"Besides this you know the time," that the hour has come to wake from sleep, for salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day at hand. So let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh" (a paraphrase of Romans 13:11–14).

Paul writes that their salvation is nearer to them now than when they first believed. He is not referring to their justification, for that one-time event occurred when they trusted in Jesus as Savior. Sanctification is what he calls for in the verses that follow.

He is referring to glorification — the completion of our salvation in the presence of the Lord. Some would come to it through death, others at the coming of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

Looking toward that glory, Paul exhorts us to do good and not evil, to keep morally healthy company, to preserve personal purity, and to avoid the conflicts that arise from selfishness and envy. He exhorts us to immerse ourselves in the character and teaching of Christ, and to give no time, attention, or resources to gratifying ungodly desires.

Friends, as we look toward the new year, this is a good word to remember. Let us banish bitterness from our hearts and forgive any offense we have been harboring. Let us recommit ourselves to the priorities of worship, including daily meditation on God's Word and prayer, so that we do not fall into the devil's traps. And let us connect with one another — brother to brother and sister to sister — so that we may encourage and help each other overcome the sinful attitudes and habits that can derail our witness for Christ.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Romans 13:11–14 has been discussed at #1937 and #2367, including Augustine's conversion through these very verses. The passage's logic is worth noting: Paul grounds moral exhortation in the nearness of the end — "the night is far gone; the day is at hand" — and then uses the imagery of getting dressed for the day. Casting off "the works of darkness" is like shedding nightclothes; putting on "the armor of light" and "the Lord Jesus Christ" is dressing for daylight.

The comment's distinction among justification, sanctification, and glorification is a helpful frame for a verse that puzzles many readers. Paul uses "salvation" in all three senses: believers "have been saved" (Ephesians 2:8), "are being saved" (1 Corinthians 1:18), and "will be saved" (Romans 5:9). Here he means the last. The practical counsel that follows — deal with bitterness, forgive, keep the disciplines, and stay connected to other believers — matches Hebrews 10:24–25: stirring one another up to love and good works, "all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8).

Paul gives a string of commands in Romans 12 and 13. Some are designed for believers with respect to unbelievers (e.g. Romans 12:18 - "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men"), and some are designed for believers with respect to other believers (e.g. Romans 12:10 - "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love"). The kind of reference (e.g. "all men" vs. "one another") provides the clue as to whom Paul has in mind.

In Romans 13:8, it appears that the command has application to both believers ("one another") and unbelievers ("anyone" and "neighbor").

Now, consider the following clarifying translations of the expression "Owe nothing" (NASB):

Let no debt remain outstanding... (NIV)

To no one owe anything... (Young's Literal Translation)

The Greek word for "owe" is a term referring to a legal and economic obligation to pay off a legitimate debt. So debt here refers to an unfulfilled obligation, that is, a failure to pay what is owed or a failure to make a timely payment on what is owed.

The command follows a series of commands related to the fulfilling of obligations, particularly to ruling authorities:

Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor (Romans 13:7).

The words "render to all what is due them" (verse 7) and "owe nothing to anyone" (verse 8) function like catch-all bookends to the list of commands to give what is due or what is owed to those to whom they are due or owed. "Render to all what is due them" emphasizes the payment or payments that lead to the fulfillment of a debt. "Owe nothing to anyone" emphasizes the result of the fulfillment of debts, namely, freedom from any obligation or debt.

Friends, we live in a debt-infested world. As of December 2014 the total consumer debt reached $11.7 trillion; that's $11,700,000,000,000. This has arisen from an average credit card debt of $15,600 per American household, an average mortgage debt of $155,000, and an average student loan debt of $32,400. Notice, I said this is the total consumer debt. The federal debt is much higher at $18 trillion (see this live national debt clock). Interest payment alone on this debt is $430 billion. The irresponsibility of debt infects both our leaders and citizens alike.

We live in a heavily credit-propped economy, so that it is hard to conceive of life without a mortgage or a credit card. As a result, most Americans are living in a continual state of financial enslavement to their lenders.

People with mortgage debt are not demonized as long as they pay their monthly mortgages on time. People with credit card debt are not demonized as long they pay their monthly minimum payments. But most Americans fail to pay their monthly minimums, and foreclosures for failed mortgage payments were part of the reason for the crash of 2008. Our country and our citizens are quickly imploding from the weight of growing, unmanageable debt.

