Transformed: Shaped by Grace

Weekly Reading Plan + Resources

Week 18 | May 17-22

Romans 15  | We see a clear example of the integral relationship between theology and daily living. Paul’s purpose in writing Romans is so much more than a long, theological description of God’s redemptive plan. All along, one of Paul’s primary points in writing Romans was to make sure that the Jews and people from any other ethnicity could understand how to worship God together.

To do this, Paul had to explain many misconceptions about salvation and righteousness along the way. But he waded through heavy theological statements to make sure we knew this: We are all objects of the same mercy. Both Jews and Gentiles needed mercy, and God made a single way for both groups to receive mercy—in Jesus Christ. God’s plan of salvation culminates when Christ died and rose again. In his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ achieved God’s righteousness for us and united God’s people under his sacrifice.

Reading Plan

Monday, May 17 //  Romans 15:1-7 - The Example of Christ
Tuesday, May 18 // Romans 15:8-13 - Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
Wednesday, May 19 // Romans 7:14-21 - Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
Thursday, May 20 // Romans 3:22-33 - Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
Friday, May 21 // Genesis 12 // The Call of Abram
Saturday, May 22 // Psalm 82 - Rescue the Weak and Needy

Memory Verse

"For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy." - Romans 15:8–9a (CSB)

Week 17 | May 10-15

Romans 14  | Paul’s words urge us to examine our convictions. Are our convictions truly from the Lord? Or are we clinging to cultural practices and preferences as a form of self-righteousness? Even with the best of intentions, no human culture gains more direct favor with God. Paul wants readers to know that Jesus is the only way to obtain righteousness. And when our convictions are rooted in Christ—in God’s Word and our love for others—the church can, and will, be unified.

Reading Plan

Monday, May 10 //  Romans 14:1-12 - Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
Tuesday, May 11 // Romans 14:13-23 - Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
Wednesday, May 12 // Matthew 7:1-14 - Judging Others
Thursday, May 13 // Colossians 3:1–17 - Put On the New Self
Friday, May 14 // Isaiah 45:23–25 — The Lord, the Only Savior
Saturday, May 15 // Psalm 133 - When Brothers Dwell in Unity

Memory Verse

"For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."- Romans 14:17 (CSB)

Week 16 | May 3 - May 8

Romans 13  | Paul reminds us that God is ultimately in control of what happens on earth. God’s sovereign rule extends over our individual lives as well as what happens in human systems of government. Paul’s teaching about authority does not fit naturally with the spirit of our times, as our society tends to celebrate individual freedoms and rebel against governing authorities. Some people even equate authority with corruption, oppression, and abuse of power. We might be eager to spend the majority of our time discussing situations where Paul’s teaching does not apply. However, we should acknowledge the general principles that are clear in this passage.

All authorities (whether good or bad) are only in place by God’s sovereign will. Additionally, no one exercises authority perfectly except God. God has called us to obedience to him through our submission to the governing authorities. This means if an authority requires us to sin against God or go against God’s Word, it is always right to obey God first. If obeying God rather than human authority brings us negative consequences, we should be willing to trust God as we endure unjust suffering. At the same time, Paul’s general point remains: God calls for our obedience to the authorities he has placed over us. Paul explains that love is the fulfillment of the law. Paul’s teaching here reminds us of Jesus’ teaching on the “greatest and most important command” (Matthew 22:37–40).

All of the Law and the Prophets, Jesus teaches, hang on the commands to love God and love one’s neighbor. If we genuinely love other people, we will not commit adultery, murder, steal, or covet—thus fulfilling the demands of the law.

Reading Plan

Memory Verse

"Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law." - Romans 13:10 (CSB)

Week 15 | April 26 - May 1

Romans 12  |  Paul presents a different model for transformation in Romans. God is the one who transforms hell-deserving sinners (1:18–3:23) into God-worshipping saints (5:1–6:23). God changes us by uniting us to Christ through his death and resurrection (6:1–12).

Jesus doesn’t merely take the penalty of our sins (3:21–26), but he also grants us his Spirit to battle the power of sin in our lives (8:1–12). The Holy Spirit changes our hearts. He puts sinful desires to death and gives us holy desires for God (8:9–16). Contrary to self-help, Romans shows that God provides the power, the means, and the goals for transformation.

