ROMANS 11
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Paul had finished presenting and proving his premise that salvation is by faith in Jesus, irrespective of ethnicity or law-keeping.
He now responds to a question regarding the ramifications of that premise for Israel: does it mean God has utterly, completely excluded Jews from His plans?
Of course not! For Paul himself was an Israelite. Therefore, on God's terms, God's plans are still open to Jews.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
God foreknew that He would call out His Church - comprising of those who believe in Jesus. These, He has not cast away. (It was always in God's plan - and declared by the Prophets - that His plans would focus around them which believe, on the basis of their faith in Jesus, not on the basis of their ethnicity or law-abiding).
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Just as God reserved to Himself 7000 men who chose to be obedient, in Israel's past - so now there actually are a number of Jews who are participating in God's purposes - those who participate on the basis of God's choosing, which is the basis of grace, not the basis of ethnicity or law-keeping: by grace, through faith.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
It's not that no Jew has access to today's fulfilment of God's promises to Abraham, because a certain number of Jews today are enjoying the fulfilment of those promises - but they are doing so not on the basis of keeping the Law, but on the basis of grace (through faith).
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
By-and-large, Israel failed to obtain what the nation was looking for - they were looking for Abraham's blessing - for justification - for entry into the Messiah's kingdom. But the election - those who participated on God's originally-intended basis - are obtaining it. God's originally intended basis was by the grace of Jesus Christ and through faith in Him. The rest were blinded - they were left in their darkness.
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
It was given to them as a consequence of their unbelief. God decreed that both blessing and judgment would hinge on the issue of faith.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
The state of being blinded, slumbering, deaf, snared, trapped, stumbling - are all said to be a recompence - that is, a consequence - not a cause of their unbelief, but a consequence of it.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
It means, their stumbling is not an irreversible, irretrievable situation. They can still be saved! Seeing Gentiles enjoying God's salvation is meant to provoke Jewish people to desire those same blessings.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
It is still possible for a Jewish person to repent and experience fulness. It is still possible for a Jewish individual to stand up again. The diminished state of collective Israel is a potentially reversible situation. (But Paul is not here specifically prophesying a nationwide revival of Israelites. Rather, he is answering the confused notion that salvation by faith somehow meant it was no longer possible for Jewish individuals to be saved.)
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
Some of them: proof that Paul did not have in mind a future nationwide revival of Israel during some future special dispensation. Rather, his discussion is all about the potential salvation of the Jewish individual.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Jews can still potentially be reconciled - and when one is, imagine what a blessing he can be to Gentiles! Paul himself, as the apostle to the Gentiles, is an example of that! This is so far from the mistaken notion that all Jews were cast away, excluded from God's promises.
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
The root holds the grafted branches - that is, God holds us on His own stated basis - which is, that we continue in faith.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
The only reason He would not spare them, is if they cease to comply with God's intended, stated, basis for inclusion - which is, faith.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Continuing in His goodness - continuing in faith - is the basis for sustained inclusion in God's promises.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
Any Jewish individual can be included in God's promises, if they come via God's stated doorway, which is faith in Jesus.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
It is still entirely appropriate for Jewish people to become believers in Jesus! (Rememeber, Paul was answering the mistaken first-century notion of some believers at Rome that perhaps Jewish people could no longer be saved).
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Only part of Israel was experiencing blindness - and deafness, and had stumbled, and been broken off, as a consequence of, not a cause of, their unbelief. This state will continue until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. In other words, there will continue to be unbelievers amongst ethnic Israelites right up until the end. Paul wasn't necessarily foreseeing a nationwide revival during some future special 'dispensation' during which Jews can allegedly be saved on some different basis than the basis of faith in Jesus.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
The sense is: and so (in this manner, according to this scheme of things) all Israel shall be saved (potentially). Paul then quotes a prophecy, which was fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus, not at the second coming. Therefore Paul was not necessarily here predicting a special future event in ethnic Israel - rather, he was saying that the current scenario (as it was being witnessed even in the first century by believers at Rome) fulfilled the sense of the prophecy.
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Only the remnant was obtaining the fulfillment of this promise - according to the scheme explained by Paul. Thus, Zechariah's prophecy was being fulfilled, even in the first century. This is the scheme according to which all Israel could potentially be saved. But if not all Israel believed, it didn't nullify God's promises at all. And the sum total of all Jews who shall believe, comprises the true Israel of God. No true Israelite - no Israelite indeed - no true Jew, who is a Jew inwardly - shall fail to be saved in the last day. Truly, all Israel shall be saved in the day of judgment - but only after the method so described by Paul - that is, by grace through faith in Jesus.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
Just like you still love your unsaved relatives, because they are relatives - so, unsaved Jews are still loved, because they are the line of Abraham's descendant's which were chosen as the original custodians of God's promises.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Meaning, the opportunity to be saved still exists for Israelites. As a nation, they were given a gift - but like the unwise steward, many of them were unfaithful with it, and so were not assured of entering the kingdom. As a nation, they had a calling - a privilege, a first opportunity - but few were chosen - that is, few actually complied with the conditions previously set by God as the prerequisite - that is, faith in Jesus. But the opportunity still exists for Israelites! Paul's message of salvation by faith doesn't take away from that.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
The Lord used the situation to set-up His work of knocking on the doors of men's hearts - both Gentiles' and Jews' - with His offer to come in and sup with them and they with Him.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
He concluded - not caused - them all under the category of unbelief. He did this so that their salvation would be based on mercy alone - and not on ethnicity nor law-keeping.
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
It means: not that Israel's unbelief - and spiritual blindness - is caused by God, but that God even works around their unbelief - and the consequential, retributional blindness due to their unbelief - in order to use it to produce an even wider opportunity for His mercy to Israel.
There is no precedent for the tenets of five-point Calvinism in the topics of this chapter.
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