvation described in this passage is one of confession and heartfelt, embracing belief. Once again we are reminded that justification is done through faith. The phrasing in this passage can be confusing: going up to heaven and going down into the abyss. What this phrasing suggests is that no one needs to bring about the incarnation, death, or resurrection, because it is has already been done by Jesus. The only thing that is left to do is to confess with your lips and believe with your heart that Jesus is Lord.
This phrasing is an important bridge, both for the Jews and for the Gentiles living in Rome. For the Jews, “the Lord” is a reference to Yahweh in the Old Testament, and for the Roman citizens “the Lord” is a reference to Caesar. So, for both the Jews and the Gentiles there is a need to accept the Lordship of Jesus. For the Jews, they are to accept that Jesus is indeed the Yahweh of the Old Testament. Thus, they are not leaving behind their faith but rather affirming their roots. For the Gentiles, they must give up Caesar as their lord and replace him with Jesus. For both groups of people, then, Paul affirms that for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord there is salvation (Rom. 10:13).
Discussion Questions
List different ways that people group themselves. What are some of the ruling people or ideologies for those groups?
In what ways do those different groups need to submit to Jesus as Lord rather than to the leaders or ideologies they currently follow?
III. The Root of Judaism and Christianity (Review Romans 11:11–24, 30–32 with your class.)
In these verses Paul gives a cautionary warning to the Gentile believers not to reject the Jews, especially with regard to their relationship to God and the availability of salvation. Paul here uses the olive tree metaphor to suggest that parts of Israel, which have rejected Jesus as Lord, have been cut off from the root of their covenant relationship with God. Israel has been known as the chosen people of God. They have been connected to the patriarchal trunk of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) by means of their natural or genetic heritage, but that is not enough. They need faith in Jesus, as well. Paul uses this figure to warn the Gentile believers not to lose faith and find themselves cut off, as were some of the Jews. Paul also uses this metaphor to let the Gentile believers know just how easy it will be for the Jews to come back into the salvific covenant relationship with God. In addition, salvation is even more easily available to the Jews than it is to the rest of the nations. After all, the Jews simply have to recognize that Jesus is Yahweh, the One in whom they have always trusted. The Gentiles, on the other hand, have to reject Caesar as lord and replace him with Jesus.
Paul states in Romans 11:30–32 that everyone has been disobedient to God.
The Gentiles were disobedient before they even knew who God was, and some of the Jews are now disobedient because of their rejection of Jesus. But just as all were in disobedience, there is also mercy available to all, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. For we must remember, the word Gentile in Greek simply means all other nations besides Israel. Therefore, mercy is available to all nations and groups.
Consider This:
Do you think it is harder or easier for a Jewish person today, compared to a person of the first century, to accept Jesus as Lord? Why, or why not?
If it is easier for Israel to accept Jesus as Lord, as Paul says, because of its religious roots, is it the same for Islam, which also has its roots in Abraham? Why, or why not?
What people groups today do you think have the hardest time accepting Christ? Why?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Review Romans 10:14–21 with your class for this application. Spend some time discussing how your students can be the ones who carry the good news to groups outside of their comfort zones.
Application Questions:
With which group of people do you need to become more open to sharing the gospel?
How do you think you can get past your comfort-zone issues to reach out to this group of people?
How can you more effectively share the gospel with these groups?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Find ways in which you can engage your students in connecting with groups of people who are outside of their normal comfort zones.
Activity: Pair up with someone else in your class who interacts with a different group than you normally do during the week. Join him or her for an outing or a meal with that group of people. Report back to your group the following week as to what happened and how the experience felt. What did you learn? What did you share?
Adjust My Preferences
Welcome! Please set your reading preferences below.
You can access this panel later by clicking the
preference icon
in the top right of the page.
Key Text: Romans 11:1
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Summary: Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is available to all people on earth, if they choose to place their faith in Him. This reality means that all people are the same in their need of salvation. By understanding this truth, we can be empathetic toward all people and be more readily available to God for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Romans 11:1
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Recognizing that God seeks to save everyone can help Christians be more empathetic and open to all groups of people around us.
Just for Teachers: Help your class to move beyond the terms Jew and Gentile in order to understand that salvation is open to all groups of people on earth. This includes Muslims, Hindus, terrorists, drug addicts, homeless people, wealthy people, black people, white people, yellow people, brown people—everyone. After all, the word Gentile in Greek means “nations,” meaning all nations that are not Israel.
Opening Discussion: Cory took a group of high school students to a homeless shelter as part of a local mission project during their spring break. Each student was given various ways to help out. Cory was assigned to help paint shelving in a storage room. He was working alongside a resident of the homeless shelter, who had been turning his life around through the program the shelter offered.
