Under Gods Command

Romans 11:1-6 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject this people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah-how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace then it is no longer by works; if it were , grace would no longer be grace.

Paul points out that not all Jews have rejected God’s message of salvation. There is still a faithful remnant (11:5). Paul himself, after all, was a Jew, and so were Jesus’ disciples and nearly all of the early Christian missionaries.

Elijah was a great reforming prophet who challenged the northern Kingdom of Israel to repent. See his Profile in 1 Kings 18.

God chose the Jews (“his people, whom he foreknew”) to be the people through whom the rest of the world could find salvation. But this did not mean the entire Jewish nation would be saved; only those who were faithful to God (the remnant) were considered true Jews (11:5). We are saved through faith in Christ, not because we are part of a nation, religion, or family.

Lets Bring it home: On whom or on what are you depending for Salvation? Do you think it’s easier for God to love you when you’re good? Do you secretly suspect that God chose you because you deserved it? Do you think some people’s behavior is so bad that God couldn’t possibly save them? If you ever think this way, you don’t entirely understand that salvation is by grace, a free gift. It cannot be earned, in whole or in part; it can only be accepted with thankfulness and praise.

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