Romains 11:6

La Bible Ostervald

Or, si c'est par grâce, ce n'est plus par les ouvres; autrement la grâce ne serait plus une grâce; au contraire, si c'est par les ouvres, ce n'est plus par la grâce; autrement les ouvres ne seraient plus des ouvres.

Parallel Translations

La Bible David Martin (1744)
Or si c'est par la grâce, ce n'est plus par les œuvres; autrement la grâce n'est plus la grâce. Mais si c'est par les œuvres, ce n'est plus par la grâce; autrement l'œuvre n'est plus une œuvre.

Darby's French Translation
Or, si c'est par la grâce, ce n'est plus sur le principe des oeuvres, puisque autrement la grâce n'est plus la grâce.

Louis Segond (1910)
Or, si c'est par grâce, ce n'est plus par les oeuvres; autrement la grâce n'est plus une grâce. Et si c'est par les oeuvres, ce n'est plus une grâce; autrement l'oeuvre n'est plus une oeuvre.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And if: Romans 3:27, Romans 3:28, Romans 4:4, Romans 4:5, Romans 5:20, Romans 5:21, Deuteronomy 9:4-6, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Galatians 2:21, Galatians 5:4, Ephesians 2:4-9, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5

otherwise work: That is, it loses its character, or nature - that of claiming reward as a matter of right.

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:8 - General Leviticus 19:19 - mingled Deuteronomy 7:7 - The Lord Deuteronomy 22:9 - shalt not sow Ezra 9:8 - a remnant Isaiah 6:13 - But yet Isaiah 10:22 - though thy Isaiah 28:5 - residue Isaiah 44:1 - O Jacob Isaiah 65:8 - General Jeremiah 44:14 - for none Jeremiah 50:20 - I will pardon Ezekiel 6:8 - General Daniel 12:1 - thy people Micah 4:7 - I will Micah 5:7 - the remnant Zechariah 4:7 - Grace Matthew 7:14 - and few Matthew 20:12 - borne Matthew 20:15 - it Acts 13:43 - the grace Acts 17:34 - certain Acts 20:24 - the gospel Romans 6:14 - under Romans 9:11 - not of works Romans 11:5 - at this present Galatians 3:12 - the law Ephesians 1:4 - as Ephesians 2:5 - grace ye Ephesians 2:9 - General 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - through Titus 2:11 - the grace Titus 3:7 - being 1 Peter 2:10 - obtained 1 John 2:19 - they might Revelation 7:4 - an

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if by grace, then is it no more of works,.... Upon election, being called "the election of grace", the apostle forms an argument, showing the contrariety and inconsistency of grace, and works, in that affair; proving, that it must be by the one or the other: and if by the one, then not by the other; and that these two cannot be mixed and blended together in this matter. If election is "by grace", as it certainly is; for no other reason can be given why God has chose one, and not another, but his own sovereign pleasure, or that free favour and unmerited love, with which he loves one and not another; and not because they are better, or had done or would do better things than others; "then it is no more", or not at all, for it never was "of works", was not influenced by them, does not arise from them, for it passed before ever any were done; and those that are done aright spring from it, and therefore could never be the rule and measure, causes, motives, and conditions of it;

otherwise grace is no more grace; for

"grace (as Austin has long ago observed) is not grace, unless it is altogether freed;''

it will lose its nature, and ought to change its name, and be no more called or reckoned grace, but a due debt; and a choice of persons to salvation should be thought, not to be what God is free to make or not, but what he is obliged to, as a reward of debt to men's works:

but if it be of works, then it is no more grace; if election springs from, and depends upon the works of men, let no man ascribe it to the grace of God; for there is nothing of grace in it, if this be the case:

otherwise work is no more work; that will free gift: but these things are contrary to one another; and so unalienable and unalterable in their natures, that the one cannot pass into the other, or the one be joined with the other, in this or any other part of man's salvation; for what is here said of election, holds true of justification, pardon of sin, and the whole of salvation. The Ethiopic version applies it to justification.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And if grace ... - If the fact that any are reserved be by grace, or favor, then it cannot be as a reward of merit. Paul thus takes occasion incidentally to combat a favorite notion of the Jews, that we are justified by obedience to the Law. He reminds them that in the time of Elijah it was because God had reserved them; that the same was the case now; and therefore their doctrine of merit could not be true; see Romans 4:4-5; Galatians 5:4; Ephesians 2:8-9.

Otherwise grace ... - If people are justified by their works, it could not be a matter of favor, but was a debt. If it could be that the doctrine of justification by grace could be held and yet at the same time that the Jewish doctrine of merit was true, then it would follow that grace had changed its nature, or was a different thing from what the word properly signified. The idea of being saved by merit contradicts the very idea of grace. If a man owes me a debt, and pays it, it cannot be said to be done by favor, or by grace. I have a claim on him for it, and there is no favor in his paying his just dues.

But if it be of works ... - “Works” here mean conformity to the Law; and to be saved by works would be to be saved by such conformity as the meritorious cause. Of course there could be no grace or favor in giving what was due: if there was favor, or grace, then works would lose their essential characteristic, and cease to be the meritorious cause of procuring the blessings. What is paid as a debt is not conferred as a favor.

And from this it follows that salvation cannot be partly by grace and partly by works. It is not because people can advance any claims to the favor of God; but from his mere unmerited grace. He that is not willing to obtain eternal life in that way, cannot obtain it at all. The doctrines of election, and of salvation by mere grace, cannot be more explicitly stated than they are in this passage.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 11:6. And if by grace — And let this very remnant of pious Jews, who have believed in Christ Jesus, know that they are brought in, precisely in the same way as God has brought in the Gentiles; the one having no more worthiness to plead than the other; both being brought in, and continued in by God's free grace, and not by any observance of the Mosaic law.

And this is done according to the election of grace, or the rule of choosing any persons to be the people of God upon the footing of grace; which takes in all that believe in his Son Jesus Christ: some of the Jewish people did so believe; therefore those believing Jews are a remnant according to the election of grace. They are saved in that way in which alone God will save mankind.

And if by grace — Then let these very persons remember, that their election and interest in the covenant of God has no connection with their old Jewish works; for were it of works, grace would lose its proper nature, and cease to be what it is-a free undeserved gift.

But if it be of works — On the other hand, could it be made to appear that they are invested in these privileges of the kingdom of Christ only by the observance of the law of Moses, then GRACE would be quite set aside; and if it were not, work, or the merit of obedience, would lose its proper nature, which excludes favour and free gift. But it is not, and cannot be, of WORKS; for those very Jews who now believe, and are happy in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, are so according to the election of grace, which does not mean a particular act of God's sovereignty, which has singled out some of the Jews who deserved to have been cast off as well as the rest; but it is that general scheme of grace, according to which God purposed to take into his Church and kingdom any, among either Jews or Gentiles, who should believe on Christ. And the remnant here mentioned were not selected from their countrymen by such a sovereign act of God's grace as might have taken in the whole if it had so pleased; but they were admitted into and received the privileges of the Messiah's kingdom, because they believed on the Lord Jesus, and received him as their only Saviour; and thus came into that scheme of election which God had appointed. And we may observe, farther, that out of this election they as well as the others would have been excluded, had they like the rest remained in unbelief; and into this election of grace all the Jews, to a man, notwithstanding they were all sinners, would have been taken, had they believed in Christ Jesus. This is the true notion of the election of grace. See Taylor.