Romans 9-11

By David de Bruyn

Some of the most important questions that face Christian interpreters of Scripture is the
relationship of the church to Israel. Amongst other things, it will determine

 Your view of the Old Testament promises to Israel, whether they are literally fulfilled
in ethnic Israel, or whether they are spiritually fulfilled in the church.
 Your view of the Law – whether the church is under the Law, or parts of the Law, and
if we are responsible to keep it.
 Your view of the Kingdom – whether the church is the fulfillment of the kingdom
Jesus announced, whether the kingdom has already come, or whether there is
kingdom still coming.
 Your view of Jewish people today – whether they are saved the same way as Gentiles,
whether they have a role to play in God's plan, and whether there is a future for them.

When faced with a thorny problem like this, theologians have developed Theological Method
to decide how to weigh up Scripture and compare Scripture with Scripture.

1. Didactic passages take priority over narrative passages.

2. Deliberate passages take priority over incidental passages.
3. Passages with only one meaning are more decisive than passages that could have
multiple meanings.

Romans 9-11 meets all these criteria for dealing with the question of the church and Israel.

Romans 9-11 is the single most important section for answering the following questions:

 Who is Israel after the coming of Christ?

o an ethnic nation formed under the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, with a
future in the redemptive plan of God?
o A term that now refers to anyone who saved, Jew or Gentile?
 What is the church's relationship to national Israel? Replacement? Continuation?
Separation? Intermission?
 What is the status of Israel and individual Jewish people today in God's plan? What
role will Israel play as a nation in the future?
 What is the means for the salvation of Jewish people today?

So with that, let's do a flyover.

Context:

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Problem:

Does not Israel's failure to believe invalidate eternal security? Have the promises/Word of
God failed?

Answer:

1) Chapter 9: The covenants with Israel did not mean all Israelites were personally
regenerate. God chose a remnant within the group. God is sovereign over salvation.

2) Chapter 10: Israel has largely chosen to reject salvation by faith alone. must accept the
Gospel of righteousness in Christ, and most are choosing to reject that. Man is responsible.

3) Chapter 11: Israel's unbelief has brought in Gentiles, whose salvation will one day provoke
the rest of Israel to come to faith, and Israel's full salvation will then bless the whole world.

Chapter 9 Israel's Past Salvation: God's Covenants With Israel Did Not Mean All
Israelites Would be Regenerate

But Paul says, “ 6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect.” Romans 9:6

Paul's first defence of this position in chapter 9 is that not every physical descendant of Jacob
was regenerate.

“For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel”

Paul is not creating a new meaning for the word Israel. Instead, he means that there has
always been a regenerate Israel within Israel, a remnant of saved, believing Israelites within
ethnic Israel. God has made sure this is the case by His sovereign choice.

But then he returns to the practical point: this sovereign choosing of a remnant within Israel
has served a practical purpose. Paul has two reasons for this sovereign choice.

First, if He had not, Israel would have been extinct.

27
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the
sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in
righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 29 And as Esaias said
before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been
made like unto Gomorrha. (Romans 9:27–29)
A second reason, which Paul will return to, is that God's choice of a small remnant in
Israel has made space for many Gentiles to be saved.
25
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her
beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was
said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living
God. (Romans 9:25–26 )
30
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have
attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which
followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
(Romans 9:30–31)

1. God's promises of eternal security have not failed in the case of Israel because
0. God has sovereignly chosen a minority remnant
0. He did this to preserve Israel from extinction
1. He did this to make room for Gentile salvation

Chapter 10: The Remnant Is Still Being Saved By Faith in Christ, The Rest Are in
Rejection

Chapter 10 is a fairly uncontroversial chapter. After the difficult doctrines of divine

sovereignty, chapter 10 is really the flip side: human responsibility, the human choice to
believe or reject.

31
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of
righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works
of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion
a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
(Romans 9:31–33)

3
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:3)

Now there are not two gospels, one for Jews, and one for Gentiles, or two covenants, one for
Jews, one for Gentiles. It is not the case that Jews are saved by keeping the law of Moses, and
Gentiles are saved by keeping the laws of Noah. And this message that you must trust in
Jesus Christ for God's righteousness is for Jew and Gentile.

