No one has ever been justified by the works of the Law (Rom. 3:20), but many still try to earn their own salvation. The Jews were not able to receive their Messiah because of their own pride. Today, we will look at how to be saved and the dangers of trying to save yourself.

God has called both the Jews and the Gentiles to become children of God and has redeemed humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Good Friday Service

Paul makes clear that we are not worthy to question God's sovereign decisions, especially when it come to the matter of whom God's has elected for mercy or destruction. Nevertheless, we can behold God's amazing glory by standing amazed at the mercy He has for His children.

After stating God's choice to love Jacob and hate Esau, Paul turns his focus to answering a possible objection that one might have: Is there injustice with God? Another to discuss this topic is whether God is fair? In a culture that pushes equity, that all should have equal outcomes, this is certainly an objection the modern reader would have.

One of the key phrases in this passage is "the children of promise." While Israel contains many who are not faithful to God and His Law, God has always maintained a remnant within Israel. In the New Covenant age, God will still have a remnant within Israel who will follow their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

In this passage, Paul begins a significant section on God's plan for ethnic Israel and how they fit into the salvation plan of the New Covenant. In the first five verses, Paul defines what he means by Israel and carries this through the rest of his argument from chapters 9-11.

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? The answer to this question is a profound "NO!" Paul demonstrates that we are secure in God's electing love, which is clarified in the "Golden Chain," which should give us security that we will persevere until the end if we are truly in Christ.