Sage Spirituality

Send us Fan Mail How does the chief cornerstone become a stumbling stone? In this episode, we look at the ways we allow good news to become a tripping point in our lives. Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at sagespirituality.com for more.

Send us Fan Mail This section of Paul's letter to the Romans, when coupled with the prior ones, can make it seem that although God loves us, he may lack in goodness. This raises hard questions that deserve honest answers. Pastor Tim Keller said, "Suffering is unbearable if you aren't certain that God is for you and with you." In this episode, we focus on the goodness of God — e...

Send us Fan Mail We’ve made it to Episode 100! Join us for this very special episode of Sage Spirituality as Joil sits down with a very special guest—someone much closer to the heart of the show—for some fun, interesting, and unexpected Q&A! Most of all, we’re celebrating YOU—our listeners. Thank you for being part of this journey and for showing up episode after episode. You are a huge part o...

Send us Fan Mail “Can God hate someone?” Romans 9:6–13 contains some of the more challenging and often misunderstood verses in Paul’s letter. What does Paul mean when he says that God loved Jacob but hated Esau? How should we understand God’s choice, His sovereignty, and human responsibility? In this episode, we take a closer look at these difficult verses by stepping back and considering the full...

Send us Fan Mail What does perfect love really look like? And why would anyone reject it? In this episode, we explore Paul's powerful revelation of God's limitless love—a love that cannot be earned, cannot be broken, and cannot be separated from those who belong to Christ. As Romans 8 gives way to Romans 9, we also encounter Paul's deep sorrow for those who have turned away from the...

Send us Fan Mail There is pain in this world. We all have to choose our pain: the pain of obedience or the pain that comes with the regret of sin.  In this episode, we dive into Paul's powerful words in Romans 8:18–30, exploring how present suffering, future hope, and the choices we make shape the direction of our lives. God has not left us alone in the struggle. He has given us His Spirit, H...

Send us Fan Mail How can I walk out of sin and into sonship? Romans 8 is one of the most hope-filled chapters in all of Scripture. After wrestling with the struggle of Romans 7, Paul turns the corner and shows us what life in the Spirit looks like. Freedom is not found in trying harder. It is found in surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit and embracing our identity as sons and daughters of G...

Send us Fan Mail Some people treat the Gospel like a one-time transaction. A “get out of hell free” card. Just enough Jesus to fix a problem and move on with life. But Paul paints a much deeper picture. Romans 7:14–25 is one of the most difficult and debated passages in the book of Romans. In this episode, we wrestle with the tension of the human condition, the struggle with sin, and what Paul is...

Send us Fan Mail Who is my real enemy? Most of us spend our lives fighting battles around us, while missing the one happening within us. In this episode, we look at the problem of sin and uncover an enemy that is closer than we may have imagined. More importantly, we see how the gospel speaks hope and freedom right in the middle of that struggle. Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at...

Send us Fan Mail You’re going to serve somebody. Bob Dylan said it… but honestly, Paul said it first. In Romans 6:15–23, Paul lays it out plain—there’s no middle ground. We’re either serving sin or serving righteousness. That’s it. And here’s the tension… we like to think we’re free. But Paul flips that idea and shows us we’re always being shaped by what we surrender to. Sin leads somewhere. Right...

Send us Fan Mail “Houston, we have a problem.” That famous line from Apollo 13 captures the tension Paul is addressing in Romans 6. The problem then is the same problem now— sin . Paul raises the question many believers wrestle with: If grace is real… does that mean sin doesn’t matter? In this episode of Sage Spirituality , we look at Paul’s answer and what it really means to be dead to sin and al...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 91 — Romans 5:12–21 Paul shows that sin and death entered through Adam, while grace and life came through Jesus. A battle remains over what will reign, and each of us must decide which authority shapes our lives. In this episode, we explore the tension between death and life and the choice set before us. Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at sagespirituality....

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes the stories we tell about God slowly get shaped more by our experiences than by the actual good news of the gospel. Before we realize it, what started as faith can turn into something closer to a myth. In this episode, we sit with Romans 5:6–11 and ask a hard (but really freeing) question: Have we stretched our story about God? We look at three common myths many believer...

Send us Fan Mail If we cannot avoid the difficult times and the pain in life, how to we benefit from it?  In this episode we again turn our focus to Abraham to find the way forward, even when it hurts.   Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at sagespirituality.com for more.

Send us Fan Mail If we cannot be saved by the law, why do we even need it?  In this episode, we will look at the life of Abraham, the father of the faith, to see just how he measured up.   Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at sagespirituality.com for more.

Send us Fan Mail Romans 4:9–15 | Big Faith and Real Growth In this episode of Sage Spirituality , Joil Marbut continues the journey through Romans 4:9–15, unpacking Paul’s gospel-centered argument that righteousness has always come by faith, not law or religious markers. Using Abraham as the foundation, Paul reminds both Jews and Gentiles that God’s promises are received through faith alone—a trut...

Send us Fan Mail You know that moment on vacation when someone offers you three luxurious days and two nights for free —and you instantly know it’s a timeshare presentation ? Paul shows us in Romans 4 that the Gospel is nothing like that. Using Abraham and David, Paul reminds us that righteousness has never been earned. Abraham simply believed God , and God credited him with righteousness. David c...

Send us Fan Mail If we didn’t earn our salvation, why do we still drift into pride?  This week, we’re digging into Paul’s reminder to both Jews and Gentiles in the Roman church about the sneaky trap of pride — and how it can quietly shape our walk with God. Pull up a chair and let the Holy Spirit show you what’s really going on in your heart.   Listen now on Sage Spirituality! Thank you for joinin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into Paul’s bold message for anyone who thinks they can earn their salvation by being “good enough.” He makes it perfectly clear: righteousness is not something we achieve by our own effort—it’s a gift received through faith. We unpack how Paul’s teaching challenges the idea that our actions alone count toward our salvation and explore what it really means...

Send us Fan Mail Is there such as a thing as an advantage in the spiritual life that isn’t an advantage?  In this episode we will look at Paul’s take on those Jewish brothers and sisters in the church at Rome. Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at sagespirituality.com for more.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we unpack Paul's powerful argument about God's faithfulness and human unrighteousness. What happens when our failures seem to highlight God's goodness? Does that excuse sin or expose our desperate need for grace? Paul reminds us that God's faithfulness doesn't give us a free pass to live however we want. Love isn't a license for us to...

Send us Fan Mail In this eposide, join us as we consider Paul's challenge to the Roman church to live a life that would make non-believers their belief in God. Thank you for joining us at the table.  Visit us at sagespirituality.com for more.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we will continue to consider how Paul’s message to the Romans applies to those of us who are believers today.  See why this book is both “the most pessimistic page of literature upon which your eyes have rest” as well as “the most beautiful poem to which your ears have ever listened.”  Come to the table as we reach back into church history and lean into this amazi...

Send us Fan Mail The Gospel According to Paul #3 - Romans 1:18-32 The Apostle Paul is possibly the greatest theologian in the history of the church.  Writing numerous letters explaining the Good News of Jesus Christ.  In this series, we will be taking a deep dive into his understanding of the Gospel.  Come to the table as we reach back in church history and lean into the letter the Apostle wrote t...

Send us Fan Mail The Gospel According to Paul #3 - Romans 1:16-17 The Apostle Paul is possibly the greatest theologian in the history of the church.  Writing numerous letters explaining the Good News of Jesus Christ.  In this series, we will be taking a deep dive into his understanding of the Gospel.  Come to the table as we reach back in church history and lean into the letter the Apostle wrote t...