The Potter and the Clay
Scripture: Romans 9:20–21 “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God? … Has the potter no right over the clay?” (Romans 9:20–21) When we push back against God, asking why He made things the way He did, Paul doesn’t offer a philosophical defense. He simply points to the relationship between a potter and […]
Read More
Mercy and Hardening
Scripture: Romans 9:17–18 “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” (Romans 9:18) Paul brings up Pharaoh, whose heart was hardened as he resisted God’s Word again and again. This is one of the harder truths in Scripture — one that doesn’t come with a fully satisfying explanation. […]
Read More
Dead Men Don’t Rescue Themselves
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1, 4–5 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:1, 4–5) Martin Luther put it plainly in his explanation of the Third Article: we cannot, by our own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ or come to […]
Read More
Children by Faith, Not by Birth
Scripture: Romans 4:16–17 “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring… for he is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16) Paul calls Abraham the father of all who believe — not merely the ancestor of one nation, but the […]
Read More
A Promise, Not Magic
Scripture: Romans 1:16–17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16–17) We often bring our hardest “why” questions to God’s Word, hoping for a tidy explanation. But Scripture isn’t a magic formula — it’s […]
Read More