What Is The Remnant Mentioned In The Bible?

What does the Bible mean when mentioning a “remnant?” Does this have to do with the church, Israel, or both?

What is a Remnant?

If you asked someone on the street what a remnant is, they might think of carpet remnants or whatever’s left after everything else is gone. We arrived at a garage sale late on a Saturday and all we found were “remnants” or leftovers, because everything else was gone after having been sold. That’s what we might think about when defining what a remnant is, but the Bible also speaks about a remnant, and it’s always small in number compared to the overall number, and I’ve noticed something in the Bible; the majority is often wrong, which means a small minority is usually right. It’s as if the majority might win the day, but they should have listened to the minority. It’s something similar to Elijah. He alone was the main prophet and felt like he was all alone, but God reminded Elijah, “I still have 7000 people in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed that idol” (1st Kings 19:18). Even though he was vastly outnumbered, like when faced 450 with prophets of Baal (1st Kings 18:22), he was still in the right. Shortly after this great display of God’s power, Elijah was running for his life from Jezebel (1st Kings 19:1-8). When the Prophet Jeremiah constantly warned Judah about her comping captivity if she didn’t repent and turn to God, no one be a small remnant listened to him. In the end, the majority did believe Jeremiah, but that knowledge came as they were being carried off to Babylon, so it was far too late.

Many Called, Few Chosen

When Jesus spoke about those who would be chosen by God, He never even hinted that it would be the vast majority. He told His disciples, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32), so He’s not speaking as if it’s big…but small. Jesus often refers to His disciples as sheep, and with His being the Good Shepherd, He knows exactly how many sheep are in His fold…and apparently, compared to other religions, it’s a “little flock.” There came a day when Jesus was teaching the crowds some very hard sayings, and as a result, many couldn’t handle what He was saying and most of them decided to follow Him no more (John 6:66). In one of the most sobering passages in the Bible, Jesus once gave an indication that many might claim to follow Him, but these same many are those Jesus doesn’t even know (Matt 7:23)! He said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21), so the proof in someone’s citizenship in heaven is that they do the Father’s will.

Believers and Make-Believers

There are believers and then there are make-believers, so on that Day, Jesus says, “many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name” (Matt 7:22)? What did He tell them? Well, you attended 3,489 Sunday schools, 5, 263 Sunday services, and gave 2.6% of your income to the church, so…. What Jesus doesn’t say is, “I didn’t know you that well” or “I wished I had known you better,” instead, He tells them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt 7:23). It’s fine to say you know Jesus, but the crucial question is, “Does Jesus know you?” And, why does He call them “workers of lawlessness” when they’ve possibly been coming to church for decades? For one thing, if they weren’t submitting to the Father’s will, then they aren’t entering the kingdom (Matt 7:21), because those who continue to live in sin are not the children of God (1st John 3:5-8), no matter what they say they are; and if they’re trying to do their own “good works,” somehow thinking they’re meriting or earning their salvation, then they’re not trusting in the complete work of Christ on the cross.

The Narrow Gate

There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ (John 6:44; Acts 4:12), and again, it doesn’t seem like many are headed there, as Jesus warns His listeners, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt 7:12-13). We have no need to clarify or expound on His point. Most enter the gate that leads to destruction and that’s why it’s a broad gate. It’s broad because it has to accommodate such large numbers, but the gate into the kingdom is narrow because there’s a lot less traffic headed there! Those who have entered the narrow gate know it’ll be narrow, winding, and difficult. That’s why so few take it. Those that do know they’re swimming upstream against the hard current of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Apostle Paul wrote, “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace” (Rom 11:5), so a remnant chosen by God is not a large number obviously when compared to all of humanity, however God has not utterly forsaken Israel. Paul asks, has “God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin” (Rom 11:1), so no, “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew” (Rom 11:2a).

Conclusion

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That doesn’t mean one of many ways or one of many truths, but the one and only way, and yes, you can say that doesn’t seem right, but it’s not so amazing that few are saved, but that any one is saved! If you have been brought to repentance and trusted in the Savior, you are part of that remnant. You have been the few chosen among the many called. You have entered the narrow, difficult path that leads to eternal life rather than the path that leads to eternal destruction. Many are going the opposite way that we do…but then, by God’s grace, maybe He can use us as a means to bring others into the way that leads to life, and clearly, Jesus is that way (John 14:6)!

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.