Romans 11:1-32: God's Faithfulness to Israel

Romans 11:1-32: God’s Faithfulness to Israel

One of the signs that someone’s truly a Christian is that they have a desire to live in a way that’s pleasing to God. They want God to be glorified by the way they live. And yet, as much as we who are Christians might try to live a life that glorifies God, the reality is that we often fail to attain that standard. We waver in our commitment and give in to sinful desires and prove ourselves all too often to be woefully inconsistent in our devotion to God. In many ways, our struggle is similar to that of a recovering drug addict. You’re probably aware—especially if you know someone who’s recovering from an addiction—that it’s very common for them to relapse. Even if they desperately want to break free from their addiction, they still find themselves pulled back into it again and again. For many of them, the battle to stay clean is a daily battle—and it’s a battle that they don’t always win. And that’s the way Christians struggle with sin as well. Maybe it is the sin of a drug addiction—or maybe it’s another sin like anger or gossip or pride or sex outside of marriage or pornography or impatience or bitterness or greed or self-centeredness or whatever other sin you may struggle with. Usually not a day goes by where we don’t relapse into sin and find ourselves falling short in some way of what God wants us to be. 

Thankfully, the passage of Scripture we’ll be looking at this morning reminds us that God, by contrast, is always faithful even when we’re not. And how good it is to be reminded of that truth! So please turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 11. If you’re using one of the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 784. We’ve been working our way passage by passage through Paul’s letter to the Romans, and this morning we find ourselves in Romans 11:1-32. And due to the length of this passage, I’m not going to read every single verse. As we go along, we’ll simply deal with the verses that are more central to the main idea of the passage—and that idea is the thought I stated just a moment ago. God is always faithful even when we’re not. God is always faithful even when we’re not. And by the way, when I say that God’s faithful, I don’t mean that he always does what we want him to do. God’s faithfulness means not that he does everything we desire but the does everything he’s promised to do. That’s important to understand. God’s faithfulness means that he’s faithful to his promises. 

And the way this passage shows us God’s faithfulness is by describing the way he interacts and plans to interact with the nation of Israel. You see, throughout the Old Testament, God had made amazing promises to Israel about the blessings they would experience with the coming of the Messiah. However—both at the time of Paul’s writing and even today—most of the Israelites have rejected their Messiah Jesus and therefore haven’t experienced the blessings he offers. So Paul wrote chapters 9-11 of Romans in order to keep his readers from doubting whether God had been faithful to his promises to the Israelites. And this particular passage we’re looking at—chapter 11 verses 1-32—shows us three ways in which God demonstrates his faithfulness to Israel. And we’ll spend the rest of our time looking at each of these. Three ways in which God demonstrates his faithfulness to Israel. First, by choosing a remnant. Second, by provoking Israel to jealousy. And third, by planning Israel’s future salvation. 

Choosing a Remnant

So first, God demonstrates his faithfulness by choosing a remnant. Look at verses 1-7: 1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened. So Paul tells his readers in verse 2 that “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” In other words, God “foreknew” certain Israelites—which means that he favored them and loved them and chose them—and these Israelites whom God foreknew haven’t been rejected by God. They have embraced their Messiah and experienced the blessings he offers. So God’s promises to them have been fulfilled. 

Of course, these individuals represent only a small minority of the Israelites. In that respect, Paul says, the situation is very similar to the situation with Elijah back in Old Testament times. Paul then quotes from 1 Kings 19 to remind his readers that God had chosen only a few thousand Israelites back in Elijah’s day to be faithful to him and to not worship pagan deities. Then in verse 5, Paul states, “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” So don’t overlook the remnant. That’s the point here. Don’t overlook the remnant. Even though many of the Israelites haven’t yet been saved, there is a remnant that has been saved. 

And by the way, that seems to be the way God’s seen fit to work throughout human history. He’s consistently chosen a relatively small remnant of people for himself. That seems to be his pattern. Think about Noah, for example. Only Noah and his family—eight people in all—were saved on the ark when God flooded the world. Or think about Abraham. God chose this one man, and the nation who would come from him, from among all the other nations of the world to be the nation he would favor. And as we’ve already seen from Elijah’s interaction with God, not even everyone from that nation was truly chosen by God. Only a remnant from among the Israelites was truly chosen. So throughout human history, God’s pattern has been to choose a relatively small remnant for himself. 

Therefore, don’t be surprised if following Jesus today puts you in a very small minority. And it certainly will put you in a minority in our present society. But listen: this is the way it’s always been. True believers—those who are truly devoted to following God and following God’s instructions in the Bible—have always been a minority. Even in societies where the vast majority of people have claimed to be Christians, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that—if you look at the Bible—only a minority of people from those societies fit the Bible’s description of what a true Christian is. So if you want to be a Christian, just expect to have swim in the opposite direction of the current regardless of which society you’re a part of. Kind of like a lot of fish have to swim upstream in order to lay their eggs and things like that. I’ve even seen pictures of fish having to leap out of the water over small waterfalls in order to swim upstream. And in a similar way, Christians have to swim upstream and have always had to swim upstream in order to be faithful to Scripture. So don’t let that surprise you. And don’t think that we’re in the middle of some unusual situation here in our society. True Christians who are intent on following the Bible have always been a minority. God’s pattern is to choose a remnant. And Paul tells us in Romans 11 that that’s what God has done with the Israelites as well. God has his remnant. 

