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Pastor's Blog July 8, 2021
"View of God in Romans XVIII"
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Last week Romans helped us see that God has not left himself without a witness - that God continually communicates himself to Jews and Gentiles. This week Romans will also help us see that God has not left himself without a remnant - and that the remnant shows how gracious God is, rather than how awesome we are. In Romans 11:1-2, Paul asks a question and then answers it: "I say then, God has not rejected His people [Israel], has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people [Israel] whom He foreknew" (NASB).
It's evident Paul is talking about Israel as the people of God (which is why I put the word in brackets for clarity), because Romans 10 has been a comparison between Israel's rejection of hearing the good news and the Gentiles' joyful reception of it. The apostle's concern was probably the same as that of other first century Christian Jews: has Israel stopped being God's people? Paul's answer is a resounding "NO!" Appealing to the story of Elijah and the seven thousand individuals who had not worshiped Baal (verses 2-4), Paul draws a conclusion about Israel in verse 5: "In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice" (NASB). Even though much of Israel seemingly rejected the Messiah, according to Paul they are still part of God's people - because God has preserved a remnant of Israel who believe in Jesus!
But did you notice why they are a remnant? It's not because they were faithful, believing, or obedient; there's only a remnant because of God's grace - more specifically, because God is gracious! We Adventists like to talk about the remnant, and we even tend to think of ourselves in a few remnant categories. But remember what Paul says: being part of the remnant has to do with the covenant promises made to Israel that center in Jesus (recall Romans 9:1-5), and our inclusion in the remnant highlights God's grace and our total inability to make ourselves remnant-worthy or maintain ourselves in a remnant status.
Friends, know today that God's remnant gets its existence from God's graciousness.
God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
