Romans 11:1
[1] "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin."
This stubborn disobedience by the Jews is why Paul asks the question beginning chapter 11, "Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!"
Paul is clear that God has not cast away His people.
He continues, "For I am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin."
Paul is saying that he is of Israel (God's people) and he has not been cast away. He is of the seed of Abraham, both as a natural, ethnic descendant (of the tribe of Benjamin), and of the remnant of Israel (of those having faith in Christ).
Romans 11:2-5
[2] "God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, [3] “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? [4] But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” [5] Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace."
Again Paul affirms that God has not cast away His people, but this time adding, "whom He foreknew". Going back to Romans 8, those whom He foreknew are the believing remnant of Israel (Jew and Gentile). Paul said that just as Elijah thought that he was the only one who had faith in God, when He in fact had seven thousand others who have remained faithful, God has many others besides the Jews who are faithful to Him during this time - "a remnant according to the election of grace". Because of God's grace upon the Gentiles, He has elected (chosen) them also to be among the remnant of Israel.
Romans 11:6
[6] "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work."
God chose the Gentiles to be among His people by His grace, not by anything they have done (works/the law).
Romans 11:7-10
[7] "What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. [8] Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.” [9] And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. [10] Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always.”
The Jews have not received what they sought. What were they seeking? They were seeking to be God's people in order to receive salvation, through works of the law. They had the opportunity to be God's special treasure above all people - a kingdom of priests and a holy nation - if they had obeyed God and kept His covenant (Exodus 19:5-6). But they did not do so, therefore they did not receive the blessing that was promised to them if they would have obeyed Him and kept His covenant.
Later, when Jesus came and offered salvation and forgiveness to them, they refused to accept his offer, and killed him instead.
But the Gentiles have received salvation and forgiveness by God's grace even though they were not seeking it. Israel was blinded so they could not see the riches of God. They were given a spirit of stupor, eyes that they cannot see with, and ears that they cannot hear with. Their blindness prevented them from recognizing who Jesus was and from having faith in Him. Paul's description of the Jews blindness agrees with Jesus and the prophets, who also spoke of their blindness many times.
Romans 11:11-12
[11] "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. [12] Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!"
The common interpretation of 11:11 is, "Has Israel stumbled that they should fall permanently? Certainly not! All of Israel will be saved." But Paul does not say anything about Israel permanently falling, but he is asking, "Is God purpose for causing them to stumble, so that they will fall?".
Paul responds to his own question by saying, "Certainly not! He has another purpose for their stumbling, which is to make them jealous by granting salvation to the Gentiles."
God said through Isaiah that He was giving Israel, "as a covenant to the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness" (Isaiah 42:7). He is obviously speaking about Jesus who God gave as a covenant to the people. Israel's blindness to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah who the prophets foretold of caused them to stumble and fall, therefore God brought in the Gentiles to make them jealous so that they might come to faith in Christ. There is no promise from God that they will, however it was both God's and Paul's desire that they would.
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, and much of what he said was in regards to the Gentiles being given salvation. The last words of Paul that are recorded in Acts are,
“Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” (Acts 28:28).
Followed by verse 29 which says,
"And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves."
Unlike the Jews, the Gentiles would hear the Gospel. They would have ears to hear. Jews were not at all happy about salvation coming to the Gentiles, and they often persecuted Paul for saying such things. Persecution of the church up to AD 70, or there-abouts, was primarily by the Jews because they were not only opposed to Christians preaching about Jesus, but they were also opposed to the idea of Gentiles being called by God to be included among His people. Even so, God's purpose was to use the salvation of the Gentiles for the salvation of the Jews because their fullness would bring even greater riches than their fall would. Just imagine, if God used their fall and their failure to bring riches to the world and to the Gentiles, how many more riches He would have brought if they had not fallen!
The "riches for the world" and "for the Gentiles" is Christ. God's promise to Abraham that the nations would be blessed through him, is Christ. The nations are blessed as the gospel is taken to the world, and so are the Gentiles who were also given the privilege of becoming God's people through Christ. The early church was primarily Jewish, but today it is primarily Gentile. God is evangelizing the world by the use of Gentiles, but how much more could it have been done if the Jews had not fallen! I think this is what Paul is saying in verse 12.
Romans 11:13-15
[13] For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, [14] if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. [15] For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
Speaking to the Gentiles as an apostle to the Gentiles, Paul is saying that he will provoke the Jews to jealousy by any means in order to save some of them. Because if their being cast away is bringing reconciliation to the world, then how much more would God use their acceptance of Christ to bring salvation and reconciliation to the world. In other words, if God uses an unbelieving Jew, how much more would He use a believing Jew!
Romans 11:16-32
Paul continues explaining that Gentile believers are included in Israel, and that unbelieving Jews are not. He uses Jeremiah's illustration of an olive tree that has branches that have been broken off, and branches that have been grafted in, to make his point.
The olive tree is Israel, the natural branches. The broken off branches are unbelieving Jews. The wild olive tree that has been grafted in among the branches are believing Gentiles who have been included in Israel.
The wild olive tree (Gentiles) were grafted in because of faith, and the broken branches (unbelieving Jews) were broken off because of their unbelief.