Provoking Israel to Jealousy

Then in addition to showing his faithfulness by choosing a remnant, God’s also shown his faithfulness to Israel by provoking Israel to jealousy. That’s point number two: provoking Israel to jealousy. Look down at verses 11-14: 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 

So in order to provoke the Israelites to jealousy, God made salvation available to the Gentiles—to those who are not Israelites. Now of course, doing this wasn’t an afterthought in God’s mind. God intended from the beginning to make salvation available to the Gentiles. In Genesis 12:3, he promised Abraham, “through you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” However, in God’s infinite wisdom, he designed the offer of salvation to be given to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy. 

Sometimes, I’ll do something similar to that with my children. I know that, at the age they’re at right now, they generally like to help around the house. I guess it makes them feel like valued contributors to our family. So they generally like doing it. But sometimes, I’ll ask one of them to do something, and they’re not really in the mood to do it. And when that happens, I’ll often just tell them to do it anyway. But sometimes, I’ll say, “Fine. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll just get your brother or sister to do it.” So I do. And then, when that child sees their brother or sister doing it, they’ll usually get jealous and change their mind and want to do it themselves. They get provoked to jealousy. And according to Paul, that’s basically the way God’s chosen to work with the Israelites. Since most of the Israelites have refused his offer of salvation, God’s basically said, “Fine. I’ll just make salvation available to the Gentiles.” And part of God’s intention in doing that, Paul says, is to provoke the Israelites to jealousy and thereby draw them to himself one day. So in the end, both Jews and Gentiles get to experience God’s salvation. Everybody’s better off. So, according to Paul here, even God’s offer of salvation to the Gentiles is actually an example of his faithfulness toward Israel—because…God is always faithful even when we’re not. 

And in order to describe how God’s offer of salvation has now gone out to the Gentiles, Paul uses the illustration of an olive tree in verses 17-24. You see, as olive trees aged, they would become less and less productive. So in order to restore the productivity of a tree, branches from younger trees were grafted into the older ones. And this grafting process is a lot like what’s happened with God’s offer of salvation going out to the Gentiles. The olive tree originally just included Israel. The Israelites were the branches. However, as Gentiles embrace Jesus, they’re now in a sense grafted in to the olive tree. So the tree itself or the root of the tree represents God’s saving grace, and the Gentiles are grafted into that so that they now share in God’s grace alongside Israel. And the purpose of that, Paul says, is to make Israel jealous. 

Planning Israel’s Future Salvation

Then a final way in which God’s demonstrated faithfulness to Israel in addition to choosing a remnant and provoking Israel to jealousy is by planning Israel’s future salvation. That’s number three: planning Israel’s future salvation. Look at verses 25-29: 25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

So the climax of God’s plan for Israel is, according to verse 26, that “all Israel will be saved.” At some point in the future, there’s going to be a massive revival among the Israelites. Vast numbers of Israelites are finally going to embrace their Messiah Jesus. And that’s something that we’re currently waiting for. 

Now I do want to address one issue very briefly. Some Bible interpreters believe that Paul isn’t referring to Israel here in the typical sense of the word “Israel.” Rather, they say, he’s actually referring to the church. They believe that the church has basically replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. So for all practical purposes, the church pretty much is Israel. This means that many of the verses in the New Testament that talk about Israel are actually referring not to ethnic Israelites but to the church—to Christians. And this is one of those issues that’s been debated for hundreds of years, and there are good Christians on both sides of the issue. Even in our church, there are good Christians on both sides of the issue. 

I, however, do believe that when this passage uses the term “Israel,” it’s referring not to the church but to actual Israelites who are biologically descended from Abraham. And there are two main reasons I hold that view. First of all, the New Testament never directly says that Israel is now the church or that the church has replaced Israel. You won’t find any statement like that in the New Testament. So there’s really no reason to interpret “Israel” in any way other than the normal sense of that word. And in addition to that, Paul actually seems to be teaching the exact opposite in this passage. In fact, throughout chapters 9-11, one of Paul’s foundational assumptions is that Israel and the church are distinct. Remember, in these three chapters, Paul’s addressing the question of how God can be faithful even though many of those who are ethnically a part of the Israelite nation haven’t received the blessings God promised. However, if the church had replaced Israel, Paul wouldn’t have had to write chapters 9-11 to demonstrate God’s faithfulness. He could’ve just said, “Hey guys, don’t worry. God hasn’t failed to keep his promises to Israel because those promises are fulfilled in the church. Those promises are fulfilled as people from any nationality embrace Jesus.” That’s all Paul would’ve had to say if the church was the new Israel. There would have been no need for Paul to go on and on explaining all the things he explains in chapters 9-11. He could’ve just stated that the promises have been fulfilled by the church and moved right on with his letter. But…Paul doesn’t do that. And the reason he doesn’t do that is because Israel and the church are distinct. 

