Romans - 11

     Paul closes what might be called the "theological" section of his letter to the Romans (chapters 1-11) by dealing with the final anticipated objection by the Jews against the gospel doctrine of salvation of grace through faith as opposed to works.  Remember that, in Romans 9:1-3 and 10:1, Paul dealt with the charge that he made up this doctrine because he was against the Jews, or that he didn't want them to be saved.  On the other hand, the Jews might have said, if this doctrine really is from God then His word has failed (9:6) or He is unjust (9:14).  Here  Paul eliminates a final possibility: that this doctrine means that God has rejected His people.
     Verse one deals a death blow to this last idea, since Paul himself is a Jew and God has not rejected him.  But Paul goes on to bury this idea once-and-for-all.
     In verses 2-5 he explains once more what he has already made clear:  that God's people have always been those who have followed Him through obedient faith.  Lest the Jews interpret this as a lot of double talk to say that no one has been or will be saved, Paul points to the example of Elijah.  No one could question for a moment that Elijah followed God through obedient faith.  But he did make the mistake of thinking he alone was faithful.  By referring to the 7,000, Paul does two things.  He points out the fact that, at that time, there were exactly 7,001 REAL Jews, i.e. heirs of the faith and promise of Abraham (vs. 4).  God did not reject His people (all 7,001 of them) by dealing justly with the rest of a nation of so-called Jews.
     Paul also points out what Elijah didn't see: that Elijah hadn't earned his position by his works but rather by his obedient faith, through the grace of God.  In this respect he had 7,000 brethren.  Notice the "choice of grace" in verse 5.
     But God DID harden the Jews, didn't He?  Well, He didn't exactly harden ALL of the Jews.  Verse seven says that those who were chosen obtained what Israel was looking for.  Who were the chosen?  We have already seen that they are those who answer God's call to obedient faith.  Those who reject this call are hardened, but how?  Verse 11 refers to their transgression, which leaves the impression of sin on the part of those who are hardened.  And verse 20 points out quite clearly that the hardening was caused by their unbelief.
     All this is not to say that God did not have a direct hand in the process.  This chapter (and others) makes it clear that God is in control.  But this does not imply in any way that He forces salvation or condemnation on anyone.
     In verse 11 Paul points out a fourth characteristic of this hardening (or stumbling).  God's people did not stumble so as to fall.  The stumbling was not total. In addition it was for the good of the Gentiles (and, as we see in verse 26, for the good of the Jews as well).  Christ is the stumbling block (1 Pet. 2:6-8), and the Jews' rejection of salvation as a gift of God through obedient faith in Christ opened the door for the Gentiles.  But it also opened the door for the Jews, since it opened their eyes to the fact that God's people have always been the children of Abraham through faith (chapter 4).  How great is this recognition of the true fullness of the Israelite nation (vs. 12)!
     "Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles," Paul says of the Jews in this passage, "how much more will their fulfillment be!"
     That only the faithful remnant is the real Israel and therefore is the sole heir of the promise is made clear by Zech. 12:10-13:9 and other passages (such as Deut. 27 and 28).
     "And it will come about in all the land," Zechariah quotes the Lord beginning in verse eight of chapter 13, "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it.
     "And I will bring the third part through fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.
     "They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"
     There is a word of caution in Romans 11:17-31 for any Gentiles who might boast of a superior position over the Jews.  Do these verses leave much room for predestination in the Protestant sense?  Do they leave much room for "once-saved, always-saved?"
     "Behold then the kindness and severity of God;" verse 22 warns, "to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off."
     If we consider verses 20-23 with verses 30-31 do we get the impression that there is some association between unbelief and disobedience, and between belief and obedience?  Compare these two passages for yourself and notice how "unbelief" and "disobedience" are used interchangeably.

     "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery," Paul writes in Rom. 11:25, "lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."
     What is the mystery refereed to here?  In Ephesians 3:4-6 it refers to the inclusion of the Gentiles with the Jews as fellow-heirs and fellow-members of the body, as well as fellow-partakers of the promise in Jesus.  There is certainly no reason to think the mystery is something else in this context.  Verse 25 agrees with verse 11 in pointing out the partial nature of the hardening.  How partial was this hardening?  It had already started to weaken on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 Jews turned to Jesus.  It continued to weaken with every passing day (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 6:1).  The Gentiles came into their own with the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10) and the subsequent acceptance of this fact by the Jewish Christians (Acts 11 and 15).  If this mystery is what the Bible says it is, there is certainly no reason to be looking for a fulfillment of this verse sometime in the future.
     Paul's definition for "Jew" in verse 25 is the same as the one he used in Romans 2:28-29 and 9:6-9.  All Israel will be saved because Israel is...and has always been...made up of obedient, faithful followers of God.  The following verses should be consulted before stating that this is not true: Is. 1:10; Jer. 31:31-34; Ez. 16:3,44-46; John 8:31-44; Gal. 3:21-29.
     It is so contrary to the teaching of the book of Romans (and Hebrews and Galatians, not to mention all the rest of the Bible) to say that the Jewish system will some day be restored.  Why would God restore a system that was old (Heb. 8:13), obsolete (Heb. 8:13), changed by necessity (Heb. 7:12), set aside because of weakness and uselessness (Heb. 7:18), which made nothing perfect (Heb. 7:19), which was a mere shadow (Heb. 10:1), which has been blotted out and nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), and about which Paul says happily "we are no longer under it" (Gal. 3:24-25)?  Further, why would God do this when He has given us a better covenant based on better promises (Heb. 8:6-13) and when Christ has entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:11)?  Why bring in worthless sacrifices (Heb. 10:4,11) when Christ was offered as one perfect sacrifice for all time (Heb. 10:12)?
     Besides, didn't Paul just say in Romans 10:12 that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek?  Doesn't he make a similar statement in Col. 3:11?  And doesn't he say in Gal. 3:28 that there is no such thing as Jew and Greek?  Can anyone really believe that God is so fickle?  Let's be reasonable with our handling of the Scriptures.
     God is faithful to deliver what He has promised (verse 29).  But Paul has to point out the disobedient nature of all men...both Jew and Gentile...in verse 32 before either group will feel the need for God's grace.  Does this remind us of what Paul said at the beginning (2:12 and 3:23)?
     Paul has done what he set out to do.  He has shown that all men need salvation.  He has shown that this salvation comes through the mercy and grace of God, to those who follow Him with obedient faith.  And he has dealt with anticipated objections to this revelation.  What a glorious, wonderful gospel this is!
     In the rest of the book Paul will show how this gospel guides every Christian in his dealings with himself and others.
     The same must be true of us today.  Unless the Bible is our guide...and our only guide...our journey is in vain.  We must follow faithfully the truth if we want to be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."