Paul warns the believing Gentiles against becoming prideful of this. He instructs them to fear, because if God did not spare the natural branches (Jews) because of unbelief, then He will not spare the unnatural ones either (Gentiles). The severity of God is that those who fell (unbelieving Jews) were cut off, but the goodness of God is that faithful Gentiles were grafted into Israel and are now of God's people, if they continue in His goodness. If they do not continue in His goodness, they will also be cut off. Being cut off from the tree is being cut off from Israel and God's people. Just as God had conditions to be met in order to be included among His people under the old covenant, He has the same conditions in the new covenant, which is faith. If one does not have faith, they will be cut off from God's people. Paul's teaching on this matter agrees with what Jesus said, as recorded in John 15:1-2:
[1] “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. [2] Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
If the broken branches (unbelieving Jews) do not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted back in because God has the ability to do so. If an unbelieving Jew obtains faith in Christ, he will be grafted back into Israel (God's people). If God can graft Gentiles from the wild olive tree into Israel, how much more can He graft Jews from the natural olive tree back into their own olive tree!
The olive tree is Israel, which is compromised of Jews and Gentiles who have faith in Christ. There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. The true Israel has always been this way. God only has one people, and one holy nation; one special treasure above all people; one priesthood. This is the Kingdom of God of which Jesus reigns over as King.
Paul wants the brethren to be aware of this mystery: Part of Israel - unbelieving Jews - have been blinded because their minds are veiled because they do not have faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:14). This will be the case until what Paul refers to as "the fullness of the Gentiles". This term is not used anywhere else in Scripture, therefore it is difficult to know for certain what it means. However, some think that it means that Paul is referring to the Last Day, when Christ returns, when all Gentiles who are going to come to Christ will have done so, because there will be no more days left for them to obtain faith in Christ. The time will be up, because it is the last day, and Jesus is going to return to judge the earth.
Romans 11:26-27
[26] And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; [27] For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
By the Last Day, all who will have heeded Jesus's command to repent and believe (turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Israel)), and have entered into God's covenant, which was made at the cross (when I take away their sins), will have done so, and so all Israel will be saved.
Paul quoted Isaiah's prophecy which was referring to Jesus's first coming (the Deliverer who came out of Zion). Jesus came to turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Israel). He was sent to the "lost sheep of Israel."
He made a covenant with those who have faith in Him in the upper room when he said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." His blood sealed the covenant and took away our sins. The writer of Hebrews also wrote that Jesus's blood is the blood of the everlasting covenant, indicating that the everlasting covenant has been made.
"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." - Hebrews 13:20-21
Earlier in chapter 8, he wrote that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant which is founded on better promises. God found fault with the old covenant, therefore He made a new covenant, which makes the old one obsolete.
I point this out because there are many Christians who believe that God has not made a covenant with the Gentiles, and there is no promise that He ever will. They believe that the new covenant will not be made until Jesus returns and that it will be made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, as Jeremiah prophesied. However, as we have been learning from what Paul wrote in Romans 9 through 11, believing Jew and Gentile are the house of Israel. Furthermore, Jesus himself, as well as the writer of Hebrews, both said that the new covenant has been made by the blood of Jesus, and the writer of Hebrews wrote that it has made the old covenant obsolete. Jesus made the new covenant with His disciples, and the writer of Hebrews wrote to the church that it is through the blood of the everlasting covenant that will make them complete in Jesus Christ.
It is in this way - through the new covenant made by Christ's death and resurrection, by which God forgives the sins of those who have repented and believed - that all Israel will be saved, Israel being God's Kingdom which includes everyone who has faith in Christ. The earth will have been evangelized so that every nation, tribe, and tongue will have heard about God's wanting to be reconciled to them, and that is how all Israel will be saved.
Paul does not say, "and then Israel will be saved", but he says, "so Israel will be saved", which in the Greek means, in this way. He is not giving an eschatological timeline of events, but he is telling the Roman church how Israel (God's people) will be saved.
Romans 11:28-32
[28] Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. [29] For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. [30] For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, [31] even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. [32] For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
At the time that Paul wrote this, Jews were persecuting the church because of their opposition to Christ and the message of his forgiveness to all people who repent and believe in him, which Paul and the other apostles were preaching. They were enemies of the church.
"The election" are the remnant of Israel who are dearly loved by God, and who were given the irrevocable gift of being called by God (Romans 9) to reconciliation with God and salvation.
Just as the Gentiles were disobedient to God but have obtained God's mercy through the disobedience of the Jews, the Jews are now the ones who are disobedient so that they may obtain God's mercy through the mercy shown to the Gentiles. The mercy shown by the Gentiles is demonstrated by their evangelization of the Jews so that they can also know Christ and obtain God's mercy by being reconciled to God and receiving salvation. God has committed all (both Jew and Gentile) to disobedience so that He might have mercy on them all.
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References to the Olive Tree
The green olive tree, Israel, is lovely, has faith in God, and bears fruit. These are Jesus's disciples. The branches that do not have faith in Christ, or bears fruit, are cut off from the olive tree and burned in the fire.
Jeremiah 11:16
[16] The Lord called your name, Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are broken.
Psalms 52:8
[8] But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
John 15:1-6
[1] “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. [2] Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. [3] You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. [4] Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
[5] “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. [8] By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
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