Romans chapter 11 verse 1. Try to look at verse 1 down through
verse 6. Now let me give you this introduction. We have seen thus far in our
study in the book of Romans, Paul has made several references
to the Jewish nation And that nation of people we know as Israel,
Israel, or Judah, or the Jews as they're often called. They
had, these people had many advantages over the Gentiles. They had the
very word of God. They had the calling out of Abraham.
of which these people descended. They had the giving of the Law
of God through Moses, the very Word of God, the very testimony
of God, called in Romans 3, the Oracles of God. This nation and
these people had many prophets sent unto them, most of which
they killed and would not hear. But all the prophets that God
sent unto them, they all pointed these people to Christ, the Lord
Jesus Christ. They had the Levitical priesthood.
They had the tabernacle. They had the temple. They had
all those feast days, the Passover day, the Day of Atonement. They
had many more privileges. But instead of using these means
God had given to them to point them to Christ, they worshipped
the means instead of the God who gave them. They worshipped
the law of God rather than the God who gave the law. They sought salvation by doing
the law rather than resting upon the promises of God, of which
in Him all the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in Him
and are amen unto the glory of God forever." You remember the
Apostle Paul prayed for these people earnestly. Look back at
Romans 9 verse 1. He prayed for these people earnestly
because he said they were Lost, they were most religious, but
they didn't know the true and living God. He says in Romans
9, 1, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness
and continual sorrow in my heart. For I wish that myself were accursed
from Christ for my brethren, for my kinsmen, according to
the flesh, who are Israelites. Look at Romans 10 verse 1. Brethren, my heart, desire, and
prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For
I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. And we know that is Christ, for
He is the end of the law. for righteousness to everyone
that believes the gospel." Paul prayed for these people. He was
concerned for these people. Has God cast away his people
which he foreknew? For I am an Israelite, the seed
of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. I say then, have God cast away
his people? God forbid. When the Messiah
came among them, the Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming that salvation
was of the Lord, remember they rejected him for the most part,
that nation did. We read in John 1, he came unto
his own, his own received him not. And then, when Pilate brought
forth the Lord Jesus Christ in the Hall of Judgment and said
to those Jewish people, Behold your King, remember their response,
away with Him, crucify Him, we have no King but Caesar. Now in this chapter, again, Paul
brings up the matter of these Jewish people and the salvation
that they so desperately, desperately needed. Now, if you'll back up
just one verse in chapter 10, verse 21, remember that chapter
ended by this quotation from Isaiah 65. The Lord says to Israel,
all day long, I have stretched forth my hand unto a disobedient
and gainsaying people. I say then, had God cast away
his people, God forbid, For I am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham,
of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people,
which he hath always foreknown." Had God cast away, and here's
the question he's asking. Has God cast away every person
that is a Jew, a natural born son of Abraham in this day? Has God cast away everyone that
is of the nation of Israel and called them a reprobate people? And Paul says here, God forbid,
God forbid. Paul reminds us that he too was
once a Christ-hating Jew, remember? He went about with all zeal persecuting
the church and killing those that called upon the name of
the Lord. He did everything he could to stamp out the name of
Christ. He too was a Christ hating Jew
who now by the Lord's grace was made to love the Lord and to
preach His gospel. That is a miracle of God's grace. It says here that he was, and
this is his testimony, seed of Abraham, tribe of Benjamin. Seed of Abraham, tribe of Benjamin. Now don't turn with me because
you're most familiar with this, but so we can refresh our memory,
I'll read it to you. Paul said, remember, if any man
thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh,
Paul said, either more. Circumcised the eighth day, the
stock of Israel. of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew
of Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal,
persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in
the law, blameless. But what things were gained to
me, those I counted loss for Christ, after the Lord taught
him and revealed the gospel to him. I was to the seed of Abraham,
I was to the tribe of Benjamin, I was too a Jew who at one time
hated, hated the gospel of Christ. Now look at verse 2, God had
not cast away his people. Now these people here he's talking
about is his spiritual Israel. God had not cast away his people
which he foreknew. Know ye not what the Scriptures
saith of Elijah, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel,
saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and dig down thine
altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life? But what saith the answer of
God unto him? The Lord our God said, I have
reserved to myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee
to the image of Baal. God hath not cast away his elect
among the Jews or among the Gentiles. God has a people redeemed by
the blood of Christ out of every kindred, tribe, nation, and tongue
under heaven, which he hath chosen in that eternal covenant of grace.
