The Open Word

Paul continues his discussion of God's sovereignty by turning to the illustration of a potter over the clay. As the potter, God has the right to choose those to whom He will show mercy, and leave oth…

Paul addresses one of the most controversial topics in our passage today: election. Paul confronts the belief that God is unfair, and makes the argument that God is not. Rather He is sovereign. Inste…

Paul makes the argument that the problem that Israel as a whole has not believed is not because God's word or promise has failed, but that just because someone is descended from Abraham does not auto…

In Romans 9–11, Paul turns his attention to the question of the Jewish people. If Christ was their Messiah, and He was, then how is it that the Jewish nation missed it? Paul begins his discussion of …

In Romans 8:31–39 we find one of the greatest assurances for the believer, that is their eternal security. Paul describes this security in terms that leaves nothing in the universe out, and that show…

In this session we discuss one of the most hotly debates themes in all of Scripture, that of election, predestination, and the sovereignty of God in salvation. Romans 8:29–30 is a key text in underst…

What does it mean that all things work together for good to those who love God and those who are called according to his purpose? In this session, we explore this promise that God sovereignly orchest…

One of the greatest ministries of the Holy Spirit is His intercessory work on behalf of believers. In this session we explore His intercession in the realm of prayer, where when we do not know for wh…

Paul continues his discussion of the redemption of nature when the Lord returns and those of us who are believers receive our glorified bodies. Nature is personified as a living thing that longs for …

Perhaps one of the greatest illustrations Paul uses to describe our salvation is that of adoption. In Romans 8:15–17 Paul explores this metaphor, and shows the meaning and significance of what it mea…

What does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God and what does that look like? In this session we examine Romans 8:12–14 in which Paul gives us the answer to these two important questions.

Having described the unbeliever, that is, one who lives according to the flesh, Paul now describes the characteristics of a believer. These are 1) they have the indwelling Holy Spirit, 2) the body of…

In this session we examine Romans 8:5–8 in which Paul describes those who walk according to the flesh. There are some who see these as carnal believers, that is, believers who are living in sin, but …

We continue our examination of Romans 8 by looking at the freedom we have in Christ. Not only are we no longer under condemnation, but what the law could not do, Christ did for us. We could not meet …

We begin what I believe to be one of the greatest chapters in the Bible - Romans Chapter 8. In this first session we discuss the wondrous truth that Christ has freed us from the principle of sin and …

Paul continues his struggle with indwelling sin by discussing the war that rages within each believer over their flesh, their unredeemed fallenness, and their new life in Christ, their desire to live…

In this passage of Scripture Paul describes his frustration of living the Christian life. The things he wants to do, he does not. And the things he does not want to do, he does. Why? It is because he…

We continue our examination of Paul's argument that just like a woman is free from her husband to marry another if her husband dies, so also we have died to sin so we can be joined to another, Christ…

We begin Romans 7 in which Paul makes the argument that the believer has been freed from sin so that we are no longer in bondage to our old master, which leads to death, but are free to server a new …

We complete our look at Romans 6 by looking at verses 20-23 in which Paul contrasts the wages of sin with the free gift of eternal life. Men may think that they are free in their sin, but Paul tells …