The Remnant of Israel
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: 3"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"[1] ? 4And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."[2] 5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.[3]
7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day."[4] 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."[5]
Ingrafted Branches
11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
There are four simple things that this passage, while being about God’s workings with and in and through Israel, can teach
us in twenty-first century America: First, a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through genuine and transforming saving
faith is vital to salvation. Second, understanding that God has been faithful to Israel throughout its rugged history is
crucial to understanding that He is being and will continue to be faithful to us, the New Testament Church. If God hasn’t
been faithful to Israel, then we can’t be sure He will be faithful to us. Third, we as Christians ought to have the utmost
concern and respect for the nation of Israel. We ought to pray for Jewish people throughout the world, that they would be
objects of God’s mercy, rather than objects of His wrath. Finally, we must stay focused on the eternal plan of God, the
big picture. Often, when we struggle with the day-to-day problems of life we lose sight of the big picture. The daily
details can easily be overwhelming to us. This passage can help us take a deep breath, pull back for a moment, and
realize that we are part of God’s big plan, a plan that’s far bigger than our own problems. When we realize that, our
own situations seem much less stressful. To realize that it’s not all about us, but about God, His glory, and His
eternal plan, is not only practical but also essential to living Coram Deo. Notice several points in these verses:-
V1-6 – God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. There is a remnant chosen by grace. We begin this chapter hearing
Paul’s rhetorical question, “Did God reject His people?” And the answer is, “No!” Why would Paul need to explain this
again? He already addressed it in chapter 9. Roman 9:6 “It is not as though God’s Word had failed. For not all who are
descended from Israel are Israel.” Paul explained divine election in chapter 9, that God chooses some and not others,
and so His promises have not failed. His promises were not for every person within the physical nation of Israel, but
only for spiritual Israel, the spiritual descendants of Abraham. So God has not been unfaithful. And in chapter 10
Paul explained that, on the contrary, most of Israel has rejected God. Because Israel has rejected God, it may appear
that God has also rejected them. Israel had everything necessary to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, yet due to
their depravity and sinfulness, Israel rejected Him and His Father as well. Israel was fully morally responsible and
they failed. So Paul has explained the dual truths of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility regarding salvation.
And right at the end of chapter 10, v20-21 showed us both of these truths as well. But accepting both truths still
doesn’t make it easy wrap your brain around both. And Paul knew that, so he asks this question to keep his audience
from forgetting both truths, that God chooses individuals to save and man must believe. John 6:37 “All that the Father
gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes I will never drive away.”
Paul goes on to provide several reasons to believe that God has not rejected His people. He gives 3 proofs of that right
here in this section: From v1, Paul himself explicitly (his lineage) and Paul himself implicitly (his life), and from
v2-5, the Jewish believers among Paul’s audience. The first reason is Paul explicitly. He is a Jewish Christian, coming
from Abraham and Benjamin. Abraham was not only the Father of the Jews physically, but also, as Paul pointed out in
Romans 4, the Father of the Jews spiritually. Benjamin was the city of Jerusalem’s territory and the only other tribe
to unite with Judah during the period of the Kings; so Paul is pointing out that he was truly a Jew among Jews.
If someone asked you if God has rejected the Gentiles, could you say, “No, God has not rejected the Gentiles. For I
myself am a Gentile, and I am not rejected. I have been accepted not first because of the Jewish forefathers, but
because of Christ, who loved me and gave Himself for me. My sins are forgiven. His righteousness is provided for me.
My condemnation is removed. My guilt is taken away. I have been born again into the family of God, not by natural
birth or any ethnic connection, but by the Holy Spirit who changed my heart and awakened faith. I am not an enemy of
God, but a friend. I am not hardened and resistant anymore, but broken and dependent. No, God has not rejected the
Gentiles, because in Christ he had not rejected me.” That’s what Paul is doing.
The second reason is Paul implicitly. He was the biggest threat to Christianity, and he has been transformed. He was
the chief of sinners, and he has been saved. If God hasn’t rejected Paul, then there’s no reason to think God has
rejected His people. And that’s great for us to hear. If God can make Paul into a Christ-like individual, then surely
He can make me and you into the same.
Let’s spend some time on this third proof: the Jewish Christians, Messianic Jews, among Paul’s audience. Paul says,
“God can not reject those whom He has foreknown, whom He has set His love on before the foundation of the world, and
let me show you that from Scripture.” And Paul appeals to Elijah in v3-4, who complained to God that he was the only
one left who still loved the Lord, and Paul quotes God as saying, “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand who have
not bowed the knee to Baal.” The actual verse in the NIV reads, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel…” It doesn’t
say “For Myself.” Paul inserts that for us, because he wants to point out that God’s electing grace has accomplished
it for His sovereign purpose. It’s not the fact that these 7000 kept themselves from bowing to Baal; rather, God has
kept them from bowing before Baal. They aren’t elect because of something they did or something God foresaw about them;
rather, they are foreknown or fore-loved, elect in order that God would and could work in them to will and to act
according to His good purpose, in this instance to keep them from bowing to Baal.
