The Rejection Is Not Total (11:1-10)
The Rejection Is Not Final (11:11-24)
God's Ultimate Purpose Is Mercy (11:25-36)

Introduction

"God is free and Israel is guilty. This should suffice to justify the ways of God to man. Chapters 9 and 10 would by themselves provide a neat theodicy, a vindication of God. If Paul were a religious philosopher, he might well stop here. But Paul is not a philosopher; he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew of no limits to the creative possibilities of God; He knew that all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26). He saw in the hopeless spectacle of the harassed and helpless lost sheep of Israel the harvest field of God (Matthew 9:36-37). Paul serves Him, for Paul has the mind of Christ. Paul has been set apart for the Gospel of God. He serves the Creator God whose light has never failed (9:6). God's Word says, "Let light shine out of darkness." (2 Corinthians 4:6; Genesis 1:3; cf. Isaiah 9:2); His Word can make light shine even out of Israel's darkness. His Word has uses for the dead branches cut from the tree of Israel; for Israel hardened in obdurate resistance to God (11:25). For God almighty's love is in His Word...God's Word has not failed. Therefore, a "disobedient and a contrary people" (10:21) cannot be the end and the goal of all God's ways with Israel. God has not rejected His people. Paul is living proof of that."

Verses 1-2
I ask then: did God reject His people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject His people whom He foreknew.

"I ask then: did God reject His people? By no means!" - Once again, Paul uses a rhetorical question to introduce the next stage of the argument. The rhetorical pattern is introduced with the phrase "I ask then:" (literally - "I say therefore") indicating that what follows is the result and implication of that which has gone before. In the Greek text, the question begins with the negative particle "me" signaling that a negative answer is anticipated. In English we might say - "God has not rejected His people, has He?"

At the end of the preceding chapter Paul had concluded that the Israelites were "disobedient and contrary people" (10:21). It might reasonably be expected, then, that God would have given up on this rebellious nation and consigned them to the judgment that they fully and richly deserved. Such a conclusion, however logical it may be, misunderstands the nature and purpose of God. The crucial issue in this Verse is the specific identity of "His people." As the apostle has already demonstrated "not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." (Romans 9:6) To be a child of Abraham is a matter of faith, not of blood. Thus, the "people" (Greek - "laos") of God in this passage are not the Jewish nation as a whole, but rather believers. Stöckhardt is exactly correct when he argues:

"Some commentators incorrectly interpret this comment as a reference to the Jewish nation as such and to Israel's historical calling within the history of the plan of salvation. According to this view, the issue is whether Israel's calling would have been forfeited because of the unbelief of some Israelites or the majority of the Israelites. But rejection does not refer to the loss of a calling within the history of the plan of salvation. Rejection means the same thing as condemnation, exclusion from salvation. The expression "ho laos autou," "ho laos tou theou" has it full worth here and designates the people of God in the true, narrow sense of the term. In Chapter 9:6-13, Paul had already previously distinguished between Israel according the flesh ("kata sarx") and Israel according to the spirit ("kata pneuma"), that is between Israelites who are merely descendants of Abraham physically and the children of God from Israel, the children of the promise, whom God had elected and called to adoption and to eternal life. That which he has said about the rejection of God is restricted to Israel according to the flesh. He will now develop this distinction further. The people of God, of whom he speaks in 11:1 are the sum total of all the true children of God ("tekna tou theou" - 9:8), "God's people in Israel" (Luthardt)." (Stöckhardt, pp. 506-507)

The identification of "His people" with believers is further reinforced by the phrase "His people whom He foreknew" in the Verse which follows. God's plan of salvation was never about blood descent or national identity, but about the preservation of a faithful remnant made up of Jew and Gentile alike. That plan had neither failed nor changed.

The verb "reject" (Greek - "apotheo") is most emphatic with the literal meaning of thrusting away from one's self something that is hateful or disgusting. In this context it is the equivalent of condemnation or damnation. The thought that God would condemn those who are His own by faith because of the faithlessness of others is inconceivable, and Paul rejects it with the strongest possible language - "By no means!" "The idea of this verse, then, is that God has not rejected those upon whom He has place His covenantal love. Such an idea is unthinkable and indeed impossible." (Schreiner, p.581)

"I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin." As he did at the beginning of his discussion of Israel, Paul now reasserts his own identification with the nation of Israel. The Greek text introduces this phrase with conjunction "for" (Greek - "gar") which indicates that Paul sees his own identity as a Jew as a reason to deny that God has rejected His people. The language is that of the Old Testament covenant. "Israelite" is the nation's covenant designation based on the new name which God bestowed upon Jacob after he wrestled with the angel (Genesis 35:10). By identifying himself as "a descendant of Abraham" (Greek - "ek spermata abraam"- "from the seed of Abraham" ) the apostle links his testimony with his earlier discussion of the true Israel (cf. Romans 4:13-18; 9:7-8). Some have suggested that the reference to the tribe of Benjamin is the result of Benjamin's reputation as the most faithful of all the tribes. This view is reflected in the rabbinic tradition that Benjamin was the tribe which led the crossing of the Red Sea, and the fact that Benjamin was the only other tribe to remain loyal to the House of David when the Kingdom was divided. Such suggestions miss the point of the apostle's comment and tend to fall back into the same nationalistic mind set that is being repudiated in this section. Paul's emphasis upon his membership in the tribe of Benjamin is simply the furnishing of individual detail which demonstrates the accuracy of his assertion. Paul is a part of the believing remnant within the nation, and the continuing reality of the remnant proves that God's purpose and promise have not failed. "Paul, himself, as a Jewish Christian, is living evidence that God has not abandoned His people Israel. Jews like Paul, are continuing to be saved and to experience the blessings God promised to His people." (Moo, p. 675)

"God did not reject His people whom He foreknew." - The impossibility of God's rejected of His own is reinforced by a reference to divine election. From before the time when time began, God has known those who belong to Him, those whom He has claimed and called for eternal salvation. The foreknowledge of God is presented here in the same sense that it has in Romans 8:29 (cf. p. 323ff. for a complete discussion of the term's meaning). George Stöckhardt captures the essence of the Biblical concept:

"When it is said in Scripture that God has known and knows us, this means that God has acknowledged, recognized, accepted us as His own, by such knowing has made us His own, adopted us as His own, has placed us into union, into fellowship with Himself, and so, as though bound to Him in unity and kindred with Himself, He loves us with His whole heart...We will not permit this comfort to be taken from us, the comfort that Scripture has opened up to us in and with the "foreknowledge" of God; that God, already in eternity has said to us, to each and everyone of us individually, You are mine. I have engraved your name upon My hands." (Stöckhardt, Predestination, pp. 16,25)

This is the sense in which the term is used in Amos 3:2 - "You (the people of Israel) only have I chosen (literally - "have I known") of all the families of the earth." From before the beginning, God's loving foreknowledge had chosen the lambs of His own flock both from the sheepfold of Israel and the nations (John 10:14-16). The love of God for His own does not change, nor can it fail.

Verses 3-6
Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah - how he appealed to God against Israel: "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars; I am the only one left and they are trying to kill me?" And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

"Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah?" - The apostle appeals to the historical precedent of the prophet Elijah's conversation with God in the dark days following his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on the summit of Mount Carmel (1 Kings 19:10-18) to document the preservation of the righteous remnant. Even amid the worst apostasy the Lord preserves His own. They many constitute only a tiny handful compared to the great multitudes who abandon or compromise the truth of God, but they will always remain, nonetheless. As Jesus promises, the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18). The 1 Kings text serves perfectly to illustrate the apostle's contention that God always preserves His own, and that the unfaithfulness of the majority does not negate the promises of our faithful God.

