Peter Barnes | Romans 11:5-6
SERMON NOTES
THE ELECTION OF GRACE
(Romans 11:5-6)
1. God sets apart a remnant to be saved.
– 11:5; like survivors in 2 Sam.21:2; 2 Kings 19:4
– same idea in Rom. 9:27 although it is a variation of the word; the remnant may be relatively large at times (e.g. Acts 21:20)
2. God saves them by electing grace.
– 11:5-6; faith, not law or works in 9:32 and 3:27-28; 4:5; but here it is electing grace versus works
– it is not ‘God votes for you, the devil votes against you, and you get the casting vote’.
– Augustine came to regret that he had not emphasised this truth enough
3. There is no place for trusting in works.
– 11:6; grace leads to works but is not built on works.
– ‘no longer’ is logical; he does not mean there was salvation by works in the Old Testament (see Rom.4).
– In The Spirit and the Letter, Augustine wrote: ‘Grace is given not because we have done good works but in order that we may have power to do them, not because we have fulfilled the law but in order that we may be able to fulfill it.’