The clearest illustration of God’s foreknowing in relation to the whole people of Israel is found in Amos 3:2. God says
to Israel, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” Most theologians agree that this means, “You only
have I chosen. You only have I sought out and made My own and chosen to know you intimately in the way that a husband
knows his wife.” Israel is God’s foreknown or chosen people. We’ll talk more about the individual and corporate
implications of this next time in discussing Romans 11:28-32.
Literally, v5 reads, “So too at the present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” And Paul’s
point is that if God kept a remnant in Elijah’s day, He is also keeping a remnant in this present day. The evidence
for the truth of Paul’s claim is that there are Messianic Jews (David Brickner) in our midst. There are still Jewish
Christians just as there have been in every generation. And this reminds us of the mercy and faithfulness of God. Note
that Paul’s argument is not an argument based on historical probability, like if someone batted .350 in 1925, then it’s
quite certain that someone will bat .350 this season. It’s not like that, because God is the One working it for His
glory. It’s all due to God’s electing grace, and not on probability assessments. God chooses based solely on grace for
His name’s sake. Also notice that Paul does not contrast works and faith in this text, as he does elsewhere. There is
no mention of faith here at all. So the point is not that works are things we do to earn God’s favor and faith is
something we do in order to receive God’s favor. That’s not the point here. The contrast is between divine activity
(grace) and human activity (works). The point is this: if election, and therefore salvation, is based on anything other
than grace, it is no longer by grace. If we provide the decisive act in causing our election, it is no longer an “election
of grace.”
And finally in v6, Paul just confirms his point from the first 5 verses, that God’s grace, rather than the works of the
elect, is what determines who will be saved. The elect are not chosen because God foresees what they will do or what they
will choose; they are chosen solely dependent on the grace of God. Paul is saying, “Look, when you look at Israel and see
a believing remnant, and when you look at Israel and see an unbelieving multitude, don’t think that the difference between
the believing remnant and the unbelieving multitude is to be found in the innate goodness of the believing remnant. Don’t
believe that some were inherently better than others. Don’t believe that the difference is that some exercised faith while
others didn’t. Don’t find the source of the distinction in them. Rather, find the distinction between these two groups
wholly and solely in the grace of God, because that is the only source of salvation.
Just think of it for moment: What would election (the very first act of election in eternity) mean if it depended on our
decisive initiative? If God watches (in eternity with foresight) and elects in response to what He foresees that we will
do in a self-generated act, then we are not “chosen by divine grace”; rather, we are chosen by a decisive human act. God
would simply be responding to our initiative. We would determine his action. And grace would no longer be grace. That’s
what Paul is saying here, just as he did in Romans 9:11-12, that God’s choice of Jacob over Esau was based not on works
but on Him who calls. It’s God’s initiative, not God’s response. Otherwise, grace would not be grace. God freely by grace
saves a people of His own choosing and creates a remnant. He can cause seven thousand not to bow the knee to Baal or seven
million to believe in Jesus Christ. And nobody’s accountability is undermined. The main point is this: God has not
rejected His people, and their rejection cannot stop Him from saving a remnant or saving a nation when He chooses to
remove their hardness.
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V7-10 – The elect attained what Israel sought to obtain. The others were hardened. How would you have written v7? Maybe
this: “What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The believers obtained it, but the rest refused to believe.”
And that is absolutely true. Paul could have easily written that and avoided the issue of God’s election and reprobation
(hardening), just like most people avoid it today. But Paul once again emphasizes that the source of salvation is in the
grace of God. How is it that that remnant came to saving faith in God? Grace. God chose them, and they obtained it. “It”
is righteousness before the throne of God. “It” is salvation in Jesus Christ. None would have obtained “it” had God not
chosen them. All whom God chooses will obtain “it.” There’s no confusion here with Paul, so there shouldn’t be any
confusion for us either, but often times, this is a confusing, even divisive issue. Most of the time, the topic is
simply avoided, but Paul doesn’t avoid it.
You might expect Paul here to emphasize that the difference between unbelieving Israel and believing Israel, the difference
between Jewish Christians and those Jews who have rejected Christ, is to be found in their faith. After all, chapter 10
explained that all of Israel had everything they needed to believe. But that’s not what Paul says. He carries the thing
back to what he said in chapter 9, that God’s grace is the determining factor. And let me say that I’m not saying that
a decision to trust Christ is unimportant, just that it is penultimate. We at Southeast often talk about making a decision,
but as far as Paul is concerned, that decision which we must indeed make is itself a result of a prior and ultimate
decision that God has made. The choice of God is the determining factor. Paul is claiming that God’s grace makes
distinctions. In fact, he offers three Scripture passages in the next several verses to prove his case.
