SLIDES

Romans 11:1-10

Introduction

Biblical liberalism took hold of Europe in the 19th century and crept into the United States in the early part of the 20th century. In the 21st century in the United States in the most denominations and churches, including some Southern Baptists, hold to the view that God rejected Isarel because they rejected Jesus as the Messiah. So, God raised up the church and the promises given to Israel were then transferred to the church. This false view of Scripture is espoused by those who are liberal, Calvinistic, and/or Reformed. They believe in some called Replacement Theology i.e., that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan for the ages. “What saith the Scriptures?”

As we study this portion of the Scriptures today, please keep in mind that Romans 11 is dealing with national Isarel not individual Israelites.

I.             Israel’s being set aside is not total or complete because of the remnant. (1-10)

A. The Prophets predicted it (1a)

The question that Paul asks is a rhetorical question that demands a negative answer. The word rejection means to thrust away, to repel from one’s self, to cast off. Note that Israel is called God’s people. It’s personal as we shall see.

Let’s look at a few verses from the prophets that demonstrate that God had not nor will not reject Israel as a nation.

1 Samuel 12:22; Jeremiah 31:35-37

B.  As seen in Paul (1b)

Paul called himself an Israelite even after he trusted in Jesus as his Savior. Then and today, there are two types of Jewish people or Israelis – those who believe in Jesus and are part of the remnant and those who do not believe in Jesus and are not part of the remnant.  The remnant who believed in Jesus now are part of the Church of Jesus Christ but remain part of the nation of Isarel. They are both descendants of Abraham. Paul was part of the remnant.

C. As seen in God’s choosing Israel (2a)

In the first part of verse 2 Paul states that God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. The word foreknow means to choose beforehand to have an intimate, personal relationship with. We see this in Psalm 94:14. God did this in many ways, but one of the most important ways was the convents He made with them.

The Abrahamic Covenant which included land, descendants, and spiritual blessings forever. (Genesis 15)

The Abrahamic Covenant was expanded under the

The Land Covenant (Deuteronomy 28-30)

The Davidic Covenant (2Samuel 7:14)

The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31)

D. As seen in Elijah’s day (2b-4)

This story of Elijah is found in 1 King 18-19.

E.  As seen in Paul’s day (5-10)

1.   The Remnant chosen by means of grace (5-7b)

In verse 5, Paul was clear in his day that there was also a remnant. But note how a Jewish person becomes part of the remnant. The phrase “a remnant according to God’s gracious choice” is literally translated “a remnant according to the election of grace.” There are several ways to translate this phrase but the one that seems closer to the context is “a remnant chosen by means of grace.”  As we shall see in the next two verses, the remnant was chosen because they accepted God grace and received forgiveness of sin by faith in the Messiah. In this context grace means unmerited favor. There was nothing they could do to work for forgiveness of sin and eternal life. As we shall see in the next two verses, many in Isarel thought that forgiveness of sin was by keeping the works of the Torah.

As we see in verse 6, God’s unmerited favor (grace) and works of the Torah are contradictory to one another. The it in this verse refers to being chosen by God. God only chose those in Isarel who took the grace route. If Isarel was trying to obtain God’s acceptance though works, then there would be no grace involved. If Israel was trying to obtain God’s acceptance through grace, then there are no works involved. You can’t have it both ways. Isarel had to choose one way or another - to accept God’s grace or to do the works of the Torah.

In verse 7 the word it is used twice.  Here we have to go to Romans 9:30-32 to ascertain what the word it refers to. The word it refers to God’s righteousness. The Gentiles received God’s righteousness because of God’s grave by means of faith. Isarel on the other hand tried to receive God’s righteousness by doing the works of the Torah. Because this is not God’s method to receive His righteousness, they did not receive it.

2.   Those who rejected God’s blessing by means of grace were hardened. (7a, 8-10)

Now, back to Romans 11:7-8. Those in Isarel who accepted God’s grace though faith, obtained God’s righteousness, those who took the works of the Torah route did not only receive God’s righteousness, but they were spiritually hardened. The word hardened means “to cause someone to have difficulty in understanding or comprehending something.” Because the majority in Israel did not accept God’s grace in Jesus substitutionary atonement, God hardened them. This means He just gave them over to their own desires just like He did in Romans 1:24. He allowed them to wallow in their wrong belief that the keeping the Law of Moses brought God’s righteousness to them. This occurred not only in Paul’s day, but also, we see it while they were in the wilderness because of their lack of faith to trust Him. (Deuteronomy 29:4). Several decades earlier, Jesus also prophesied this in Matthew 13:13-15. There is an important word we must pay attention to in verse 15 which is scarcely. This means that they were not totally deaf. They could hear a little.

In verse 9 Paul quotes Psalm 69:22. The table represents God’s blessings on Israel. Because they took these blessings for granted, the blessing became a snare and a stumbling block which means God’s judgement.

Paul in Romans 11:10 quoted Psalm 69:23. Note the word dim. Dim means not having much light. This means there is a little light. The words scarcely and dim may, therefore, show that there was the possibility that they could still at some time come to realize that God’s way is grace. When this occurs, they have the opportunity to become part of the remnant.

Lastly, I want to make it clear that the process of God’s judgement of making them blind and hardened was a result of them rejecting God’s grace in Jesus. It is no different today. Jewish people who reject God’s grace through Jesus are judicially blinded and hardened by God. But keep praying for your Jewish friends and family because the possibility exists for them to come to the knowledge of the truth and became part of the remnant.

 SELAH