Romans 11

     11:1-10.  But it is God’s choice that stands.  The remnant whom God foreknew (2-5) were saved by sovereign grace through the free gift of faith (Eph.2:8), and the rest were hardened in unbelief (7).

     11:4.  (From 1 Kings 19:18).  Whether the “seven thousand” the Lord kept faithful is meant literally, I don’t know.  But it is a symbolic number.  I take it as a definite for an indefinite (known only to God), meaning the complete number (seven) times the number of a great multitude (one thousand), thus seven thousand.  The great thing to be seen here is that the Lord kept those who were his.  He knew them in their complete multitude even when Elijah did not (cf. Rev.7:9).

     11:11-18.  God for his own glory is working out his sovereign plan, but he works through means.  Man’s free choices are his responsibility, man’s own efforts matter, and are an essential part of what God is doing.  The unbelief of the Jews never closed the door of faith to them, but did open it to the Gentiles.  Paul as an apostle magnifies his ministry (13) with great zeal and through great suffering.  He does not presumptuously rely on God’s gifts, but uses them with all his might, that he might by all means save some, both Jews and Gentiles. 

     The Jews’ rejection of their Messiah and the gift of salvation by grace alone was their great transgression.  But Jesus’ crucifixion was riches for the Gentiles (11-12), and can be for the Jew as well, as it was in Paul’s case (1, 14-15).

     Only some of the branches of the olive tree (Israel) were broken off (17).  Gentiles are grafted in (i.e., into the true Israel of God).  All of the branches get their life from the holy root (Christ).  They must be in union with the holy root, and partake of him.  (The same truth is taught using different figures in Eph.2:11-3:6).

     11:19-24.  Do not be presumptuous, you Gentiles.  If the Jews were pruned out of Israel because of unbelief, and Gentiles are grafted in by faith, then only if one remains in faith will he stand (20).  Do not be conceited, but fear (Cf. Php.2:12-13; 2 Pet.1:10-11.  These two passages wonderfully combine the free gift of God’s grace and the obedient work and effort of the elect to obtain salvation).  Note that you must continue in his kindness (22).  But it is God who is able (23).  He prunes, and he grafts in.  Into what?  Into the cultivated olive tree, the true Israel of God (see Gal. 3:7, 29, 6:15-16).  (If you don’t understand this grafting into Israel, you will likely get stuck in the Dispensationalist swamp at v.26.  Please read and consider all the passages cited above and following, as well as such as these from Romans: 2:28-29, 4:16, 9:6, 10:12.)

     11:25-27.  The bone of contention here is what is meant by “all Israel” (26).  Clearly, it is all those who cling to the olive tree, whether natural or grafted in branches; all who draw their life from the fatness of the holy Root, who is Christ.  God’s covenant takes away their sins, and thus (or so, KJV) all Israel will be saved. Some translations confuse the issue greatly (e.g., The Living Bible, and the Goodspeed NT) by saying then all Israel will be saved.  But it is not in what order will all Israel be saved, but in what manner, which is by faith, and in complete fullness.  None of the sons of promise, the spiritual heirs of Abraham, will be lost (Ro.4:13,16-18; Gal.3:6-9,29).  This is the mystery of the gospel (25; Eph.3:4-6).  Christ the good shepherd takes the sheep of many folds, and makes them one flock (John 10:16).  In this way, all Israel is saved.

     11:28-32.  If the rejection of the gospel by many of the Jews has caused the word to spread all the more to the Gentiles, that in no way means that the door of faith is closed to Jews.  God is faithful to his promises.  The calling is always effectual to the elect; mercy is ever available to the man of faith.

     But God’s gracious workings are a high mystery.  V.32 is one of those cases where it is rightly said that all means all without distinction, not all without exception.  “God has shut up all in disobedience” (i.e., all the peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike) “that he might show mercy to all”  (i.e., all the elect, Jews and Gentiles alike).  See 3:9, 22.

    11:33-36.  V.36 is THE key verse of Paul’s doctrine, and of all sound doctrine and worship.