Romans 11
Israel’s Rejection not Complete nor Final
1 So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
This is a good question for amillennialists. Is God through with Israel? The answer is μὴ γένοιτο (may genoito), which is the strongest negation in Greek. The example that Paul gave was that he himself was a saved Israelite. Therefore, God still had a plan for the salvation of Israel.
2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
God foreknew Israel. He chose them before the foundations of the world were created. Therefore, he still has a plan and purpose for Israel. He used Elijah as an example to prove his point.
3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!”
Elijah complained to God that there were no more believing Jews left, except for Elijah himself.
4 But what was the divine response to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal.”
There was still a small remnant of 7000 Jews left who were still following God. God always has a Jewish Remnant, even though it is small. This Jewish Remnant has been walking on the narrow road, while the whole nation of Israel has been walking on the broad road.
5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
The Greek word for "is" is γίνομαι (vinomai), a perfect active indicative verb, meaning to exist. The tense is perfect, meaning that the believing Jewish Remnant existed in the past during the days of Elijah and it will continue to exist throughout eternity. The Remnant did not choose God, but they were chosen by God's grace.
6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
If a person earns his way into heaven by doing any kind of work, such as keeping the sacraments, water baptism, confessing sins, repenting of sins, making an altar call, doing good works, etc., then this is not grace. It is works salvation. Anyone who teaches salvation by works is anathema, according to Galatians 1:8.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The rest were hardened,
Israel the whole seeks righteousness with God, but they failed, because they tried to gain righteousness on the basis of their own good works. The believing Remnant obtained righteousness by the grace of God. Those Jews who did not receive the grace of God were hardened. God harden them by leaving them alone to make their own choice, He did not restrain their natural evil sin nature. Once their sin nature was not kept in check, then they rejected their own Messiah.
8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, to this very day.”
Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 29:4 to show that it was part of God's prophetic plan for Israel to reject their Messiah. The Greek word for "stupor" is κατάνυξις (katanupsis), meaning a deep sleep, or knocked unconscious. God made Israel spiritually stupid so that they could not see their own Messiah. Their eyes could not see and understand the gospel. Their ears could not hear the gospel.
9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
Paul quoted Psalm 69:22 and Isaiah 29:10. God invited Israel to a feast every year. The Israelites attended the feast, but they trusted in the food rather than the Host who invited them. The feasts should have led them to their Messiah, but instead, the feasts led them into works salvation.
This is the condition of the modern church today, especially in Catholicism, where the Lord's Supper is made an instrument of works salvation. Those who teach that one must partake in the Lord's Supper for salvation fall under the anathema curse of Galatians 1:8.
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see, and make their backs bend continually.”
God gives light to man so that they can see, but when they are blind, they cannot see the light. There are many intellectuals today who are spiritually blind. The Jews eyes have been so darkened, that their backs will carry this heavy load of works salvation all through eternity.
11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous.
Did the Jews fall, never to rise again? The answer is μὴ γένοιτο (amy genoito), the strongest Greek negation. The Jewish nation failed to gain salvation so that the Gentile world could gain salvation. The Gentiles gained salvation to make the Jews jealousy. This was predicted in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 32:21. This was all part of God's prophetic plan.
Why has God been saving Gentiles? The answer is to make the Jews jealous and bring them to their Messiah. Unfortunately, throughout history, the Gentiles have been doing the opposite. They have persecuted the Jews and made them angry.
The Greek word for "jealous" is παραζηλόω (parazaylow), meaning to walk along side of someone and make them boiling jealous. The believing Gentiles have a personal relationship with the Messiah of Israel. The Jews are jealous, because they desire this kind of relationship with their own Messiah. The majority of messianic Jews have been led to their Messiah by Gentile believers. These Jewish believers desired what the Gentile believers possessed.
12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration bring?
Presently, God is saving only a Remnant of Jews. In the future, the entire nation will be saved. When the entire nation is saved, then the Messiah will return, establish his Millennial Kingdom, and all Jews and Gentiles will be blessed. Therefore, there is great motivation for Jewish salvation. Jesus will not return and establish his Kingdom until the Jews cry out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
Paul was called as an apostle to the Gentiles, but he wanted to magnify his ministry by leading Gentiles to Christ (who would in turn lead other Jews to Christ).
14 if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them.
Paul desired Jewish evangelism by provoking his fellow Jews to jealousy. Paul wanted the Jews to desire what he had.
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
When the Jews rejected their Messiah, then they started a divine process of prophetic events that will lead to a new heaven and a new world. The Jews rejected their Messiah. The Gentiles became believers. The Gentiles make the Jews boiling jealous. The Jews believe in the Messiah. They will eventually believe as a nation. As a nation, they will cry out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord". The Messiah will return, save Israel from the Antichrist, and establish the Millennial Kingdom. Therefore, God is able to take an evil event such as the Jews betraying their own Messiah and turn it into a blessing for all of mankind. God is so sovereign, that he can turn evil into good.
16 If the first portion of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches.
The "dough" is bread dough. The first part of the bread was offered to God, because it was holy. When the first part of dough was offered to God, then the whole batch of dough was considered holy. Israel was the bread dough that was offered first to make all of the rest of the lump holy. The rest of the lump was the Gentiles.
The tree is not the nation of Israel or the church. Instead, it is the place of spiritual blessings. The root of the tree is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they were the patriarchs who started the nation. The branches are the nation of Israel. Since the patriarchs were considered holy, or set apart by God for a special divine purpose, then the branches are considered holy as well. The entire nation of Israel was set apart by God for a divine purpose.