Friends, are you one of these citizens, who find themselves under the weight of unmanageable personal debt? Have you accumulated credit debt? Have you failed to make a payment or many payments? Do you rejoice when the credit card company agrees to allow you to pay just a portion of your debt to them, because they believe you are a dead-beat, such that it is better for them to settle with you for less than to get nothing at all?

If you are, you ought to take this command of Scripture to heart. Free yourself and determine in your heart to never get into this situation again:

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion— and give your neighbor no rest! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler (Proverbs 6:1–5).

A few years ago, I determined to be completely free of all debt. I've never carried a credit card debt, for I knew the dangerous pitfall of not paying the full (not minimum) balance on the card every month. I've never carried an automobile debt, for I understood that a car is one of the worst sinkholes for value; so, I've never purchased a car that I could not pay outright with cash. But I have carried a mortgage on my house, even several houses; and this was my burden a few years ago.

So from that time to now, I've slowly worked to pay off one house after another, even though it meant that I could not leverage my money in other ways to gain a greater profit. I believe that God has providentially blessed us these last few years to speed me along my way to being completely debt free with respect to all standard debts (i.e. not including taxes, fees, etc.), which are under my control. I have one house left to pay off, which by God's grace I will do in the next couple of years. When this is accomplished, I hope to rent our residence and pursue a simpler yet even fuller life experience, both in terms of giving as well as finding the freedom to travel all over God's world - to learn of His wonders in every place and to testify of His grace wherever He brings us.

I encourage you, dear friends, to find your course in obedience to God's Word. If you are debt-laden, I hope that you will work to free yourself from this burden. I pray that no matter the outcome, you will trust in His providence, as He leads your trust in Him so that Christ is most glorified in you.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Romans 13:8 follows instructions to render taxes, revenue, respect, and honor where they are due (13:7). Paul’s concern is the faithful fulfillment of obligations within a life governed by love. The transition to an enduring obligation to love gives the passage its distinctive force: particular debts can be discharged, but the neighbor’s claim upon our love is not exhausted by one completed payment. The text should therefore be read as moral instruction about responsibility rather than reduced to a detached rule about one financial instrument.

Christians differ over whether the opening command forbids every form of borrowing or requires that debts not remain unpaid in violation of their terms. The immediate context supports attention to obligations, but the Greek verb itself does not mean only an overdue installment. A lexical definition cannot settle the entire application. The original’s emphasis on paying what one owes is substantial, while its interpretation should remain distinguishable from the assertion that this is the only possible reading. Wisdom about borrowing also draws upon other biblical concerns, including prudence, dependence, generosity, and care for one’s household.

The historical debt figures in the original illustrate the author’s concern in 2014; they should not be treated as current measurements or as proof of the condition of every household. The claim that most Americans fail to make minimum payments is unsupported in the supplied discussion. Even accurate aggregate figures would not establish why a particular person is struggling. Illness, loss of employment, family crisis, exploitation, and unwise choices can produce very different circumstances. Moral exhortation becomes less truthful when it assumes the same cause and degree of responsibility in every case.

Proverbs 6:1–5 specifically addresses becoming security for another person’s obligation. Its urgency is relevant to financial exposure, but it is not a complete account of all borrowing. The broader principle is to take commitments seriously before making them and to respond actively when they become dangerous. The author’s personal decision to pursue freedom from debt may be a prudent application for his situation. It cannot establish that every other sequence of household decisions is disobedient or that an agreed settlement necessarily demonstrates bad character. Truthfulness and faithful dealing remain essential within whatever legitimate arrangements are made.

The enduring spiritual question is what our obligations reveal about our priorities. Do we make promises casually, hide difficulties, or preserve appearances at another person’s expense? Do we treat a creditor or debtor merely as an obstacle rather than as a neighbor? Do financial ambitions continually consume the capacity to give and serve? The passage calls for integrity without contempt toward the vulnerable. Its final emphasis also prevents debt reduction from becoming a purely self-protective achievement. Freedom from one obligation should enlarge our availability for the obligation that remains: to love others. A responsible life is not measured only by a balance sheet but by whether resources, promises, and decisions increasingly serve that love before God.

Paul writes that we know the time: the hour has come to wake from sleep, for salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (a paraphrase of Romans 13:11–14).

Paul gives a moral charge in light of the nearness of the believer's glorification:

• Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
• Walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling, and jealousy.
• Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

Clearly, what is done in the dark is what we would normally be ashamed of if it were known. Carousing, drunkenness, and sexual impropriety happen in the dark. Bitter strife and jealousy are usually hidden in the dark recesses of a person's mind and heart.

