"U" Sermon: Romans 11:5

“U”

[Romans 11:5]

November 4, 2018, Second Reformed Church

            Last week we looked at the doctrine of Total Depravity – one of the five doctrines ruled on by the Synod of Dort in 1619 – doctrines which we hold as accurate summaries of what the Bible teaches.

            Total Depravity says that due to the sin of our first parents – who were our representatives in the Garden – all mere human beings are born with Original Sin – that is, sin has affected every part of our being, and we are inclined to choose sin.  We do not naturally do good in God’s eyes, and we are incapable of seeking God and choosing His salvation.

            Paul says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind (Ephesians 2:1-3, ESV).

            Paul says we are born spiritually dead, only able to follow after sin.

            Most of us have been to a funeral with an open casket.  The person in the casket is physically dead.  Now, if we were told that there was a cure for this dead person – that would bring him back to life, and we rush into the room and hand the cure to the dead person and tell him to take it and he will be well – what will he do?

            Nothing.  He is dead.

            The same is true of the unbeliever – of his own free choice – he will never choose life through Jesus.

            The second doctrine is known as Unconditional Election.  And, it tells us how anyone is saved through Jesus.

The Scripture that we read this morning says, “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5, ESV).

In this Scripture, we find the two points to this doctrine:

First, God chose – elected – a remnant of humanity to save.

Jesus says, “And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’ And he said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us,” then he will answer you, “I do not know where you come from”’” (Luke 13:23-25, ESV).

The author of Hebrews tells us, “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28, ESV).

Jesus says, “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:22, ESV).

In these Scriptures, we see that God chose – elected – some people out of humanity to be saved – to be made right with God – to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus.

God does not chose to save everyone; God chooses some, and the work of Christ is applied to them for salvation.

And the objection cries out, “That’s not fair!” – for two reasons:

“Our representatives in the Garden sinned and cast us into this condition of spiritual death and total depravity – it’s not fair that You punish humanity for their actions.”

Paul discusses this objection and answers it, “You will say to me then, ‘Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?’ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:19-24, ESV).

Paul answers, “God is the Sovereign Creator of all of Creation and He wisely chose to work through a representative system.  Who are you to tell your Creator that He made you wrong?  Doesn’t God the Creator have the right to do whatever He wants with His creation?”

The second part of the objection is, “It’s not fair that God chose some – He should have chosen all.”

When we go to the polls on Tuesday, will you vote for every candidate?  Do you desire that every candidate be elected?  Have you chosen to support every candidate?

This morning’s Scripture says that the elect were “chosen by grace.”

What is “grace”?

“Grace,” generally speaking, is a gift.

So, in this morning’s Scripture, Paul is saying that the remnant – the elect – the chosen out of all of humanity throughout time and space, were chosen – elected – as a gift from God.

When I had my birthday last month, a few of you gave me gifts.  Was it wrong – was it a sin – that most of you did not give me a gift?  Is there any way I could say that you have to give me a gift – every single one of you?

Of course not.  If we give someone a gift, it should be because of the joy we have in giving the gift.  You can’t “owe” someone a gift – then it’s not a gift – it’s a payment – a wage.  Gifts are undeserved.

So, God could have given the Gift of salvation to every person throughout time and space, but He did not chose to do so, and He has every right to give the Gift to whomever He wants, and to leave the rest in their sin.

God chose a specific people to save – to choose – to elect – out of all of humanity.

Second, God’s choice is based on something completely outside of us.

Paul writes, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (I Corinthians 1:26-31, ESV).

Paul says, God did not choose you because you are wise, or powerful, or of high standing in the world.  Rather, God tends to choose people who are foolish, weak, low, and despised by the world – so no one would ever boast in themselves.  No Christian has the right to boast in himself or herself.  Whomever you and I are, God has made us that and given us gifts with it, so we understand that everything and everyone is His, including all of the glory.

And some hear this and say, “Ok, we may not be the greatest most gifted people in the world, but God says that He ‘foreknew’ us.  That means God looked down the corridor of time and elected us based on our choice of Him and/or all the good things God saw we would be and do.”

No.

Paul says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30, ESV).

What does the word “foreknew” tell us?

We get a hint when we read, “Adam knew Eve and she bore a son.”  Did Adam and Eve exchange resumes and she bore a son, is that what happened?

We have an expression – “carnal knowledge.”  Get it?

When Adam and Eve “knew” each other, they expressed passionate physical love together.

When God says He “foreknew” us, it means He loves us with a passionate love.

God “foreknew” us, or as Paul says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, ESV).

And, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“ (Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV).

Paul is talking about God’s astounding love for the elect – the people He chose – not “looking down the corridor of time to see what we would do.”

Another problem with this, is that if God’s election is based on His finding out what we will do in the future, then God is not Sovereign – in fact, God is not God.  If God elects us based on what we do, we save ourselves – we are sovereign.

Also, Paul explains that it cannot be that we merit our election through anything that we have done or would do, as he considers the history of Jacob and Esau:

“This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: ‘About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.’ And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’” (Romans 9:8-13, ESV).

Again, “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue.”

God’s election of His people has nothing to do with who we are or will be or what we have or will do.  God’s election of His people is based on something outside of us.

So, what does it mean for us that God elects a people for Himself and His election is unconditional – it is not based on us in any way?

Much like last week, as we understand these things:

We are humbled and thankful that God saves us.  We direct praise and thanks to Him because we understand our salvation is totally of and through and for God.  We have nothing to boast in except Jesus, our God and Savior.

We do not become discouraged as we tell others the Gospel, because we know it is not in us to convert anyone.  It is God’s choice in God’s time.  We are to proclaim the Gospel.  God’s is the Gift of salvation.

It makes us desire and strive to be obedient and holy in all that we do.  Not that we can ever become worthy or pay God back, but to show that we understand – at least to some degree – and are thankful and seek our joy in obedience to Him.

John Calvin writes: “We shall never be clearly persuaded, as we ought to be, that our salvation flows from the wellspring of God’s free mercy until we come to know his eternal election, which illumines God’s grace by this contrast; that he does not indiscriminately adopt all into the hope of salvation but gives to some what he denies to others. How much the ignorance of this principle detracts from God’s glory, how much it takes away from true humility, is well known…. If—to make it clear that our salvation comes about solely from God’s mere generosity—we must be called back to the course of election” [https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/schwerley_election.html]

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You for choosing us and all of the elect to be Your people.  Help us to be humble and thankful, to strive for obedience and holiness – and may we rejoice to give You all the glory.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.