Discussion Guide: What are you known for?

PRAYER

Our main goal in this time together is to build relationships and learn to walk alongside one another in all that God has called us to be and do. Let’s start by praying for each other.

Does anyone have prayer requests or personal stories of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?

ARISE TOPICS

Sin’s Pain :: Known Union

THIS WEEK

We’re in a new series called ARISE—a study of Romans 6 and what it means to walk in the new life Jesus offers.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll take this journey together, celebrating the one life that changed everything—Jesus. Because of Him, anyone can experience a fresh start. No matter your past or what you’re walking through right now, we’ll discover how Jesus meets us right where we are and leads us into a future that’s brand new.

This past Sunday, Pastor Alvin opened the series with a powerful message titled What Are You Known For? He took us on a journey, revealing how the Gospel of Jesus offers more than behavior tweaks or religious rituals. It offers union—a deep, transformational connection to Christ that frees us from sin, buries our old life, and raises us to something entirely new.

To start our time together, let’s begin with the following questions:

If someone described you in three words, what do you hope they’d say that you were known for?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

SCRIPTURE

Have someone read Romans 6:1-5 aloud. As you listen, notice any words or phrases that stand out, and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight something for you.

Romans 6:1-5

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 

2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 

What are you known for?

Union with Christ Frees

In The Crown, a historical drama on Netflix, just as Princess Margaret saw the Monarchy’s, the Royal Family, traditions as a prison disguised as freedom, Paul confronts the lie that sin offers a known, true freedom.

In Romans 6:1-2, Paul reminds us that if we’ve been united with Christ, we’ve died to sin and are no longer known for sin—its power, penalty, and influence. Our union with Christ doesn’t make us slightly better. No, it makes us completely new. We are no longer known for sin, defined by sin, or bound to obey it. In Christ, we’re known for and free to live for something greater—His kingdom and His righteousness.

Paul talks about the definitive severing of our relationship with sin. If others looked at your life, would they see more evidence of the old “allegiance to sin” or the new life in Christ?

How does a person practically “die to sin” and live out the freedom Christ has given and gifted?

How does the idea of being “dead to sin” challenge the way you view freedom in your life?

In what ways has sin disguised itself as freedom in your experiences?

What does it mean for you personally to be united with Christ in His death? How does this new allegiance to Christ affect your daily choices and priorities?

What specific areas in your life do you feel called to lay down in order to walk more fully in this freedom?

Union with Christ Buries

In Romans 6:3-4a, Paul teaches that baptism symbolizes our union with Christ in His death, where our old life of sin is buried.

Just as a wedding ring represents a lifelong commitment to God between one man and one woman married to one another, baptism is an outward sign of the inward transformation that takes place when we choose to believe and follow Jesus in a union that buries.

Our old sinful life is buried in union with Christ, and we become known for rising to live a new life in Christ. If we belong to Jesus, we can no longer live as though we’re still dead in sin.

Baptism is a visible sign of an inward transformation.  How does baptism help you understand what it means to be “buried” with Christ, and why does that matter for how you live each day?

Where are you still tempted to live like your old self instead of embracing your new life in Christ?

Does your life consistently reflect your union with and commitment to follow Christ, or are there areas where your actions say otherwise?

What sins are you still holding on to that Christ has already buried, and how can you let them go to live fully for Him?

Union with Christ Raises

Through our union with Christ, we are baptized into His death, our sin is buried, and just as He was raised, we too are raised to life by His resurrection power. This new life is not self-improvement but Spirit-empowered transformation. Our life, now defined by union with Christ, becomes what we are known for, pointing others to Jesus and inviting them to bury their old lives and be raised in the newness of His life.

How does understanding your union with Christ help you grasp the significance of being buried with Him and raised to a new life?

How can you live out the new life Christ raises you to, and what steps can you take to ensure you’re walking in union with Him?

In what ways does your life reflect the resurrection power of Jesus? What are you known for?

How does your union with Christ impact the way others see you and, most importantly, see and encounter Jesus through you?

CLOSING THOUGHT

What are we known for? In Romans 6:1-5, Paul reminds us that through our union with Christ, we are not only buried with Him but raised to a new life. This isn’t about behavior tweaks or self-help—it’s a Spirit-empowered transformation by and for Christ alone. Where we are no longer known for and defined by sin but known by the righteousness and resurrection power of Jesus at work in us.

Our call is to embrace this new life fully, letting our union with Christ shape our decisions, priorities, and how we engage others where we live, work, and play. May our lives point clearly to Jesus, leading others to encounter His love, grace, and power. So, what will you be known for, and how will you live out your union with Christ today?

Let’s close in prayer: Jesus, thank You for loving us and offering new life through Your death and resurrection. Help us to trust You, to turn from our old ways, and to walk in the new life You freely give. Whether we’re still searching or have followed You for years, draw us closer in union with You. Make us known for Your love, grace, and power at work in us. Amen.