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ stands in contrast to satisfying our fleshly appetites. Paul is not telling believers not to supply what their bodies need, but not to make provision for what their sinful nature craves.

This instruction closely resembles Paul's teaching in Galatians 5:16–26 on the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. There he tells us to walk by the Spirit and we will not gratify the desires of the flesh, for the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to each other; if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law. The works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these — and those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires; if we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit, not becoming conceited, provoking, or envying one another (a paraphrase of Galatians 5:16–26).

This is very practical. The two lists show the evils to avoid and the virtues to pursue. They also reveal a person's character — whether they belong to Christ as co-heirs of the kingdom of God, or whether they are outside it.

Friends, let us do our best, according to God's grace and the measure of faith given to us, to serve one another in virtue and love.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Romans 13:13–14 holds a famous place in church history. In the summer of 386, the young Augustine, torn between his desires and his growing conviction about Christ, sat weeping in a garden in Milan when he heard a child's voice nearby chanting, "Take up and read." He opened a copy of Paul's letters and read the first passage his eyes fell on — these very verses. He later wrote in his Confessions that as he finished the sentence, it was as though a light of certainty flooded his heart, and all the darkness of doubt vanished. One of the most influential conversions in Christian history came through the command to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ."

The image of "putting on" Christ is worth dwelling on. Paul uses it for baptism — "as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27) — and for daily living — "put on the new self" (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10–14). What believers already are in Christ, they are to become in practice, day by day. The comment's pairing with Galatians 5 is apt: the "fruit" of the Spirit is singular, one harvest with many facets, grown rather than manufactured, as believers walk in step with the Spirit.

Paul says he does not want them ignorant of this mystery, so that they may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved — as it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion and turn godlessness away from Jacob, and this is His covenant with them when He takes away their sins (a paraphrase of Romans 11:25–27).

When I was in high school I had a good Jewish friend. I shared the gospel with him, and he responded by citing Romans 11:26, arguing that all Jews will be saved. I did not know how to respond at the time, though I knew the verse did not mean he could be saved apart from trusting in Christ.

Looking at the passage now, I see why it confused me. It is true that all Israel will be saved, but the context places this after the full number of Gentiles has come in. So it speaks of a future time. And what is the harbinger of that national salvation? The coming of a Deliverer and Israel's turning from godlessness — the application of the New Covenant promise, where God takes away their sins. This speaks of turning to Jesus as a nation.

This reminds me of Revelation 1:7, that He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn — likely a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The interpretive question is a real one and the readings are several. "All Israel" has been understood as the Jewish people at a future point, as the elect remnant of Israel throughout history, and as the whole people of God including Gentiles — each with serious defenders, and the choice among them shapes a great deal of eschatology. The comment's reading is the most common among evangelicals and is well supported by the passage's sequence.

What is worth putting alongside it is the clause the comment quotes and passes over. Paul introduces the mystery explicitly so that his Gentile readers would not be conceited, and the surrounding chapter is one sustained warning against exactly that: do not boast over the branches, it is not you who support the root but the root that supports you, do not be arrogant but tremble. He says God has not rejected His people, that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable, and that as far as election is concerned they are loved on account of the patriarchs.

Romans 11 is the New Testament's strongest caution against Christian arrogance toward Jewish people, delivered by a Jewish apostle who says he could wish himself cut off for their sake. Any use of the chapter should carry that with it, since it is the stated reason Paul wrote it.

Paul writes about living sacrificially and having our minds transformed by the gospel.

In view of God's mercy, he urges believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is their true and proper worship. They are not to conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of their mind, so that they may test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will. By the grace given him he tells everyone not to think of themselves more highly than they ought, but with sober judgment, according to the faith God has distributed to each. Just as each of us has one body with many members that do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (a paraphrase of Romans 12:1–5).

Israel was required to sacrifice animals for atonement, as a reminder that life is required as payment for sin. As Christians we are the beneficiaries of Jesus's sacrifice. Paul reminds us that our proper response to God's grace is a sacrificial life with our eyes on God. If our thoughts are constantly on maintaining our lifestyle, we cannot live sacrificially. For me, renewing the mind was coming to understand who I am in Christ, which I reached by spending time in His Word.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The phrase "living sacrifice" is a deliberate paradox and the comment's framing helps explain why. Every sacrifice in the system Paul's readers knew ended with the animal dead. A living sacrifice is one that stays on the altar — which is the difficulty. A single act of surrender is simpler than a continuing one.