"So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace..." - The explicit connection between the historical precedent and the present situation is now drawn. In both instances the remnant remains. The apostasy of the overwhelming majority of Israel under Ahab and Jezebel did not undo the gracious promises of God to His own. There still remained 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal. So also the rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah by the overwhelming majority of Israel does not signify the failure of God's plan of salvation for His people. A faithful remnant remains in Israel, exemplified by Paul himself, "a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin." (11:1). The preservation of the remnant is the work of God alone. Human effort, the works of man, are not a factor here. The remnant remains, "chosen by grace" (literally -"in accordance with the election of grace"). This is the first time these two profoundly significant theological concepts - "election" (Greek - "eklogen") and "grace" (Greek - "charitos") - have been combined in Romans. It is a powerful combination. God's action in choosing the remnant is not conditioned by anything in them. "The existence of a remnant of believing Jews is not ultimately ascribed to their greater wisdom or nobility, or to their free will, or to their spiritual perception. The inclusion of the remnant in God's people is due to His electing grace." (Schreiner, p.582) It is God and God alone who is at work here. Martin Franzmann summarizes:

"Elijah found that he was not alone; and Paul, who knows the deadly enmity of Israel as Elijah did, and has looked full upon the tragic wreckage of his people, broken on the Stone of stumbling, Paul, too, knows that he is not alone. He knows that out of Israel God's elective grace has now called forth men who do not disobey and contradict God but call Jesus Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead. These men have gone the way that all who go into the new Israel of God must go; they have gone the way of grace and faith, not trying to establish a righteousness of their own but renouncing their own righteousness and submitting freely to the given righteousness of God." (Franzmann, p. 196)

The combination of "grace" and "election" is of profound theological importance. One cannot be denied or minimized without jeopardizing the other.

"One should also observe that Paul's teaching on election is indissolubly bound up with his gospel of justification. . Those who deny unconditional election introduce, albeit subtly, the notion that human works play a role in obtaining justification and open the door for human boasting. . For Paul, the purity of grace is bound up with the conviction that god elects apart from any human work. Luther saw this very clearly in his classic "Bondage of the Will." He defended the doctrines of the bondage of the will and unconditional election so vigorously because the denial of either compromised the Pauline gospel that justification is by grace alone through faith alone." (Schreiner, p. 583)

"And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." - No combination of grace and works is possible. These two categories are mutually exclusive. The absolute incompatibility of God's grace with human works is the hallmark emphasis of Paul's New Testament writings (Cf. Romans 3:21-31; 4:1-11; 5:2, 20-21; 9:11). Each and every attempt to combine that which a man does or is with the attainment of salvation is scorned and rejected by the St. Paul, the great apostle of grace. As he declares to Timothy: "God has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity." (2 Timothy 1:9) If God's action is based in any way on "works," that which is done by a human being, then it cannot be "grace."

"There is no such thing in God as a diluted grace, a partial grace. If grace is not the free and round and whole and undivided love of God, the same to all, pure gold in every hand that holds it, then it is not grace. Where God's grace works, there is simply no room for the works of men, for human merit, and acquired reward." (Franzmann, p. 197)

All those who attempt to bring the two together are guilty of following "a different gospel which is really no gospel at all." (Galatians 1:6,7). Whenever man's works become a factor, God's grace is necessarily and automatically eliminated. This had become the case in pharisaic Judaism. For Paul, the son of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin, the discovery of this grace was actually a rediscovery, a homecoming to the faith of Abraham, as it had truly always been.

"For Paul and for many other Jewish Christians, belief in Jesus Christ had been a rediscovery of the experience of the grace of God which had been obscured for them while they remained within the more traditional Judaism. But for Paul conversion was a rediscovery of what he now realized more clearly had always been at the heart of Judaism rightly understood - a rediscovery of God's choice not on the basis of good or evil deeds (9:11) but as an act of sheer generosity. Conversion to Jesus Messiah was not a movement away from the faith of the patriarchs and prophets, but a rediscovery of its pristine power." (Dunn, pp. 646,647)

Verses 7-10
What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as 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." And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."

"What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain..." - One more rhetorical marks the conclusion of this portion of the argument. Paul has contended that the presence of the remnant, Jews who are Christians, demonstrates that God has not rejected His people. In fact, the current situation in which only a small minority actually believe, is fully consistent with the historical pattern of the past. The language here is reminiscent of 9:30-31 which also serves as a summary of the preceding argument in Chapter 9 - "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it." The nation as a whole "Israel" has failed to attain what she was seeking, that is, righteousness before God (cf. 9:30-31). This failure is all the more tragic in light of all of Israel's diligent efforts to achieve the desired goal. The nation is now divided into two categories, the "elect" (Greek - "ekloge") and the rest who were "hardened" (Greek - "porousthai"). The elect are the remnant, those who God in His grace has chosen to be His own (cf. vss. 5-6). The Greek verb "porousthai" literally means "to petrify,"" to be turned into stone." This is the judicial hardening of God by which His punishment for the obdurate sinner is confirmation in the sin he has chosen for himself (cf. 1:18-32; 9:16-17). Lenski notes: "The punitive hardening that follows after self-hardening has fully set in is here described. They that will not shall not!" (Lenski, p. 687)

"As 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." - The judgement of hardening upon Israel is documented with a composite of citations from the Old Testament. This verse is a combination of Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. In the Deuteronomy passage Moses rehearses and foretells the history of Israel warning them of the judgement to come because of their unbelief - "To this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands, or eyes that see or ears that hear." The Isaiah text is also a stern word of warning that God will bring upon the people and their prophets "a deep sleep" and "seal their eyes." Both quotations recall the classic Old Testament text on the hardening of Israel, Isaiah 6:9-11 -

"Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." (Cf. Matthew 13:10-15; John 12:37-43)

By citing these passages Paul contends that the spiritual blindness of Israel is the culmination of a judgement process that had been at work in Israel for many generations.

"In both of these prophetic passages, just as in Isaiah 29:9ff., Israel was denied spiritual sight and hearing, the capacity to understand and to grasp God's Word and work. The blinding and hardening of Israel had already begun in the time of Isaiah, indeed its earliest beginnings reach back to the days of Moses. Yet, because at the time of Christ and the apostles the judgement of obduracy upon Israel was truly consummated and completed, the apostle rightly applies these statements of Moses and Isaiah as prophecies of his own New Testament time." (Stöckhardt, p. 513)

"And David says: May their table become a snare and a trap..." - In fine rabbinic style, having quoted from the Torah and the Prophets, Paul now turns to the Writings, the third segment of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanak with a citation from the Book of Psalms. These harsh words come from Psalm 69, the anguished lament of the dying Messiah upon the cross. The Psalm is repeatedly quoted and alluded to in the New Testament in reference to Christ (cf. Matthew 27:34,48;Mark 3:21; 15:23,36; Luke 13:35; 23:36; John 2:17; 15:25; 19:29; Acts 1:20; Romans 15:3; Hebrews 11:26; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 16:1). In the malediction quoted here, the Messiah is calling down the judgement of God upon His enemies. Psalm 69 is one of the so-called "Imprecatory Psalms" which call for the punishment and destruction of the enemies of God and His people. Those who are troubled by these often harshly worded passages fail to recognize that when the psalmist, or even the Messiah speaking through the psalmist as in Psalm 69, calls for the destruction or death of the wicked, this is not a matter of personal vengeance or vindictiveness. It is rather a plea for the vindication of the holy God and His divine justice by the exercise of judgment upon the those who have stubbornly and impenitently defied His will. The object of these fervent prayers for judgment are those who have hardened their hearts and who obstinately seek to prevent the accomplishment of God's plan of salvation. Dr. John Brug offers these helpful observations about the Imprecatory Psalms in general and Psalm 69 in particular:

"We use the term "imprecatory psalms" to describe those psalms that contain curses or prayers for the punishment of the psalmist's enemies...Many commentators dismiss these prayers as remnants of a less developed stage of religion, which we have now outgrown. They claim that such prayers are no longer valid in New Testament times, since we are now told to love our enemies and not to take revenge. Such claims, however, are not supported by a careful study of these Psalms or the rest of Scripture. These prayers, harsh though they sound, were proper prayers when they were first uttered, and they are still proper today...Luther once commented that we cannot pray the Lord's Prayer without cursing. Every time we pray "Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," we are praying that the plans of Satan and all who serve him will fail and that they receive the judgment which they deserve. We should indeed pray that God will lead our enemies to repentance and forgiveness as Christ and Stephan did, but we must also pray that all who continue to defy God will receive the justice they deserve. God is a God of absolute holiness...When the psalmist uttered such prayers, his concern was for the God's glory and the success of God's plans....Similar prayers for God to display His justice occur in the New Testament. Paul prayed for God's judgment against those who opposed his preaching of the gospel (Galatians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:14). Even the saints in heaven pray, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (Revelation 6:10)" (Brug, pp.12-13)

In the inspired words of Psalm 69, the dying Messiah calls down the judgment of God upon His enemies. As noted above, this is not a desire for personal vengeance, but a holy desire for the unhindered accomplishment of the will and purpose of God. The enemies of the Righteous One appear to have triumphed. They rejoice in their victory while they scorn and oppress the Servant of God. The table of the feasting, the symbol of their victorious self-confidence, shall become the instrument of their doom. The eyes of those who have gazed without pity upon Him whom God has smitten, shall be blinded, and the proud backs of the oppressors shall be bent forever beneath the yoke of slavery. By spurning the freedom that God offered, they chose for themselves slavery instead. By refusing to see the truth that God had plainly revealed they cursed themselves to stumble helplessly in the darkness. Thus Israel has brought the judgment of God upon itself by its defiant rejection of the Savior whom God had sent. This is a grim but realistic picture of the righteous judgment of God at work. John MacArthur notes:

"One of the saddest commentaries in history is that so many people place their trust in the very thing that damns them. All false religions - pagan, cultic, unbiblical Christianity, and every other kind - present counterfeit means of salvation. The more their adherents feed on the falsehoods, the more immune they become to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the living bread of life. As she continued to reject God, Israel became progressively more spiritually blind - so blind that she could not recognize her own Messiah and Savior. Just as David had prayed in righteous indignation against the sins of his own people, Israel's eyes were darkened to see not. Because Israel refused to see the things of God, God judicially ratified her willing blindness. "Bend their backs" may suggest the hunched over posture in which blind people sometimes walk as the grope their way on a path they cannot see that leads to a destination they do not seek." (MacArthur, p. 104)

Verses 11-12
Again 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. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring?

"Again I ask..." - A rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, similar to that of Verse 1, advances the discussion to the next thought. In the preceding verses, Paul has firmly asserted the hardening of Israel and the preservation of a believing remnant. He now proceeds to define the redemptive purpose of God in His judgement upon apostate Israel. "Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery?" "Stumble" (Greek - "ptaio") literally means to collide with or crash against something. It is commonly used in the sense of stumbling over an obstacle. James uses the same word in a spiritual sense in reference to sinning: For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10; cf. also 3:2; 2 Peter 1:10). In this instance, the stumbling of Israel is her rejection of Christ and the righteousness of God offered through Him. "To fall beyond recovery" (Greek - "pipto") is the result of the stumbling. The term is used in the same sense in the Septuagint's translation of Isaiah 24:20 - "The earth staggers like a drunkard, it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it and it falls and will not rise again." The term is often used in the New Testament to denote apostasy and spiritual ruin (cf. Romans 11:22; 14:4; 1 Corinthians 10:12; Hebrews 4:11). The question posed here pertains to God's perspective on Israel's apostasy and His purpose therein, thus the use of the Greek preposition "hina" ("so as"). John Murray is correct in his assertion: "We are here advised, therefore, of the overriding and overruling design of God in the stumbling and fall of Israel." (Murray, p. 76) Dr. Stöckhardt amplifies that thought in this way: "The sense of the question is this: did they stumble just so that they might never rise again? Is their fall an end in itself? Could it simply have been God's intent that they fall and be destroyed so that He might find pleasure and satisfaction in their destruction?" (Stöckhardt, p. 514) Is this merely an example of the vengeful judgment of an angry God? The answer is immediate and emphatic. "Not at all." Our God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked - "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:22). Even in judgment there is redemptive intent, for above all else, God is love. God's desire for the salvation of His people never weakens or comes to an end. Even in the face of their obstinate rejection He would still restore them. Even as He punishes, He seeks to lead them to repentance and the punishment visited upon one becomes the occasion of blessing for another.

"Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious." - Paul now returns to the concept introduced in 10:19, based on Deuteronomy 32:21, namely the offer of salvation to the Gentiles as a means of stimulating a renewal of interest among the Jews. The"transgression" of Israel is once again their rejection of the Messiah and their attempt to attain a righteousness based upon the law which is the opposite of the righteousness of God in Christ. In the redemptive purpose of God, just judgment upon Israel's sin serves both as the occasion of salvation for all the nations and yet another opportunity to provoke within the Jews the jealous desire to recapture that which they had thrown away. "Such is the astounding mercy of God that He makes even the hardening and the fatal fall of the Jews serve His redemptive purpose." (Lenski, p. 693)

"But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" - The apostle is unwilling to simply write off ethnic Israel. He argues from the lesser to the greater to suggest the possibility that despite the Messiah's rejection by the majority of the nation, those Jews like himself who have come to faith in Jesus are still uniquely positioned to play a special role in the blessing of mankind. God's redemptive purpose in believing Israelites is greater still than His redemptive purpose in unbelieving Israelites. Paul, the Jewish apostle to the Gentiles, is the perfect example of this truth. The key words here are the contrasting terms "loss" (Greek - "hettema") and "fullness" (Greek - "pleroma"). "Hettema" is unusual in New Testament Greek. It is derived from a verb which means "to be less," "to be weaker," or, "to be defeated." Israel's "transgression" in rejecting Christ has been for her the ultimate spiritual defeat. The term is never used in a numerical, statistical sense. "Fullness," in direct contrast, refers to completeness or fulfillment. The sense of the term in its every Biblical use is qualitative not quantitative. That which was lost by the apostate majority has been completely restored to the believing remnant (11:5,7) through whom the Gospel is now being proclaimed throughout all the world. Thus, "their fullness" is not something yet to be realized in the far distant future. It is present reality as Paul writes to the congregation in Rome. Millennialist fantasies about a general conversion of ethnic Israel during the Tribulation Period on the eve of a thousand year earthly kingdom for the Jews find no support in Romans 11. Lenski correctly defines the contrast in this way:

"The thought is not that if the Jewish loss made the world rich, then the Jewish gain would make it even richer. It is this: if the Jewish loss makes the world rich (which it surely does), this fact stands out as such still more when many of these very Jews themselves now embrace this fulness, these riches." (Lenski, p. 694)