While they painted, Cory asked him about his story. The man told Cory that he had been a pastor not so long ago. The stress of the pastorate had gotten to him, as well as to his family. As he had watched his church break apart and his family along with it, he found himself alone and wanting a way to escape. He was staying with an old friend of his because his divorce had left him without a home. This “friend” offered him drugs. The man never thought he would ever take any kind of drug, but in that moment of desperation, he found himself saying Yes. That was the beginning of an addiction that ended with his overdosing in a park. He had been in the shelter’s program for a while now and was getting clean, and finding recovery and a sense of purpose again. Other residents in the shelter had begun to call him “pastor” and would come to him for spiritual advice.
After hearing his story, Cory began to realize just how vulnerable we all are. Here were two men, both of them pastors. It is the grace of God alone, and nothing in ourselves, that prevents us from falling into the pit of depravity and tragedy.
Questions for Discussion:
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: As you work through the different sections of Scripture in Romans 10 and 11, continue to draw your class back to the theme of the lesson and these chapters, which is that righteousness is by faith. Salvation comes not through our own efforts but through the fulfillment of the law in Christ.
Bible Commentary
I. Desire for Salvation (Review Romans 10:1–4 with your class.)
It is important to recognize the motivation for Paul behind his words in chapters 10 and 11. Paul’s motivation is his desire for all people to find salvation. It is not just any salvation—it is salvation based on the righteousness of God, not the righteousness of works and self-striving. Paul describes the salvation that the Jews had sought as their own righteousness, as opposed to the righteousness of God. Salvation based on the efforts of people is actually disobedience to the salvation that is from God.
Paul describes Christ as “the end of the law” (Rom. 10:4, NKJV). Some have said that this text means that Christ has abolished the law. The word end in this passage is translated from the Greek word telos. This word would be better translated as “fulfillment.” Christ is the fulfillment of the law rather than the end of the law. Human effort was unable to keep the law or fulfill it. Thus, it was necessary for Christ to come and fulfill the law and the covenant between God and humanity so that salvation could be made available for all people.
Discussion Questions
II. Submitting to Jesus as Lord (Review Romans 11:5–14 with your class.)
The process of salvation described in this passage is one of confession and heartfelt, embracing belief. Once again we are reminded that justification is done through faith. The phrasing in this passage can be confusing: going up to heaven and going down into the abyss. What this phrasing suggests is that no one needs to bring about the incarnation, death, or resurrection, because it is has already been done by Jesus. The only thing that is left to do is to confess with your lips and believe with your heart that Jesus is Lord.
This phrasing is an important bridge, both for the Jews and for the Gentiles living in Rome. For the Jews, “the Lord” is a reference to Yahweh in the Old Testament, and for the Roman citizens “the Lord” is a reference to Caesar. So, for both the Jews and the Gentiles there is a need to accept the Lordship of Jesus. For the Jews, they are to accept that Jesus is indeed the Yahweh of the Old Testament. Thus, they are not leaving behind their faith but rather affirming their roots. For the Gentiles, they must give up Caesar as their lord and replace him with Jesus. For both groups of people, then, Paul affirms that for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord there is salvation (Rom. 10:13).
Discussion Questions
III. The Root of Judaism and Christianity (Review Romans 11:11–24, 30–32 with your class.)
In these verses Paul gives a cautionary warning to the Gentile believers not to reject the Jews, especially with regard to their relationship to God and the availability of salvation. Paul here uses the olive tree metaphor to suggest that parts of Israel, which have rejected Jesus as Lord, have been cut off from the root of their covenant relationship with God. Israel has been known as the chosen people of God. They have been connected to the patriarchal trunk of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) by means of their natural or genetic heritage, but that is not enough. They need faith in Jesus, as well. Paul uses this figure to warn the Gentile believers not to lose faith and find themselves cut off, as were some of the Jews. Paul also uses this metaphor to let the Gentile believers know just how easy it will be for the Jews to come back into the salvific covenant relationship with God. In addition, salvation is even more easily available to the Jews than it is to the rest of the nations. After all, the Jews simply have to recognize that Jesus is Yahweh, the One in whom they have always trusted. The Gentiles, on the other hand, have to reject Caesar as lord and replace him with Jesus.
Paul states in Romans 11:30–32 that everyone has been disobedient to God.
The Gentiles were disobedient before they even knew who God was, and some of the Jews are now disobedient because of their rejection of Jesus. But just as all were in disobedience, there is also mercy available to all, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. For we must remember, the word Gentile in Greek simply means all other nations besides Israel. Therefore, mercy is available to all nations and groups.
Consider This:
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Review Romans 10:14–21 with your class for this application. Spend some time discussing how your students can be the ones who carry the good news to groups outside of their comfort zones.
Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Find ways in which you can engage your students in connecting with groups of people who are outside of their normal comfort zones.
Activity: Pair up with someone else in your class who interacts with a different group than you normally do during the week. Join him or her for an outing or a meal with that group of people. Report back to your group the following week as to what happened and how the experience felt. What did you learn? What did you share?