Deuteronomy 29:3-4 “With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this
day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.” Isaiah 29:9-10 “Be stunned
and amazed, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. The LORD has
brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the prophets, He has covered your heads (the seers).” Psalm
69:21-23 “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
The people physically see and hear, but not spiritually. Spiritual truth has no attractiveness to it, unless God opens
eyes and hears to that end. The hardening is not merely in the hands of man, because there is a planned end for it
(Romans 11:25). The hardening will last “until the full number of the Gentiles comes in.” So God has appointed it,
and God will remove it at the time He has appointed. The basis of this hardening is twofold. First, God’s glory lies
in His freedom to never be ultimately dependent on the will of man. He has mercy on whom He has mercy and He hardens
whom He will (Romans 9:18). But as equally important is the second basis for the hardening, that of man’s guilt in
sinfulness and unbelief. Man is deserving of eternal hardening, and no one will ever convince God that he is innocent
because he wasn’t chosen by God before creation; he has knowingly sinned against God by his own choice.
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3) V11-12 – The purpose of the temporary hardening. Paul offers another glimpse into the eternal plan of God. Here
we are told that God’s plan to save the Gentiles is first and foremost gracious. He has no obligation to save or even to
offer salvation to anyone. God hardens in order that He can reveal His mercy. And God has designed the hardening of a
majority of the Jews in order to bring the full number of Gentiles into His Kingdom. So there is a purpose beyond anything
we can really even understand to why most Jews reject the Gospel – that the Gentiles could be included in God’s salvation.
Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 8:5-13 and in the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-46). We just don’t always
recognize that this was God’s plan from the beginning.
Paul is doing two things in v11. First, he is denying that God’s hardening of Israel so that the Jews reject the Gospel
is intended to cause them to fall beyond recovery (commit eternal apostasy). That’s not what God has purposed with
Israel’s hardening. And second, he is denying that God is done with Israel. God has something more in store for Israel.
By their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Paul says that God used the unbelief of Israel to result in
the salvation of Gentiles all around the world. But that’s not where Paul stops. He adds that this was to make the Jews
jealous. And that sounds strange, but Jesus displayed how this works in His parable of the prodigal sons. Remember the
jealousy of the elder son. He was jealous that the younger son was inheriting the party and his father’s favor. He was
just as welcome to come into the party as the repentant younger son. The point is this: The conversion of the Gentiles
is for the evangelism, for the benefit, of the Jews. So the hardening of the Jews is for the evangelism of the Gentiles,
and the salvation of the Gentiles is for the evangelism of the Jews. Paul sets forth a plan of salvation in which the
salvation of the Gentile is for the benefit of the Jew, and the salvation of the Jew is for the benefit of the Gentile.
They can still be distinguished, but God’s plan of redemption is designed to work for their mutual blessing so that the
Jew is for the Gentile and the Gentile for the Jew. God is always at work for the good of those who love Him and are
called according to His purpose. He really does work all things in accordance with His will and pleasure. And this, even
though perhaps difficult to understand, should give us great assurance and hope and peace.
Now in v12, and its parallel in v15, Paul is saying that if blessing resulted to Gentile Christians all over the world
because Jews rejected the Messiah, how much greater blessing is going to result for the Gentiles when Israel embraces
the Messiah! Their rejection of the gospel brought blessing to the whole Gentile world. Their acceptance is going to do
even more. Paul is saying that God’s works of grace in the present and future are going to be greater than His works of
grace in the past.
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V13-16 – Paul’s explanation to the Gentiles, to hopefully save some of the Jews. Paul is teaching Gentiles to have a
heart of love for the Jewish people, including a longing to see them converted. That was not an easy thing to do for
Paul’s Gentile audience, and it’s not necessarily an easy thing to do in our day. At the same time, many Jews, both
in Paul’s day and in our own, see Paul and other Jewish Christians as turning their backs on the truth by embracing
Jesus Christ. But Paul saw his ministry to the Gentiles as a way to bless Israel. In v13-14 he’s saying, “Look, this
is how I think of my ministry to the Gentiles, you Gentile Christians in Rome, and this is how I want you to think
about your ministry to the Jews.” He says, “If I seek to move my fellow countrymen to jealousy and to save some of
them, I am magnifying my ministry to the Gentiles. There is no conflict of interest. When I try to move Gentiles to
trust in God, I’m not doing that to the exclusion of the salvation of my fellow countrymen. In fact, in God’s plan,
the blessing of salvation for the Gentiles is designed to bring Israel to saving faith. Every time I witness to a
Gentile, I’m praying that God will bring in the Israelites. And you Gentile Christians in Rome, you ought to be thinking
the same way.”
At the beginning of Israel’s history God chose and set apart for Himself Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are the
“dough offered as first fruits” and “the root.” If the dough or the root is holy, meaning dedicated as a special
possession of God and set apart from the nations, then the present enmity and hardening and stumbling does not nullify
God’s original intention with Israel. God has a future for Israel. The whole lump of dough and all the branches of an
entire generation will be holy. It could also be said that Jesus Christ is the “dough offered as first fruits” and
“the root.” Paul will get more into this is v28, so we’ll save it for then.
