May 10, 2026, Sunday School Lesson

Saved from Wrath

Lesson Text: Romans 5:1-11

Related Scriptures: James 1:2-4; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:18-23; Titus 3:3-7

TIME: A.D. 57

PLACE: from Corinth

Golden Text – “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)

Introduction

No one knows for sure how the church in Rome began, but Luke tells us in Acts 2 that many Jews came to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost from many places, including Rome. At that time, they heard Peter preach the gospel. Perhaps some of them trusted in Jesus and established a church in Rome.

Romans 16 lists over twenty Christians in Rome whom Paul personally knew, even though he had never been to Rome. So how did Paul encourage a church he had never visited? In this case, Paul chose to offer instruction and guidance in proper theology but in a way that intentionally sought to reduce conflict between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. The content in Romans 5:6-11 about how God treated His enemies could help Jewish and Gentile Christians lay down their preferences and embrace one another in Christ. All this conflict occurred in the church while the church tried to reach their neighbors for the Lord. The message of peace with God through Jesus Christ may have sounded too good to be true because of the strife within the church.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. THE BELIEVER’S NEW STATUS IN CHRIST - Romans 5:1-5

2. THE BELIEVER’S OLD STATUS PRIOR TO CHRIST – Romans 5:6-11

QUESTIONS

1. What comes to mind when defining the word “peace”?

2. What did Paul mean when he used the word “peace”?

3. What is meant by the present standing in God’s grace?

4. What is hope based on in the New Testament?

5. How can God use believers’ suffering?

6. Why can believers rejoice while enduring suffering?

7. How did Paul describe life outside of Christ?

8. How do some scholars explain the “good man” of verse 7?

9. Why is Christ dying for underserving sinners important?

10. What was Paul’s lesser-to-greater argument in verses 9-11?

ANSWERS

1. For Paul’s audience, it might have been Roman rhetoric trumpeting the Pax Romana – Roman peace – earned through their iron-fisted conquering army. Today people might think about inner tranquility. Others might think about ceasefire agreements.

2. The result of Christ’s sacrifice is a new status with God: peace.

3. Grace is how sinners get to God, but grace is also how sinners continue to interact with God and live for Him. Grace is the entry requirement and the operating procedure of life with God.

4. In the New Testament, however, hope is based on guaranteed promises from God about the future.

5. Because God can use suffering to develop resilience and character in His people.

6. When circumstances whisper to Christians that they are abandoned, God’s Spirit assures them of the Father’s love.

7. Paul used two harsh descriptors in verse 6 for life outside of Christ: weak and ungodly. Paul reflected on the context of the death of Christ. The context is that humanity was neither strong enough nor good enough to fix their sin problem.

8. Several scholars have suggested that the “good man” in verse 7 is a technical term for asocial and financial benefactor.

9. Verse 8 says that Christ’s dying for underserving sinners proves God’s love. It is the indisputable and objective evidence that God loves His people.

10. Paul now engaged in a form of argumentations commonly used in ancient rhetoric-the argument from the lesser to the greater. If God justified sinners when they did not deserve it, how much more will He rescue them from the future outpouring of His wrath on the Day of the Lord? Paul really wanted readers to grasp this, so he added a further argument from the lesser to the greater in verse 10. If God reconciled His enemies to Himself through Christ’s death, how much more will He completely give eternal salvation through Christ’s life.