Verses 13-15
I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry, in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

"I am talking to you Gentiles." - This is the first instance in the letter where Paul addresses the Gentile members of the Roman congregation as such. He speaks as "the apostle to the Gentiles" and urges them to avoid the temptation to view the Jews or Jewish Christian with scorn and disdain. To do so would be to fall prey to the same sinful pride which has resulted in the downfall of Israel. Paul has been an aggressive and unapologetic advocate of the mission to the Gentiles and of their inclusion as complete equals in the Christian Church. He has consistently been their spokesman and defender even in the face of bitter opposition. But even in this, a part of Paul's motive has been a desire for the salvation of his own nation, the Jews. Like the God whom he serves, Paul is determined to find even in man's rejection a way to enhance the progress of salvation. Franzmann notes: "Paul cannot reach his fellow Jews directly; they break into anathemas at the sight of him. He must seek them roundabout, through the Gentiles; the Gentile Christians are Paul's mission to the Jews." (Franzmann, p. 200, 201) It is the apostle's intent by the very emphasis of his ministry as an outreach to the Gentiles "to arouse my own people to envy" and in this way to reach out to the elect remnant of the nation - "save some of them." In this context, "their rejection" refers to God's rejection of Israel as the consequence of the nation's unbelief, not Israel's stubborn rejection of Jesus. "The reconciliation of the world," the outreach of the Gospel to every nation, and the subsequent conversion of countless Gentiles to faith in Christ, this is the miraculous result which God has brought about by His judgment upon Israel. "Reconciliation" (Greek - "katallage") refers to the action of God in bringing sinners into a peaceful relationship with Himself by removing the barrier of sin which separated Him from fallen mankind by the sacrifice of His Son. The English word "reconciliation" is derived from the Latin "to bring together again." It describes the restoration of friendly relationships and peace where before there had been alienation and hostility thru the removal of the offense which caused the disruption of peace and harmony. This reconciliation is an objective reality in the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. The blessings of this reconciliation are received by each individual through faith, which is, of course, also a gift of God.

"The reconciliation obtained through the unbelief and the resultant rejection of the Jews, is not the objective reconciliation of the world with God through Christ's blood and death but the subjective reconciliation, identical with the conversion of the heathen world to God of which 2 Corinthians 5:20 also speaks - "Be ye also reconciled with God." (Stöckhardt, p. 517,518)

The theme continues to be God's wondrous ability to turn negatives into positives; to take man's most obstinate and flagrant rejection and use it in service of the plan of salvation. Within the apostate nation the faithful remnant is carefully preserved. Every Jew who is a part of that remnant, that is who comes to faith in Jesus (their acceptance") is a miracle of "life from the dead," like the dry bones of Ezekiel's valley restored to life again. The application of this principle transcends its specific application to Israel and the Gentiles to remain relevant throughout the history of God's people:

"This characteristic feature of the progress of the Kingdom of God can also be observed in the history of the Church of Christ beyond the contrast between the Jews and the Gentiles. The lamentable fact remains that many, indeed most, of those who hear the Gospel do not believe and proceed to damnation. This sad reality will remain unchanged until Judgment Day. Nevertheless, God's Kingdom continues to move forward on earth. In His own masterful way, God knows how to bring forth good from unbelief, the most terrible of all evils. God knows how to raise up some through the downfall of others. It has often happened that when the Gospel is driven away from one place by the ingratitude of men, that same Gospel moves on to another place, there to establish a firm foundation and bring forth abundant fruit. This is the way in which God's Word came to the Gentiles from the Jews. In the same way the Word of God came from the Greeks and Romans to the Germanic peoples, and from the Old World to the New World. In the hand of God the persecution of the Christians became the means to spread the Christian Church. As persecuted Christian fled into exile they took their great treasure, the riches of Christ, with them, and there, in exile found open and receptive hearts. The flourishing of faith far away among strangers has often produced the same wholesome reaction upon the church at home. The zeal of the newly converted excites and awakens many who have grown indolent or have already died. It is a particular comfort for Christian pastors to recognize that as Paul provoked Israel by his preaching to the Gentiles, their ministries reach farther than their eyes can see. If they but faithfully carry out their office at home to the souls entrusted to their care, they thus provide the instruments thru which God will carry out His saving work in others. All these are ways and means by which God brings together the elect from all the ends and corners of the earth. In this way, the Church of Christ is led toward her consummation and her glorification." (Stöckhardt, pp. 519,520)

Our indolent and apathetic churches would do well to ponder the lesson of this pattern within the history of God's people.

Verses 16-21
If 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. If 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, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this; You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either.

"If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy..." Two comparisons are offered to illustrate and drive home this fundamental truth. The first is derived from the worship life of ancient Israel (Numbers 15:17-21). From the first dough made of the new grain a portion was set aside and baked for the Lord. This sacrificial offering served to sanctify and bless the entire harvest. Later in the second metaphor (Verse 28) Paul explains that the root of the olive vine represents the patriarchs. That being the case, it would seem that the "firstfruits" of the batch would also represent the patriarchs of Israel. God's choice of the patriarchs resulted in the fact that through them all of their spiritual descendants are sanctified (cf. Romans 4:16-19). Of course, the patriarchs convey spiritual benefits on their spiritual descendants only as recipients and transmitters of the promises of God. That benefit is described in the text in terms of holiness (Greek - "hagios"). In the sacrificial language of the Old Testament, holiness carries the technical connotation of having been set apart by God for salvation. That sense suits Paul's purpose here perfectly. In this way, the illustration of the firstfruits grain offering serves as the transition to the more detailed and extended metaphor of the olive vine with the immediate addition of the phrase

"If the root is holy, so are the branches." The imagery of Israel as the vineyard of God is well established in the Old Testament (i.e.- Psalm 92:13; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 11:17). The dependence of the branches upon the root is also frequently asserted (i.e. - Job 18:16; Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 31:7; Hosea 9:16). Thus, the introduction of the metaphor here is not unexpected. The point is the same as in the preceding phrase. The "root" represents the patriarchs and the "branches" which spring from that root represent the true Israel of God. The apostle maintains a careful balance. Physical descent from the patriarchs does not, in itself bring salvation (cf. Romans 2:25-29; 9:6-29). All mankind, both Jews and Gentiles are in the same position by nature in helpless bondage to the power of sin (2:1-3:20) and in need of God's gift of faith to be saved (3:21-4:25). Yet salvation comes only to those who are "of Abraham's seed" and thus the people of God are one, and that people has both a Jewish root and a continuing Jewish element.