Worth noting where this sits in the letter. The word "therefore" in verse 1 is doing structural work: Paul has spent eleven chapters on what God has done and only now turns to what believers should do. Every instruction that follows is framed as response to mercy already received rather than as a condition for receiving it. That order matters for how the chapter's demands land — they are addressed to people already secure, not to people trying to become so.

Friends, there is an expression in Romans 12 that I use often with respect to this matter of election, namely, "We should not think too highly of ourselves" (Romans 12:3). Paul uses it here to argue that, both for himself as well as for every believer, their privilege in ministry and the exercise of gifts is by the grace of God and in proportion to a God-given faith.

Now, it has been argued that Paul is not talking about justifying or saving faith here because he is addressing Christians; however, notice that this faith is universally given to every Christian ("God has dealt to each one a measure of faith," Romans 12:3. Unless we are ready to argue that there is a separate spiritual gift known as the "gift of faith," it is not to be classified as just one of the gifts. Every other spiritual gift is not universally shared, so why would Paul single it out here.

Also, Paul refers to faith here in such a way that it is not to be considered among the gifts but something upon which all the gifts depend. This is his argument here for why believers should not think too highly of themselves. It is not because one is better or more spiritual than another but rather that God has sovereignly given the "measure of faith," out of which the gifts arise. In this text, grace and faith are used interchangeably. So, in Romans 12:6 Paul speaks of believers having "gifts differing according to the grace that is given."The point is that whether you call it "grace" or "a measure of faith," they are from God. Recall that this is not the first time "grace" and "faith" are spoken of almost interchangeably. For example, although Paul speaks heavily of the contrast between "faith" and "works" in Romans 3–4, when we come to Romans 11, the contrast is between "grace" and "works" (Romans 11:5–6). Even though they are not the same thing, we are led to understand that both grace and faith are gifts from God. Thus, when we come to a passage like Ephesians 2:8–9 where both are found, we can more clearly understand that the whole work of salvation, which includes both God's grace and our faith, are from God, so that in no way is there any room for boasting:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Finally, to punctuate this point, Paul leads off the series of gifts with the prepositional phrase "in proportion to our faith" (Romans 12:6). A case can be made that Paul is using this modifier to apply to every gift that follows, which would be consistent with Paul's initial argument that God has given each "a measure of faith" so that no one should think too highly of themselves.

Now, for those who think that "faith" and "grace" in Romans 12 mean something different, I would contend that the burden of proof is upon them, especially since throughout the entire Book of Romans the terms "faith" and "grace" are not casual terms used by Paul but are used with great deliberation. Why would Paul all of a sudden radically change the meaning of them here?

On what basis would anyone argue that the faith after salvation is different from the faith before salvation? Further, what right does anyone have to say that God gives the faith after salvation but not before salvation? In fact, at the very beginning of the Book of Romans Paul argues that whether speaking of faith at the beginning of salvation or at any point thereafter, it is all of God:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith."

Paul chastises the Galatian believers for thinking that there is a distinction between justifying faith and sanctifying faith:

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1–3).

What is Paul's point here? The same Spirit that saved them is the Spirit that sanctifies them. The same faith by which they were saved is the faith by which they are sanctified. Again, whether speaking of faith prior to salvation or subsequent to salvation, it was the same faith. The faith that saved them was the faith that kept them saved. And if it is the same faith, then we must argue that both are from God.

Friends, are you not daily amazed that God has saved you? There is not a day that goes by that I am not again floored by His grace. The more I am aware of His sovereign election, the more grateful I am that He chose me and the more sobered I am of the depth of my own depravity. And when I obey God, there is no sense of entitlement in me or any delusion that there is some good in me that leads me to obey Him. I acknowledge that it is all of His grace. When I bear witness to the Gospel, I am not frustrated when people don't believe, for it is their nature, but I am amazed by the power and grace of God when they do.

Therefore, I gain no sense of false pride that somehow my great preaching led people to the Lord. It's not by my preaching but by God's power that people are saved. As Paul wrote, God made it that people might not be saved by the "wisdom and eloquence (of preaching), lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (1 Corinthians 1:17).

