This evening’s 101 Bible Study focuses on the last half of Romans 9. You might note these quotes:
“The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men, attending the will of God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 3.8).
“This trust of faith . . . consists on the one hand in a relinquishing of every human achievement, it is the exclusion of all ‘boasting’ or moral self-confidence, leaning on the strength of the law as the means of salvation; on the other hand it is the absolute surrender to God’s grace, whereby ‘in faith’ and ‘in grace can be parallel expressions.” (Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology, p. 246).