Day One Romans 2:12-16
Pray: Invite God into your time and ask Him to speak to you, then read the passage.
12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. 14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. – Romans 2:12-16 (NLT)
Discover: Use the Discover section of your Recalibrate journal to write down your answers to the following observation and interpretation questions.
1. What is the law? (See here for help.)
2. What is the outcome for those who have the law (Jews) and those who don’t have the law (Gentiles) according to verses 12-14 and 16?
3. If chapter 1 shows us that creation keeps people from having an excuse to know God, what do these verses show about our excuses (verse 15)?
Respond: Use the Respond section of your Recalibrate journal to answer the following application prompts.
1. What does this passage teach me about God?
2. How does this aspect of His character change my view of self and others?
3. What should I do in response and when?
For Further Learning:
What About Those Who Have Never Heard?
For Families with Kids at Home:
Sin is whenever we know the right thing to do, but don’t do it. Paul states that all of us have a level of innate understanding of right and wrong, so no one has an excuse. Ask your kids to think of a time when they knew the right thing to do, but chose to do the wrong thing. Thankfully, even though we deserved to be punished for all the times we’ve sinned, God chose to send Jesus to save us from our sins and take our punishment! Take time to pray with your kids and thank Jesus that He loves us enough to save us!
*If you don't have a Recalibrate journal, you can use any journal available to you to write down your responses.
**TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.