And since that is the case, this gospel must be preached and sent to all people to hear it, for
without it, they cannot be saved.
13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:13–15)

But of course, Paul knows that many Jewish people have heard and have not believed. So he
adds at the end of the chapter that this too is their responsibility: 21 But to Israel he saith, All
day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. (Romans
10:21)

So the argument thusfar look like this:

God's promises of eternal security have not failed in the case of Israel because

0. God has sovereignly chosen a minority remnant

0. He did this to preserve Israel from extinction
1. He did this to make room for Gentile salvation
1. Majority Israel has chosen to reject the message of righteousness by faith

Chapter 11 The “Rest” of Israel Have Made Space for Gentiles; Gentiles Will Provoke
the Rest to Jealousy, and All Israel Will Be Saved

Paul reminds us in the first 10 verses of chapter 11 that God has sovereignly chosen some
Jewish people to be saved in this era. Just like there were 7000 faithful ones in a time of
apostasy by Israel, so the same is true today.

But then in verse 7-8, Paul now swings the discussion from the “remnant” in Israel to the
“rest” of Israel.

Romans 11:7-8 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."

Why would God do this? Paul repeats the reason given in chapter 9. God has chosen to use
their rejection to swing the door wide open to Gentiles.

Romans 11:11-12 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.

It's as if God has a stadium He wants to fill. Jesus has offered Israel seats, but they must come

The fact that Gentiles now enjoy this is like a foreign plant having been grafted into the
natural tree, where the old natural branches have been broken off.(Romans 11:17–24)

Inclusion of Gentiles does not mean complete exclusion of Israel. Gentiles don't become
spiritual Jews when they believe; they come to share in the blessings that were originally for
Israel only. Inclusion of Gentiles without complete replacement of Israel.
6
that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the
gospel, (Ephesians 3:6)
25
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own
opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Now in some way, God's blessing on Gentile believers is meant to bring about a kind of
jealousy that moves Israel to repentance:

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:“I will provoke you to by those who are
19 

not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”Rom 10:19

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. (Romans 11:11)
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. (Romans 11:13–14)

And God's grand plan is to use majority Jewish unbelief to allow for largescale Gentile belief,
which will provoke majority Jewish jealousy, and ultimately universal Jewish belief.
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; (Romans 11:25–26)

Does “all Israel” actually refer to all living Jewish people at that time? Can't it refer to Jews
and Gentiles? Here are a few reasons why it must mean all ethnic Israelites.

1. The nine previous uses of Israel in Romans all clearly refer to ethnic Israel.
2. Verse 28 tells you what Israel s being referred to – and it cannot refer to the church: 28
Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are
beloved for the sake of the fathers. (Romans 11:28) The church is not an enemy of the gospel,
so Israel cannot mean the church.

3.To make Israel=”elect Jews and Gentiles” is to make the verse read, “And so all the elect
will be saved” which is a redundancy, tantamount to saying, “And so those who will be saved
will be saved”.

4. Paul is arguing for future fulfilment, acceptance, and re-grafting for Israel (v. 12, 15, 23-
24). Arguing for the replacement of Israel by the church in this passage is contradictory to the
whole point of the passage, indeed, the whole point of Romans 9-11 (cf. 9:3-4).
5.The issue in Rom 9-11 is why only a remnant has believed. To merely affirm the remnant
will be saved is to leave the larger problem unanswered.
6. In 11:29, Paul confirms that God's election of Israel as a nation cannot be overturned: His
gifts and calling are irrevocable. John Feinberg: Paul seems to settle the issue in Rom 11:25-
29. Not only does he predict the future salvation of Israel as a nation, but concludes his whole
discussion on Israel's position by saying that "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." What
can this mean other than what God has promised Israel, he will deliver?
(Continuity/Discontinuity, 83)

Paul means all, or at least the vast majority of living Jews at that time will be saved. It does
not man that all Jews of all ages will be saved.
The full salvation of Israel then looks forward to Israel's restoration as a nation, with a
vocational role to the rest of the world. The nation, being the centre of the kingdom, ruled by
the Davidic king, now brings worldwide blessings, righteousness and peace.
12
Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

15
For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be
but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)

This is not simply Israel's spiritual salvation, but Israel becoming everything it was meant to
be: all nations blessed in her.

That's quite a plan. The disobedience of the Jews has brought mercy to the Gentiles, so that
the mercy on the Gentiles might bring mercy on all the Jews in their disobedience, and mercy
on them will bring multiplied mercy on all nations.

Romans 11:30-32 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.

This plan is so wise, so brilliant, so unparalleled in scope that it causes Paul to break out in a
doxology of praise.

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are
His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has
become His counselor?" 35 "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" 36For of Him and
through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

So the argument is

1. God's promises of eternal security have not failed in the case of Israel because
0. God has sovereignly chosen a minority remnant
0. This was to preserve Israel from extinction
1. This is to make space for Gentile salvation
0. This will provoke the rest of Israel to jealousy
0. All Israel will be saved
1. All nations will be blessed in them.

2. Majority Israel has chosen to reject the message of righteousness by faith