Because the Jewish people by and large rejected Christ and the gospel in the first century, has God rejected them? No, God has a remnant according to the election of grace.
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The Chosen Jewish Remnant
Romans 11:1-10
Debbie and I met each other at a church in Fresno which we attended from 1980 to 1988. The pastor of this church was very fond of saying that our church was the remnant of the remnant of the remnant. By that he meant that somehow we were very special. And the reason we were so special was because we were somehow more faithful, spiritual, and committed than the rest of the churches. So, when he spoke of us being the remnant of the remnant of the remnant, it had the effect of making us all feel very pleased and proud of our obedience to Christ, our faithfulness to Christ, and our spirituality. However, here in Romans 11, the apostle Paul speaks about God’s remnant, but they are His remnant, not because of anything they have done, but solely by God’s electing grace.
In Romans 9, Paul has taught us that one reason why the majority of Israel have not believed on Christ, is because God did not choose all the physical descendants of Abraham to be included in His true Israel – divine sovereignty. In Romans 10, Paul gave us another reason why most of Israel were not saved. Their damnation was due to their deliberate and obstinate rejection of the gospel – human responsibility. In chapter 10, Paul has said that Israel heard the gospel, understood the gospel, but rejected the gospel. Paul goes back and forth, emphasizing divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Paul ends chapter 10 by quoting Isaiah 65:2, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” God is stretching out His hands all day long to Israel. What does stretching out His hands imply? Well, this is what a Mom or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa does when they want their little 2 year old toddler to come to them. God is stretching out His hands, inviting all Israel to come, and He is doing it all day long. This has been a 3,000 year long day! But, in Paul’s day, only a few came, and the rest refused. So, the question is, since Israel rejected the gospel, has God rejected them? Is God so fed up with the Jews that He has totally and completely rejected them? Has God stopped working to save the Jews, and is now only working to save the Gentiles? And, that is the question Paul will answer here in Romans 11:1-10. Paul’s answer in Romans 11:1 is “May it never be!” God is still saving a remnant of Israelites.
As we move through this section we will see that Paul first shows the election of Israel’s minority in verses 1-6, and then the rejection of Israel’s majority in verses 7-10.
1. The Election of Israel’s Minority (11:1-6)
1) The Example of Paul. If God had rejected Israel totally, then no Jews would be converted. However, Paul points to himself as Exhibit A. Paul had been gloriously converted on the road to Damascus. In verse 1 Paul says, “For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” I’m a Jew, and God has saved me. Therefore, God has not rejected all of the Jews.
Which Jews Has God Not Rejected? Well, Paul answers that question in verse 2, “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.” “His people” does not include all Israelites. It includes only those Israelites God foreknew. Now, what do we mean by the word “foreknew”? The word simply means “to know before.” But how did God know them before? This word can’t mean that God knew about them before, because God is omniscient and knows about all people beforehand. However, verse 2 tells us that only some of the Jews were foreknown. God knew these Jews before, in the sense, that He chose them before to be His. God chose to enter into a loving, saving relationship with them. They were foreknown, because He foreordained them to be His. Now, Paul is not giving us any new information here. He had told us about all of this in detail in chapter 9. There Paul told us that God chose Isaac, and rejected Ishmael. God chose Jacob, and rejected Esau. God has mercy on whom He desires, and hardens whom He desires. Some are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and others are vessels of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory. Paul went to great lengths in chapter 9 to help us understand that God is completely free in making His decisions on whom He will include in His true Israel and who He will reject. So, in chapter 9 Paul emphasized God’s sovereignty. Then in chapter 10, Paul emphasized man’s responsibility. Now, he is reverting back to emphasizing God’s sovereignty again.
Application – God Will Never Reject His Elect. This is the truth of verse 2. Those Jews that God has chosen will never be rejected. And, by extension, the implication for us is that if God has chosen us, we will never be rejected. But here is the rub. Some immediately say, “But how do I know whether God has chosen me?”
Acts 13:48, “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” If you are one of God’s elect, you will believe in Christ before you die.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” If you are one of God’s elect, the gospel will come to you in power and in the Holy Spirit with full conviction. The gospel will transform your life!
1 Peter 1:1-2, “who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.” If you are one of God’s elect, the Holy Spirit will sanctify you and you will obey Jesus Christ. If you are unwilling to obey Jesus Christ, you should not assume that you are one of God’s elect.
1 Corinthians 1:23-24, “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” If you are one of God’s elect you will see Christ as the power and wisdom of God. In other words Christ will become precious and beautiful and magnificent to you.
Hebrews 3:14, “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.” Another evidence of being one of God’s elect is perseverance in faith. The elect will persevere. If a person professes faith in Christ, but does not persevere in faith, he was not one of God’s elect.
I hope some of those passages help you to determine whether you are one of God’s elect. God will never reject one of His elect!
1 Samuel 12:22, “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.”
Psalm 94:14, “For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.”
Why will God not reject one of His chosen ones? Because of His great name! Because He has been pleased to make you a people for Himself! The reputation and fame of God’s name is at stake! If God were to reject one of His chosen ones, His great Name would suffer, and God is totally committed to His own glory.