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V17-18 – Be nice to Israel, the root of God’s grace to the Gentiles. Remember that Paul’s audience was amongst a
Roman society which had a general contempt for all things Jewish. The Romans looked down their noses at Israel,
because Israel was a conquered, surrogate state. And Christians were often fearful of the Jews, because they were
the first – before the Romans – to persecute them. Within 100 years of the writing of the New Testament, some people,
now called Gnostics or Marcionites, literally went through the New Testament and removed every New Testament reference
to the Old Testament. They tried to expunge the Jewishness of Christianity. But you can’t do that, because Christianity
is Jewish inherently. So Paul is warning these Gentile Christians to understand that and think of the present Israel in
view of the root of God’s word. Perhaps Paul wanted to prevent the Christians in Rome from displaying a general secular
attitude toward Israel in his teaching here, but it sure works out nicely for us in the twenty-first century political
realm.
Israel is the olive tree, and God is the gardener. It’s an illustration that everyone with any biblical literacy would
have understood when Paul was speaking. The prophets often talked about how God tends and cares for the body of His
people. Now the illustration that Paul is giving here is horticulturally odd. It was not common practice to take a
wild olive branch and graft it into an old cultivated olive root. Normally it would be the other way around. The olive
farmers of Paul’s day would normally have taken a branch from an older, cultivated olive that was becoming less fruitful
and more vulnerable to disease and would have grafted it into a wild olive root, which would have produced good fruits.
Paul knew that it was normally that way, but the illustration he offers, like so many of Paul’s illustrations, is
designed to show how surprising it is that God has brought Gentiles into His people. In v24, Paul says that it is
not natural to take a wild olive branch and graft it into a root of an old cultivated olive tree. Rather, it is
contrary to nature. That’s his whole point. God’s grace to the Gentiles is surprising. And perhaps we’ve taken that
for granted, but Paul reminds us again what a surprising thing God has done to the Gentile Christians. They were
“wild” and God grafted them in; they didn’t graft themselves in. Paul is teaching us that grace produces humility.
A proper view of God’s grace will bring about humility in Christians and not arrogance. You can be proud or you can
be a Christian, but not both. And, once again, when we Gentiles are humble, we have a greater propensity to have
compassion for the people of Israel, knowing that our roots lie in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, knowing that what God
has done for us is surprisingly gracious. Here are 3 things we should display as a result of Paul’s teaching:
(1) humility and (2) compassion towards Jews and (3) awe towards God.
Before moving on, I want to briefly mention here the eschatological considerations regarding Israel and the Church.
Without really getting into it, let’s acknowledge that on the one hand, some theologians (Reformed or Covenant Theology)
believe that Israel and the Church are one. There is a distinction made by the Savior’s earthly appearance, but the two
entities make up one group – the Body of Christ. Both entities, as one group, share in the same covenantal promises. The
Old Testament Hebrew people are our brothers, because we, as spiritual descendants of Abraham, are “Jews” in that certain
sense. By faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, we have become the true Jews (Romans 2:28-29). Galatians 3:7 “Know then
that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (see Galatians 3:16). Gentiles, as the offspring of Abraham,
inherit the promises made to Israel. And on the other hand, some theologians (Dispensational Theology) believe that
Israel and the Church are two. Because of what is called a “dispensational” distinction – not merely that the Messiah
came and separated these two entities, but that God relates on completely different terms with these two entities –
they say that the two entities really are two separate groups and are not necessarily all the Body of Christ. God is
working differently in Israel than He is working in the Church, having made different promises to them than He has
made to us. And we, as members of the Church, have no relation to the Old Testament Hebrew people, as we are “Jews”
in no real sense. And finally let me say that, while I’ve done only limited research into the Scriptural authority for
these two stances, I hold to the former rather than the latter.
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V19-22 – Consider the kindness and sternness of God. Paul has taught us that grace produces humility. Now he teaches us
that grace produces faith. An understanding of how God has saved us in His grace will produce the response of faith.
And Paul gets to this point by his typical response to a hypothetical argument. Perhaps a Gentile believer in his audience
who wasn’t convinced that he should be humble and compassionate would arrogantly say, “Branches were broken off so that I
could be grafted in.” In other words, “God chose me and not them. Why should I care about Israel, since it has been broken
off so that I could be included?” And Paul concurs with the fact, but he dissents regarding the attitude. He adds that
Israel was broken off due to unbelief, and that can happen to any branch (natural or wild) if the branch withers in
unbelief. Basically, Paul is rejecting nominal Christianity. He is saying that grace produces a humble trusting in
Christ for everything, and not an “I’m more deserving than thou” type of religion. There’s no such thing as a non-humble
Christian. I’m not saying we don’t experience proud moments and even struggle with pride daily. But again, perpetual
pride and Christianity are mutually exclusive according to Paul.
