“So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” (Romans 11:5, RSV)
The scripture for today from Romans 11:5 contains the word “remnant”. It speaks of a remnant among the people chosen by God to remain faithful. When God punishes evil, the remnant who are faithful will be spared. When God cleansed the earth with the flood spoken of in the book of Genesis, God left a remnant through Noah and his family. When the Babylonian armies destroyed Jerusalem, a remnant of the faithful endured exile in Babylon. That remnant would later rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple (See Ezra and Nehemiah). In every age and time, you will find that God works through that remnant to share the gospel and to keep the faith pure and undefiled; thus, powerfully alive.
“Something remaining. In the Old Testament some passages refer to the total destruction of a nation (e.g., the Babylonians in Jer. 50:26). When God brings judgment on the people, however, he does not destroy the faithful with the wicked, but leaves a remnant (Ezek. 6:8; Mic. 2:12). The concept of a remnant stood for that part of the nation who were faithful even though most people rejected the ways of God (Isa. 4:2–4). The fact of the existence of a remnant is said to be due to God himself (Isa. 1:9; Zeph. 3:12). The remnant, then, is the real people of God, a concept we also find in the New Testament, “a remnant chosen by grace” (Rom. 11:5).” (The Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook, Walter A. Elwell, Editor, p. 355).
Are you among the “remnant chosen by grace” living in the world today? That depends. The remnant is chosen for specific purposes. They are chosen by God and separated out from the world by God’s grace (Romans 11:5b). In response, they are to do two main things. First, they are to keep God’s Word and themselves undefiled. Second, they are to do evangelism by spreading the true gospel. Let’s look closer at the meaning of these two purposes for the faithful remnant.
As to keeping the gospel pure, the remnant needs to be faithful and true concerning the Bible and living the faith. When the world wants to destroy God’s ways, it often accomplishes this by either destroying or watering-down God’s commands or God’s people. For example, Christians in China today are experiencing, firsthand, worldly tactics aimed at watering down the gospel message. The government in China has set up controls and laws about what is preached and taught in the churches. The churches are registered and monitored whenever possible. The government constantly meddles in church life hoping to manipulate the faithful into believing in both Jesus and Socialism. The government of China also tries to destroy God’s commands by confiscating and destroying Bibles, forbidding the printing or importing of Bibles, and more. Elsewhere on my website, I have given notice about the churches that have been torn down in China. All these methods are attempts to destroy the heart of Christianity in China. However, don’t for a moment think that Christians in China are gone. There is a remnant there believed to be over 150 million strong!
The second main calling of the “remnant” is to spread the faith. If you are a person who easily shares your passion for God, this calling should be natural. Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ offers so many things to this world. Filled with uncertainty, many worldly people are looking for answers about life. With Jesus, the faithful have found hope in the midst of chaos, peace even in tribulation, and a faithful love that transcends normal worldly activities. I have seen faithful people overcome tremendous odds, respond with grace despite suffering, and share their wealth to help the needy. I have witnessed the faithful respond with enthusiasm when speaking about their faith in Christ. If you share your faith openly and with such passion that others have responded to God’s call, you can be confident that you may indeed be among the remnant serving Christ today.
Remember that the “remnant” will always be in the minority. Today, that same holds true. Many mainline churches have gone “off the tracks”, preaching social justice instead of Biblical faith. Many Christians have adopted worldly values. Many sermons have been watered down to appeal to a wider audience. Many have neglected prayer and do not speak with God. Many have chosen to follow modern fads and have rejected God’s authority. According to a study done some years ago of multiple denominations, it is believed that as few as 18% of all Christians living today even know the BASICS of the Bible! It is not popular to be called a Christian today. It is not safe in many places to acknowledge you are a Christian. The remnant does not care about what is popular or what sounds good. They do not follow the hype of the day. They follow God in Christ. They follow Jesus faithfully, no matter what the obstacle.
When John Calvin, the reformer, was asked about who would go to heaven, he responded that “the elect” would be the only ones to go to heaven. When he was asked to explain who “the elect” were, he acknowledged that they were the ones chosen by God to be faithful and who responded with a pure and undefiled faith. When Calvin was asked how many in the churches are of “the elect”, Calvin responded with two words: “very few” (Institutes 3: 20, 11). Jesus was once asked if only a few would be saved. He responded that “many will seek to enter, but not be able” (Luke 13:24). Jesus also said that the harvest of faithful is plentiful, but the workers were FEW (Luke 10:2). With these words, even Jesus acknowledged that the remnant is the “FEW” who share the true gospel and follow God faithfully.
