Romans 13:1-14, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: “Represent,” for Nov. 15, 2026

Posted on 2026/11/07 by Shawn Thomas

For teachers and students of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Romans 13. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life application. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“Can you share a time you personally disagreed with a law, policy, or decision by an authority in government, school, or church, but adhered to it anyway?” And why did you do that?

(Most of us can probably share examples of this. The one that stands out in my own experience was when I started at my first church and found I needed to pay 15% of my earnings to self-employment tax. That was a huge hit to my $12,000 salary! I knew some ministers were opting out of Social Security, but when I researched it, I found that you had to say it was for “sincere religious objection against receiving government benefits.” Well, I had a “financial objection” to it — I’d rather have invested that money! — but I couldn’t say with a clear conscience that I really had a religious conviction against it, so I paid those taxes for 40+ years.

Why did I do that? For the same reason you and your group members did in the situations you can share about: because it was the right thing to do as a Christian. We should obey every law, and and submit to every legitimate authority unless they contradict one of God’s laws. That will be the focus of our lesson this week from Romans 13.

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Romans 12:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: “Sacrifice,” for Nov. 8, 2026.

Posted on 2026/10/31 by Shawn Thomas

For teachers and students of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Romans 12 for Nov. 8, 2026. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

Mike and Lu Moore were camping near Mt. Saint Helens on May 18, 1980 with their two preschool daughters, when the volcano erupted. Amazingly they were able to escape the scene, as winds and deadly volcanic ash blew around them. Steve Olsen tells in his book, Eruption:  “Three months later, Mike and Lu came back to the Green River. Partly they wanted to look for Mike’s $800 Zeiss binoculars, which they found in the ash just where Mike had dropped them. Then they stood and beheld the old-growth forest in which they had camped. As Lu later recalled, it was as if the forest were saying to them, “You’ve been saved. Now do something about it.”  (p. 168)

This should be the attitude that we as Christians should have, shouldn’t it? We’ve been saved — now let’s do something about it!

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“What are some things we should ‘do about it’ since we have become Christians?” How should we respond to our salvation?

(You/your group can think of many: thank God, worship Him; witness, give to spread His word, and so on.)

In today’s passage in Romans 12, the Apostle Paul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to point out some of the things we should do, because the Lord has saved us.

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Romans 11:11-24 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: “Kindness,” for November 1, 2026.

Posted on 2026/10/24 by Shawn Thomas

For teachers and group members studying Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Romans 11 for Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, “Kindness.” Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? DISCUSSION QUESTION???
“Has anyone here every had the opportunity to talk with a Jewish person about the gospel — or have you known someone who has?”

(I never have; but if you/some of your members have, let them share those encounters; OR you could open this week’s lesson with the video testimony I mention later in Point I about the Jewish woman who was saved.)

Today’s lesson from Romans 11 talks about the hardness of heart that many Jews have, and about how all of us, Jews and Gentiles alike, are only saved by grace through faith in Christ.

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Romans 9:30-10:17 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Believe” for October 25, 2026.

Posted on 2026/10/17 by Shawn Thomas

An overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Romans 9:30-10:3, 9-17, “Believe,” for Sunday, October 25, 2026. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???
“What is something in life that you have to work hard to earn?”

(A lot of things, right? You have to work hard to earn a living. You have to work hard to earn a spot on the football or volleyball team. You have to work hard to earn respect, and so on.)

There are many things like that on earth that we have to earn. Because of that, it’s easy for many people to assume that we have to “earn” our salvation and a place in heaven. But that is a wrong idea, as the Book of Romans makes clear, and which we as Christian ministers, teachers, and members need to try to make clear to others. Unlike so many things in life, salvation cannot be earned. We must receive it as a gift of God, by faith — as we will see in our lesson from Romans 9 & 10 today. 

