The Remnant

I read this in Romans the other day.

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved. (Rom 9:27)

So, way back in Isaiah's day God was declaring that not all would be saved, but "only a remnant". Now, to be sure, Paul was talking in this particular passage about how "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel" (Rom 9:6) which 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." (Rom 9:8) Thus all of God's offspring will be saved; it's just that not all of Israel is part of God's offspring and, to be sure, not all people are God's offspring.

This concept is a theme through Scripture -- the concept of the remnant, the concept of the few. At the Flood, only 8 out of the entire population of the Earth survived, saved by God (1 Peter 3:18-20). Of the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, only 4 escaped (Gen 19:15) and only 3 survived (Gen 19:26), saved by God. When Elijah complained to God that he was the last believer, God told him that He had retained 7,000 faithful followers (1 Kings 19:17-18; Rom 11:1-5). (Note Who kept them.) When God sent Assyria to wipe out Judah, He promised a "surviving remnant" (2 Kings 19:30). Jesus referred to the "many" who would take the gate that leads to destruction and the "few" who would find the narrow gate (Matt 7:13-14).

This concept of "the remnant" is both difficult and encouraging. It is difficult for obvious reasons. For those who think that God is trying to save every last person on the planet, it is a sign of failure. Instead of saving all, He saves "few", a remnant. But even for those who understand that He is not trying to save all, it means that there is a large contingent of human beings that God knows will come into this world, ultimately reject Him, and face judgment. Only a relative few will be saved. And, as it touches our humanity, that is heart-breaking. As someone once asked me, "How can I be happy in heaven knowing that my mother is in Hell?" So it has its difficult side.

On the other hand, there is that remnant. That remnant, the elect, is an amazing story. Jesus said of the great tribulation, "For the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." (Matt 24:22) This remnant is chosen by God (Rom 11:5), called out by God, saved by God, retained by God, and ultimately glorified by God (Rom 8:30). This remnant is "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son", making Christ "the firstborn among many brothers" (Rom 8:29). Saved by grace apart from works, this remnant has nothing of which to boast (Eph 2:8-9) and nothing to fear (Rom 8:31-39). This select "few" are adopted by God (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:16-17). In a time when the world appears chaotic, morality declines, and Christians appear fewer and fewer as they stand up against Christ in the name of Christ, it is of great comfort, as it was to Elijah, to know that there is a remnant, a "few", a group chosen by God out of all types of people to be kept by Him, to represent Him here and be with Him in the end. That can be nothing less than encouraging.

I've heard discouraged Christians speak fearfully about what's coming. It looks, to many, as if the Church with its true believers is vanishing. Rest assured that God has a remnant, a kept crowd, a "few". He cannot fail. And not one that He plans to save will be lost. This is a source of great confidence in a turbulent world.