I hope and pray that today you are numbered among the remnant keeping faithful to Jesus in a time of rampant worldliness. I pray your faith is pure and undefiled before God. I also hope that your passion for God in Christ is so evident that others enthusiastically believe in Christ because of your personal witness.
“Something remaining. In the Old Testament some passages refer to the total destruction of a nation (e.g., the Babylonians in Jer. 50:26). When God brings judgment on the people, however, he does not destroy the faithful with the wicked, but leaves a remnant (Ezek. 6:8; Mic. 2:12). The concept of a remnant stood for that part of the nation who were faithful even though most people rejected the ways of God (Isa. 4:2–4). The fact of the existence of a remnant is said to be due to God himself (Isa. 1:9; Zeph. 3:12). The remnant, then, is the real people of God, a concept we also find in the New Testament, “a remnant chosen by grace” (Rom. 11:5).” (The Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook, Walter A. Elwell, Editor, p. 355).
Are you among the “remnant chosen by grace” living in the world today? That depends. The remnant is chosen for specific purposes. They are chosen by God and separated out from the world by God’s grace (Romans 11:5b). In response, they are to do two main things. First, they are to keep God’s Word and themselves undefiled. Second, they are to do evangelism by spreading the true gospel. Let’s look closer at the meaning of these two purposes for the faithful remnant.
As to keeping the gospel pure, the remnant needs to be faithful and true concerning the Bible and living the faith. When the world wants to destroy God’s ways, it often accomplishes this by either destroying or watering-down God’s commands or God’s people. For example, Christians in China today are experiencing, firsthand, worldly tactics aimed at watering down the gospel message. The government in China has set up controls and laws about what is preached and taught in the churches. The churches are registered and monitored whenever possible. The government constantly meddles in church life hoping to manipulate the faithful into believing in both Jesus and Socialism. The government of China also tries to destroy God’s commands by confiscating and destroying Bibles, forbidding the printing or importing of Bibles, and more. Elsewhere on my website, I have given notice about the churches that have been torn down in China. All these methods are attempts to destroy the heart of Christianity in China. However, don’t for a moment think that Christians in China are gone. There is a remnant there believed to be over 150 million strong!
The second main calling of the “remnant” is to spread the faith. If you are a person who easily shares your passion for God, this calling should be natural. Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ offers so many things to this world. Filled with uncertainty, many worldly people are looking for answers about life. With Jesus, the faithful have found hope in the midst of chaos, peace even in tribulation, and a faithful love that transcends normal worldly activities. I have seen faithful people overcome tremendous odds, respond with grace despite suffering, and share their wealth to help the needy. I have witnessed the faithful respond with enthusiasm when speaking about their faith in Christ. If you share your faith openly and with such passion that others have responded to God’s call, you can be confident that you may indeed be among the remnant serving Christ today.
Remember that the “remnant” will always be in the minority. Today, that same holds true. Many mainline churches have gone “off the tracks”, preaching social justice instead of Biblical faith. Many Christians have adopted worldly values. Many sermons have been watered down to appeal to a wider audience. Many have neglected prayer and do not speak with God. Many have chosen to follow modern fads and have rejected God’s authority. According to a study done some years ago of multiple denominations, it is believed that as few as 18% of all Christians living today even know the BASICS of the Bible! It is not popular to be called a Christian today. It is not safe in many places to acknowledge you are a Christian. The remnant does not care about what is popular or what sounds good. They do not follow the hype of the day. They follow God in Christ. They follow Jesus faithfully, no matter what the obstacle.
When John Calvin, the reformer, was asked about who would go to heaven, he responded that “the elect” would be the only ones to go to heaven. When he was asked to explain who “the elect” were, he acknowledged that they were the ones chosen by God to be faithful and who responded with a pure and undefiled faith. When Calvin was asked how many in the churches are of “the elect”, Calvin responded with two words: “very few” (Institutes 3: 20, 11). Jesus was once asked if only a few would be saved. He responded that “many will seek to enter, but not be able” (Luke 13:24). Jesus also said that the harvest of faithful is plentiful, but the workers were FEW (Luke 10:2). With these words, even Jesus acknowledged that the remnant is the “FEW” who share the true gospel and follow God faithfully.
I hope and pray that today you are numbered among the remnant keeping faithful to Jesus in a time of rampant worldliness. I pray your faith is pure and undefiled before God. I also hope that your passion for God in Christ is so evident that others enthusiastically believe in Christ because of your personal witness.