Romans Chapter 11.

Romans Chapter 11.

God will fulfill His gracious purpose in regard to Israel.

11:1-6.  God has chosen a remnant from Israel on the basis of grace.  After all that Paul has written about God's sovereignty and, after his account of Israel's stubborn disobedience, it becomes reasonable to raise the question, did God cast off  His people?   To this Paul gives an emphatic, "No".  God has not rejected His people.

           

Each of the three chapters begins with Paul making reference to his special and personal interest in Israel.  The opening question of this chapter was one of real interest to Paul, for his own welfare was involved in it.  He could appeal to his own case as proof that God had not cast off His people.

           

11:2.     "Foreknew."  This shows God's special regard for Israel and their distinctive place in His purpose.  They were a unique people.  They were God's chosen people.

           

11:3-5.  Paul was no Gentile, but a true member of the race of Israel.  But God had called and saved him.  He was therefore a witness that God had not wholly cast away His people.  Paul was also confident that he was but one of many Jewish believers who composed the elect remnant.

           

In Elijah's day it looked as though he was but one man standing alone and the rest of the nation were apostate.  It was not so - for even in those days of great apostacy there was a loyal remnant.  In the days of Elijah the apostacy of Israel seemed so complete that Elijah felt he stood alone for God.  However, God assured him that he was not alone, for there was a large remnant who had not bowed the knee to Baal.  So Paul insists that he is not alone, but that at this present time there is a remnant.  This remnant had been chosen, not because of any merit in themselves but chosen according to grace.  The presence of this remnant was proof that Israel had not been completely and finally rejected and the grace of  God in the Gospel was still available to them.

           

11:7-10.     The remainder of the nation have been hardened.  The Old Testament testified to the Judicial blindness that should come upon the majority of the nation.  It was God's judgment upon a disobedient people (see Deut.29:4;  Isa.29:10;  Psa.69:22-24).

           

11:11-12.     The immediate purpose of God clearly seen in Israel's hardening becomes in turn the means of fulfilling His larger and ultimate purpose.  Paul raises the question, "Did they stumble that they might fall?"  "Stumble" or 'ptaio' meant "fall into complete ruin."  Israel had tripped but not to fall so as to rise no more.  But God had used Israel's fall (trespass) as the occasion for bringing salvation to the Gentiles.  The second occurrence of the word "fall" in 11:11, is 'paraptoma', false step, trespass, transgression, blunder.  Through the trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

           

The Jews by their bitter rejection of the Gospel and hostility to its preachers had stimulated the apostles and evangelists to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.  If the Jews had willingly received the Gospel Christianity may have become distinctly Jewish in character.  Their loyalty to the law and their fanatical patriotism may have cramped the progress of the Gospel.  It would have hindered the evangelization of the Gentiles by making it necessary to them, on receiving the Gospel, to become members of a new Jewish sect.  It therefore turned out that the hardness of the Jewish people greatly fostered the development of Christianity as the faith for the nation.

           

Paul's wish and prayer, probably based on Deut.32:21, was that when the Jews saw the immense blessing the Gospel brought to the Gentiles, they themselves would be provoked to jealousy and would want to share in the Gospel.  The Jews would witness how the Gospel delivered Gentiles from their idols and sins and made them become worshippers of the God of Israel and to find immense spiritual wealth in the Scriptures that the Jews reverenced.  They would see the new joy, power, enlightenment and holiness shared by the Gentiles.  They would see how that it was among the Gentiles that the faith of Israel had flowered and borne fruit.  Paul's wish was that, provoked to jealousy, they would want to share in the blessing the Gospel brought to the Gentiles.  He hoped that they would not be like the elder brother and refuse to come in.  However, Paul reasons, that if Israel's trespass has been the world's enrichment, how much more their fullness?  Gaebelien designates these the, "much more" of dispensational blessing.  When the nation of Israel received its fullness, even greater spiritual wealth shall come to the Gentiles.  The conversion of Israel will bring vast blessings to mankind.

           

11:13-16.     The Gentiles should consider the importance of Israel's future acceptance.

           

11:15.   Vine writes, "The reconciliation of the world does not mean that all men will be reconciled, but that all who may be reconciled."  The scope of reconciliation is the whole world, and the instrument is the Gospel.

           

The phrase, "life from the dead" is taken by many commentators to mean the resurrection of the body.  However, not all do so.  See Kelly, Griffith-Thomas, Gore, Godet, also see Leenhardt's discussion.  If Paul meant the resurrection of the body, he has not used very clear language.  Some see an allusion to Ezekiel 37.  The interpretation of Griffith-Thomas is the most satisfactory.  He takes it that the salvation of the Jews will mean a great spiritual revival to the whole world.

