Romans 11:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Apostle added, "God has not rejected His people, whom He foreknew" (Rom 11:2). He speaks as if to say: with me there are three thousand, five thousand, and a great multitude of Israelites foreknown by God.

Indeed, referring to the example of the prophet Elijah, the Apostle goes on to say, "Do you not know what the Scripture says in the account of Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel, saying: Lord, they have killed Your prophets.

"They have torn down Your altars. I alone am left, and they seek my life" (3 Kgs 19:14). "But what does the divine answer say to him? I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal" (Rom 11:2-4).

"So too at the present time," the Apostle adds, "there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom 11:5). That is, some of the Jews received justification by faith in Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile the others were hardened and did not receive salvation, as the prophets had foretold concerning this (Rom 11:6-10).

Concerning the example of the prophet Elijah cited by the Apostle, St. Chrysostom notes: "If the Apostle had wished to prove only that few constitute the people properly belonging to God, he would have said only that in Elijah's time seven thousand remained.

"But so that the Jews might not say, 'We killed Christ as a deceiver and persecute the Apostles as impostors,' the Apostle cites the whole testimony, which says: 'Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars.'

"This meant that, just as then they killed not false prophets but true ones, so now they killed not a false savior but the true Savior. And they persecute not impostors, but true preachers."

No smaller number of Hebrews had been converted to Christ at the time when the Apostle wrote this epistle.

Thus one can in no way say that the Lord rejected His people. This is especially so because, from the Apostle's point of view, God's people cannot mean Israel alone.

It means all who have entered the people of God by the election of grace. This does not exclude the Gentiles. Nor does it include only proselytes who turned to the Lord by accepting the Law of Moses.

It also includes those who entered directly, by receiving the spirit and teaching of the Gospel.

Their conversion and justification were accomplished chiefly by the gift of grace, and not by works. For if works were involved, grace would no longer be a gift given without merit.

And if works gave salvation, they would rise above their proper significance. In that case one could ascribe to them a power they do not possess, and which belongs only to grace.

Therefore all who direct their gaze toward grace must turn it away from works. For where grace is present, the works of the Law are no longer works, that is, they have no saving significance.

In the words of verse 6, the Apostle expresses one of his constant thoughts. He unfolds it both in this epistle and in others. Therefore it is not surprising that, despite its depth and richness, he expressed it so briefly.

Explaining its meaning, St. John Chrysostom says: "By the words, 'So too at the present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace,' he makes clear that those seven thousand were also saved by grace.

"The same is seen from the words, 'I have kept for Myself.' By this God shows that He Himself accomplished the greater part of the work.

"But if it is by grace, you say, why are we not all saved? Because you yourselves do not want it. For grace, even though it is grace, saves those who desire it.

"It does not save those who do not desire it, who turn away from grace, who constantly rise up against it and resist it."

Then, addressing Christians from among the Gentiles, St. John Chrysostom added: "Therefore let us thank God that we have become numbered among those being saved.

"When we could not be saved by works, we were saved by God's gift. Let us witness our gratitude not by words only, but also by deeds and actions that accord with gratitude.

"For gratitude is complete when we do what serves God's glory, and when we avoid the things from which we have been delivered."

Our kings, the rulers of the people, the high priests, the learned, and the whole people, if considered as a whole, fight against God. They resist Christ the Lord and persecute and kill His Apostles.

Yet among this same people, in every place, there are those who sincerely believe in the Lord. They cleave to Him with all their heart and serve Him with all their soul.

These are properly the people of God, His own, kept by Him for Himself. They were foreknown before, are now called, and through the calling are chosen out of the people.

As then only those seven thousand were God's own, while all the rest were strangers to Him, so now the whole people, when seen as a whole, is estranged from Christ and our God.

His own are only these believers, who seem to disappear within the common mass of the people. In reality, they constitute the true people of God.

Blessed Theodoret writes: "As then, out of countless thousands, only seven thousand remained free from impiety, so now those who have not believed are more numerous. Those who have believed and profited by divine grace are fewer."

The force of comparing these circumstances lies in this. Then the people as a whole fought against God, while the seven thousand hidden among them honored God, and God called them His own.