"If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot..." - The image of the root and the branches now serves to admonish and warn Gentile Christians. "The branches that have been broken off" are unbelieving Israel. The clear implication of the imagery is that the broken off branches were dead. To say that "some" branches have been severed from the vine (Note the use of the passive verb to emphasize the divine action involved.) is a genuine understatement in the face of Israel's overwhelming rejection of Christ. The pronoun "you" is highlighted for special emphasis, addressing the Gentile Christians in Rome personally and directly. The olive tree was the most widely cultivated fruit tree in the Mediterranean region. It had been carefully cultured and developed for centuries to provide lush and abundant fruit. The wild olive tree, on the other hand, was an annoying weed, notorious unfruitful. Thus the process of grafting which Paul describes is the exact opposite of what would normally be expected, and in this way the apostle brings out the wonder of God's amazing grace. Lenski summarizes:

"The astounding miracle of grace is here pictured by an equally astounding figure; such a wild olive branch grafted in among good living olive branches and thereby made a joint partaker of the root of the good olive tree, of its fatness, its rich sap...The marvel of divine grace, which the Gentile Christians are to note well, is that they, together with the believing Jews are made blessed partakers of all that God originally gave to Abraham and to the great patriarchs of the covenant." (Lenski, p. 705, 704)

"Do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you." - Unfortunately, sinful pride and arrogant superiority are not limited to any race or ethnic group. It is the natural propensity of all the fallen children of Father Adam. Gentile Christians are admonished lest they take pleasure in the downfall of the Jews and disparage their Jewish fellow-Christians. Having dealt most severely with all Jewish pretensions and pride, the apostle now bluntly eliminates the possibility of boasting among the Gentiles. The "root" which gives sustenance and support to the ingrafted "branches" is the Old Testament heritage of the people of God stretching all the way back to Abraham and beyond. To disdain that heritage is to diminish the grace of God which is the only basis for the salvation of every believer, whether Jew or Gentile. In view of that grace, the free gift of God's absolutely undeserved love excludes all possibility of any kind of boasting (cf. Romans 3:27-28). A careful balance must be maintained here. Every Gentile believer is, in a sense, indebted to Israel as the custodian of the oracles of God. But recognition of and respect for our Old Testament Hebrew heritage must not be equated with an acceptance of Judaism as a viable alternative to Christianity. The acknowledgment of the Jews as "our elder brothers in the faith," to use the language of modern ecumenism, dare never be construed as approbation of their ongoing rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah, the only Savior of the world.

"You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in..." - The argument follows a logical progression. The hypothetical Gentile boaster points out that he must be superior because others were removed to make way for him - "branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Paul ironically agrees - "Granted." There is some truth here, but it is only a half-truth. As has already been demonstrated, God had much more in mind than the salvation of the Gentiles in His judgment upon Israel. The divine intent from the beginning was the salvation of mankind, both Jew and Gentile. It is sheer egotism for the Gentile to now conclude that God's sole purpose in condemning the Jews was to save the Gentiles. This is exactly the same kind of egotism that had led the Jews to conclude that the choosing of Israel was an end in itself because God only the Jews and not the Gentiles. At the root of Israel's rejection was a lack of faith - "they were broken off because of unbelief." Gentiles must now guard against sinful pride and self-exaltation because the basis for their relationship with God is also faith - "and you stand by faith." Faith is God's gift, not man's doing. This is no inherent virtue, merit, or superiority that contributes to its bestowal by God.

"Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either." - Thoughts of self-satisfaction, superiority and pride must give way to reverent awe before the mighty God. This is the fear of God which is the beginning of true wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). " Only fear of God can keep faith from deteriorating into presumption, since only in trembling creatureliness does faith retain its character as dependent trust." (Dunn, p. 663) The Gentiles are urged to learn from the negative experience of Israel. When the descendants of Abraham fell from faith, they were cut off despite an ethnic pedigree that reached back across the centuries. If God so judged the Jews, who had a natural connection to the sustaining root, He will surely also judge those who have been grafted in as alien branches. We would all do well to heed the warning of Israel's downfall. "Faith cannot become proud at the sight of God's judgment upon unbelief. When faith sees broken branches lying withered on the ground, faith is filled with fear and says, "There but for the grace of God lie I." (Franzmann, p. 204)

Verses 22-24
Consider therefore, the kindness and the sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you will also be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After 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.

"Consider therefore, the kindness and the sternness of God." - The point is restated in the customary language of theology. The "kindness" (Greek - "chrestoteta") and the "sternness" (Greek - "apotomian") of God are set in juxtaposition with one another. "Kindness" indicates the generous, giving quality of God's undeserved love - "the fountain of all spiritual blessings and gifts." (Lenski, p. 709) "Sternness," on the other hand, is a harsh word which literally means "the cutting off" derived from the sharp edge of the blade used in the severance. This is the only use of the word in Scripture. In classical Greek it carries the legal connotation of the condemning verdict of the judge in a courtroom. Both of these realities must be kept in mind. Do not presume on the "kindness" of God, lest, like those who have fallen, you experience the terror of His "sternness." This is the dialectic of law and gospel. The proper distinction between them is of crucial importance. In this instance, the "sternness" of God is demonstrated by His just judgment upon fallen Israel and His "kindness" is shown by His gracious call to the Gentiles. Paul cautions that the Gentiles ought to be warned by that which befell the Jews and at the same time comforted by the incredible grace and mercy which they have already experienced. The decisive factor here is faith. If Israel were to return to the faith, God in His mercy would restore them to the position from which they have fallen. Like the father of the wayward prodigal, God is ready and eager to welcome His wandering children home. On the other hand, if the Gentiles were to slip into unbelief, they would be cut off as surely as Israel had been. Paul stretches the terms of his metaphor to emphasize God's readiness to forgive and restore Israel. The "horticultural impossibility becomes a way of emphasizing the power of God." (Dunn, p. 675) The branches that have been cut off could be regrafted again if wayward Israelites were to return to the faith. Douglas Moo notes:

"In speaking of such a regrafting, Paul again reveals how little he is concerned to stick to the details of actual olive cultivation in his metaphor. It is not the logic of nature that explains this regrafting, the theologic of the God who "give life to the dead and calls things that do not exist as if they did." (4:17)" (Moo, p. 707)

The clear emphasis throughout this section is on the gracious action of God to the exclusion of all human effort. St. John Chrysostom properly observes: "Paul does not point to human works, but to the goodness of God as a reminder to us that our salvation comes from God's grace and to us tremble." (Bray, p. 295) No room remains for ethnic pride from either Jew or Gentile.

"After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature..." - The apostle again employs an argument from the lesser to the greater ("a fortiori") to defend the appropriateness of the restoration of believing Israel. The argument is signaled by the repetition of the words "how much more." The Gentiles nations were "an olive tree that is wild by nature." They were not a part of the chosen people, nor did they enjoy any of the benefits and blessings of Israel's covenant with God. By contrast, Israel was "a cultivated tree," meticulously cared for and carefully pruned by the God who had chosen this people for Himself. If God was capable of grafting branches from the wild tree into the cultivated one He would certainly be capable of regrafting the natural branches of the cultivated tree. Once again it is faith, not ethnic identity which is critical. Gentiles must resist the temptation to scorn the Jews lest they fall prey to the same self-righteous pride which had originally led to the downfall of Israel. The grafting of the wild branches into the cultured tree does not represent a new beginning but the reaffirmation of a faith based concept of the people of God, a concept that had been obscured by Israel's egotistical misunderstanding. Dr. Moo offers this helpful summary of the entire metaphor:

"Paul skillfully mixes theology and exhortation in this paragraph. His olive tree metaphor makes an important contribution to our understanding of the people of God. It is notoriously easy to squeeze more theology out of such a metaphor than it is intended to convey. But basic to the whole metaphor is the unity of God's people, a unity that crosses both historical and ethnic boundaries. The basic point of the metaphor is that there is only one olive tree, whose roots are firmly planted in OT soil, and whose branches include both Jews and Gentiles. This olive tree represents the true people of God. The turn of the ages at the coming of Christ brought an important development in the people of God; the object of ones faith became clearer and more specific and the ethnic makeup of that people changed radically, as God extended His grace in vastly increased measure to the Gentiles. But Paul's metaphor warns us not to view this transition as a transition of one people of God to another. Gentiles who come to Christ become part of that community of salvation founded on God's promises to the patriarchs. And "messianic Jews," following in the footsteps of their believing ancestors, belong to this same community...We must remember that, for Paul, the church was both rooted in the Jews and heavily populated by Jews. The coming of Christ did not for him involve ethnic subtraction, as if Jews were not eliminated, but addition, with Gentiles now being added to believing Jews. Paul's boundary for the people of God is a religious one - faith in Jesus Christ - not an ethnic one." (Moo, pp. 709-710)