Reading Plan

Monday, April 26 //  Romans 12:1-2 - A Living Sacrifice
Tuesday, April 27 // Romans 12:3-8 - Gifts of Grace
Wednesday, April 28 // Romans 12:9-21 - Marks of the True Christian
Thursday, April 29 // 1 Corinthians 6:19–2 - Our Lives Are Not Our Own
Friday, April 30 // Hebrews 11 — By Faith
Saturday, May 1 // Psalm 86 - Great Is Your Steadfast Love

Memory Verse

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:1–2 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 14 | April 19 - 24

Romans 11 | Romans 11 gives a great summary of Paul’s argument. Just as Gentiles experienced God’s mercy after a time of disobedience, Israel will also receive mercy after their disobedience. God does this to show his mercy. We can find rest in the fact that God has orchestrated all of his ways in order to magnify his glory and his mercy! Overcome by the weight of God’s faithfulness, Paul overflows into worship. But Paul doesn’t just mention vague phrases of praise, he adores God for specific aspects of his character and deeds. Paul praises the depth and richness of God’s wisdom and knowledge. He praises God for his supreme nature; the fact that God’s judgments and ways are far above and beyond us (Romans 11:33). God’s mind is incomparable; no one can understand it. God’s actions are always right; no one can instruct him. God is never in debt; no one can give God anything that isn’t already his. Because all things are from him, through him, and to him—all glory belongs to God forever.

Reading Plan

Monday, April 19 //  Romans 11:1-10 - The Remnant of Israel

Tuesday, April 20 // Romans 11:11-24 - Gentiles Grafted In

Wednesday, April 21 // Romans 11:25-36 - The Mystery of Israel’s Salvation

Thursday, April 22 // Isaiah 52 - The Lord’s Coming Salvation

Friday, April 23 // Isaiah 65 — Judgment and Salvation

Saturday, April 24 // Psalm 2 - The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed

Memory Verse

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!" Romans 11:33( CSB)

Video Resource

Week 13 | April 12 - 17

Romans 10  | Paul maintains that the way to bring others to a saving knowledge of the gospel is to preach the gospel to all who will listen (Romans 10:8–17). This means that we must keep taking the good news of Jesus into our workplaces, communities, families, and friend groups, with the hope that many will come to saving faith in Jesus!

As we dig into Romans 9:30–10:13, Paul exposes one huge reason that many people in his day resist the gospel—people look for right moral standing in all the wrong places. This is just as true in our day as it was in Paul’s. Many of us try to convince ourselves that we are good enough for God through upright behavior, involvement in charities, political advocacy, or even church attendance. Unfortunately, when we get so tied to these forms of self-justification, we become unwilling or unable to accept the true work of justification through the gospel of Jesus.

Reading Plan

Monday, April 12 //  Romans 10:1-13 - The Message of Salvation to All
Tuesday, April 13 // Romans 9:14-21 - Preach the Gospel to all who will listen
Wednesday, April 14 // Galatians 6:1-10 - Do not be deceived God is not mocked
Thursday, April 15 // Deuteronomy 30:1-10 - Repentance and Forgiveness
Friday, April 16 // Jeremiah 42:1-17— I will have compassion on you
Saturday, April 17 // Psalm 61 - Create in Me a Clean Heart

Memory Verse

"If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation." Romans 10:9–10 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 12 | April 5 - 10

Romans 9  | Paul’s wrestling can cause us to reflect on our own times of wrestling with God. We might wonder why God hasn’t moved in the lives of our neighbors. We mourn over the reality that our family members remain far from Christ and uninterested in the gospel. We wonder how people who have seen God work fail to trust him for salvation. We fight to continue on believing that God knows what he’s doing.

In our prayers we exclaim, “God, why haven’t you saved them yet?” But we must look at how Paul wrestles with God. In Paul’s emotional wrestling over the salvation of his kinsmen, he moves to the question, “Is God’s Word trustworthy?” Paul’s concerns start with God’s character, not a felt need or a perception of how God should act. As believers, our focus should—like Paul—be on God’s righteous character and his ever-faithful Word.

