One of the most widely debated topics in Christian circles is the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. For many the idea of God’s sovereignty in salvation is viewed as either unfair or unimportant. In Romans 9:1–29, however, Paul elevates the beauty of God’s sovereignty as both the basis for active evangelism and the cause for adoration and praise. Rather than viewing this as a periphery issue, Paul uses it to underline confidence in God’s plan of salvation for his people.

In life there are always ebbs and flows of joy and sorrow. Consistently things present themselves to us that threaten us harm. Sadness, evil, disappointment, and our own frailty leave us feeling vulnerable. In Romans 8:31–39 the Apostle Paul lifts our souls to point to three anchor points of Christian assurance. The reality that God is for us, God defends us, and God loves us. These powerful summaries speak words of assurance that enable the believer to rejoice in peace no matter the storm or circumstance.

How do Christians keep waiting when life hurts and glory still feels a long way off? Romans 8:18-30 gives us three enormous reasons for hope: glory is coming, the Spirit is helping us in our weakness, and God’s saving purpose will not fail. Because what God purposes, God accomplishes, Christians can wait with hope and confidence even in the midst of hardship and suffering.

In Romans 7 the Apostle pointed out the frustrating of living an ‘I’ centered life. Trusting in oneself for spiritual growth is futile. While Romans 7 is fraught with failure, Romans 8 lifts our eyes to see there is hope in the Christian life. For God not only calls us to himself but through the Holy Spirit, his empowering presence, God provides all we need to live for him.

In Romans 6 believers are taught about their new identity in Jesus. Considering themselves ‘dead to sin’ but ‘alive to righteousness’ followers of Jesus are to offer themselves willingly to the Lord out of gratefulness. But even the best of intentions in regard to obedience can often be met with frustration. Often we want to serve God but find ourselves returning to old ways. How do we grow in obedience? What role does obedience to the law play in the process? Is there hope for growth while we still live in a broken world? Romans 7 speaks to this providing hope, direction, and pointing us to the power that enables us to grow in obedience.

One of the common errors people make concerning the Christian life is that it is a life of restraint and lack of freedom. In Romans 6:15–23, however, we see that the Christian life is actually a life of freedom to serve God with joy and delight. Rather than being bound and hindered, the Christian is presented as one who is free to live and flourish as God intends as they are now able, with God’s help, to live with freedom over sin’s power.

As God’s people we have been saved by him not to remain as we are, but to live lives that reflect a new reality. Being born again into God’s family results in a different, a new identity. But what does it look like to live now, in light of a new identity? How do we live with a new identity as we wrestle with our sin? To help us think about this, Romans 6:1–14 highlights our union, our connection, our unbreakable tie to Jesus which is the basis for how we think about ourselves now, and how that impacts the decisions we make.

Jonah is in the belly of a fish with nowhere left to run. His prayer shows us what we deserve from God and what we actually get; but also something more uncomfortable: it's possible to cry out to God for rescue while still holding back the very thing He's asking for.

When we don't like what God has to say, the temptation is to run. Jonah 1 shows us that running from God impacts more than just ourselves, but the God we run from is the same God who pursues us.