Abraham’s life shows us what it means to have hope “against all hope,” to face hard facts without weakening in faith because we are persuaded God will do what He has promised. As we walk through Romans 4, we see that faith is a gift, hope is a settled persuasion about who God is, and even when we hit the rocks, He still calls us to trust Him and rebuild on His grace.

When we come to God, he is the one who redeems us, buying us out of the indebtedness of our sin. Because of this, God declares there is no room for boasting in ourselves, since he alone justifies us. So when we boast we are to boast in christ.

Sin not only affects us, it distorts our motives, our mouth, our mind, and every part of who we are, and ultimately it leaves us without a proper fear of God. A reverent fear of God is not a cringing terror that makes us run from him, but a deep awe and respect that makes us afraid to grieve or dishonor the One who loves us and gave himself for us.​ When we truly fear God in this way, we start to take his holiness, his kindness, and his promises more seriously than our own desires or the opinions of others. That kind of fear draws us closer instead of pushing us away, leading to more honest confession, greater trust in his grace, and a deeper, more joyful relationship with him.

God’s wrath is not an emotional outburst but His holy response to real evil and injustice. God’s wrath actually reveals His commitment to set the world right and how the arrival of Jesus deals with sin once and for all. God's grace in Christ gives real hope to resist sinful desires and walk in true freedom.

The gospel truly changes everything. In this podcast, we walk through the book of Romans to see how the good news of Jesus Christ promised long ago and fulfilled in his death and resurrection reveals God’s righteousness and reshapes real life. As we listen to Paul’s heart for the church, we discover how this gospel brings salvation to Jew and Gentile alike and forms one people learning to live by faith.

God wants us to live the good we ought to do. When we take God's place as judge and believe we can govern our lives in the future, we are taking God's role. We are instructed not to slander and not to presume upon the future. By doing this, we recognize God's place and plan for us.

When we think of faith and works, we should think of them like the body and the spirit—both working together—because the body without the spirit is dead. James wants to remind us that an active faith is always lived out. Like Abraham and Rahab, they believed God and demonstrated it in real time through their actions. We will look on how faith and works work together for our good.

Favoritism, at its core, literally means “to receive one’s face”—an ancient expression for showing partiality. It’s the act of favoring one person over another based on outward appearances, status, or other superficial factors. This kind of discrimination can quietly make its way into the church, undermining the unity and love that should define Christian community.