He has foreknown and loved them with an everlasting love, and
predestinated them to be just like the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, by the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, reminds us of the prime example of Elijah in his
day. You remember how the Lord brought
down fire and consumed the sacrifice, showing that he is God and that
Baal is no God? Remember from 1 Kings 18 and
19 when Elijah on Mount Carmel faced down those 700 prophets
of Baal? And he said, let the God who
answers by fire, let him be God. Do you remember the story how
fire fell from heaven and licked up the water, the dust, the stones,
and the sacrifice, declaring that the living God, the God
of Elijah, is God? And how Elijah then in zeal and
glory killed all the false prophets. But it says here, He made intercession
against Israel. After Elijah had that great victory,
Ahab, the king of Israel, and his wife, Jezebel, put out a
contract to kill Elijah. You remember what he did? He
ran off and hid in a cave. And then he complained to the
Lord, said, Lord, I'm the only one left. I'm the only believer
left. And the Lord said, you get out
of that cave. I've got something else for you to do. He made intercession
against Israel for all their constant rebellion and idolatry
against God. We find him running from Jezebel
and Ahab. We find him hiding in a cave
and asking the Lord to take him to glory because he's the only
believer left. Now here's the exact quote from
1 Kings 19 verse 10. Let me read it to you. I've been
very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of
Israel have forsaken thy commandment, thrown down thine altars, slain
thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left. And they seek my life to take
it away. And the Lord said in 1 Kings
19.18, I have left me 7,000 in Israel. 7,000 that he knew nothing about. The Lord has always known his
people. I have left me 7,000 in Israel. That 7 is a perfect number. God
has chosen his people in perfection. All the knees which have not
bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him, that
is, Baal. Now, just as Elijah was wrong
in his day, Paul reminds us not to be shallow and small in our
thinking about the Lord and his church in our day. The Lord will
never leave himself without a witness, without a gospel witness, nor
will he leave himself without a people upon this earth that
he has chosen from eternity and justified them in Christ. You remember we're justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Lord has an elect where he
has placed them, for his eternal purpose, to serve his cause and
his truth. And one day he will send the
gospel to wherever these people are, his elect, his chosen. He
has always foreknown them and foreloved them. And he will cross
their path with the gospel and he will call them out. Now, look
at verse 5. Even so then, that was true in
Elijah's day and true in Paul's day, is also true in our day. Even so, then, at this present
time, also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace, and if by grace, it's no more of works." Now, I'm very
fond of that statement, the election of grace, the election of grace. God has elected a people from
eternity, God has elected a people in this world, called here a
remnant, a remnant, a small number, but it's a remnant according
to the election of grace. We call that unconditional election. Remember that T-U-L-I-P? What does that U stand for? Unconditional
election. That is, all the conditions of
our election are in God's eternal purpose. They are unconditional
toward us. Many people want to deny what
the Bible truth is about the blessed doctrine of election,
but not believers. Believers believe that God elected
the people. Why don't we believe that? Because
that's what the book teaches. For we know, had not the Lord
chosen us in that eternal covenant of grace, we never would have
believed the gospel. We never would have believed
the gospel. We never would have heard the Gospel or the Gospel
would have never crossed our path. We only believe the Gospel
according to the working of His mighty power. There is a remnant
that God has chosen from all eternity and He chose them according
to the election of His will, the election of His purpose,
the election of His grace. Now, God chose us, we didn't
choose Him. God chose us, remember John 15,
16 the Lord said you did not choose me, I chose you and I
ordained you to bring forth fruit unto eternal life. And then when
did the Lord God choose us? God chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. Who did the choosing? God did
the choosing. When did He choose us? Before
the foundation of the world, and He chose us in Christ. We
are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because God has, from the beginning, chosen you unto
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, which leads to
belief of the truth. whereby he called you by the
gospel. God has chosen us, his elect, to be conformed to the
image of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what predestination is
all about. In Romans 8, 29, for whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren,
Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom
he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, he glorified
them, all past tense. Now, how do we know anything
about our election? How do we know anything about
our election? Well, the answer is by hearing the gospel and
believing the gospel. If you want to turn to this,
you can. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. How
do we know anything about God's electing love, God's electing
grace, God's predestinating and sovereign grace? How do we know
anything about it? 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse
4, Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. Peter said,
Make your calling and election sure. How do we know anything
about it? about election because of our
calling. For our gospel came not into you in word only, but
also in power and in the Holy Ghost, with much assurance, as
you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. Now I want you to find another
scripture on this point. Turn back to the book of Acts.
