Connect
Have each person share where they are today on a scale of 1–10 in the three following areas:
- Spiritually
- Relationally
- Emotionally
Reflect
Personally, in your life, when have you experienced division?
Read
Romans 12:14–20
Study
- What is the difference between the active command to “bless” and the negative prohibition to “not curse” those who “persecute you” in verse 14?
- How does the link a believer’s ability to genuinely “mourn with those who mourn” (v. 15) directly to the command to “not be proud” or “conceited” (v. 16)?
- What do the specific qualifying phrases “If it is possible” and “as far as it depends on you” in verse 18 reveal about Paul’s realistic theology of human conflict?
- Why does Paul anchor the command “do not take revenge” to Deuteronomy 32:35 in verse 19, and how does leaving “room for God’s wrath” reframe who is responsible for executing justice?
Apply
- Looking at Paul’s active command to “bless” in verse 14, where in my own life am I settling for simply “not cursing” someone who hurt me, rather than taking the radical, active step of blessing them?
- The mature believer is self-aware and takes responsibility.
- Makes every effort to live at peace. (Romans 12:18)Goes to the person even when they believe they shouldn’t have to. (Matthew 5:23–24)Doesn’t get wrapped up in foolish arguments but lives in grace and charity. (2 Timothy 2:23–24)
- As a part of the “Church,” the body of Christ, what is your role in the harmony and unity of the church?
What is the Holy Spirit convicting, encouraging, and affirming in you right now?