Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

9 December 2024

Reading From Romans 11-13

“I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

–Romans 11:1-6

     God has always and will always preserve for Himself a righteous remnant upon the Earth.  No person or church is perfect, but somewhere there has always been followers of Yahweh obeying the Scriptures as best they can.  It is not possible for there to be a total apostasy of the Church because of the promise of Jesus made in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  Peter had just made His confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  It was the faith and confession in Jesus that the Church was built upon and even after the Earth is cleansed with fire and renewed, faith, hope and love will abide.

     Another important aspect of God’s power to preserve His righteous remnant is His unchanging Word, the Bible.  Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.  Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.”[1]  No matter what happens upon the Earth, the Bible will always remain unchanging with born again brothers and sisters following its principles.  Some take the view that from the time of the Apostle Peter until the Reformation there was one church which was the Roman Catholic Church.  This simply is not so.  There has always been great diversity among the Lord’s churches. 

     The church at Rome did not begin attempting to exercise authority over other churches until the fourth century when Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire and by that time groups such as the Montanists had been in existence following Jesus in the way God had revealed to them in the Scriptures for more than a century.  Montanists, Donatists, Paulicians, Waldensians, Lollards, Moravians and many other groups existed apart from the Roman Catholic Church from the second century all the way up until the Reformation.  The gates of hell have never prevailed against the Lord’s work.  There has never been a total apostasy or complete falling away from the faith.  Jesus has and will always preserve a righteous remnant to keep His testimony alive.

“God, grant us the strength and perseverance we need to be faithful in following You.  Please continue to reveal more about Your character and the precious truths of Your Word.  We want to know more about You.  Keep the light of Your truth burning brightly for all to see.  We love You, Lord.  Amen.”

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
    only the remnant will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out
    his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”

It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.”

 –Romans 9:27-29

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[1] Psalm 119:89-90