Reading Plan

Monday, April 5 //  Romans 9:1-13 - God’s Word has not failed, nor will it ever fail
Tuesday, April 6 // Romans 9:14-29 - Our salvation is an act of God’s mercy, as well as God’s choice
Wednesday, April 7 // Romans 9:30-33 - Israel’s Unbelief
Thursday, April 8 // Deuteronomy 7 - A Chosen People
Friday, April 9 // Isaiah 55:1–9 - The Compassion of the Lord
Saturday, April 10 // Psalm 62 - My Soul Waits for God Alone

Memory Verse

"For he tells Moses, ‘I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." - Romans 9:15 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 11 | March 29 - April 3

Romans 9 + 10  | Paul doesn’t leave his struggles open-ended. He knows the lack of Israel’s belief doesn’t negate God’s covenant or tarnish his character. What could be seen as an unfulfilled promise is far from it. The answer to Paul’s wrestling appears in Romans 9:6, where Paul explains with confidence that God’s Word has not failed, “because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Paul shows that being an ethnic Israelite does not automatically make someone a part of God’s chosen people.

There is ethnic Israel, and there is chosen Israel. Not every ethnic Israelite is a chosen Israelite. Paul makes sense of this reality using two Old Testament accounts. These truths help us understand Paul’s motivation for writing this letter, specifically chapters 9–11. Paul writes these words from a place of deep anguish for his own people (the Jews), because many of them had not yet put their faith in Jesus Christ. Many in Israel—Paul’s very kinsmen!—were missing out on the best part of God’s plan. Despite all that God had done for them, they had yet to understand and see clearly his greatest provision—Jesus, the Messiah

Reading Plan

Monday, March 29 //  Romans 9:1-29 - God’s Sovereign Choice
Tuesday, March 30 // Romans 9:30-33 - Israel’s Unbelief
Wednesday, March 31 // Romans 10:1-21 - The Message of Salvation to All
Thursday, April 1 // Hebrews 9:11- 28 - Redemption Through the Blood of Christ
Friday, April 2 // Deuteronomy 30:1-20 - Repentance and Forgiveness
Saturday, April 3 // Philippians 2:1-10 - Christ’s Example of Humility

Memory Verse

"If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation."- Romans 10:9–10 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 10 | March 22 - 27

Romans 8 (part 2) | We are individually undergoing restoration at the hands of the Spirit who lives inside of us. We are weak, we don’t know how to pray, we don’t know God’s will, and our faith fails. But the Spirit intercedes for us and helps us develop a real-time connection with our Heavenly Father. The Spirit also confirms that the hope we have in the gospel is true. Romans 8:29–30 tells us that in order for us to be saved, God knew us before Creation. God then set his rescue plan in motion thousands of years ago in a distant land through his only Son, and one day he will also glorify us (8:17).

This plan has been in place for so long and Christ has accomplished so much on our behalf—why should we doubt that God will finish this work? The suffering we will experience is part of, not a distraction from, the sanctification and glorification that the Spirit is working in us. All of the rhetorical questions from Romans 1–8 are answered in Romans 8:31–39. If God has accomplished all this—everything mentioned in the first eight chapters of Romans—through Jesus Christ on our behalf, how can we doubt God’s love for us? Do we think that the trials and tribulations we experience are going to derail God’s purposes for the people that he has chosen? Of course not! Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! Let God’s Spirit feed our souls with these words as we study Romans 8:18–39.

Reading Plan

Monday, March 22 //  Romans 8:18-30 - Future Glory
Tuesday, March 23 // Romans 8:31-39 - God’s Everlasting Love
Wednesday, March 24 // Romans 8:1-39 - All of Romans 8
Thursday, March 25 // Romans 5:1-11 - Peace with God Through Faith
Friday, March 26 // 1 Peter 1:3-11 - Born Again to a Living Hope
Saturday, March 27 // Psalm 40 - My Help and My Deliverer

Memory Verse

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38–39 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 9 | March 15-20

Romans 8 (part 1) | The trajectory of Romans 8 is astounding. At the beginning of the passage, we hear the declaration that we longer stand condemned for our sinfulness (8:1). By the end of the passage, we are so far from condemned sinners that we are actually children of God, inheriting what Christ deserved by his obedience. The final verse of our target passage for this week (8:17) actually says we will be glorified with Christ. In the space of these seventeen verses, we see the complete story of the gospel.

