I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see
and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.

And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.”

Romans 11:1-10

In this week's episode of Open Your Bibles, the Apostle Paul is very clear: God has not cast away His people. Even though many have stumbled over Christ because of their own corruption, God's Word remains perfectly sure. He is still gathering His people according to His sovereign plan.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The Stumbling Block: Why people trip when they try to save themselves by being "good" (the Covenant of Works) instead of trusting Jesus (the Covenant of Grace).
• The Election of Grace: Why a small group of believers—the remnant—shows that God’s choice is based on His mercy, not our effort.
• Sovereign Eyes and Ears: Why the elect receive the gift of faith, while others are left in their hardness as a just judgment.

We explore how God’s foreknowledge means He set His special love on His people before the world began. Even when it looks like many have rejected Him, God is still the Sovereign King. His irresistible grace ensures that every single person He chose will eventually come to Him. What Good News!

Grace and peace.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.

Romans 10:14-21

In this week's episode of Open Your Bibles, we ask a big question: If God has already chosen who He will save, why do we still need to tell people about Jesus?

We are looking at how God uses our voices as the means to get His work done. Even though God is the Sovereign King who chooses His people, He ordains that we must be the ones to go and speak. People cannot have faith unless they hear the preached Word of Christ first!

In this episode, we talk about:

• God’s Messengers: Why God chooses to use human evangelists to bring His elect to faith.
• The Seed of the Word: Why hearing the Gospel is the way God creates faith in a person’s heart.
• Human Responsibility: Why people are still responsible when they hear the message.
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We also talk about the External Call (the message everyone hears) and the Effective Internal Call (when the Holy Spirit actually changes a heart). It reminds us that while we are responsible to share the Gospel, only God’s power can truly save.

What shall we say, then?

That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 9:30-10:13

In Episode 5, we’re looking at Romans 9:30–10:13 which explains why human effort is pointless without the grace of God. In these versus, Paul makes it clear: our own zeal can’t save us—only Christ can.

The Big Question: Are we saved through Faith or Works?

In this episode we will discuss...

The Trap of Effort: Why trying to "earn it" actually makes us stumble.

The Finish Line: How Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law so we don’t have to be.

The Simple Promise: Confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that Grace is enough.

Let’s stop the spiritual hustle and rest in what’s already been finished.

Grace and peace.

What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”

and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”

It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.

-Romans 9:13-23

When we see so many across history of man rejecting the Gospel, we find ourselves asking: Has God’s plan failed? This week, we look at Romans 9:24–29 to see why the answer is a resounding "No"—and why our only hope is that God is the one who keeps a "remnant" for Himself.

In this episode we learn...

• The Sovereign Call (vv. 24–26): Paul utilizes the Prophet Hosea to explain that God's mercy extends to the Gentiles. Those once called "not my people" are brought into the covenant by the effectual call of God, proving that salvation is governed by His will alone.
• The Remnant (vv. 27–29): Quoting Isaiah, Paul clarifies that while the visible people of God may be numerous, it is the remnant—the elect—who are saved. This distinction ensures that God’s promise has not failed, as He always preserves a seed for Himself.

Key Takeaways:

1. Grace: Verse 24 reminds us that it is God who calls. Our standing as His children is the result of His sovereign initiative, not our merit. This is Good News!!
2. Covenantal Faithfulness: The existence of a remnant proves God is faithful to His word, even when the majority fall away.
3. Total Depravity: Verse 29 humbles us with the truth that without God’s intervention to "leave a seed," we would all justly face the same judgment as Sodom.

As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory

-Romans 9:13-23

In our latest episode of Grave to Gospel, we continue our Open Your Bibles series by diving deep into Romans 9:13–23.

This passage brings us face-to-face with the "hard sayings" of Paul: the election of Jacob over Esau, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, and the provocative analogy of the Potter and the clay.

In This Episode:

1. How do we understand the phrase "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" without compromising God's goodness?
2. Why God’s justice is not a debt He owes us, but a standard He defines by His own nature.
3. Why the real mystery isn't that God chooses some for "vessels of wrath," but that He chooses any to be "vessels of mercy."

For the believer, Romans 9 isn't just a theological puzzle; it is an anchor. When we realize that our salvation rests entirely on the "will of Him who calls" rather than our own fickle strength, we find a level of security that the world cannot offer.

Whether you are wrestling with these doctrines for the first time or you find deep rest in the Reformed tradition, we invite you to open your Bibles with us as we behold the glory of our Sovereign God.

Grace and peace.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”

10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”


-Romans 9:6-13

In Episode 2 of Open Your Bibles, we moved into one of the most significant and thought-provoking sections of Paul’s letter.

As we look at the distinction between physical descent and the spiritual promise, we are reminded that our standing before God rests entirely on His grace. Through these verses, we see the heart of Unconditional Election. Paul highlights that God chose Jacob over Esau before they were even born.

From a Reformed view, this teaches us:

It’s God’s Choice: Salvation is based on God’s purpose, not our heritage or our efforts.


Grace is a Gift: Since God chose us before we did anything "good or bad," we can’t earn His love, and we can’t lose it through our own weakness.


God is Faithful: His word hasn't failed; He is simply gathering a "people of the promise" rather than just a "people of the flesh."


Thank you for being part of our study as we continue to walk through the Book of Romans. Remember to please send any questions or comments you have on this episode and we will address those at the beginning of every episode.


Grace and Peace.

In this episode of Open Your Bibles, we transition from the "mountain peak" of Romans 8—where we celebrated that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ—into the deep, somber valley of Romans 9.

Paul begins this new section not with an abstract theological argument, but with a profound expression of personal "great sorrow and unceasing anguish." We explore Paul’s intense burden for his own people, the Israelites, and his shocking claim that he would even wish himself "accursed" for their sake.

In this study, we break down:

• The Integrity of Paul’s Grief: Why Paul calls upon Christ and the Holy Spirit as witnesses to the sincerity of his heartache.
• The Privileges of Israel: An examination of the eight distinct blessings Paul lists that belong to Israel—including the adoption, the glory, the covenants, and the giving of the law.
• The Ultimate Lineage: How the history of Israel culminates in the most significant fact of all: that from their race, according to the flesh, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.

Through an exegetical lens, we see that while the Gospel brings us ultimate joy, it also gives us a heart that breaks for those who have not yet recognized the Messiah.

1. The Weight of Intercession: Paul expresses a willingness to be "cut off" for the sake of his kinsmen. While Christ is the only one who can truly be a substitute, how does Paul’s radical empathy challenge the way you view and pray for those in your life who are currently "far off" from the Gospel?
2. Recognizing Spiritual Privilege: Paul lists eight specific advantages given to Israel, yet many still missed the Messiah. What "spiritual privileges" or religious environments are you currently surrounded by? Are you treating them as ends in themselves, or are they successfully pointing you toward a deeper submission to Christ?
3. The Sovereignty and Nature of Christ: Verse 5 ends with a powerful doxology, calling Christ "God over all." How does firmly anchoring your identity in a sovereign, divine Christ change your perspective on the "sorrows and unceasing anguish" you face in your own life or ministry?

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-39

Believers can find hope and assurance that God's love for us is steadfast, unbreakable, and knows no depth. But, How?...

God gave His only Son for us, as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins, securing our justification through Christ Jesus, and uniting us in His victory over death.

Because of this... Because of Him..., Nothing can separate believers from God's unwavering love.

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Thank you all for following along as we explore Romans. If you liked this season, please like and share with others as we will continue to present the Good News for the Glory of God.

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