The Reserved Remnant

We saw yesterday that Paul is a remnant of one, a single Jew whose salvation proves God has not utterly cast off the Israelites. But the fact is that God always has preserved for Himself a contingent of faithful people, even in Israel’s darkest hours. This is the point of 11:2–10, which constitutes the fifth of Paul’s seven arguments in Romans 9–11 to prove that God’s redemptive purposes have not failed.

As evidence of this truth, Paul cites the story of Elijah’s moment of doubt, a narrative we considered briefly several studies ago. The story is told in 1 Kings 19:1–18. Elijah had just challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest in which their god and his God were given the opportunity to show their power. Baal gave no response, but God displayed great wonders in accepting Elijah’s sacrifice. So convinced were the people that they heeded Elijah’s call to execute the prophets of Baal, 450 of them. But then Elijah heard that the wicked Queen Jezebel was plotting to kill him in retribution, so he fled to the Sinai area. God appeared to him there, and Elijah, feeling sorry for himself, registered his complaint: “ ‘Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.’ ” But God quickly set Elijah straight on that matter: “ ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ ” In the darkness of his times, Elijah was tempted to believe that God’s promises had failed. But God assured Him it was not so. And Paul uses Elijah’s story to assure us that it is never so.

So there is always a remnant. But the reason has nothing to do with man and everything to do with God, as indicated by the qualifiers in this passage. First, Paul says “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.” As we learned when we examined Romans 8:29, foreknew essentially means “elected.” Thus, Paul is telling us that God has not cast away those He has determined to save, the true Israelites. Second, God’s words to Elijah affirm this truth. He says, “ ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men. . . ’ ” Finally, Paul declares that “there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” What could be clearer? Where there is a remnant, it exists because God in His grace chose, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. He saves as He wishes, whether a person be Jew or gentile.