Verses 25-27
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited; Israel had receiving a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so, all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited." - This introduction highlights the profound significance of the conclusion which now follows and serves to draw the reader's attention to these words. Given the context, the "brothers" addressed would appear to be the Gentile members of the Roman Church. Paul's concern is that they not fall into the same trap of conceit which had so successful snared their Jewish counterparts. The Greek text literally says - "so that you might not be wise in your own estimation." The warning is against ethnic pride and exclusiveness. If faith is perverted into something other than a complete dependence upon God, a claim upon Him rather than trust in Him, then God's love comes to be seen as a right to which one is entitled by birth or merit. Faith has then become what James Dunn aptly calls "unfaith." That is the grim fate which befell Israel and against which Paul warns the Gentiles. "In this way Paul underlines the precariousness of the Gentile believers situation - precarious because the history of Israel shows how quickly faith can be corrupted into unfaith, how easily grace can be perverted into human presumption." (Dunn, p. 675) Our eternal security rests in the grace of God alone.

That which is here explained is a "mystery," a dimension of the plan of salvation that cannot be discerned by human effort but must be revealed or disclosed by God (cf. Ephesians 1:9; 3:3,4,9; 6:19). The implication is that that which Paul now uncovers for his readers has been revealed to him by God Himself. Paul uses the same word in Ephesians 3:6 to describe the inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in the plan of salvation: "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs togther with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus." C.F.W. Walther comments on the appropriateness of the use of the term "mystery" in this regard:

"It is true to us, who look back on the eighteen centuries of the history of the Christian Church, who still have the Jewish nation before our eyes, who know of the conversion of Jews in all ages and countries, who observe how even today God faithfully keeps His covenant with Israel - to us this no longer appears as a great mystery, as little as the wickedness of Antichrist revealed to us by the Reformation. However, if we imagine ourselves in the position of the Roman Gentile Christians to whom Paul wrote, it will soon become clear to us that for them the apostle's prophecy of Israel's survival and admittance to the Kingdom of Christ to the Last Day was bound to be an unexpected, great, marvelous mystery." (Pieper,III, p.531)

"Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved." - The mystery includes three components: (1) the partial hardening of Israel; (2) that partial hardening will persist "until the full number of the Gentiles has come in;" and, (3) in the end, according to the plan of God, "all Israel will be saved."

The mystery's first component is that there will always be a remnant within Israel. The hardening which has come upon the nation will always be only "in part." It is clear from that which has come before that the hardening which has befallen much of Israel is the judicial action of God upon men who have obstinately chosen to defy and disobey Him (cf. Romans 1:18f.; 9:18: 11:7). Nonetheless, a faithful remnant remains within the apostate nation which continues to trust in the Lord and will be saved by Him. This repeats the point stressed earlier in the chapter. "God did not reject His people whom He foreknew." (Vs.2) The Jews will never be excluded from the church. Israel's remnant will continue to play an important role in the plan of salvation.

Next Paul asserts that this partial hardening of Israel will continue throughout the New Testament era, until the end of this age and the coming of the judgment when "the full number of the Gentiles has come in." The verb "has come in" (Greek - "eiserxomai") consistently refers to entrance into the kingdom of God in the New Testament. John Murray describes the phrase as "the standard term in the New Testament for entering into the Kingdom of God and life." (Murray, II, p.93) (cf. Matthew 5:20; 7:3; 18:3; 19:17; Mark 9:43,45,47; John 3:5; Acts 14:22). The phrase "the full number of the Gentiles" echoes the same language used in reference to Israel in Verse 12. In both instances it refers to all of the elect within each group, each and everyone of those whom God has chosen for salvation. The end will not come until all of the elect have been saved, for God is unwilling to allow one of those whom He has chosen to be lost. (cf. 2 Peter 3:9) Considerable attention has been devoted to the preposition "until" (Greek - "achri") Those who misuse this passage in support of mass Jewish conversion theories insist that the preposition implies a period of time that will come to an end and be followed by a change in the condition denoted. According to this view, the current hardening of the Jews will one day be removed and the Israelite nation will experience a spiritual rejuvenation. The Greek preposition, however does not necessarily imply a consequent change in condition. The same term is used, for instance, in the Septuagint version of 2 Samuel 6:23 - "Micah daughter of Saul had no children until the day of her death" - surely without any implication that the barrenness of Saul's daughter changed and she began to have children after her demise (cf. also 1 Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 2:10,25,26). The preposition is used similarly in this instance to indicate that there will always be a remnant in Israel, right up to, "until" the end of time.

The third element in the mystery is the salvation of "all Israel." The phrase has prompted widespread debate among commentators, and spawned a host of millennial fantasies about a general conversion of ethnic Israel at the beginning of Christ's thousand year reign on earth. What would be the point of a national conversion of the last generation of ethnic Israel, a tiny fraction of the totality of the nation, which left all the preceding generations dead and damned? Recognizing the inadequacy of this view, some extreme millennialists, driven by the flawed logic of their own position, have gone so far as to offer the ludicrous suggestion that there will be a resurrection of the Jews alone for or during the millennium which will literally enable each and every physical descendant of Abraham to be saved.

Despite the impressive array of interpreters who have advocated some variety of this view, both the immediate and general context of the phrase preclude this interpretation. The phrase is introduced with the Greek preposition "houtos" which means "thus" or "in this way." Accordingly, the relationship between the mystery's three elements is not a matter of time sequence. Those who anticipate a future - end time, general conversion of the Jews outline the proposed sequence in this way: first the partial hardening of Israel during the dispensation of the Gentile church, followed by the incoming of the fullness of the Gentiles at the end of the church age, which in turn would be followed by the general conversion of ethnic Israel during the tribulation period on the eve of the millennium. The temporal sequence is essential to this view. However, there is no temporal sequence in the Greek text. The text does not say "and then (Greek "kai tote") all Israel will be saved"; it says "and in this way (Greek - "kai houtos") all Israel will be saved." The preposition which introduces the final phrase indicates that the salvation of all Israel occurs through or by means of the partial hardening which preserves Israel's remnant and the incoming of the fullness of the Gentiles. The grammarians call this an "adverb of manner." The point is not when it happens but how it happens. Lutheran theologian Wilbert Garwisch explains the significance of the preposition in this way:

"The word "houtos" doe not mean "then." It means "so in this way, in this manner." It sums up what Paul has said. In the preceding he emphasized that there is still a remnant chosen by grace from among the Jews. The hardening of Israel, the blood descendants of Jacob, is only "in part." It does not include the whole nation. Through the years some will come to faith. But also the elect from among the Gentiles will come into Christ's church. By adding the full number of these Gentiles to the remnant of Jewish believers, all of God's true Israel, and the full number of His elect, consisting of believers of both Jewish and Gentile stock, will be saved." (Garwisch, p. 725)

This view fully agrees with Paul's repeated assertions that salvation can never be a matter of national entitlement. "All Israel" refers to the whole people of God, the elect among Jew and Gentile alike, for these are the true descendants of Abraham (Romans 9:6f.), the true Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). This was the view of the early church fathers. Theodoret of Cyprus writes in the Fourth Century: "All Israel means all those who believe, whether they are Jews, who have a natural relationship to Israel, or Gentiles who are related to Israel by faith." St. Augustine rightly contends: "Not all the Jews were blind; some of them recognized Christ. But the fullness of the Gentiles comes in among those who have been called according to the plan, and there arises a truer Israel of God...the elect from both the Jews and the Gentiles." (Bray, p. 298) A recent study on eschatology and millennialism by the CTCR argues that this is the only interpretation consistent with the text of Romans 9-11 and Paul's description of the Israel of God elsewhere in the New Testament.

