Book of Romans Quiz: Living the Christian Life

1. Romans 12:1-2 is Paul's great transition from doctrine to practice. What does he urge believers to do?

1. Dedicate yourselves to prayer and fasting so that you are ready for God's work
2. Follow the example of the apostles who gave up everything to follow Christ
3. Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — and do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
4. Strive to become holy in every area of life so that the church will be respected in society

2. In Romans 12:3, Paul addresses pride and self-assessment. What does he instruct believers to do?

1. Confess your sins to one another so that pride has nowhere to hide in the community
2. Consider all people equal in God's sight and treat them accordingly
3. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think with sober judgement according to the measure of faith God has given
4. Regard others as more important than themselves in a spirit of mutual humility

3. Romans 12:4-8 lists spiritual gifts using the body metaphor. Which gifts does Paul mention in this passage?

1. Apostleship, prophecy, teaching, miracles, healing, helping and administration
2. Preaching, prayer, worship, giving, serving and evangelism
3. Prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and showing mercy
4. Tongues, interpretation, prophecy, faith, healing and wisdom

4. Romans 12:9-21 is a rapid-fire series of ethical instructions. Which of these does NOT appear in this passage?

1. Be devoted to one another in love; honour one another above yourselves
2. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse
3. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good
4. Speak the truth in love so that the body will grow up in every way into Christ

5. Romans 12:19-20 addresses vengeance and enemies. What does Paul instruct, drawing on Deuteronomy and Proverbs?

1. 'Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay. If your enemy is hungry, feed him — in doing this you will heap burning coals on his head'
2. Forgive your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you — let love dissolve the hostility
3. Overcome hostility with kindness — a soft answer turns away wrath
4. Turn the other cheek and go the extra mile — this is the way of the kingdom

6. Romans 13:1-7 addresses a surprising topic for a letter to believers in Rome. What does Paul instruct?

1. Believers should be willing to die for their faith rather than compromise with the Roman state
2. Everyone must be subject to governing authorities, because there is no authority except that which God has established
3. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's — dual loyalty is possible and necessary
4. Pray for kings and those in authority so that the church can live peaceful and godly lives

7. Romans 13:8-10 summarises the law in terms of love. What does Paul say love does in relation to the commandments?

1. Love exceeds the law — it does what the law requires and more
2. Love fulfils the law — the commandments 'you shall not steal, murder, commit adultery, covet' are all summed up in 'love your neighbour as yourself'
3. Love is the spirit of the law — the commandments describe what love looks like in practice
4. Love replaces the law — the one who loves has no need of commandments

8. Romans 13:11-14 urges moral urgency based on eschatological timing. What does Paul say about the night and the day?

1. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night — be ready at all times
2. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light
3. The night of tribulation is coming — put on the armour of light while there is still time to prepare
4. You are children of the light and of the day — you do not belong to the night or the darkness

9. Romans 14 introduces a significant pastoral issue in the Roman church. What is the conflict between the 'strong' and the 'weak'?

1. Some (the weak in faith) have scruples about eating meat and observing certain days; the strong eat anything and regard every day alike — Paul urges acceptance without contempt or judgment
2. Some believers (the strong) have spiritual gifts and some (the weak) do not — Paul urges the gifted not to despise the less gifted
3. The strong are Jewish Christians who insist on the law; the weak are Gentile Christians who are tempted by pagan practices
4. The strong are the wealthier members who look down on the poor; Paul urges economic equality in the community

10. Romans 14:10-12 warns both the strong and the weak with a sobering reminder. What does Paul say about judging one another?

1. Judge carefully but gently — remove the plank from your own eye before addressing the speck in your brother's eye
2. Let the elders of the church judge disputes — individual believers are not qualified to assess one another's conscience
3. Stop judging one another — only those without sin may judge their fellow believers
4. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you treat your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat — each of us will give an account of ourselves to God

11. Romans 14:17 gives a memorable definition of the kingdom of God. What does Paul say it consists of?

1. Holiness, worship and obedience to God in all areas of life
2. Justice, mercy and humility before God and neighbour
3. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
4. Truth, love and service to one another in Jesus' name

12. Romans 14:23 contains an important principle about how to act when uncertain. What does Paul say?

1. Ask your elders before acting on anything that troubles your conscience
2. Everything that does not come from faith is sin
3. If your conscience condemns you, confess it quickly and God will forgive
4. When in doubt, do not do it — it is always safer to abstain

13. Romans 15:1-3 gives the strong a positive model for bearing with the weak. Who is the model, and what did he do?

1. Abraham, who bore with Lot's moral failures out of family loyalty and love
2. Christ, who did not please himself — the insults of those who insulted God fell on him
3. Moses, who interceded for Israel at the risk of his own standing before God
4. Paul himself, who became all things to all people for the sake of the gospel

14. Romans 15:7 gives a brief but profound instruction for how believers should treat one another. What does it say, and what is the example given?

1. Accept one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, just as Christ accepted you — to the praise of God
2. Forgive one another as God in Christ forgave you — bearing with each other in love
3. Love one another as I have loved you — lay down your lives for your brothers and sisters
4. Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God

15. In Romans 15, Paul describes his ambition as a missionary. What principle guided where he chose to go?

1. He focused on strategic centres from which the gospel could radiate outward to the surrounding regions
2. He followed the Spirit's leading — going wherever the Spirit opened doors
3. He preached where the need was greatest — in the most populated cities
4. He was ambitious to preach where Christ was not known, so he would not be building on someone else's foundation

16. Romans 15:25-28 describes a mission Paul must complete before visiting Rome. What is it?

1. He is going to Jerusalem to take a collection from Macedonia and Achaia for the poor among the Lord's people there
2. He must first appear before the Jewish council in Jerusalem to defend his gospel
3. He must first finish his letter to the Colossians and send it before he can travel west
4. He must first plant a church in Corinth that is stable enough to survive without him

17. Romans 16 contains an extensive list of greetings — about 26 individuals are named. What does this suggest about the Roman church?

1. Paul had never been to Rome but had met many Roman Christians in his travels — the church was a network of diverse house churches
2. Paul named them to urge the church to look after these specific individuals who were in need
3. The church in Rome was enormous — Paul had been there previously and knew most of them personally
4. The list was added by a later editor to update the letter for a wider readership

18. The first person Paul greets by name in Romans 16 is Phoebe. What two titles does he give her?

1. Apostle to the women of Rome and servant of Prisca and Aquila's household
2. Elder of the house church in Rome and patron of the Lord's work in Asia
3. Prophetess of the church in Corinth and co-worker with Paul in the gospel
4. Servant (or deaconess) of the church in Cenchreae and a benefactor of many, including Paul himself

19. In Romans 16:17-18, Paul issues a warning just before his closing doxology. What does he warn against?

1. Brothers who are lazy and do not work — withdraw from them and do not associate with them
2. False teachers who bring a different gospel and should be shunned and reported to the apostles
3. Those who cause divisions and put obstacles in the way contrary to the teaching learned — avoid them, for they serve their own appetites
4. Those who speak in tongues without interpretation and cause confusion in the assembly

20. Romans closes with a majestic doxology in 16:25-27. To whom does Paul say the gospel be proclaimed, and to whom is the glory given?

1. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe, and to God be glory in the church throughout all generations
2. The gospel is to be proclaimed to all nations, and glory to God through Jesus Christ forever
3. The mystery hidden for long ages is now disclosed to all nations through the prophetic writings, and to the only wise God be glory through Jesus Christ forever
4. Through Christ the Gentiles have been included in God's plan, and to him who is able to do immeasurably more — glory forever