We, who were once enemies of God, have now been justified; we will no longer be judged for our sin. But God did not leave us there, he sent his Spirit to help us overcome sin and become freed from its slavery (sanctification), and with Christ, we also receive sonship. And that’s not even close to the end of the story. One day, we will become fully new creations, dwelling with God in heaven, being perfectly righteous in all that we do (glorification). Glorification is not a word that we often focus on when it comes to our blessings in the gospel, but it is one of the most exciting aspects of what we have in Christ.

Reading Plan

Monday, March 15 //  Romans 8:1-8 - Life in the Spirit
Tuesday, March 16 // Romans 8:9-11 - Life in the Spirit
Wednesday, March 17 // Romans 8:12-17 - Heirs with Christ
Thursday, March 18 // Romans 1:16-17 - The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
Friday, March 19 // Galatians 2:15-21 - Justified by Faith
Saturday, March 20 // Psalm 51 - Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

Memory Verse

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you. - Romans 8:11 (CSB)

Week 8 | March 8 -13

Week 7 | February 22-27

Romans 6 | God unites sinners to Christ in his death and resurrection by faith. Paul presents this precious truth in Romans 6. Paul comes to this truth as he deals with the objections that might arise from his teaching on God’s grace. He has said that sinners are justified by grace alone, apart from works (Romans 4:4–6).

But at this point, someone could find fault with God and his grace. If our justification is based on God’s grace and not our works, can’t we just keep sinning so that we experience more grace? In other words, does the gospel encourage unrighteousness? (6:1).

Paul answers emphatically, “Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (6:2–3). Paul means that since we are united to Christ in his death, we have died to sin, therefore, we cannot keep living in sin.

Reading Plan

Monday, February 22 //  Romans 6:1-14 - Dead to Sin, Alive to God
Tuesday, February 23 // Romans 6:15-23 - Slaves to Righteousness
Wednesday, February 24 // 2 Corinthians 5:17-23 - Reconciliation
Thursday, February 25 // Romans 6:1-23 - Slaves to Righteousness
Friday, February 26 // Philippians 2:1-11 - Christ’s Humility
Saturday, February 27 // Psalm 119:45-55 - Freedom

Memory Verse

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 6 | February 15-20

Romans 5 | The words “since we have been justified by faith” are a great summary of Paul’s argument from Romans 3:21 to the end of Romans 4:25. In 3:21–4:25, Paul explains how God brings justification to sinners, crediting Christ’s righteousness to us. We were enemies of God and our future should have ended with God’s wrath, but Jesus Christ earned us peace with God and a future full of hope and glory. Our present reality is marked by God’s grace. This grace means that we are saved now, fully reconciled to God, and able to live a life in relationship with him. It also means that we will be saved in the future and will live with our Redeemer for all eternity.

Reading Plan

Monday, February 15 //  Romans 5:1-11 - Peace with God Through Faith
Tuesday, February 16 // Romans 5:12-21 - Death in Adam, Life in Christ
Wednesday, February 17 // 1 John 3 - God’s Love
Thursday, February 18 // 2 Corinthians 5 - The Ministry of Reconciliation
Friday, February 19 // Romans 5 - Peace with God Through Faith
Saturday, February 20 // Psalm 40 - My Help and My Deliverer

Memory Verse

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:1 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 5 | February 8 - 13

Romans 4 | From Genesis and Psalms, Paul clearly shows that God justifies sinners by faith, not by works. In justification, God does not count our sin against us (Psalm 32) but counts us righteous when we trust in him (Genesis 15). Justification by faith eliminates all boasting (Romans 3:27), so none of us can boast in God’s sight, not even Abraham (Romans 4:2). We do not work to earn our salvation from God. Instead, we trust him, acknowledging our helplessness, fully relying on his grace to provide what he demands. Trusting God for forgiveness produces in us what it produced in David: a joyful song from the heart, praising God for not counting our wrongs against us.