Paul has taught that grace produces genuine humility and genuine faith. Finally, he teaches that grace always promotes
the largest view of God. In other words, if you have the right view of God, the God of grace, that is in and of itself
a product of God’s grace. And having tasted of God’s grace, you now realize both the justice and mercy of God to the
exclusion of neither. That’s what Paul shows in v22. He’s saying to the Gentile Christians, “In the salvation of God
and in the judgment of God, you see two aspects or attributes of the character of God. You see both His love and His
justice served to the full. Seeing His love and His justice ought to make you tremble, because He is a living and active,
righteous and just, powerful and holy God. He will be stern with those who fail to believe, but kind to those who
persevere in faith.” Often times, the kindness (or mercy) and the sternness (or severity or wrath) of God are displayed
simultaneously in the same event. Our perspective makes the difference. For example, when a grandmother dies after a
short battle with cancer, we might be angry or upset and consider that to be God’s sternness; or we might be glad in
the sense that she didn’t have to suffer any longer, and thereby consider it God’s kindness. Furthermore, always noticing
both attributes of God’s character will drive us to “continue in His kindness.” It is a delight to fear the Lord. (See
Nehemiah 1:11; Isaiah 11:3) Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To
him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” 1 John 5:4-5
“Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it
that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
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V23-24 – God’s plan in action. Paul makes a very simple argument here. If God, in the salvation of the Gentiles, made
those who were not His people become His people, and grafted those who were not part of His olive tree into His olive
tree, then how much more can God graft branches that originally came from His olive tree back into that olive tree. If
God can do this amazing thing in bringing Gentiles into the Kingdom, it’s certainly not beyond God to bring His own
ancient people back into the Kingdom. Paul is asserting here that all Jewish people who embrace Christ by faith will
be grafted into the body of Christ. He’s hoping for Israel, and he’s talking about God’s ability to save.
And as has been typical of Paul throughout this 3 chapter span of Romans 9-11, he emphasizes God’s sovereignty in
salvation without downplaying human responsibility to come to Christ and persevere in faith. V23 shows both truths:
“If they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” Paul emphasizes
God’s ability to actually save the lost and the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ. He’s not saying that since God is
able to save, maybe He’s going to save in some other way than faith in Jesus Christ. No, God saves by grace through
faith in Jesus Christ. That’s it.
And in v24, Paul offers one more argument to the doubting Gentile Christians. Picture them saying that the Jews are too
far gone, they are beyond saving, there’s no hope for them now, it’s too late. Paul says essentially that it will be
easier for God to graft the Jewish people into their own olive tree than it was to bring the Gentiles and graft them
into the cultivated olive tree from which they did not spring. The Westminster Confession of Faith, written long ago
by our reformation-era brothers in faith, has this to say from chapter 25 section 1: “The catholic or universal church,
which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under
Christ the head thereof, and is the spouse and body and fullness of Him that fill us all and all.” That’s exactly what
Paul is emphasizing here, the spiritual unity of the people of God.
In closing, take 3 truths from these last 2 verses alone: First, God is sovereign in salvation and we are responsible
to believe. Second, faith is the way of salvation and God’s sovereignty is not an argument against the fact that we
must believe the Gospel with saving faith. Third, when God saves us, He brings us into spiritual unity, one family,
one body, one tree, one church. That’s His plan.
All Israel Will Be Saved
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27And this is[6] my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."[7]
28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[8] receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[9] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"[10]
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"[11]
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Notice several points in these verses:-
V25 – The reason for the mysterious hardening of the Israelites. In v25 alone, Paul does four things. First, he tells his
Gentile brethren that he does not want them to be ignorant about the things that he’s talking about. And that’s useful
for us, because many Gentile Christians today acknowledge that this whole series of topics discussed in Romans 9-11,
especially the mystery mentioned here of God’s intentional hardening of His own people, the Jews, is very confusing
and unimportant to our twenty-first-century lifestyle application. And Paul denies that; he begins by saying, “You
need to know about this.” Second, Paul explains why Gentile Christians need to know about God’s salvific workings in
Israel. This mysterious truth impacts our humility. Paul says that we need to understand so we don’t become conceited,
so we don’t consider ourselves wise in our own estimation regarding God’s plans for Israel. Don’t be arrogant; don’t
think the Jews need not be evangelized because they’ve rejected Christ. This truth humbles us to see that God has a
plan for both Gentile and Jew. Third, Paul says that God’s dealing with the Gentiles and the Jews in His plan of
salvation is a mystery. Now by “mystery,” Paul simply means “something once concealed now revealed.” Jacob and Moses
and Samuel and David knew nothing of this mystery. It is something that we could not have understood unless God
revealed it to us, which He did through Paul (Ephesians 3:4-9; Colossians 1:26). Once revealed to us in His Word,
however, it is to be declared openly to everybody. It is not for just super-Christians; it’s something for everybody
to understand. Fourth, Paul explains that God is not finished with Israel. And he’s emphasized this twice before in
the passage.
