The Doctrine of the Remnant
In Romans chapters 9 and 10, the Apostle Paul writes to the Christians at Rome about the doctrine of the election of grace (chapter 9) and the delivery of grace unto faith (chapter 10). In chapter 11, we begin with the doctrine of the remnant (11:1–6).
First, Paul answers the question about whether Yahweh has rejected the Jews or not. Immediately, the apostle issues an emphatic “No, God has not rejected them” (11:1b). Paul himself was a prime example that God is still saving Jews from their sins and His righteous wrath against sin (Rom 1:18). We rejoice and delight in our Jewish brethren, who love the Lord Jesus Christ, as we Gentile believers do. We are one in Christ (Gal 3:28; Eph 4:4–6).
Second, Paul identifies himself being of the tribe of Benjamin (11:1d). This serves as an allusion to the remnant tribe that remained faithful to the house of David of the tribe of Judah. In fact, the Israelites were a remnant people from the whole of humanity (11:1c), albeit a type and shadow of the true Israel — God’s chosen people, called out from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Is 49:1–7; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 5:9).
In verse 2a, we have the word “foreknow” (Gk. προεγνω) This means God’s beforehand love of His elect. Elect and chosen are synonymous terms. Adam knew Eve. Abram knew Sarai, etc. It is best illustrated by the polite, old English way of saying they had sexual relations. It is intimate knowledge reserved for a married couple, a husband and wife. Christ’s bride, His church, the true Israel was known to Him before the foundation of the world.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians…”In love, He (God the Father) predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will (Eph 1:5).” It is not that God looked ahead in time and discovered (the omniscient God never discovers anything) who would love Him back; rather, He set His electing love upon a certain group of people when He determined to save them in an eternal salvation (Heb 5:9). It was for these elect ones that Paul labored so diligently (2 Tim 2:10).
So, we see that God the Father loved His chosen ones in predestination. God the Son loved these same people, whom the Father gave to Him before creation (Jn 17:2, 6, 24; 18:9), when He died in their place on the cross (1 Cor 15:3; 1 Pet 2:24). God the Spirit loved this same group of people to whom He was sent by the Father and the Son to pour out the love of God in our hearts (Jn 14:26; 15:26; Rom 5:5). Trinitarian love never fails (1 Cor 13:8).
Third, the Apostle Paul appealed to the church members at Rome regarding Old Testament history (11:2b). He provoked them with a question they surely knew the answer to regarding the prophet Elijah.
After defeating the 450 priests of Baal at Mount Carmel; then, running a marathon across the Jezreel Valley to distance himself from Jehu (who got stuck in the mud for driving his chariot like a yay-hoo); Elijah, then, had a pity party, alone, in the south. He was avoiding the wrath of Queen Jezebel, who wanted the prophet dead. The valiant warrior prophet clearly lost his focus on who gave him the victory at Carmel. We must not grow weary in doing good (Gal 6:9; 2 Thess 3:13); for it is God in us willing and doing His good pleasure (Phil 2:13).
The difficulty we have is Elijah’s sudden loss of faith in Yahweh; but we do not want to miss Paul’s point. Elijah’s claim was that he alone was left as a believer in Yahweh in Israel. Yahweh’s response to him was that He, God, had kept seven thousand faithful people in Israel. We remember that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). Elijah was not alone; and God is obviously not concerned about the size of any congregation. That is the whole point of the doctrine of the remnant!
The lesson for us from the Elijah illustration, recounted by Paul, is that God always has a remnant of faithful people that He keeps for Himself, as a witness to the unbelieving world. Paul is claiming that the doctrine of the remnant was true in Elijah’s day; and it was true in the apostle’s day. It is, of course, true in our day, too.
The doctrine of the remnant should be obvious to any reader of the Bible. God saved a remnant family when He flooded the earth with water (Gen 6–9). God saved a remnant family when He rained fire and brimstone down on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19). God blessed one family when He called out Abram at Ur of the Chaldees…and so on.
Fourth, we learn from the Holy Spirit through Paul that the origin of the remnant is God’s gracious choice (Rom 11:5). This is why the true Israel, both Jews and Gentiles from every nation, are called “God’s chosen people”, His beloved. Christ is the Head of His body of people, His church, the Israel of God (Eph 1:22; 5:23; Col 1:18; Gal 6:16).
Ethnic Israel was merely a type of the true Israel; and Paul explained this when explaining God’s electing grace in Romans 9:6. Not all ethnic Israel is true Israel. His point in Romans 11 is the reverse: some ethnic Israel (Jews) are true Israel (saved), himself included.
Elsewhere, Paul wrote that if one is saved from the consequences of sin and the wrath of God against sinners, then it is entirely by God’s grace (Eph 2:8–9). It has nothing to do with man’s works, whatsoever. This was his point in Romans 10. In fact, it is the main theme of the entire book of Romans. True Israel is justified by God’s grace, not man’s works. Further, in the context of Romans 11, the Jews that believe in Jesus Messiah believe because God chose them to be believers.
Finally, faith is a gift of God; it is not of ourselves. Grace is a work of God, not of ourselves (Eph 2:8–9). God set apart a chosen people for adoption as sons before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:5). He chose us (11:5); we did not choose Him (Jn 15:16). Then, God the Father sent His Son to die for those people He has chosen in eternity past. Christ died for our sins, the sins of His people from all over the world and across time (Mt 1:21; Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3).
He sent the Holy Spirit to baptize us into His church, the true Israel (1 Cor 12:13). The Spirit caused us to be born again (1 Pet 1:3). He transferred us from the domain of darkness and into Christ’s kingdom (Rom 14:17; Col 1:13), where our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20) and where our King is seated at the right hand of Majesty (Heb 1:3; 8:1). Today, we serve as ambassadors for Christ in the world (2 Cor 5:20).
In conclusion, Christians are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16–17), which includes the election of grace that manifests in the remnant believers all over the world — remnant Jews and remnant Gentiles (11:5). There is no more distinction between believing Jews and believing Gentiles (Gal 3:28). We have one faith. We have one Lord. We are brought into Christ through one baptism. We share one hope. We have one future (Eph 4:4–6; Rev 21–22).
Elijah thought he was alone in the faith. Paul reminds us that Elijah was not alone for one reason: God’s gracious choice of a remnant people in the 9th century B.C., also in the first century A.D. and at all other times, including today. God’s remnant people exist because God makes them exist.
God is glorified in doing all His holy will. He works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11). His works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb 4:3). Thus, Isaiah says, “He performs all our works for us” (Is 26:12) because He lives in us (Rom 8:9, 11; Gal 2:20), willing and doing His good pleasure (Eph 2:13). When God does the works that result in our salvation, we call it “grace.” We are saved by grace, alone, the work of God for our benefit, our salvation.
When God’s work (grace) produces a people for Himself, it is a remnant — vessels of mercy prepared for glory (Rom 9:23; 8:10). When God’s work hardens a people to hate Him (Rom 1:30); disobey Him (Rom 10:21); blaspheme Him; even denying His existence, there is no grace. These are His chosen vessels of wrath, prepared for destruction (Rom 9:22). Both groups bring God glory, by His perfect attributes being put on display in relation to them — be it mercy and grace or justice and righteous judgment. For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things — glory to His name for the great things He has done…including His choice of a remnant people to be saved, both Jew and Gentile.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
June 6, 2025
Romans 11:1–6