           

11:16.   Bt. takes the firstfruits ('aparche') and the root ('hriza') to mean that the saved remnant are the pledge of the eventual salvation of all Israel.  Lt. may be on surer ground in regarding the firstfruits as the remnant of those saved, but the root meaning the patriarchal root.  This is the meaning of 'root' in verse 18 and is likely to be so also here in verse 16.  The root is Abraham or the Patriarchs including Isaac and Jacob.  The root is holy.  The Patriarchs were consecrated to God as the recipients of Divine promise.  Israel share in this consecration as having a special relation to the fulfilment of the promises.

           

11:17-24.     The present rejection of Israel holds practical lessons of faith and humility for the Gentile.  The believing Gentiles are the shoot from which the wild olive that has been grafted on the good olive tree, share with the natural branches, the root of  the fatness of  the olive tree.

            The olive tree is the symbol of Israel as the recipients of the promises.  Paul uses this illustration to warn the Gentiles of the need of humility and faith.  The Gentile stands by faith.  There can be no other means of standing for the Jew or Gentile, but the Jew had privileges and a unique calling that was conducive to faith.  The Gentiles have no such things and stand by faith that has no ancillary supports.  So the Gentile is reminded of the importance of faith.

           

Some use the parable of the olive to support the Arminian doctrine that a child of God will be lost if he becomes unbelieving.  But chapter 8 provides strong evidence that no child of God will be finally lost.

           

The parable of the olive must not be made to prove anything beyond Paul's immediate use of it.  The symbol has a certain fluidness, for example, we read that the natural branches were cut out of the olive, but since they were never believers, they were not truly members of the olive.  Paul is using an illustration and it is important to see the point he wishes to drive home. The illustration should not be over-worked beyond Paul's intention.  Verse 24 gives reason to be cautious about taking a branch as an individual.

           

The latter part of the paragraph suggests that it will be less difficult for God to bring back the natural branches than was the grafting in of the wild olive branch.  The many spiritual privileges given to Israel, the uniqueness of their history, the riches of their traditions, their continuing religious hope, their zeal for God, their conviction that God shall fulfil the promises given to them, all these things, God will eventually use to bring them to Christ.

           

11:25-32.     The Gentiles are warned to respect Israel, for Israel as a nation shall be saved.

           

11:25.   Opens with a form of speech that Paul uses when he is speaking about a very important matter.  The Gentiles must understand the mystery or secret of Israel's hardening.  Their hardening was part of God's secret purpose.  The particular thing that the Gentile must recognize is that, hardening in part has befallen Israel.  This knowledge will keep the Gentile humble.  The error that there is no future for Israel produces self conceit among Gentiles.  The hardening, R.V.  is partial, and affects most of the nation, but not all, for there is a Remnant.  Two important things about Israel's hardening are:-

*   It is partial, but does not include the whole nation.

*   It is for a limited duration, until the fulness of the Gentiles come in.

This is the mystery of Israel's hardening.  The word 'musterion' implies that this is God's secret purpose and that His will concerning Israel shall be accomplished, for in the proper time all Israel shall be saved.  The word fullness or 'pleroma' means “full number.”  This should not be pressed to mean every individual Gentile, but the full number of the elect from the Gentiles.  The word recalls the thought of the election by God.

           

11:26.   "All Israel," does not mean each individual Israelite who has ever lived, but the nation as a whole.  The remnant shall cease to be a small group among the nation.  The prayer of 10:1 shall be fulfilled.  Paul does not tell us how this shall come about, but he is sure that Israel has a place in God's purpose and that eventually they shall receive the Gospel.  There can be no salvation apart from the Gospel, which is central to all Paul's thinking and the discussion of these chapters is concerned with the relationship of Israel to the Gospel.

           

The reference to the 'Deliverer comes from Zion', may point to the Second Advent, and indicate the time of Israel's conversion.  This quotation from Isa.59:20-21; 27:9, certainly makes Christ central to Israel's salvation, and emphasizes the spiritual character of that salvation.

           

11:28-29.     The nation of Israel has a distinctive place in the Divine purpose.  Paul does not discard the unique place that Israel holds according to the Old Testament, though he is concerned chiefly with its spiritual and religious side.  He insists that their present enmity to the Gospel does not cancel their privileged position as beloved for the sake of the Fathers.  God will not forget the covenants made to the Patriarchs concerning their seed.  God does not go back on His acts of grace and His calling.  He does not change His mind but He does, in a larger and richer way, fulfil His word.

           

11:30-32.     "For Jew and Gentile alike, the end of the road is God's mercy; and for each, the road leads through disobedience." (Bt.).  Both must learn they have no claim upon God and are alike, undeserving because of disobedience.  Therefore, all are shut up to God's mercy.

           

11:33-36.     Doxology to the Omniscient God.    The section closes with this fitting tribute to God for His inscrutable wisdom, which the intellect of men cannot track out, but which faith receives and responds with praise.