Reading Plan

Monday, February 8 //  Romans 4:1-12 - Abraham Justified by Faith

Tuesday, February 9 // Romans 4:13-25 - The Promise Realized Through Faith
Wednesday, February 10 //  Psalm 32 - Blessed Are the Forgiven
Thursday, February 11 // Genesis 15 - God’s Covenant with Abram
Friday, February 12 // Romans 4 - The Righteousness of God Through Faith
Saturday, February 13 // Psalm 63 - My Soul Thirsts for You

Memory Verse

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” - Romans 4:3 (ESV)

Video Resource

Week 4 | February 1 - February 6

ROMANS 3:24–26 declares the glorious redemption that Christ brings us. God’s righteousness comes to us as a gift, but make no mistake, it is a costly gift. For a righteous God to declare us righteous, he needed to deal with our sinfulness somehow. Think for just a moment of all of the unrighteousness and sin that has existed in your life and then imagine what it would take to right every single one of those wrongs. God, being rich in mercy, sent his Son to be a sacrifice for our sins. Through his great love, he paid for it all, and not just your sins, but the sins of the entire world. By his blood, Jesus died for our sins and redeemed us from being under judgment.

Reading Plan

Monday, February 1 //  Romans 3:21-31 - The Righteousness of God Through Faith
Tuesday, February 2 // Galatians 1:7; Philippians 1:2; Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 24:14 - The Gospel of God
Wednesday, February 3 //  Habakkuk 2 - The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
Thursday, February 4 // Romans 3:1-20 - God’s Righteousness Upheld
Friday, February 5 // Romans 3:21-31 - The Righteousness of God Through Faith
Saturday, February 6 // Psalm 63 - My Soul Thirsts for You

Memory Verse

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. - Romans 3:23–24 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 3 | January 24 - 30

ROMANS 3: Establishing that humankind is unrighteous is a necessary part of Paul’s argument throughout Romans 1:18–3:20, but it is not Paul’s main point in the whole book. Paul’s larger goal in Romans is to explain God’s righteousness. In Romans 3:1–20, Paul says that God’s righteousness shines all the more clearly amidst the rampant unrighteousness of humankind. Humankind has been unfaithful, but God has remained steadfast in his faithfulness. It’s simply a part of his righteous character. Our God is faithful.

Reading Plan

Monday, January 25 //  Romans 3:1-8 - God’s Righteousness Upheld

Tuesday, January 26 // Romans 3:9-20 - No One Is Righteous

Wednesday, January 27 //  Isaiah 59 - A Lack of Righteousness 

Thursday, January 28 // Jeremiah 31 - The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy

Friday, January 29 // Romans 3:1-20 - God’s Righteousness Upheld

Saturday, January 30 // Psalm 51 - Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

Memory Verse

"There is no one righteous,  not even one. There is no one who understands;  there is no one who seeks God." - Romans 3:10-11 (CSB)

Video Resource

Week 2 | January 17 - 23

Reading Plan

Monday, January 18 //  Romans 2:1-11 - God’s Righteous Judgment
Tuesday, January 19 // Romans 2:12-24 - God’s Judgment and the Law
Wednesday, January 20 //  Romans 2:25-29 - Evidence of God
Thursday, January 21 // Jeremiah 31:33 - the law is written on their hearts
Friday, January 22 // Psalm 36 - God Shows No Favoritism
Saturday, January 23 // Psalm 5:5-8 - The Lord Will Lead You

Memory Verse

“For there is no favoritism with God.” - Romans 2:11

Video Resource

Week 1 | January 11 - 16

Reading Plan

Monday, January 11 //  Romans 1:18 - Righteous Anger of God Revealed
Tuesday, January 12 // Romans 5:9 - Anger Appeased through the Living Jesus
Wednesday, January 13 // Romans 1:19-20 - Evidence of God
Thursday, January 14 // Romans 1:21-22 - Idolatry in our Hearts
Friday, January 15 // Romans 1:23-32 - Idolatry in Outward Acts
Saturday, January 16 // Psalm 5:5-8 - The Lord will Lead You

Memory Verse

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." - Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Video Resource