Table Talk: ROMANS Part 2: WEEK 1
ROMANS: Part 2: THE GREAT Assurance
The Great Assurance of Romans 5–8 traces the lived reality of the gospel once we have been made right with God. These chapters move from justification into assurance, showing what God’s grace actually produces in us and for us. Paul begins by grounding us in peace with God, hope that holds even in suffering, and love proven at the cross. He then sets Christ against Adam, declaring that grace not only overcomes sin but overwhelms it with new life. From there, Paul invites us into a transformed identity—united with Christ in His death and resurrection, freed from sin’s mastery, and called to live as people made alive to God. He names the honest struggle believers experience with sin and the limits of the Law, pressing us toward our deep need for rescue beyond ourselves. The movement culminates in Romans 8, where assurance reaches its peak as Paul declares a life completely redefined, free from condemnation, animated by the Spirit, rooted in our adoption as God’s children, sustained by hope in the midst of suffering, and secured by a love so strong that nothing in all creation can ever separate us from it. Together, Romans 5–8 proclaim not only that we are saved by grace, but that we are securely held, continually renewed, and forever loved in Christ.
Spiritual Practice: GRATITUDE
Gratitude is a simple yet powerful way to open our hearts to God’s presence and faithfulness. In Scripture, giving thanks is not only a response to blessings, but a practice that shapes us—helping us notice God’s grace in both joy and difficulty. When we intentionally name what we are thankful for, we train our hearts to trust that God is at work, drawing us closer to Him and to one another. Adele Calhoun writes, “Thanksgiving is possible not because everything goes perfectly but because God is present. The Spirit of God is within us—nearer to us than our own breath. It is a discipline to choose to stitch our days together with the thread of gratitude. But the decision to do so is guaranteed to stitch us closer to God” (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook).
Gratitude Practice (Can be done individually or as a household/group):
Choose a consistent time (such as before bed, at a certain meal, or during a devotional time). Begin with a short prayer, inviting God to help you see His gifts clearly.
Name one or two things you are grateful for today—big or small. (You could also choose to write these in “Gratitude Journal.”) Allow your response to flow naturally: a quick prayer, a laugh, a “thank You, Jesus,” or even a short song.
Close by thanking God for His faithfulness and asking the Holy Spirit to help you carry gratitude into tomorrow
Prayer
Gracious God, we thank You for the gift of peace with You through Jesus Christ, for a hope that holds us steady in suffering, and for a love that will never let us go. Today we receive again what You have already given—freedom from condemnation, new life in Christ, and the presence of Your Spirit at work within us. We confess that we often rely on our own strength and grow weary in the struggle, yet we are grateful that our rescue does not depend on us but on Your grace. Help us live as Your beloved children, attentive to Your Spirit, thankful in all circumstances, and confident that nothing in all creation can separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From the Book of Common Prayer
SERMON SUMMARY Being justified by faith means we now live in a settled relationship of peace with God, not fragile or conditional, but grounded in what Christ has already done. We stand in grace, grow in a hope that is strengthened rather than destroyed by suffering, and learn that even our trials are caught up in God’s forming work. All of this assurance rests on the love of God demonstrated decisively at the cross, where Christ died for us while we were still sinners, securing both our reconciliation and our confidence in God’s future for us.
Passage: Romans 5:1–11
Conversation Starters
Kids
Can you think of a time when you really messed up or did something wrong? Who is someone you know who loves you even when you mess up? God’s love is like that. The Bible says that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us, even though we make wrong choices sometimes. Nothing you can do can change God’s love for you!
Students
Where do you look for peace when you are stressed out or overwhelmed? Do you find that you run toward God when times are tough, or do you reach for comfort in other places? How have hard or stressful times changed you, for better or worse? Do you experience more, less, or the same amount of God’s peace now as you did a year ago? Why do you think that is?
Adults
What threatens your sense of peace most often right now? Perhaps it’s hard to recognize God’s formative work in the midst of a trial or season of suffering, but when you look back on these times, do you see God’s hand at work? If so, how? How does our remembrance of God’s faithfulness through suffering—ours or others’—help us to face our next difficult season with a greater sense of God’s peace?
