Romans 11:1-6
1 “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? Far from it! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer [e]on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace.”
Foreknew: This is referencing God’s relationship with Israel in the past. God has not rejected Israel. Rather, He has chosen a remnant of Israelites to be saved at the present time. This is not Paul speaking of individual election. Rather, Paul is recognizing those Jews who have believed in the Messiah in the midst of Israel’s corporate hardening. This is an expression of God’s amazing grace. Paul wanted Gentiles and Jews to know just how wide open the door is to salvation.