When Paul went preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,
in Acts chapter 13, and he preached to those people the
forgiveness of sin through the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 39,
by Him all that believe are justified from all things, but you could
not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13. Now look at verse
44. Acts 13, 44. The next Sabbath
day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of
God. But when the Jews saw the multitude, they were filled with
envy. When they saw the Gentiles, they were filled with envy and
spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting
and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold and said, it was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you, that is, to those Jews. But seeing
that you put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Well, so hath
the Lord commanded us, saying, I have sent thee to be a light
of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends
of the earth, Verse 48, and when the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed the gospel. How do we know anything
about election? Our calling, with our calling
comes faith, it's a gift of God. And that causes us, when God
gives us eternal life, quickens us in the new birth, the fruit
of that is faith in Christ. Now, look back at Romans 11,
verse 6. And if election and salvation
is all of grace, grace, the unmerited sovereign favor of God, Salvation
by the sovereign grace of God. You can't make too much of this.
Salvation is by grace alone, faith alone, in Christ alone.
And if by grace, if the election and salvation is by grace, then
it cannot be by works. It's no more works. Otherwise,
grace is not really grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise, grace is not really
grace at all. Now, it's either one or the other.
Salvation is either totally, completely, only by the sovereign
purpose, will, and grace of God, completely, only, and totally,
or it's by works, by the deeds of the law, or by your morality,
or the deeds of the flesh. It's either one or the other.
This book teaches that salvation is of the Lord, that it's all
of grace. Grace alone, grace alone. The right conclusion is that
it's not of works, otherwise grace is not grace at all. If salvation by any measure in
any way to any degree is by the works of the flesh and deeds
of the law, then the grace of God has nothing to do with our
salvation. But we've seen all the way through
our study, turn back to Chapter 4 in the book of Romans. The
book of Romans deals specifically with this theme, how God justifies
the ungodly. How does God justify the ungodly,
redeem them, and make them righteous before God? Is it in any way
dependent upon man's efforts, works, deeds, Morality cannot
be. Look what it says in Romans 4,
verse 1, What shall we say then, that Abraham our father, as pertaining
to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified
by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For
what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is reward,
not reckoning of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh
not, not of works, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. Verse six, Romans four, even
as David also described it, the blessedness of the man unto whom
God imputed righteousness without works. You kind of get the idea? Without works, without works,
without works. Saying, blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
that man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. This is salvation by the grace
of God alone. Salvation is either one or the
other. It cannot be both. Now, what
a lot of people try to do, they try to make a mixture. They say,
well, God's done all He can do, and that's grace, but the rest
is up and left to you. That works. Now, is that going
to work? No. Think about it. The greatest
thing that the Lord has accomplished in the salvation of His people,
would He make such a great, glorious work Successful or not, depending
on the frail, sinful, fallen, fickle will of the creature. That would make salvation by
the will of man, not salvation by the will of God. You see how
important this is? Now, there's many Scriptures
that we could read to further validate this point, but it doesn't
really need to be further validated. Anything the Lord says in the
Word one time is all we need to believe. But you know these
Scriptures, for by grace are you saved through faith. And
that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast. So that's why fallen sinful men
enjoy talking about salvation that depends upon them. You know why? They want to boast
what they've done for God. So it's not of works. And then
I quote this scripture all the time, about every sermon I preach,
where Paul is in prison, writing back to Timothy, reminding him
not to be ashamed of the gospel. And then he said, it's God who
saved us and called us. Notice, he saved us and then
he called us. When did he save us? Well, in
that eternal covenant of grace. He saved us and then he called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace given us in Christ before the foundation
of the world." Now, did you have anything to do with that? If
it was given to you in Christ before the foundation of the
world? That is the unmerited sovereign favor of God. And then
in Titus 3, it's not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy. He saved us. Now, I copy and
pasted out of Brother Mahan's commentary from this verse in
Romans chapter 11, verse 6. And here's what he said. Salvation
is by the pure, unmerited grace and mercy of God. The works,
efforts, and deeds of men are not involved. Not involved. If salvation comes to us because
of our works, however small, then it's not of grace. That's
so, isn't it? If you can find any reason why
God should save you other than by His grace in Christ, which
He was pleased to show us in Christ and show us mercy, then
you're advocating salvation by works, not grace at all.