V12a, v15a and v25b are parallel in this regard. V12 explains that the Jews’ sins bring riches for the world. V15 explains
that the rejection of the Gospel by the Jewish people is reconciliation for the Gentiles. V25b explains that the hardening
of Israel (in part) leads to the fullness of the Gentiles. And likewise V12b, 15b, and 26a are parallel. The Jews’
fullness brings greater riches (v12b); the Jews’ acceptance brings life (v15b); and all Israel will be saved (v26a).
Over and over Paul is stating the order of God’s strategy: The Jews reject the Messiah, so that the Gentiles can and
will embrace Him, so that the Jews will become envious and turn to Him, so that amazing benefit comes to both the
Gentiles and the Jews within the Church, as they dwell together in faith in Christ. Hearing this truth repeated from
Paul doesn’t make it easy to accept. We can understand it, but we don’t see how it all plays out just yet: We’re in
the midst of it.
-
V26-27 – All Israel will be saved. What do you think it means? Four views: First, a few people think it means that every
Jew ever to be conceived will be in heaven. But it certainly doesn’t mean that. Matthew 8:11-12 Jesus says, “Many will
come from the east and the west [Gentiles], and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom [Jews] will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Romans 2:8-9 Paul says, “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and
follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil:
first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” So there is no thought of every individual Jewish person being saved.
Second, others believe that “all Israel will be saved” means that one day every individual citizen within the physical
nation of Israel will become a believer in Jesus Christ. Third, some believe, similarly, that the phrase refers to a
future generation before the end of time, that God will bring a tremendous number of Jewish people into His kingdom
believing in Jesus Christ. Perhaps evidence of this is that in the twentieth century more Jews became Christians than
in the previous nineteen centuries combined. And these scholars suggest that it will be new life from the dead for the
church that will be floundering under persecution and will gain new light from this influx of Jewish believers
participating in the kingdom of God. Fourth, still others look at this passage thinking that Paul is really just
saying that the whole church will be saved and that this passage isn’t necessarily speaking about future ethnic or
physical Israel.
John Piper offers five reasons for believing that one day, in connection with the second coming of Christ, the nation
Israel as a whole (not every individual within the nation (see 1 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 12:1)) will embrace Jesus as
Savior and become Christian. (1) “Israel” in v25 and “Israel” in v26 most naturally refer to the same thing. The
hardened Israel (the nation as a whole) will be the saved Israel (the nation as a whole). (2) The reference in v26
to “removing ungodliness from Jacob” fits with the national view of “all Israel.” (3) The parallel between the two
halves of v28 point to all Israel as the nation as a whole. (4) The parallels in v12 point in the same direction. (5)
The same thing is true about the parallels in v15.
The quote from the Old Testament found in v26-27 is designed to strengthen our hope in Israel’s salvation. It refers to
God’s promise: “The deliverer will come from Zion.” The deliverer is Jesus Christ; “He will turn godlessness away” or
remove ungodliness from Jacob. “This is [or will be] My covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Israel will
be saved when Jesus, the deliverer, comes from Zion (the second coming?) and takes away the ungodliness—the hardening—
from Israel and replaces it with faith (v23, “if they do not continue in their unbelief, they will be grafted in”),
and so their sins will be forgiven; they will be grafted in to the tree of salvation as one people with the Gentiles
who believe in Jesus. Compare Isaiah 59:20. This is Paul’s great message, that God is not finished with His ancient
people Israel. How’s that all going to work out? I can’t say for sure; I’m not an expert on eschatology. I understand
the various viewpoints, and I respect experts from each of those viewpoints. What I don’t understand is how they could
be experts, yet disagree so intensely. Nevertheless, the point is that God’s goodness is mind-boggling. He keeps His
promises beyond our wildest dreams.
-
V28-29 – The Gospel and election and God’s irrevocable gifts and calling. Paul, in v28-32, summarizes chapters 9-11, and
then in v33-36, he concludes this portion of his letter with a great benediction or doxology. In this summary, he gives
us another glimpse into God’s divine decree, the secret workings of God in His plan of salvation. God pulled back the
curtain for us in Job 1-2, showing us that God and Satan were playing games with the man named Job, but, to our knowledge,
God didn’t let Job in on those behind-the-scenes transpirations. And the purpose in that was to show Satan the faith of
Job – upheld by God Himself who spoke to Job out of the storm. And here God tells us through Paul what He is doing, and
why He is doing it, regarding salvation.