"The apostle plainly states that "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel" (9:6). The "children of the promise" not the "children of the flesh" (the national Israel), are God's children (9:8). If Israel refers merely to Jews as a nation, then this distinction is removed. However, if Israel refers to "children of the promise," then the distinction is maintained, and Paul's argument in Romans 9-11 continues - namely, that God's elect, both Jews and Gentiles, will be saved according to His plan which has been revealed in the Gospel (the "mystery"). The heirs of the promise are those who believe, Jew and Gentile alike (Romans 4). Thus it is that elsewhere the apostle can refer to the church as "the Israel of God." ... In Romans 11:1 Paul addresses the question of whether God has rejected all Jews, not whether He will save all Jews. In vv. 1-10, he answers in the negative. There is even in Paul's day a remnant of believing Jews. In the rest of the chapter, the apostle explains the purpose served by the unbelief of the majority of the Jews. Paradoxically, through their rejection of the Gospel, the Gospel went to the Gentiles (11:1-12,19,25,30). In turn, the salvation of the Gentiles serves to make the unbelieving Jews "jealous," i.e. to incite them to hear the Gospel and also be saved (10:19; 11:11,13-14,31). The mystery revealed in 11:25-27 is that "a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved." The word "so" means "in this manner," that is, in the way just described, not "then," as if it meant after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. How will all Israel be saved? The answer is given in vs. 25 and is explicated throughout the chapter. The hardening upon part of Israel has allowed the Gospel to go to the Gentiles, and the inclusion of the Gentiles serves to incite the unbelieving Jews to believe the Gospel and thus be saved (regrafted into the olive tree). This process will continue until the end, "until the full number of the Gentiles comes in." ...In summary, "all Israel" consists of the groups mentioned in v. 25, the believing part of the Jews and the "full number of the Gentiles." "All Israel" is the whole olive tree consisting of the natural branches (Jews who believed), the wild olive branches (Gentiles who believe), and the regrafted branches (Jews who will believe). These constitute the "all" in verse32. "All Israel" is made up of "everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord" (10:13), the elect of the Jews and the Gentiles, the "new Israel" (Romans 4:11-12, 16; 9:24; Galatians 3:26-29; 6:15-16) (CTCR, pp.36-37)

"As it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins." - In the characteristic fashion, the point is now affirmed by Old Testament Scripture through a series of allusions to Isaiah 59. Martin Franzmann describes Paul's method of citation in this way:

"Paul's quotation of the promise from the Old Testament is extremely free; it might almost be called variations on a theme from Isaiah (Isaiah 59:20-21). The basic thought is from Isaiah 59, that mighty liturgy of repentance and absolution, an absolution spoken by the Lord, who Himself restores righteousness and brings salvation, so that all the world in East and West might fear His Name. But there are added touches from the Psalms (Psalm 14:7; 53:6), and the picture of the promised covenant is colored by reminiscences of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:33-34)." (Franzmann, p. 207)

The prophet foretells the coming of the "Deliverer" (Greek - "ruomenos") This is the classic Hebrew Messianic title "Go'el," which means "Vindicator" or "Redeemer" best known from Job 19:25 - "I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand on the latter day upon the earth." The promised Messiah will come "from Zion." "Zion" is the hilltop upon which the original Davidic fortress of Jerusalem was located which became the site where the temple was later constructed. The term comes to be used more broadly in the Old Testament in reference to the entire city of Jerusalem, the kingdom of Judah, and the Jewish nation. At this point, Paul digresses from the text of Isaiah 59 which says "for Zion" and uses instead the wording of Psalm 14:7 which says "from Zion." In this way, the apostle avoids rekindling the concept of some sort of national primacy for Israel. Christ did not come only to save Israel. He came from Israel as the Redeemer of mankind. The purpose of His coming is to "turn godlessness away from Jacob" and to "take away their sins." The reference is the incarnation, the first coming of Christ and the results of His coming upon both Jew and Gentile throughout the New Testament era: "It is a sweet statement because it teaches clearly that in the New Testament forgiveness of sins is to be preached. This liberation of the people is to be understood as extending from the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel until the end." (Melancthon, p. 207) The promised salvation is certain because it is not dependant upon human action. It will be brought about by God in His grace - "He (the Redeemer) will turn godlessness away...I will take away their sins."

Verses 28-32
As 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, for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all.

"As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account..." - The apostle now returns to the subject of Israel's remnant and urges his Gentile readers not to despise the Jews, for there are those among them who will yet come to believe. At the present moment "they are enemies" "as far as the gospel is concerned." They have failed to respond to the revelation of God's righteousness in Christ and have chosen instead to pursue a righteousness of their own making based upon the legalistic observances of Judaism. They are adamantly opposed to Christ and His Gospel and have thus chosen to be "enemies" of God. But even in the Jews' rejection of their Messiah God has a saving purpose. Paul again reminds the Gentiles that they are the beneficiaries of Jewish apostasy - "they are enemies on your account." Nonetheless, the remnant still remains, hidden, as it were, among the great mass of their unbelieving countrymen. Gentile Christians cannot yield to the temptation to give up on the Jews, no matter how bitter their opposition to the Gospel may be, for the sake of this remnant. "God did not reject His people whom He foreknew." (Romans 11:2) There are still those among them whom God has chosen for salvation. Of this remnant yet to be Paul says, "as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs." The language parallels that of the preceding phrase. As the Gentiles became the beneficiaries of the Jew's rejection of Christ - "they are enemies on your account" - so also the remnant are the beneficiaries of the covenant God established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - "they are loved on account of the patriarchs." In them, God's ancient promises to the patriarchs will be fulfilled, for they will be true children of Abraham not by mere accident of physical descent but by the faith which God will create within them. The promises of God do not and cannot fail - "for God's gift and His call are irrevocable." "Irrevocable" (Greek - "ametameleta") is a legal term used to indicate a commitment that is absolutely unbreakable. God's will for the salvation of His elect has not changed over all the centuries that have passed since Father Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees to wander as a stranger and a foreigner in the land of promise. God's plan of salvation for all those who are true children of Abraham by faith will be carried out, even for those who are, at the moment, still adamantly opposed to the Gospel of Christ.

"Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you." God in His grace will accomplish the salvation of the elect among the remnant of Israel in the same way that He has demonstrated His undeserved love to the Gentiles through the disobedience of the Jews. God gracious purpose throughout time has been for the salvation of Jew and Gentile alike. All who are saved must be saved by His grace alone. The crucial concept here is God's "mercy" (Greek - "eleos"), undeserved love extended to those who have no basis upon which to claim or expect that love. There is no room for pride or particularism here. Both the Jew and the Gentile are guilty of "disobedience" and therefore absolutely dependent upon the mercy of God. And yet, even the stubborn disobedience of man becomes a tool in the hands of our loving God who uses the disobedience of one as a source of blessing for another.

