Off the Shelf Sunday School--Romans

The Faithful Remnant of Israel (11:1-12)

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 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: “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. What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!       

1.    Today we are facing a world-wide pandemic that is disrupting many lives. There are terrorist threats everywhere and lawlessness is increasing. Church attendance is down and people seem to have more faith in science and technology than in God. Over 43 million babies are aborted each year. These are some examples of what appears to be an overwhelming tide of evil. Widespread evil and rebellion against God were present in the days of Elijah. God told Elijah that, his faithful people are present even though Elijah did not know it. What are some Bible stories that show that God chooses and uses a faithful few to accomplish his purposes? (Jud 7:1-8; Zech 4:6)

2.     Paul says that throughout human history God has chosen a small number of faithful people. These elect people are saved and made holy while the majority of people are not. Most Jews rejected Jesus. Their rejection was part of the separation of Christianity from Judaism. In this way, God’s chosen people came to include all the peoples of the earth and not just the Jews.

3.    Some false teachers say that the Church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. However, the Bible clearly teaches that this is not the case. In the final days described in Revelation, many Jews will accept Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus will return to the earth and fulfill God’s promise that a descendant of David will reign forever on his throne in the new Jerusalem.