I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      The eleventh chapter of Romans is the final chapter in this section in which Paul dealt with the spiritual condition of the Jews.

B.      This chapter provides hope for the Jews’ salvation and reaches out to the Gentiles to appreciate how their own salvation was directly connected to the Jews.

II.      THE REMNANT

A.      God had not utterly rejected the nation of Israel, but He had preserved for Himself a remnant according to His gracious choice (Rom. 11:1-6).

                                                             1.      If the Jews were completely rejected by God, then Paul himself would have been cut off.  This was not the case.

                                                             2.      To draw a comparison, the example of Elijah is used (1Ki. 19:9-18).

a.       Elijah once believed that he was the only one left in Israel who was faithful to God when in fact there were 7,000 who remained faithful in Israel.

b.       The point of the comparison is that God has always kept a remnant for Himself in Israel, and there were still faithful ones among the Jews.

                                                             3.      The remnant of the Jews who would be saved was not preserved because of their works but because of God’s grace.

a.       In this epistle, Paul had already established that none of the Jews had been able to keep the Law and be justified by it.

b.       However, the Jews could be saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ just as the Gentiles were.  This was God’s gracious choice.

B.      While the remnant would be saved, the rest of Israel had become hardened (Rom. 11:7-10).

                                                             1.      The Jews who were chosen because of their compliance with God’s plan would obtain the reward that the whole nation had sought, but the rest of Israel would not receive it.

                                                             2.      For the Jews who chose to disobey God, He allowed them to make their choice and become hardened against the truth.

a.       The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in them (Isa. 29:10), for their hearts did not respond to what they had seen and heard.

b.       The prophecy of David was also fulfilled in them (Ps. 69:22-23), for things meant to be blessings for them had become curses, and they blindly bowed their backs in stubborn defiance of God’s will.

III.   CUT OFF AND GRAFTED IN

A.      Israel’s stumbling resulted in opportunity for all to be saved (Rom. 11:11-15).

                                                             1.      In these verses, the Jews’ failure is described as being beneficial to the rest of the world.  This is because of the opportunity that was created.

a.       The Jews sinned under the Law and needed a Savior.  God sent Christ through their nation to be their Savior, but He also made Christ to be the Savior of the whole world.

b.       One byproduct of the Jews’ sin was that the nation of Israel had been disbursed throughout the world due to captivities and Roman occupation.  Because of this, their influence for God had gone forth among the Gentiles, which was especially important for the Gentiles when the gospel was preached in all of the cities where Jews lived.

                                                             2.      However, it was not God’s will that the Jews would fail, but rather that they would succeed.

a.       If good things could come from their failure and rejection, then even better things would come by their success and acceptance.

b.       Therefore, Paul said, “I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them” (vv. 13-14).  He hoped that his work to save the Gentiles would provoke some of the Jews to pursue salvation also.

B.      Paul used to the figure of an olive tree to show how some could be cut off from God and His blessings while others could be joined to Him (Rom. 11:16-24).

                                                             1.      The first figure briefly mentioned in verse 16 is a lump of dough.

a.       Dough, made from grain, was made holy under the Old Law because the first fruits of the grain were given as an offering to God (Lev. 23:10-14).

b.       Likewise, the first fruits of God’s plan were the first believers (like Abraham) who were made holy, and all of Israel could become holy in the same way.

                                                             2.      Then the figure of the olive tree is presented.

a.       The olive tree represents the whole congregation of God’s true spiritual people.

i.         For ages, the Jews had assumed this exclusive position for themselves through the linage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

ii.        Now God has revealed that Gentiles can be brought into this congregation also.

b.       Some of the branches (Jews) were broken off so that others (Gentiles) could be grafted in.

i.         Again, this refers to the opportunity that was created for the Gentiles as a result of the Jews’ sin.

ii.        This was not to become a source of arrogance for the Gentiles, for salvation had come to them through the Jews (“it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you”).

iii.      There was also a warning to Gentiles that just as Jews were cut off because of unbelief, so also Gentiles can also be cut off if they cease to believe (this is a strong case against the false teaching of “once-saved-always-saved”).  This is the severity of God, which contrasts with the kindness He showed by grafting them in.

c.        Those branches which had been broken off were not hopeless, for God could graft them into the tree again.

i.         Just as the Gentiles were brought into fellowship with God through faith in Christ, the Jews could also be reconciled to God.

ii.        Paul directed this toward the Gentiles to prevent them from being conceited.  God had not favored the Gentiles over the Jews, but rather He had shown the same mercy toward all.

IV.    SALVATION FOR ISRAEL

A.      Paul urged his readers to accept God’s explanation for what was happening with the Jews and the Gentiles (Rom. 11:25-32).

                                                             1.      Rather than attempting to comprehend these events by their own wisdom, Paul called on Christians to accept God’s explanation according to Scripture.

                                                             2.      Paul said that “all Israel will be saved,” but let us understand who Israel really is.

a.       The “partial hardening” of Israel and the “fullness of the Gentiles” in verse 25 refers to Paul’s previous words regarding the removal of disobedient Jews and the addition of obedient Gentiles to God’s covenant people.

b.       This is the true spiritual Israel that will be saved.  It is the whole of God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, who are children of God because of God’s promise and not because of the flesh.  See Romans 9:6-8.

c.        Thus, Israel will be saved according to the prophecy of Isaiah 59:20-21 (vv. 26-27).

                                                             3.      Although the Jews had become enemies of the gospel because of their unbelief, God still loved them and did not revoke their blessings (i.e., the blessings listed in Rom. 9:4-5).

                                                             4.      The Jews’ sin had created opportunity for the Gentiles to be saved in Christ, but that opportunity also came full circle back to the Jews so that God had shown mercy to all through Christ.

B.      Because of God’s wonderful gospel plan, Paul praised God’s incomprehensible wisdom (Rom. 11:33-36).

                                                             1.      The gospel plan of salvation is greater than anything that man could devise.  It is directly from the mind of God, and we must marvel at His complete wisdom.

                                                             2.      The faithful must understand that despite all of trouble in this world, God’s purposes will be accomplished.  “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”  Therefore, let God be praised.

V.      CONCLUSION

A.      This chapter concludes Paul’s address of the condition of the Jews.  It also concludes the more deeply doctrinal portion of the epistle to the Romans.

B.      Beginning with chapter 12, we will see that Paul gave practical applications and instructions based upon the doctrine of the gospel that he presented in the first eleven chapters.