2) The Example of the 7,000 in Elijah’s Day. Here, Paul is referring back to 1 Kings 19, in the days of wicked King Ahab, and Queen Jezebel who promoted Baal worship. The great mass of Israelites had turned away from God to idols. God’s own people had killed the true prophets, and torn down the altars consecrated to Jehovah. Elijah had had called down fire from heaven, and had executed 450 prophets of Baal, and had then prayed fervently that God would send rain and end the drought, which He did. After that glorious ministry, Jezebel sent word to Elijah that she was going to have him killed within 24 hours. Elijah fled from her in fear until he finally came to a cave and the word of the Lord came to him and asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Why are you fleeing from this woman, when you have seen My power so dramatically? That’s when Elijah cries out in 1 Kings 19:10, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” God responds in verse 18, “I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
The Principle. God will never leave Himself without a witness. He always keeps a faithful remnant. In the Church there have been times when the lamp of testimony has burned dim, but it has never gone out completely.
Application – God Will Always Keep His Elect. The first application was negative – God will never reject His elect. This application is positive – God will always keep His elect. That means that God exerts His power to preserve, and keep His elect people so that they do not fall away. But why does God keep them? “I have kept for MYSELF…” Again, we see that God is very God-centered. His ultimate reason that He keeps anyone is that it is for Himself! If the Lord hadn’t kept 7,000 men for Himself, there wouldn’t have been anyone left! If the Lord did not keep His elect for Himself, all of us would fall away.
1 Peter 1:5, “who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time…”
Jude 24, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Brothers and sisters, my confidence that I will persevere to the end is not in my abilities, or faithfulness or spirituality! My confidence that I will persevere is His promise to preserve me! My confidence is in Christ. He said in John 6:39, “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” Let your faith fasten tightly on Christ and His promises. He is faithful. He won’t disappoint those who trust in Him. The truth is that you not only is God responsible for you coming to faith in Christ, but He’s also responsible for keeping you in Christ! Remember what God says in 1Kings 19:18, “I have kept for Myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” God keeps His people “for Himself.” If you woke up this morning still believing in Jesus and loving Him, that’s because God has kept you! He deserves the glory not only for starting the work of grace in your heart, but preserving that work until you go home to be with Him in glory!
3) The Example of the Present Jewish Remnant.
In the same way then… at the present time. Paul is drawing a comparison between what God did in Elijah’s day in keeping 7,000 men, and what God is doing in Paul’s own day in saving a Jewish remnant. God kept 7,000 Jewish men from abandoning themselves to idolatry in Elijah’s day. And God is keeping a Jewish remnant from rejecting Christ in Paul’s day.
According to God’s gracious choice. Here Paul explains why some Jews in his own day were believing on Christ and being saved. It was because of God’s gracious choice. The KJV says, “according to the election of grace.” Divine election is the reason for the remnant, and this election is according to grace. In verse 6 Paul labors to point out that God’s election is not based on works. If election were based on works, it could not be by grace. Grace and works are like oil and water – they don’t mix. They are mutually exclusive. Grace is undeserved favor. If man was chosen because of his works, he would have something to boast of. He could claim that He deserved salvation. What Paul is really saying is that God’s election is not based on anything that man does. Notice that Paul is contrasting grace and works, not faith and works. If Paul were contrasting faith and works, he would be contrasting two different kinds of human activity. But since he is contrasting grace and works, he is contrasting divine activity with human activity. Works is what I do. Grace is what God gives. When Paul speaks of the remnant which is according to God’s gracious choice, He means that they are God’s remnant according to unconditional election. This election was of grace, meaning it was not conditioned by what man would contribute, but rather only on God’s sovereign grace. This is exactly what Paul had told us back in Romans 9:16, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” The choice was based on grace, not human merit. A gift cannot be earned. What is free cannot be bought. What is unmerited cannot be deserved.
Robert Haldane, “To set aside every idea that this election was the reward of an inherent good foreseen in those chosen, or of anything meritorious performed by them, the apostle adds that it was of grace. It was an unconditional choice resulting from the sovereign free favor of God.”
Charles Hodge, “The election was of grace – not founded on the merits of the persons chosen, but the good pleasure of God. If salvation comes because of anything within us, it is not based on the grace of God.”
Application – God Has Always Chosen His Elect On The Basis of Grace. My friend, if you are saved, you must give God all the glory for it! He did not do 90% and you 10%. He did not do 99% and you 1%. He did 100% and you did nothing. That’s what it means that you are saved by grace. You and I are saved by the undeserved free favor of God – period! That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:29, 31, “so that no man may boast before God… let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” God is to be thanked when anyone is saved, because they did all the sinning, and God did all the saving! My friends, don’t divide the praise between God and you. You don’t deserve the praise, and He does. Give Him all the glory!
2.The Rejection Of Israel’s Majority (11:7-10)
What Was Israel Seeking? Romans 9:30-32 tells us, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.” Israel sought righteousness – being right with God, but they sought it the wrong way; by works. There was a remnant within Israel who obtained a right standing with God. The rest were hardened.