When I pray, it is not as though I want to change God's mind into giving me something that He would not have given otherwise. When I pray, it is not so that my life might be "better" than it is. When I pray for the sick or the hurting, it is not primarily for their health and wellbeing. Does God not hear? Does He not already know, even better than myself, my needs, as well as the needs of everyone in the whole world? After all, the Bible says He knows the very number of our hairs, which for me these days seems to be changing every day . My prayers certainly do not inform God of things He did not already know. And my prayers are not what change the world, as some have erroneously preached and taught. As one wise devotional writer once observed: "It is not so much that prayer changes things, but prayer changes me." By prayer I gain perspective. By prayer I can grow in humility. By prayer I perceive from God what is His will and what is my own. By prayer, therefore, I can learn to align my will with God's will, so that the ultimate testimony of my life is like that of Jesus Christ, whose modus operandi of prayer was "not my will but Yours be done."

AI-Expanded Reflection

Romans 12 places sober self-assessment within the life of one body. No member supplies every function, and none can regard a received gift as evidence of independent superiority. The phrase “measure of faith” has been understood either as an apportioned capacity for service or as the common standard of faith by which believers assess themselves. The immediate concern is the use of diverse gifts, so the verse should not be made to carry the entire argument about the origin of saving faith. Nevertheless, both readings support the author’s practical conclusion: ministry leaves no basis for self-exaltation.

Two distinctions sharpen the discussion. First Corinthians 12:9 does explicitly name faith among particular gifts, even though all Christians believe. This does not prove that Romans 12:3 refers to that gift, but it means that the existence of a special gift of faith cannot simply be dismissed. Second, grace and faith are closely related without becoming synonyms. Grace names God’s favor and action; faith describes trust in relation to that grace. Ephesians 2:8–9 excludes boasting by locating salvation in God’s gift, while interpreters discuss the grammatical scope of “this.” One can affirm the whole saving work as gracious without requiring the words grace and faith to mean the same thing.

The final discussion of prayer adds a valuable emphasis on submission but should not exclude petition. Prayer does not inform an ignorant God or overcome divine reluctance by force. Yet Jesus taught his disciples to ask for daily bread, and Paul asked repeatedly for relief from his affliction in 2 Corinthians 12:8. The answer redirected him without making the requests improper. James 5 likewise treats prayer for the sick as meaningful. God’s knowledge of a need and the believer’s expression of that need belong together rather than cancel one another.

The practical fruit is dependence that remains active. Give thanks when people respond to the gospel, confess the temptation to claim credit, and ask boldly for help while submitting the outcome to God. The same humility that receives correction in doctrine can also say, “I do not know what this request will require of me.” Prayer changes the petitioner, but Scripture does not reduce it to self-adjustment. It is communion with the living God, who invites requests and includes them within his wise care.

Friends, there has been some discussion on the matter of the meaning of "foreknowledge," particularly in relation to God's elective choice, whether it be of Jews as a special nation for God or of Christians as heirs of eternal life in Christ. A prevailing argument may be stated as follows:

God knows in advance the free choices of people, but He does not determine them.

This was the view espoused by a Southwestern Theological Seminary professor at a Baptist pastor's retreat some years ago. This was also the view that I held as a young Christian and even defended vigorously at Bible College. However, the less I rely just on "my logic" and the more I know the Scriptures, the more I am drawn to a different understanding. We must always derive our understanding from the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 4:6).

Let us look at the word "foreknow" as it is used in our present text. Paul has been arguing in the three chapters beginning in Romans 9 that God has not completely rejected His people. In chapter 9 Paul argued that not all Israel is true Israel but only those chosen by God. In chapter 10 Paul argued that while the basis of God's judgment of Israel is their ignorance and unbelief, the basis of God's salvation is His special revelation in Christ, even to the Gentiles. Then, in chapter 11, Paul asks the question that he began with, namely, "Has God cast away His people?" This was the objection, and Paul answers: "Certainly not!" What follows is a further defense.

First, he argues by personal testimony. If God has rejected His people, then Paul must also be rejected because Paul is a Jew. Thus, since Paul is not rejected, God has not rejected His people -- at least not all of them, as we shall see.

Second, Paul argues by God's decree: "God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew" (Romans 11:2). Does Paul simply mean here that God was aware about the Jews before they came to be? This really would not advance Paul's argument and would provide no certain assurance. However, if we understand "foreknow" as foreordain, that God had uniquely chosen Israel beforehand to be His special people, then it would certainly advance Paul's argument and also provide assurance.

On this second point Paul elaborates. He cites 1 Kings 19, where Elijah, who was running away from Jezebel's murderous threats, complained to God that there was no one but himself left. God corrects Elijah. He was not the only one left, because God had "reserved" for Himself "seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

When Paul cites this passage, he does not emphasize the character of these seven thousand men but rather the sovereign choice of God. The parallel he draws to God's current dealings with Israel is one of election: "Even so, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Romans 11:5). He contrasts this "grace" with "works." Grace is simply "undeserved favor." As Paul writes elsewhere, "For by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5).