First, Paul explains a couple things we as Gentile Christians need to keep in mind as we understand the nation of Israel
and the Jewish people. (A) How do the Jews relate to us in our union with God the Father through Jesus Christ regarding
the Gospel? Paul wants us to see that they (Jews and the corporate nation of Israel) have stubbornly denied the Gospel
and have thus become enemies of God on account of us, or for our sake. They have hardened their hearts to the truth that
Jesus is Messiah. And that’s a summary of chapter 10, that man is accountable to believe the good news. That this is God’s
plan to our benefit is summary A of chapter 11. (B) How do the Jews relate to us in our union with God the Father through
Jesus Christ regarding election? Paul wants us to see that they (Jews and the corporate nation of Israel) are loved by
God in a unique way, as they are in a unique position in God’s redeeming purposes; and this unique situation is based
solely on account of God’s gracious covenant promises with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and not because
of something in them. That’s a summary of chapter 9. As v29 says, “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” This refers
us back to those things mentioned in Romans 9:4. Isaiah 46:9-10 God has designed and is working history toward His
desired end for His glory to reveal His mercy and will not be thwarted in that plan. God is not finished with Israel,
and so neither should Gentile Christians be finished with Israel. And that’s summary B of chapter 11.
Why does Paul tell us that we need to have this two-fold view of the Jewish people? First, Paul doesn’t want Gentile
Christians thinking they’re more deserving than the Jews. He doesn’t want Gentile Christians saying, “They didn’t
believe and we did.” Faith, a most unnatural thing in this fallen world, is a gift of our gracious God. Faith isn’t
something that the human heart contributes to the equation of salvation. Faith is an exotic transplant into the human
soul. And if Gentile Christians boast and say, “Ultimately the difference between us and between the Jewish people is
that they failed to believe and we believed,” they have failed to realize that God’s election brings about faith.
Second, Paul doesn’t want Gentile Christians to quit evangelizing the Jews. He doesn’t want to them to fail to hope
for the salvation of the Jewish people. Ironically, and tragically, the modern-day approach is to avoid sharing the
Gospel with Jews altogether to keep from being called anti-Semitic, but Paul is saying here that failing to share the
Gospel with them is the most anti-Semitic thing that could be done! The Gospel is first for the Jew, and then for the
Gentile. Paul is saying not to neglect the Jews in evangelism, but to go to them first, in prayer and preaching and,
above all, in love.
-
V30-32 – God’s eternal plan to reveal His mercy toward the disobedient. Paul shows us how God’s methods (means) in
salvation relate to His goal (end) in salvation. And this is not the only place Paul explains this. Ephesians 2:11-22
explains how God is making Jew and Gentile one in Christ. The Gentiles were disobedient while God was establishing
Israel as His nation; through Israel’s disobedience, the Gentiles were shown mercy and brought near. And now that the
Israelites have been disobedient, they too, through jealousy of the Gentiles, may be brought near and shown mercy.
What God does amongst the Jews (hardening), He does for the sake of the Gentiles. What He does amongst the Gentiles
(mercy), He does for the sake of the Jews. Notice these four steps of God’s plan of salvation in history:
(1) The Gentiles were disobedient to God. There was a long history of letting the nations go their own way while God
focused His redemptive work on Israel to bring the Messiah into the world (See Acts 14:16; Genesis 15:13-16.)
Nevertheless, individual Gentiles still were counted among the elect (Melchizedek, the Ninevites of Jonah’s time,
perhaps Cyrus, etc.) (2) Then there was the decisive disobedience of Israel as she rejected her Messiah and stumbled
over the stumbling stone. Still, individuals within the nation were elect, Paul being one such example, and Simeon
another. Both of these disobediences (national / not individual) were purposed by God, as v32 says, so He could have
mercy on them all (national / not individual). (3) This disobedience led to mercy for the Gentiles as the Gospel spread
among the nations. This is not mere sequence as foreseen by God; this is divine plan, ordained as such before the
foundations of the world were laid. Israel has been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to the Gentiles,
Israel also may now receive mercy. (4) Israel received mercy because they became envious of the mercy shown to the
Gentiles and turned to Christ. God aimed to show mercy to all who were disobedient; therefore He predestined both to
disobedience that He may have mercy on them all. And He will unite them as one body, as the bride of Christ to share
in all the promises and riches – to dwell in His presence for all eternity.
All the while, over the course of this multi-millennia-plan, God’s mercy is operating and being revealed during and even
through hardening and the strictest of judgments. We often ask why. Why do certain things happen the way they do? Paul
gives us the answer: “Because God was pleased to bring it to pass, and because it serves the greater interest of His
mercy and the greatest interest of His glory.” God is always being glorified; God’s mercy is always at work. That’s
the message of Romans 9-11. Don’t ever think God is not being merciful. And this amazingly intricate plan is shown
to us by God and through Paul, in order that we can stand in awe at the work of God in the salvation of His people,
whom He has called from every tribe and tongue and nation before creation. Why did it all happen this way? To reveal
God’s sovereign glory – that He is not subject to the events of human history, but that He ordains the events of human
history. Nothing is coincidence. Be humbled by that truth and receive the mercy of God with gladness and rejoicing. And
this is what Paul’s doxology is all about. Let’s look at it now:
-
V33-36 – Doxology. Paul, perhaps spontaneously, gives in to a brilliant proclamation of praise as he wraps up his
thoughts on God’s eternal plan of salvation for a multitude of Jews and Gentiles. This is the response that will
make us able to live out the practical moral demands of Romans 12-16. Notice, in v34-35, Paul asks three questions
from two Scripture passages (Isaiah and Job) to show that he’s not making up these occasions to praise God. V34
confirms what Paul says in v33, and v35 confirms what Paul will say in v36. Before we examine these quotes and
questions, look at v33.