CONTEXT:

We’re moving along in our study of the Book of Romans this quarter. After sharing the most complete doctrinal explanation of the gospel in Romans 1-5, Paul then addresses the battles that Christians have with sin in their lives in Chapters 6-8. All of us have those struggles, but we have new power against sin because of the Holy Spirit of Christ in us — but we will continue that battle until we come to glory. 

Then Romans 9 opens with Paul lamenting the Jews, whose hearts for the most part were hardened against the gospel, though they had been specially chosen by God. He indicates near the end of the chapter that the Gentiles (“those who were not a people”) were now coming into the Kingdom of God by His grace, though only a “remnant” of Israel seemed to be saved.

This brings us to our focus passage for this week, which includes the last 4 verses of Romans 9. That section starts with a question, “What shall we say then?” So we need to make the context clear: he’d been talking about how many of the Jews were hardened against Christianity, but many Gentiles were coming to faith in Christ. This brings to the “what shall we say then” question, and our passage for this week from Romans 9:30-10:17. 

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Romans 8:14-27 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview, “Indwelt,” for October 18, 2026

Posted on 2026/10/10 by Shawn Thomas

For teachers and group members studying Lifeway’s lesson on Romans 8:14-27. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations, group discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION

One of the best illustrations of the power of the Holy Spirit inside a Christian is “the hand in the glove.” Hold up an empty glove of any kind: what can this glove do? NOTHING! It can’t pick up this book; it can’t write with this pen. It can’t do anything.

But put this hand inside the glove, and things are radically different, right? Now this glove can do anything that my hand inside it gives it the power or leads it to do!

That’s the kind of difference that the Holy Spirit makes inside a believer. As Jesus said, “Without Me, you can do nothing,” but with His Spirit in us, we now have the ability to do anything He leads us to do — and He is all-powerful! 

The importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives should not be taken for granted. Some of us today need to make sure that the Holy Spirit is indeed inside you, through faith in Christ. All of us can see from our lesson in Romans 8 today, the huge difference the Holy Spirit makes our life — like the hand inside the glove! 

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Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: “Struggle,” for 10/11/26

Posted on 2026/10/03 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for teachers and group members, of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Romans 7, for October 11, 2026. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. There is a print button at the end of this article so that you can print it out to read/study/teach from. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

??? DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“What is a recurring problem in your home/yard that you have to keep fighting to stay on top of?”

(There’s a lot of things, right?

— If you’re a gardener, you’re always fighting weeds. You can clear them out, but they’ll be back! You have to keep at it.

— We had an ant problem a couple of years ago, so now I keep three different kinds of pellets and traps and treatments out for them.

— Right now in our house it’s gnats: I think they got in some of our plants, so again we’ve got a multi-faceted approach, with soapy water, and stuff in our drains, and then we got some of those lights with sticky traps. I think we’ve turned the corner on them, but we can’t let up!

We all have things like this, that have to keep fighting in our homes and gardens. There’s always something to address, take care of.

In our spiritual lives, it’s that way with sin, too, isn’t it? Has anyone here so completely conquered sin in your life, that you don’t have to worry about it anymore? None of us are there, are we? 

And scripture tells us that’s common: I John 1:8 says “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” If we’re honest, we ALL struggle with sin, no matter how long we’ve been a Christian. And sadly we will continue to struggle against sin as long as we live. But as we shall see in our lesson today, the fact that we are struggling is good — and one day we will be totally free from any taint of sin, because of what Christ did for us.

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Romans 6:1-14, Overview of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson, “Freedom,” for October 4, 2026.

Posted on 2026/09/26 by Shawn Thomas

For teachers and Bible study leaders. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, discussion questions for your group, illustrations to share, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever seen a bumper sticker like this: “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”? 

???DISCUSSION QUESTION???

“What do you think about the message conveyed in that bumper sticker?”

(There are a couple of ways to look at it: 

1) It IS true that Christians are not perfect. We did not earn our salvation by our good works or deeds; we’re only forgiven through faith in Christ’s death on the cross. So that part of the message is true —  we are not inherently “better” than other people, we’re only saved because we’re forgiven in Christ.