17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root,
The branches that were broken off were the Jews who rejected their Messiah, The wild shoots are the Gentiles. It is impossible to graft wild branches into an olive tree. It is impossible to graft Gentiles and make them Jewish. It is unnatural to graft the Gentiles into the place of blessing which comes out of the Abrahamic Covenant. Normally, when one grafts a wild branch into a tree, it becomes unfruitful. The point is that God is doing something unnatural. He is blessing Gentiles through Jewish covenants. The Gentiles are not taker-overs of the covenant, but they are fellow-partakers. The Gentiles have not replaced the olive tree, but they have been grafted into the blessings of the olive tree.
18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
The breaking off of the branches is not a loss of salvation. The Jewish branches were broken off so that the Gentile wild branches could be grafted in so that all could benefit from the fruit of the olive tree. The only reason that the Gentiles were grafted into the olive tree as wild branches was because of God's grace. Therefore, they have nothing to boast about. The roots of their blessings are the Jewish covenants.
19 Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”
This is true, but this was done by God's grace. Therefore, Gentiles should not think that they are superior to the Jews. This is the mistake of amillenialists. Amillenialists believe that God is through with the Jews, which makes the Gentiles superior. This is boasting.
20 Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear!
Israel did not have faith in the Messiah, so they were broken off from the tree of blessing. The Gentiles were grafted into their place, only because of grace by God to open their hearts so that they could demonstrate faith. The Gentiles are not to be arrogant, because it was grace that placed them in this tree of blessing. Gentiles need to fear, because they could be broken off just as well.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.
If God did not spare his chosen people, then he may not spare the Gentiles either. All salvation and grafting is a result of God's grace.
22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
If the Gentiles become arrogant and harsh, then they will be cut off as well.
23 And even they – if they do not continue in their unbelief – will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
The only thing that is keeping Israel from being grafted back into the olive tree of blessing is their unbelief. However, God will again show grace, give them belief, and graft them back into the tree of blessing. This future event will happen on the last day of the seven year Great Tribulation.
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
The olive tree belongs to Israel. God gave this tree to Israel through the Jewish covenants. Therefore, it is only natural to graft them back into their own tree. The tree was promised to them. God is not a liar. He will keep his promise to Israel, even though the covenant theologians disagree.
25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
The Greek word for "mystery" is μυστήριον (mustarion), which is a new revelation that was not recorded in the Old Testament. The mystery is that there is a partial and temporary hardening of Israel. There is not a complete and eternal hardening. God is not finished with Israel yet. He will graft them back into the olive tree of blessing, just as he promised through his covenants.
The mystery is that the hardening of the Jews will not be removed until all of the Gentiles have been raptured into heaven.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
According to Acts 15:4, the purpose of the church is to call from all Gentiles "a people for his name". Once the last Gentile has been called, then the Rapture will occur, and God will then deal with the nation of Israel again. According to Zechariah, 2/3 of the Jews will be killed by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation. The 1/3 who survive will all be saved. The "all Israel" is not the whole Israel all through history, but the future Jewish believing Remnant who survives the Great Tribulation.
27 And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
Paul quoted Isaiah 59:20-21. On the last day of the Great Tribulation, all of the surviving Jews will believe on their own Messiah, so their sins will be taken away as a nation in one day.
28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers.
When the Roman church attempted to take out the gospel, then their natural enemies were the Jews of Israel the whole. The election is speaking of the national election of Israel, which is the nation which will believe on the Messiah on the last day of the Great Tribulation. This group of elect Jewish brothers will be greatly loved by God, because God promised to bless them through the Jewish covenants which were promised to the patriarchs.
29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
God has already promised through the covenants that he would give these gifts and make this call to the Jews. There is no one who can stop him from doing this, not even the Jews themselves.
30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience,
The church in Rome was mostly Gentiles. At one time, these Gentile believers were disobedient to God, but God showed them mercy. At the present time, Israel possessed a similar disobedience to God, but he will eventually show them mercy as well.
31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.
God will show grace to Israel again.
32 For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.
Everyone who is born into the human race is born with a sin nature which rebels against God. Every person born is headed to the Lake of Fire. If God does nothing, then everyone is lost. Therefore, God showed mercy to all of those who believed. Without this mercy, no man would be saved.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!
God has created a marvelous salvation plan that could not be human-generated. God chooses Israel. He gives them covenants. Israel rejects the covenants. Israel rejects their Messiah. God saves Gentiles. Gentiles make the Jews jealous. The surviving Jews of the Great Tribulation believe on their Messiah, experiencing national salvation. The Jews cry out for their Messiah. He returns and establishes the Millennial Kingdom. All Jews and Gentiles are blessed. No human could have designed a salvation plan such as the one in which God designed.
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?
Man thinks that he is smart, but he is actually just a dumb sheep. No one can know the mind of the Lord, but mature Christians would like to know his mind. The only way to attempt to know God is to study Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level. No one can advise God on what he needs to do or how he is to do it. Many church boards think that they can give God good advice, but this is arrogant thinking. Jesus never once asked for advice when he was on this earth.
35 Or who has first given to God that God needs to repay him?
No one can out-give God. No one even needs to give God anything, because he is the owner and giver of all things.
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.
Believers only possess what God has given them. Therefore, man needs to quit glorifying himself, and instead, glorify God.
