The apostle shows us, in the first four verses of this chapter, that at the present time Israel has been laid aside. This is not to imply, however, that God has cut her off. Unfortunately, there are those who have come to that conclusion and proclaim "from the housetops" that God is through with the Jew. Such a position is contrary to the teachings of Scripture. God has never turned aside from His avowed plans and purposes as set forth in the writings of Moses and the Prophets. The Lord declared that He would bless the world through Abraham and his seed and we may be certain that He will yet carry out this foreannounced plan. The promise will be realized when Israel acknowledges her national sin and accepts her Messiah, pleading for Him to return.

To the superficial reader of this epistle, it might appear, from the first eight chapters, that God did change His Old Testament plan and that Israel has now been cast aside while He is calling people from among all the nations to give the Gospel to the world. In the Great Commission, the Lord told His apostles to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel, teaching all nations and baptizing the believers into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Church of Jesus Christ came into being on the day of Pentecost and was entirely Jewish in the first decade of its existence. But when Paul was sent to proclaim the Gospel beyond the borders of Israel, Gentile churches were organized, often around a nucleus of Jews. The church changed from a purely Jewish group to a Gentile institution after the catastrophe of A.D. 70, when the Jewish nation was overthrown, Jerusalem was destroyed and the Hebrews were scattered among all nations. Since then, God has not worked through Israel as a corporate body. He is now working through the church.

Paul immediately refutes the idea that God has changed His plan, asserting that God has not cast off His people. "He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:11,12). The doors have always been open for Israel, and they are still open. The Apostle asserted that he was a Jew, "of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." He calls attention to the time when a discouraged Elijah thought he was the only person who had remained faithful and true to God and that all Israel had gone after the worship of Baal. God replied that He had seven thousand men who had never bowed the knee to Baal. Just as there was a faithful remnant of Jews in those dark days of apostasy, there was a remnant when Paul wrote this Roman epistle--a remnant according to the election of grace. There always was such a remnant and will continue to be throughout this age--and a remnant will exist during the Tribulation after the Church of Jesus Christ is removed from earth.

"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. 7 What then? that which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened: 8 according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day" (Romans 11:5-8).

This "remnant" which exists throughout the present age is "according to the election of grace"--and not of works. One would have to obey perfectly in every respect the will of God, never making a single mistake, to be justified by works. This of course is impossible because of the weakness of the flesh. But God knows that we are dust (Ps. 103:14), and has provided a scheme of redemption whereby everyone can be saved.

Israel strove for a state of justification and righteousness, but utterly and miserably failed. But those who constitute the "election"--those who accept the grace of God--obtain as a free gift that which the observance of ritualism and ceremonies could never procure.

Whenever anyone will not receive truth and by this attitude destroys the delicate instrument of conscience in his very soul, God must harden him so that his condemnation may be just. In vss. 9, 10 the apostle quotes from Ps. 69:22,23ff and Isa. 29:10 as proof of this. When these passages are studied in their original settings, one sees that God does pour out a spirit of stupor that blinds the eyes and hardens the hearts of those who deliberately and willfully reject the light.

Thus the nation of Israel, from the Cross and onward, has been divided into two groups: those who accept the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and are counted righteous because of their faith; and those who spurn the Gospel, preferring to go their own chosen ways and become hardened because of it.

"I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? God forbid: but by their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if their fall, is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13 But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry; 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my flesh, and may save some of them" (Romans 11:11-14).

Here we see that Israel's rejection of Christ is the occasion of sending His blessings to the whole world. God did not put a stumbling block in Israel's way so that she might fall. This is brought out very clearly in Jer. 6:16-21, where we see the people first spurned the Word of God, so God set stumbling blocks in their way. But God never causes an honest-hearted, truth-seeking person to stumble. He will hold by the hand anyone who looks into His face by faith and places his trust in Him. As a nation, Israel heard the Gospel when it began at Jerusalem, spread throughout Judaea, was carried into Samaria and then sounded forth to the uttermost parts of the earth. She had ample opportunity to accept the truth but did not, so God allowed her to go on in her determined manner into darkness (see II Cor. 4:3,4). She stumbled and fell as a result of her rejection of light and truth. But God used Israel's fall as an occasion to send forth His truth to the Gentiles and multiplied hundreds of millions of souls among them have come to the Lord Jesus Christ as a result. God could use a very unfortunate condition to bring blessings to the hungry hearted among the Gentiles. If He could thus use the failure of Israel, think how much greater the blessing will be when the entire nation returns to God!