Now, Paul further explains this grace. It is not sought but given: "What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it" (Romans 11:7). Further, and remarkably, Paul writes "and the rest were blinded" (Romans 11:7). In other words, except for the ones God chose, He kept everyone else in the dark about this grace. Then Paul cites two Scriptures to support his argument (Isaiah 29:10; Psalm 69:22–23).

Therefore, "foreknowledge" must be understood in the immediate and larger context not simply as God knowing things beforehand but of God predetermining these things to be. This is also the meaning of it in Romans 8:28–30,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Here we have it more clearly stated. Paul has just been talking about hope amidst suffering (i.e. primarily over enduring sinfulness in the body) and the comfort of the Holy Spirit in interceding on behalf of believers in keeping with God's will. Paul continues his message of comfort by declaring that God will bring everything to a good end for "those who love God, to those called according to His purpose." Again, we get our word, "For whom He foreknew." And again, it is more than merely pre-knowledge. It is God's choice of the very ones "who love God,...who are the called..." to be His special people in salvation. These ones, who are His chosen people, are those "He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son..." (Romans 8:29). Thus God's foreknowledge is intimately connected with His predestination. In many places these words are used conjunctively and interchangeably to specify not only God's election to salvation but also to the doing of certain good works, which God had prepared in advance for those chosen to do (Ephesians 2:10). The last verse, Romans 8:30, lists a string of blessings for Christians, even putting what is future as past ("these He also glorified"). This is called a "proleptic aorist" and is used of Greek verbs, including in discussions of the NT to show the certainty of the promises given. Once again, because people are chosen by God, their eternal security is based on the bedrock of God's unchanging nature and not on the flimsy, uncertain and depraved "free will" of men. In keeping with the context of Paul giving comfort, this word of confidence in God's certain foreordination would certainly give great comfort to the believers in Rome.

This past Sunday, a message was preached about the calling of Jeremiah to the prophetic office. The preacher said that Jeremiah did not volunteer for service but was chosen by God, and he was chosen even before he was born. Then, he applied this kind of a calling to all Christians. I would give my hearty "Amen!" to this. As Jeremiah, as Israel, so for every believer, though we are nothing in and of ourselves, deserving only of destruction, God in His mercy and grace has chosen us to represent Him as the recipients of this grace to the praise of His glory.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The question governing Romans 11 is larger than an abstract definition of foreknowledge. Paul is asking whether God’s promises to Israel have failed. His own existence as a Jewish believer and the scriptural account of the remnant demonstrate that widespread unbelief has not annulled divine faithfulness. Elijah’s lonely perception was not an exhaustive account of God’s people. That is a deeply pastoral lesson: what appears to be the collapse of faithful worship may exceed our understanding rather than God’s ability to preserve a people.

The verb translated “foreknew,” proginōskō, must be interpreted within this covenantal setting. A relational sense is plausible because the object is a people whom God has acknowledged as his own, rather than an impersonal list of predicted events. However, the word does not always mean “predestine.” Acts 26:5 uses it of people who knew Paul previously, and Romans 8:29 itself distinguishes foreknowing from predestining in its sequence. Theological relations between the two acts should not be confused with lexical identity. Reformed and non-Reformed interpreters differ over how the relational and temporal elements fit together; the argument must be made from the passage as a whole.

The original’s treatment of glorification in Romans 8:30 points toward the certainty of God’s saving purpose. Paul speaks of the whole sequence with remarkable confidence, extending its horizon beyond present suffering. Calling the last verb proleptic is a way of explaining this assured presentation of a future outcome; it should not suggest that a grammatical tense, by itself, settles every debate about perseverance. Nor is Romans 8’s suffering limited to moral struggle: bodily mortality, creation’s groaning, persecution, and weakness also belong to its context.

Assurance here should produce gratitude rather than superiority. Later in Romans 11, Gentile believers are warned against boasting over the branches and reminded that they do not support the root. The same chapter that celebrates grace also summons humility and warns against presumption. Jeremiah’s prenatal prophetic calling can illustrate divine initiative, but its particular office must not be transferred wholesale to every Christian. The durable comfort is that God’s faithfulness precedes our limited awareness and remains greater than it. Believers may entrust themselves to that faithfulness while receiving Paul’s calls to trust and humility as part of the same message.