In v33, Paul praises God for what he knows and for what he doesn’t know. He begins saying; “I can’t even begin to
comprehend the depth of the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge.” He is speaking of the immeasurable nature of both
God’s wisdom, His providential working in and guidance of all things for His pleasure, His specific end, His eternal
purpose (Ephesians 1:11), and God’s knowledge, His exhaustive understanding of all things. Paul sees the judgments
that God has handed down, and his brain cramps at the wisdom, the justice, and the mercy displayed in them. Paul sees
the ways in which God deals with men salvifically in His providence and stands in awe at the knowledge of God. In light
of God’s plan of salvation, revealed and explained to a certain extent here in Romans 9-11, Paul marvels and praises
God. Nobody knows more about God’s plan of salvation than Paul, and he marvels. Daniel 2:21-22 He praises God for what
he has come to understand by the grace of God and also for what he doesn’t yet know. We’ve all had things in our lives,
where, having gone through them we’ve looked back and said, “Lord thank You for not revealing to me that You had called
me to go through that. I couldn’t have knowingly handled it.” (Andy ~ Naomi) God bears that knowledge for us in His
love and bids us praise Him both for what we know and for what we don’t know.
Now in v34, by asking a couple of questions from Isaiah 40:13, Paul says, “Since we don’t know all the things that God
knows, we can’t be in position to give God advice about how to run His show.” And these questions confirm the occasion
to praise God for all truth, revealed and hidden. Paul trusts and praises God, because God has complete knowledge and
infinite wisdom. That’s Paul’s confidence. Even if Paul doesn’t know the answer – and he knows a lot of answers – he
knows that God knows. Even if God has not chosen to reveal the answer – “What’s the deal with this thorn in my flesh?”
– God knows, and Paul trusts that – “My grace is sufficient for you…When I am weak, then I am strong.” He says, “Trust
God; praise Him. He knows the answer.” Paul is practically saying, “Look, if God is possesses of all knowledge and
wisdom and we do not, shouldn’t we avoid complaining? If we are not in the position to advise Him because we don’t
know His mind and we can’t counsel Him, shouldn’t we acknowledge our finitude and His unbound wisdom and understanding?”
Paul is doing more than gritting his teeth and enduring God’s sovereignty; he is trusting that God’s exhaustive
knowledge and wisdom will work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
In v35, Paul quotes Job 41:11 to explain that God’s sole ownership of all of creation demands that His glory be
acknowledged. The second half of that Job verse is: “Everything under heaven belongs to Me.” Since God is the source
and the supplier and the owner of all things, He’s worthy of praise. King David, in 1 Chronicles 29:14, says, “But
who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You,
and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.” What a great acknowledgement! 1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who makes
you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast
as though you did not?”
And finally in v36, Paul’s point is that no one obligates God. Nothing belongs to us. We have no rights, except those
given to us by God. And even those can be taken away at His will. Everything belongs to Him. (1) From Him: He is the
source of everything. (2) Through Him: He is the agent, the channel, the instrument, the supplier of everything. (3)
To Him: He is the goal, the end; everything is for Him. Colossians 1:13-2:3 (4) All things: From Him, through Him, and
to Him [or for Him] are ALL THINGS! All things are from God in the sense that He ordains all that comes to pass. But
sin is not from God as an expression of His nature; rather He purposes sin, intends it for His glory to be revealed
in one way or another; as we’ve seen in this study: some are destined to wrath so that the objects of mercy can see
the mercy with which they are treated. Everything is a gift; there is no obligation. Because of that, Paul says that
we need to praise Him. “To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” Everything that is good in this life He has been graciously
given. Everything bad is still for His glory, just not necessarily how we might think. Furthermore, we deserve worse
and therefore praise Him. It’s easy to know that that’s what the Bible teaches. It’s fairly easy to understand. It’s
harder to believe that, and it’s most difficult to live as if we believe that. By God’s grace may we praise Him at
all times in all circumstances because we know that He made this world for His glory and He knows all things.
Footnotes
- 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14
- 11:4 1 Kings 19:18
- 11:6 Some manuscripts by grace. But if by works, then it is no longer grace; if it were, work would no longer be work.
- 11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10
- 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23
- 11:27 Or will be
- 11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9; Jer. 31:33,34
- 11:31 Some manuscripts do not have now.
- 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the
- 11:34 Isaiah 40:13
- 11:35 Job 41:11
Bible text from
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International Bible Society.