The receiving of Israel will become a reality when the Jewish nation turns to the Lord Jesus and lays all her natural endowments and capabilities at the feet of her Messiah. There will be as much difference between conditions which now exist and those of that time as there is between a corpse and a living person. It will be like life from the dead, declared the apostle, "For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (Rom. 11:15).

In vss. 16-24, the apostle boldly and vividly presents the teaching concerning Israel's future role.

"And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree; 18 glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. 22 Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:16-24).

Vs. 16 is an echo of the ceremony under the law of Moses offering the firstfruits of the increase to the Lord who, by accepting that which was brought and considering it as holy, acknowledged that the rest was also holy and acceptable.

Then Paul in vss. 17,18 uses the olive tree as an illustration and the soil in which the roots of this tree grow, and from which it receives its nourishment, to illustrate the unchangeable promises of the Living God as expressed in the covenants and words delivered to the early fathers of the nation. The trunk consists of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and others with whom God entered into special covenant relations. The branches are the individual Hebrews of each generation. Many of these first-century branches--unbelieving Jews who heard but rejected the Gospel--were those that were broken off. But those who heard and received the message remained in the parent stock and continued to grow, being the native branches. The wild olive branches are regenerated Gentiles who hungered and thirsted after God and His truth and have been grafted into the parent stock among the natural branches, bearing fruit to the glory of God.

According to this teaching, the Jews who believe are in their natural element. We who are Gentiles that have accepted Christ are, by the grace of God, made partakers of His riches along with them. The apostle assumes that the truth would be given to Israel throughout the dispensation and that there would be believers among the Hebrews at all times. Unfortunately, the Jew has been omitted for the most part from the ministry of the church.

Gentile Christians were warned against becoming puffed up and conceited because of the great privileges that have been conferred upon them. They are not to gloat over being partakers of the riches of the native olive tree, or to rejoice that the natural branches have been broken off. If God could graft in the wild olive (Gentile) branches among the tame ones because of their faith, He can just as easily and consistently graft the natural branches back into their parent stock. That they will believe and thus be grafted back is asserted by the apostle.

That God will yet bring Israel back into fellowship with Himself is shown in vss. 25-32.

"For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; 26 and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins. 28 As touching the gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of. 30 For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience, 31 even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy. 32 For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all" (Romans 11:25-32).

This "hardening in part" will be "until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." What is meant by this? Some say that it refers to the time when the Gentiles will have filled up their cup of iniquity to overflowing, like the Amorites (Gen. 15:16). I am convinced that, when the Gentiles have had full opportunity to take advantage of the blessings of the Gospel but reject it in persistent rebellion against God and His will, they will indeed have filled up their cup of iniquity to overflowing. The Tribulation judgments will then come upon the world; the 144,000 Jews (Rev. 7) will accept Christ and go forward, bringing about that mighty worldwide revival for which God's people are now praying; Israel will turn to God; her conversion will bring about the conversion of the world.

Others have interpreted this phrase as referring to the completion of the Church, the body of Christ. When the Gospel will have been preached and all those who, according to the foreknowledge of God, will have come into the Church, the fullness of which Paul speaks will become an accomplished fact.

Regardless of the way in which we understand this passage, we can be certain that when the fullness of the Gentiles will have come in, Israel will be saved. "All Israel shall be saved" refers to those Jews who will be living at that time. "... It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment." (Heb. 9:27) When one passes out of this life, his destiny is sealed. It cannot be changed.

When will all Israel be saved? when the Redeemer comes to Zion, turns away ungodliness from Jacob and enters into a covenant with the converted Jews. Verses 26b, 27 are a quotation from Isa. 59:20. Israel's conversion will occur at the glorious coming of the Deliverer to Zion, after the nation acknowledges her offense and seeks His face. "For the gifts and the callings of God are not repented of" (vs. 29). Israel will yet be obedient to the call of the Gospel, at which time she will become the channel of world blessing. Wisdom dictates that we do all we can to give the truth to her so that she may come to Him and become God's channel for bringing His grace, mercy and truth to the world.

With verse 32 Paul concludes the argumentative part of his epistle. Having presented to us God's "blueprint" of the ages in these eleven chapters, the apostle, in vss. 33-36, bursts forth in a paean of praise:

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)