When Paul talks about Israel as "them", seemingly collectively, in Romans 11, to our modern ears it may sound like he's talking about the possibility of Israel as a whole doing something nationally.
But that could be because in our developed Western countries we tend to go out, get in our cars and drive across town to connect with people selectively and quite individually. Our closest relationships aren't necessarily in our own households, or with our neighbours or in our suburbs. We might pass a couple of churches on our way to the church we go to. We might commute to a different city everyday to work.
In ancient times things happened more in localised, regionalised blocks, even among Gentiles. But especially with regard to Jews, Paul as first-century Jew would have been accustomed to thinking about the nation of the Jews ethnically and covenantally. Especially in his discussion about election, in Romans. A subject in discussion was that the nation of Israel had been chosen.
So Paul was stating that it was still possible for Jews - 'them' - to get saved. But that mightn't necessarily mean he was forecasting a future nationwide salvation - because he was talking about a present-possibility - relevant to the congregation at Rome in the first century AD.
"...that I might by all means save some..." Paul said elsewhere.
But that could be because in our developed Western countries we tend to go out, get in our cars and drive across town to connect with people selectively and quite individually. Our closest relationships aren't necessarily in our own households, or with our neighbours or in our suburbs. We might pass a couple of churches on our way to the church we go to. We might commute to a different city everyday to work.
In ancient times things happened more in localised, regionalised blocks, even among Gentiles. But especially with regard to Jews, Paul as first-century Jew would have been accustomed to thinking about the nation of the Jews ethnically and covenantally. Especially in his discussion about election, in Romans. A subject in discussion was that the nation of Israel had been chosen.
So Paul was stating that it was still possible for Jews - 'them' - to get saved. But that mightn't necessarily mean he was forecasting a future nationwide salvation - because he was talking about a present-possibility - relevant to the congregation at Rome in the first century AD.
"...that I might by all means save some..." Paul said elsewhere.
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