So now the whole people as a whole fights against Christ. Yet the believers moving among them believe in Christ and worship Him. These are the ones whom God has as His own.

This remnant came to be according to God's election. God chose it, and chooses it, from among the people through the Gospel, faith, and grace.

From this let each conclude that everything now takes place in accordance with God's will and purposes. It is not contrary to His promises. Therefore one cannot say that God has cast away His people.

Saint Chrysostom explains at length other features of similarity in these circumstances.

"The meaning of these words is this: God has not rejected the people. If He had rejected them, He would have received no one. But if He received some, then He did not reject them.

But if He did not reject them, you say, does that mean He received all? By no means. For in the time of Elijah no more than seven thousand were saved.

And now, besides those openly believing, there are probably many who have believed secretly. It is not surprising if you do not know them. The Prophet Elijah, so great a man, did not know this either.

But God was ordering His own affairs, though the Prophet did not know it. So now also He secretly orders His work of faith.

Observe the Apostle's wisdom. While proving what he proposed to prove, he imperceptibly increases the guilt of the Jews.

He recalled this whole testimony in order to reveal their ingratitude more solemnly and to show that they have been such from of old.

If he had not had this intention, but wished only to prove that not many constitute the people, properly God's people, he would merely have said that seven thousand remained in Elijah's time.

But now he cites the whole testimony from the beginning. In every way he tried to prove that the Jews' conduct toward Christ and the Apostles is not at all strange or new.

Rather, it is customary for them and has become their habit.

So that they would not say, We killed Christ as a deceiver and persecute the Apostles as seducers, the Apostle brings forward a testimony which says: Lord, they have killed Thy prophets and dug down Thine altars.

This meant that, as then they killed not false prophets but true Prophets, so now they killed not a false savior but the true Savior. They persecute not deceivers but true preachers.

But the Apostle, so as not to grieve them too sharply by his word, did not express this openly.

He gives another reason for citing this testimony, as though he brought it forward not chiefly to reproach them, but in order to prove something else.

This other point is that not many constitute the people properly belonging to God.

Meanwhile, he deprives them of every excuse regarding their earlier deeds, the crucifixion of the Lord and the persecution of the Apostles.

See how the rebuke receives special force from the person who rebukes. It is not Paul, nor Peter, nor James, nor John who rebukes.

It is the one whom the Jews admired more than any other, the head of the Prophets, the friend of God.

What does he say? Lord, they have killed Thy prophets and dug down Thine altars. I alone am left, and they seek my life.

What could be more savage than such cruelty? They ought to have prayed concerning sins already committed. Instead, they intend to kill another Prophet.

And this was not during the famine, but when fruitfulness had already come. All this makes them completely without excuse.

As it was then, so they act now. When the demons have been put to shame and the power of God has been manifested in Christ Jesus, they dare this wickedness against Him.

They pass from murders to murders. They slay teachers and correctors of their morals.

What can they say against this rebuke in their own defense? Were those Prophets deceivers too? Did they not know where they came from?

They grieved you, but they spoke what was profitable. Understand the same also concerning the Apostles.

And the altars? Did the altars grieve them too? Did they also insult them?

It is evident that they did all this out of hostility to God. See blessed Theodoret.

Such examples of stubbornness and evil disposition the Jews have always shown.

Therefore Paul also says elsewhere, writing to the Thessalonians: You suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed the Lord and His prophets, drove us out, did not please God, and are contrary to all men (cf. 1 Thess 2:14-15).

In like manner here he says that the Jews dug down the altars and killed the Prophets, to show that they always resist God.

But what says the divine answer to him? I have left for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.

You will ask whether this applies to the present time. It applies very much. For by this it is proved that God always customarily saves the worthy, even though the promise was given to the whole people.

The Apostle proved the same above when he said: Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved.

And again: Unless the Lord Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom.

He proves the same here. Therefore he added: So then also at the present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

See how every word in the Apostle retains its force, expressing both the grace of God and the irreproachability of those being saved.

By the words according to election, the Apostle showed the worthiness of those being saved. By the word grace, he indicated the gift of God."