A Remnant of One

As we come to chapter 11 of Romans, Paul still is dealing with the issue he raised in 9:6—does the Jews’ widespread rejection of Christ mean that God’s promises have been voided or have failed? Paul already has laid out three arguments against this conclusion: First, all whom God has elected to save will be saved (9:6–24); second, God had made it known that not all Israelites would be saved but that some gentiles would be (9:25–29); and third, the Jews’ failure to believe was their fault, not God’s (9:30–10:21). In this chapter, Paul will present another four arguments, all showing that God has not utterly rejected the Jews. The first of these is contained in today’s verse, where Paul asserts that some Jews are being saved, he himself being the proof.

The arguments summarized above might well prompt Paul’s readers to conclude that God has simply cast aside the Jews and is now building a people for Himself from the unsaved ranks of the gentiles. That is why Paul opens today’s verse with this question: “Has God cast away His people?” His answer is another of those violent denials he has issued periodically throughout this epistle in answer to his own hypothetical questions: “Certainly not!” Then he presents his evidence to back up this conclusion: “For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” Why does the apostle list these “credentials”? First, he notes that he is an “Israelite” because “Israel” was the Jews’ covenant name, and Paul is emphasizing God’s faithfulness to His promises here. Second, he says that he is “of the seed of Abraham” because, as we have seen, Abraham was the forefather of both natural Israel and of spiritual Israel, those who have faith like his. Third, he notes that he is “of the tribe of Benjamin,” the one tribe that followed Judah and remained faithful to the kingly line of David, in which line Jesus Christ came.

There can be no doubt—this man was a Jew of Jews. And if he can be saved, God clearly has not totally “cast away” the Jews. “Paul is using his own case as proof that Israel has not been abandoned,” Dr. James M. Boice writes. “As long as there is only one believing Jew—though, in fact, there are many—no one can affirm that God has rejected Israel utterly. Paul is a remnant by himself.”