So we are indeed awaiting a glorious revival among ethnic Israelites who are biologically descended from Abraham. Imagine the synagogues of Squirrel Hill adorning their buildings with crosses. Imagine the leaders of those synagogues embracing and preaching the gospel. Imagine the people of those communities rejoicing that they’ve discovered life and salvation in Jesus. That’s what Paul’s predicting here. And not just in Squirrel Hill but in cities across the world and even in the land of Israel itself. “All Israel will be saved,” Paul says. What an amazing thought!

I heard a story not too long ago about a Jew from Russia named Joseph Rabbinowitz who traveled to Palestine. On his trip, Joseph visited Jerusalem and went up on the Mount of Olives to rest. Now, interestingly, someone had told him that the best guidebook about Jerusalem was the New Testament. So even as a Jew, Joseph decided to use the New Testament as the guidebook for his journey. And he started reading it as he rested on the Mount of Olives. And as he read it, Joseph discovered that the Jesus of the New Testament was a lot different than the Jesus he had seen in the Greek and Roman churches. These churches had brutally persecuted his people. But as Joseph read the New Testament, he became acquainted with the real Jesus. And as he read about Jesus fulfilling dozens of Old Testament prophecies, Joseph’s heart grew warm. He lifted his eyes toward heaven and said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” He then came down from that mountain as a disciple of Jesus and returned to Russia, where he eventually erected a synagogue for the Jews. Over the door of this synagogue, it was written, “Let all the house of Israel know that God has made that same Jesus whom you have crucified both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). 

And Paul tells us in Romans 11 that Joseph is just the beginning of countless other Jews embracing their Messiah at some point in the future. One day, Paul says, “all Israel will be saved.” And that revival will be the decisive demonstration of God’s faithfulness to Israel. As Paul states in verse 29, “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” That term “irrevocable” is more literally translated “without repentance.” “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” In words, when God makes a promise or gives a gift, he never has a change of heart. He never takes it back. He’s always faithful even when we’re not.  

Conclusion

And as we think more generally about the faithfulness of God, we of course want to keep in mind that the greatest way in which God has demonstrated his faithfulness to all people is in the gospel. The gospel message of salvation through Jesus is itself the ultimate and climactic demonstration of God’s faithfulness. Throughout the Old Testament, God had promised to send a Savior who would rescue his people from their sins. As far back as Genesis 3:15, right after Adam and Eve’s rebellion, God had promised to send a seed of Adam who would crush the head of the serpent. Then in Genesis 12:3, as we’ve already seen, God promised Abraham that one of his descendents would be an instrument of blessing to every nation. And on and on we could go throughout the Old Testament. Again and again, God promised and pictured this coming Savior. Then finally, he came. God demonstrated his faithfulness by sending the One he had been promising. And of course, that Savior was Jesus. Jesus came to this earth and then died to pay the price for the sins of his people. He was the sacrifice who bore our sins. God’s judgment came down on him so it wouldn’t have to come down on us. Then three days after Jesus died, he demonstrated his legitimacy and the truthfulness of his teachings by rising from the dead. And now, he stands ready to save all who will come to him and put their trust in him and call out to him for rescue. So God’s been faithful to provide the Savior he promised. Jesus himself is the greatest demonstration of the faithfulness of God. 

And then after we embrace Jesus, there are three primary ways in which God continues to show his faithfulness to us. And I’ll cover these very briefly. Three ways in which God is faithful to his people—to those of us to are Christians. First, God is faithful in sustaining his people. In 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, Paul describes Jesus as the one “who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Then Paul emphasizes this truth by declaring, “God is faithful.” So God is faithful to sustain his people so that they persevere in their faith throughout their time on this earth. 

In addition to that, the second way God shows his faithfulness is by sanctifying his people. For God to sanctify us simply means the helps us grow spiritually and become more like Jesus. And the Bible tells us that God is faithful to make sure that happens. Philippians 1:6 states that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” So God began a good work in us at our conversion, and he’s going to progressively bring it to completion until the day Jesus comes back. He’s faithful to do that. And sometimes that sanctification process involves suffering. Yet even in our suffering, God is faithful. That’s why, in Psalm 119:75, the psalmist says to God, “In faithfulness you have afflicted me.” “In faithfulness you have afflicted me.” So our suffering isn’t just something we’re able to reconcile with God’s faithfulness but is actually an expression of God’s faithfulness. Even in our suffering, God is being faithful to sanctify us and make us like Jesus. Then finally, the third way God shows his faithfulness, in addition to sustaining and sanctifying his people is by glorifying his people. Paul writes in Philippians 3:20-21 that as believers “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.” God’s going to be faithful to do that one day. 

So hopefully this morning, we can rest and rejoice in the faithfulness of God. Even though we stumble and fall and prove ourselves all too imperfect time after time, we can be sure that God is always faithful even when we’re not. As Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:13, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful.” Praise God for that!