"For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all." - The colorful language of the phrase serves to illustrate the effects and consequences of sin. The opening words of the verse literally say "for God has imprisoned all in disobedience." The verb "has imprisoned" (Greek - "synkleio") actually means "to lock someone up in jail." Man's sin confines him within a prison of his own construction. This most appropriate description of sin's impact is completely consistent with Paul's earlier description in Romans 1:18ff. James Dunn writes:

"God's wrath as a handing over of man to his own desires and passions = God shutting all up to disobedience. Without detracting from man's responsibility for his own acts, without preventing man from pursuing his own ends, God has nevertheless so ordered things (the way things work out at individual and social, human and natural levels) that persons who decide to go their own way regardless of God find themselves more and more confined and hemmed in by the consequences of their decisions. A path of disobedience freely chosen becomes more and more shut in and enclosed by that very disobedience." (Dunn, p. 696)

Paul emphasizes the fact that this confinement applies to "all men," Jew and Gentile alike. They are locked up together equally helpless and hopeless, without the possibility of releasing themselves. Jewish presumption of national advantage and Gentile condescension toward apostate Israel are equally inappropriate. There is only one exit from this prison, the open door of God's mercy.

"The Jew was not a whit better off than the Gentile; all his rights, prerogatives, claims, and boasts were gone, he lay in the same prison of disobedience with the Gentiles. The Gentile could not be high-minded and look down on the Jew as being one who had fallen so terribly, for his pagan disobedience was the same fearful prison." (Lenski, p. 738)

Yet the wonder of God's love is such that even the disobedience of men is enlisted to serve the cause of His mercy - "so that He might have mercy on them all." The universal reality of man's disobedience serves to confront man with his own helplessness and convince him of his absolute need for God's gracious love. The Law must do its grim work before the sweet promises of the Gospel can be heard. "In His wisdom He has by strange ways brought all men, both Israelite and Gentile, into that blind alley where disobedient man must turn about and face the wrath of God, acknowledging his disobedience." (Franzmann, p. 210) Only those who recognize themselves to be disobedient can be recipients of God's mercy. As long as we rely on anything else, as long as we continue to cling to the delusion of our own worth or worthiness, we will continue to spurn and reject God's grace. As Jesus declared: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. But go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners." (Matthew 9:12-13) In this way God uses the self-reinforcing consequences of sin to prepare the way for His mercy.

Dr. Stöckhardt discerns in these verses a valuable evangelism insight for the church in every age:

"By the way, the text of verses 30-32 contains a general word of warning which Christians would do well to keep in mind. We should never consider all the unbelievers with whom we have to work as people who are hopelessly lost, just because at the present time they vehemently oppose the Gospel. Instead, we would do well to consider the fact that the mercy of God is unlimited, and that He could very well do the same thing with others that He has done with us. If only we will forcefully bear witness to the mercy which we ourselves have experienced in word and deed wherever we are, then many souls can be influenced and helped." (Stöckhardt, p. 549)

Verses 33-36
Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! "Who had known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?" "Who has ever given to God that God should repay him?" For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

"Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" - Having elucidated the mystery of God's plan for the salvation of both Jew and Gentile, the apostle now breaks forth in spontaneous doxology. This powerful hymn of adoration opens with the exclamation "Oh," which expresses strong emotion. "The human and weak Paul exclaims not in awe and fear, but in wonder and gratitude, at the boundless providence of God in arranging the mutual assistance of Jews and Gentiles in the attainment of salvation." (Fitzmyer, p. 634) "The wisdom and the knowledge of God" are depicted as an inexhaustible treasury of unimaginable immensity and scope - "the depths of the riches." The image in further emphasized in the following sentence - "How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!" The language is reminiscent of the inter-testamental book the 2 Apocalypse of Baruch: "But who, O Lord, my Lord, can comprehend the workings of Your judgment? Who can search out the depths of Your way? Or who can trace the profundity of Your path? Or who can describe Your unfathomable counsel?" (14:8-9) The terms "wisdom" (Greek - "sophia") and "knowledge" (Greek - "gnosis") are closely related to one another (cf. Colossians 2:3). Wisdom is the ability to put knowledge to work in a proper and appropriate manner. Knowledge provides the information, the facts which are utilized by wisdom. "The wisdom and the knowledge of God" are beyond the scope of human comprehension. They may be known by us only to the extent that God deigns to reveal Himself to us in His Word. The term "judgments" is used here in the broader sense of decisions in general. From man's limited perspective these divine "judgments" are most often "unsearchable," all of our efforts to decipher them are presumptuous and in vain. No man is capable of mapping out the ways of God or of predicting the course He will follow for "His paths are beyond tracing out." Martin Franzmann rejoices:

"All men end up in beggary (11:32); only God is rich, inexhaustibly rich, rich in kindness and forbearance (2:4); rich in glory (9:23), and the Lord whom He gave to Jew and Greek is rich in His beneficence toward all who call on Him (10:12). God cannot fail for lack of means in accomplishing His ends. And God is wise. He uses all His riches in a sure, astounding governance of history that overawes and humbles men. When men put their trust in chariots and horsemen, those reliable makers of successful history, "...He is wise and brings disaster...When the Lord stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish togther." (Isaiah 31:1-3) And when world empires fall (Isaiah 10) and Israel is judged and ruined, royal house and all, He makes His Spirit of Wisdom rest upon the Shoot that grows from Jesse's stump (Isaiah 11:1-2) and through Him makes His earth a land of righteousness, a paradise of peace (Isaiah 11:3-9). Men quarrel with His ways; they carp at His prophet, the Baptist crying in the wilderness, and at His Son, the Son of Man who eats and drinks with men, and yet His "wisdom is justified by her deeds" (Matthew 11:16-20). God knows as no man knows; His knowing is a knowing with a will and an effect. When he "foreknows" His people (11:2; 8:29), He has shaped His people's history. As man only riches worth the name are to be enriched by Him, so man's only real knowledge is to be known by Him (2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians 8:3). Man's only wisdom is to fear, to stand in awe of, Him and to obey. His judgments are unsearchable; out of them salvation springs (cf. 11:32): "Thy judgments are like the great deep; man and beast Thou savest, O Lord." (Psalm 36:6) His ways through history are inscrutable; who could have predcted that the fulfillment of His promises to Israel would bring judgment upon Israel? Or that the darkling Gentiles should reflect the light of God upon the Jew?" (Franzmann, pp.214-215)

The hymn draws to its triumphant conclusion with a series of Old Testament allusions. First from Isaiah 40:13 - "Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed Him as His counselor?" In the face of historical circumstances that are often bewildering or discouraging, the prophet urges man to remember his proper place and to humbly bow before the greater wisdom of God. The Lord always knows best, and man should never presume to question or challenge His will. The Creator does not require the advice or counsel of those whom He has created in determining His plan nor doe He require their assistance in accomplishing His purpose. The next citation is drawn from the Book of Job - "Who has a claim against Me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to Me." (41:11) God exercises His will with sovereign independence. He who fashioned "Behemoth" and "Leviathan" (Job 40&41) is answerable to no one. No human being could ever have any claim upon Him or control over Him. Paul's expanded paraphrase of the latter portion of the Job passage is an acknowledgment of the triune God as the Creator, Sustainer, and Goal of all the Universe - "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things!" A mighty "Soli deo gloria!" sounds forth in the closing words of the hymn - "To Him be the glory forever! Amen." These words clearly reflect and are intended for use in the liturgical worship of the church designed to affirm and enhance God's glory and renown by praise, prayer and thanksgiving.

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