Romans 10:16--11:7

• 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"
• 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
• 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
• 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding."
• 20 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."
• 21 But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."
• 1 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.
• 2 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:
• 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"?
• 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
• 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
• 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
• 7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened...

INTRODUCTION: In music, we have structure. For example, you have all at least heard of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." But do you know what a Sonata actually is, or what the word means? It refers to a particular order, or structure, in a piece of music.

• Introduction
• Statement and Exposition of a Theme
• Development
• Recapitualtion
• Coda, or Grand Finish

It is easy to think of the Book of Romans as a Sonata in words, because we see the same structure. Here in Romans 10 and 11 Paul has come to what might be called a Recapitulation. He stated His theme in the first two chapters of the Book. Then he developed his theme in chapters 3-9. Now he is going to restate one of his original themes: The sinfulness of mankind, and our need of God's grace.

Romans 2:28-29 was the seed of what he said about the Remnant in Romans 11:3-5...

• 28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.
• 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
  (Romans 2:28-29)

In our passage for today, Paul accuses the Jews of being envious, angry, disobedient, obstinate, prophet killers, who tore down the altars of the one true God to worship idols. This is simply a restatement of what he already said in Romans 3...

• 9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
• 10 As it is written: "There is no-one righteous, not even one;
• 11 there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God.
• 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one."
• (Romans 3:9-12)

We also see that in general there are two Christian doctrines that Paul is once again illustrating here in Romans ten and eleven. The doctrines of "total depravity," and "unconditional election."

I. TOTAL DEPRAVITY does not mean that we are all monsters. Total depravity means two things:

• 1) Every person is a sinner, both by birth and by deed.
• 2) Every part of each person is twisted by sin. Body, soul, spirit, emotions, intelligence, will, desires, inclinations, thoughts, dreams, goals and aspirations, etc. Everything we do is touched by sin. Even the "good" things that we do, the good thoughts we have, the good intentions we have. All is tainted by sin. We cannot escape sin in every part of what we are.

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous acts are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6

We have all broken all ten of the Ten Commandments. If not in actual deed, we have broken them in our hearts and imaginations.

Certainly the picture that Paul paints of the Jewish nation is a picture of "total depravity."

• They rejected the Good News.
• They were envious.
• They were angry.
• They were disobedient.
• They were obstinate.
• They killed the prophets.
• They tore down God's altars to worship idols.
• They were extremely zealous in their wrong-headed approach to salvation by works.

But the Jews were no worse than the Gentiles. We are all under sin. We all need a Savior. I hope we all can realize this fact and make it real in our hearts. We have nothing to offer God to deserve his mercy and grace. Nothing at all. That's the meaning of the old Gospel song. We sing it often but we don't really mean what we sing:

1. Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

2. Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

3. Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

4. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

5. Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

6. Just as I am, thy love unknown
hath broken every barrier down;
now, to be thine, yea thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

"Just as I am," what does that mean? Jesus receives you JUST AS YOU ARE. Without ONE plea, poor, wretched and blind. Can you see yourself like that? Have you come to Jesus like that, asking for God's GRACE?

• 9 ¶ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
• 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
• 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector.
• 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
• 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
• 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
  (Luke 18:9-14).

II. UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

The doctrine of Total Depravity demands the doctrine of Unconditional Election.

Unconditional means "without conditions." It means that we have no bargaining chips. It means that we have ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD THING to offer God in our request for salvation. He must give it to us without conditions, or we simply cannot get it. We have no money with which to buy the bread of life. Imagine going to the grocery store, filling up your cart, going to the check out, having the bill rung up, and you having no money to pay. That's what salvation is like. We have no money with which to buy salvation. What do you have to give in exchange for your soul?

• 7 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-
• 8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-
  (Psalm 49:7-8)

Jesus said: "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

In the nation of Israel, God chose a Remnant. The nation as a whole was corrupt. Almost everyone rejected God. But God had determined that He would not allow Himself to lose the entire nation. Note: God did not merely see that there would be a few people who would stay true to Him, so HE would love and cherish them. No, God made it happen. God created the Remnant, because of His mercy and grace. Paul says so:

• "I have reserved for myself 7000."
• "There is a remnant CHOSEN BY GRACE."
• "What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect (chosen) did."

Because of the truth of Total Depravity (which could also be called Total Inability to save ourselves), ELECTION BY GRACE becomes the only way of salvation. No one can save himself. No one can even be good enough to repent and ask for salvation, unless God gives them that ability. This is the teaching of the entire Bible, in so many verses. How can anyone miss it? For example:

• 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
• 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
• 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
• 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
• 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
  (John 6:35-39)

• 43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.
• 44 "No-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
  (John 6:43-44)

• 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
• 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no-one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
• 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
  (John 6:64-66)

• Mt 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
• 2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
• 2Pe 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall
• Mt 22:14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
• Ro 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
• Eph 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will
• I Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

The "Remnant" are the chosen ones from the nation of Israel. They were Jewish believers, such as Paul and Peter and James and all the apostles, and the 3000 who came to their Messiah on the day of Pentecost, and a large portion of the church at Rome, who were Jewish believers in Christ. They were the Remnant.

CONCLUSION: There is still a Remnant today; not only of the Jews, but of all nationalities. The Remant are the true believers in the midst of an unbelieving nation. Sad to say, the Remnant is also the true believers in the midst of a "Church" much of which is busy abandoning the Faith. A Question for all of us: Are we a part of the Remnant? Have you come to Christ for salvation? Do you believe in Him and love Him, and try to serve Him?