Chosen By Grace

“God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” -Romans 11:2–5

Now Paul clarifies what he means in verse one when he refers to “his people.” The assumption of his audience seems to be that Israel the nation are his people, but it must be remembered that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (Romans 9:6). The people God has not rejected are his people whom he foreknew.

The word, foreknew is the Greek word προγινώσκω. γινώσκω means to know and the prefix προ means to know beforehand. It is also used in to mean choose or have intimate knowledge of as in Genesis 4:1 when Adam knew his wife. The Septuagint, The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible uses the same word in the case of Adam knowing Eve as Paul uses for God knowing his people beforehand.

See also Ephesians 1:4–5: “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…”

Paul confirms this with his appeal to Scripture in which Elijah’s conversation with God at a time when he believed all Israel had abandoned God and rejected the truth, that God reveals to him that “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” And then adds So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

It is the remnant, chosen by grace (unmerited favor) before the world began, that are his people whom he foreknew. This doctrine is often repugnant to our fallen nature because it is humbling to know it is all of grace. We like to think we deserve salvation and it is entirely up to us whether we choose to accept Christ or not. But salvation is not like that. If it were left up to any one of us, none would be saved! As the song goes,

Were it not for grace
I can tell you where I’d be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go
The battles I would face
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace