As Paul showed in chapter 10, Israel as a nation had to be characterized as a disobedient and obstinate people, firmly committed to their opposition to the gospel. Humanly speaking, the situation looked bleak, even hopeless. And so it would have been for humans, if not for a gracious God.
Paul turns our attention to the marvelous grace of a loving God who is determined in his faithfulness to save stubborn and rebellious Israel—even if it would be only a remnant.
Israel’s present status
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. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
From Paul’s description it is obvious that Israel as a nation was in serious trouble. Should Paul perhaps give up on them? Or a more pertinent question: Has God given up on them? Paul answers with a resounding no!
First, Paul offers himself and his own situation as Exhibit A. If in principle God had ruled Jews out of heaven, then Paul himself would have been disqualified. He says, “I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.” Furthermore, many of Paul’s peers, including Peter and the other apostles, were also Jews. Obviously, God had not rejected his people.
As Exhibit B, demonstrating God’s ability to work his saving will under difficult circumstances, Paul reminds his readers of the situation at the time of Elijah (1 Kings 19). Despite Elijah’s God-given success against the prophets of Baal, Israel as a nation did not rally behind him. Instead, they aided and abetted the enemy. In this sorry state of affairs, Elijah unburdens himself with the complaint, “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.”
Despite Elijah’s pessimistic outlook, a remnant of true Israel remained in the physical Israel. No less than seven thousand remained faithful to the Lord. Paul makes a comparison to the situation of his own day. He says, “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.”
That remnant, like all true believers, exists because of God’s grace. It does not exist because some have worked for their salvation and earned it. It is purely a gift of God, received by faith, without works. In fact, to do otherwise and bring works or merit into the picture is to ruin God’s free gift and lose his favor.