2) But on the other hand, if a person has really found forgiveness through faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit of God has come into their life, and He changes them. II Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” If we are really forgiven, people should be able to see some fruit of real salvation in us: a life that is changed and is continuing to change. So there should be more of a difference between a Christian and a non-Christian, than just that we’re living the same life they are, only OUR sins are forgiven!)

This week’s lesson in Romans 6 expands on this idea, showing us that we should not take sin lightly as Christians, and presume on the grace of God, but with the power of Christ who is in us, we can and should make the choice to turn away from sin.

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Teacher’s Overview of Romans 5:1-11, 18-21, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Restored Relationship, for 9/27/26.

Posted on 2026/09/20 by Shawn Thomas

(Sorry for the glitch in the original version of this post! Please let me know if you have any further difficulties with it!) An overview for teachers, including a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:
???DISCUSSION QUESTION??? What do you think of this quote:
“To be a Christian means to give as much of myself as I can, to as much of Jesus Christ as I know.” (Sam Shoemaker, a well-known pastor in the early 1900s)
(It’s not the fullest definition of a Christian, but I do like the idea he expresses that we commit ourselves to “as much of Jesus Christ as I know.” Because who knows everything about Christ and salvation when they first accept Him? No one! How much did the thief on the cross know? What was OUR theology when we were saved?! We’ve learned a LOT since then right?)

In fact you might even ask: “What’s something you’ve learned about salvation since you were saved, that you didn’t understand at first?”
(There should be lots of answers to that: some might say they thought at first it was just “being forgiven and not going to hell,” but now they know it’s more about a relationship with God; maybe they didn’t understand “once saved always saved” at first, and so on. We learn more about our salvation after we put our initial faith in Christ — and the truth is, we will continue to learn, or we should — as long as we live.)

This week’s passage in Romans 5 is one that teaches us more about our salvation: about some of the blessings of salvation, just how much God loved us that led Him to save us, and what Christ did for us. Let’s pray that it will help each Christian appreciate their salvation more than ever before — and inspire those who don’t know the Lord, to give their life to Him today!

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Romans 3:21-4:5, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: “Saving Faith,” for 9/20/26.

Posted on 2026/09/12 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for teachers, members, and group leaders of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Romans 3:21-4:5, “Saving Faith,” for September 20, 2026. Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available at:

INTRODUCTION:

Jonathan Aitken writes that former slave trader John Newton was declining greatly in his last days, at 82 years old. He was blind, and his mind, once formerly so sharp and studious, was now cloudy and forgetful. One of Newton’s many minister friends, William Jay, visited him near the end of his life. He said Newton was hardly able to talk but he did say: “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.” (p. 347)

Newton’s words have gone down as one of the most famous and beloved testimonies in history — and our passage for this week covers both of these vital truths of the Gospel: that we are all great sinners, but that Christ is a great Savior! 

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Teacher’s Overview of Romans 2:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, “Coming Judgment,” for 9/13/26.

Posted on 2026/09/05 by Shawn Thomas

Includes a suggested introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations to share, group discussion questions, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRODUCTION:

“How many of you have heard of Robinson Crusoe?” 

I imagine virtually everyone will say that they have. 

“But do you know that the original Robinson Crusoe is an explicitly Christian book?” 

Here’s a quick summary: Crusoe rebels against the advice of his parents and goes to sea, seeking riches, but he is shipwrecked and he alone survives on an uninhabited island. At one point, he gets sick and has a terrifying dream that causes him to evaluate his life and his rebellion against God and his parents. So he begins reading the New Testament, which repeatedly spoke about repentance. Crusoe realizes that his shipwreck was not a “punishment” from God; rather it was “the kindness of God that led him to repentance.” Crusoe is saved — and when he saves Friday from a group of cannibals, he leads him to the Lord! (None of this is found in the “Disney”-type modern versions!)

But this scripture, “The kindness of God leads you to repentance,” is a key verse in our passage for this week from Romans 2:1-13!

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