There are 2 Groups Within Israel. “Those who were chosen” and “the rest”. Those who were chosen obtained right standing with God. The rest were hardened. Of course the same is true today. There are those who are chosen, and the rest. Those who are chosen are saved, and the rest are hardened. And notice that God is not passive in this hardening. Verse 8 says, “God gave them a spirit of stupor…” God is involved in some way in this hardening. Of course, Paul has already told us this in Romans 9:18, “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
What Those Who Are Hardened Are.
1) Spiritually Numb. In verse 8, Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 29:4. “Stupor” refers to a person who becomes insensible to external stimuli. We sometimes speak of a person who is in a “drunken stupor.” By that we mean that alcohol has so affected him that his senses have become dulled, and he is in his own dream world. He has become unresponsive. This is the condition of the man who is hardened. He is numb and unresponsive to spiritual things. You can talk to him all day long of the glories of Christ, and the beauty of His love, and the wonders of salvation, and to him it is “ho-hum.” He is in a spiritual stupor. He is unable to respond to spiritual stimuli. He hears the preaching of the gospel, or the witness of a friend, and it makes no lasting impression. His senses have been deadened and dulled by sin. He lives in a spiritual stupor in which the glorious truths of God make no real impact on his life. He has callouses over his heart.
2) Spiritually Blind. “Eyes to see not” (11:8); “Let their eyes be darkened to see not” (11:10). The man who is hardened is spiritually blind. You can tell him about the most wonderful spiritual truths, but he can’t see them. This is what Paul was referring to in 1 Corinthians 2:14 when he wrote, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
3) Spiritually Deaf. “Ears to hear not” (11:8). The children of Israel could hear with the physical ears, but not with their hearts. They were not only blind, but deaf. When Christ came, bringing the good news from God, they couldn’t hear Him. Jesus said in John 8:43, “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.” Jesus would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” The sad truth is that many people don’t have ears to hear. Unregenerate people are spiritually deaf, blind and numb!
What Those Who Are Hardened Do.
1) Prize the Gifts More than the Giver. I get that from 11:9, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, and a stumbling block and a retribution to them.” Of course, a table was a place of feasting, fellowship, and enjoyment. But this place of pleasure and blessing would be turned into a trap and a snare. I take that to mean that the good gifts of God would be their undoing. Why? Because they would prize these good gifts of God over God Himself who gave them. This is the universal sin of man, not just the Jews. Paul tells us about the heathen in Romans 1 who worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. God’s good gifts should lead us to worship and thank Him for His goodness, not become substitutes for Him!
2) Try to Gain Right Standing With God By Working. I get that from 11:10, “and bend their back forever.” A bent back is a picture of a person who is carrying a heavy load. And, that is exactly what the Jews were doing. In 10:3 Paul says, “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” The Jews sought to establish their own righteousness. And in order to do that, they worked! They worked hard to obey the law. In acts 15 Peter says, “why do you place upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear.” Those Jews who were seeking to be justified by law-keeping had a yoke on their necks, and a burden on their backs that they were not able to bear. God gave them up to their self-made and self-exalting works based religion.
Application
1) Understand it will take a miracle for someone to come to faith. Why? Because they are spiritually numb, blind and deaf. They can’t feel what you are telling them. They can’t see what you are describing. They can’t hear what you are saying. Lost people are not neutral. It’s not like they can with perfect ease choose sin or choose Christ. They are not neutral. They are committed and bound in sin. Since they are spiritually numb, blind and deaf to spiritual things, of course they will not choose them. They will choose sin. So, for a numb, blind and deaf man to come to Christ requires divine intervention. It will require Him to do a work in that sinner’s heart. A man will always choose according to his nature. If he only has a sinful nature, he will choose whatever kind of sin he most prefers. He must be granted a new nature to come to Christ. That’s why we pray for conversions. We can’t convert anyone, and the sinner can’t convert himself. Only God can convert anyone, and the truth is, He can convert anyone. Therefore, pray! Ask Him to save people from sin.
Although God may have hardened someone, He can remove the hardening. All of us were hardened at one point. Our condition was described in Ephesians 4:18-19 “being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.” We were darkened in our understanding (spiritually blind), had a hard heart and were callous (spiritually numb). But God is able to remove hearts of stone, and replace them with hearts of flesh – Ezek. 36:26. This judicial hardening is not necessarily permanent. God can reverse it if He chooses.
- God Still Has a Chosen Remnant Today. Of all the Jews in the world today, there are some who have come to Jesus Christ. Those are the remnant according to God’s gracious choice. The rest have been hardened. And this is not just true of Jews. It is true of Mexicans, Americans, Chinese, Africans, Australians, Britains, etc. God has a chosen remnant from all these nations. If you are a Christian, it is because you are part of God’s remnant according to the election of grace. Most of your nation has rejected Christ. Why didn’t you? Because of God’s gracious choice. Learn to give Him the glory for this. Refuse to take the glory to yourself, as if by your own good heart, or mental powers, or free will, you made the right choice. No, we have only made the right choice by the sovereign grace of God.
Thursday is Thanksgiving! What should we give thanks for above all else? We should say with Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” Thank Him that you are a vessel of mercy which He has prepared beforehand for glory!
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