Verses 1-6
Rom. 11:1 “I say then, Hath God cast
away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed
of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his
people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of
Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars;
and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the
answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand
men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so
then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it
no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
“I say then, Hath God cast away his
people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of
Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” Under the Old Covenant the
Israelite nation was considered to be the people of God. Paul
raises a hypothetical question that even today is often raised among
the Gentile people. Did God cast away those that were his people
under the Old Covenant? In answer to this question Paul said “God
forbid.” God would never cast away his people. Moreover, Paul uses
himself as an example as he too is an Israelite, of the seed of
Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin. Even in the early church
there were a significant number of people who were members of the
Lord’s militant church beginning with the preaching of John the
Baptist and greatly added unto on the day of Pentecost. All twelve
of the apostles were of the nation of Israel.
“God hath not cast away his people
which he foreknew.” The word, “foreknew,” ties this back to the 8th
chapter of Romans in verses 29 and 30 where God set forth the
covenant of redemption. In this covenant we noted that all of which
God foreknew, he predestinated, called, justified, and glorified
without the loss of a single one. Thus, one that God chose before
the foundation of the world cannot be cast away from God. Paul also
taught us in Romans chapter 8 that not all of Israel are of Israel.
Not all of natural Israel are of spiritual Israel. Nor all of
spiritual Israel confined only to natural Israel. The true
spiritual Israel of God are those that God chose, predestinated,
called and justified. Not a single one of these will ever be
castaway from God.
“Wot ye not what the scripture saith
of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars;
and I am left alone, and they seek my life.” Elijah was a prophet
in the northern kingdom at a time when as a group the people had
cast off the true worship of God and developed their own place and
manner of worship, culminating eventually in Baal worship. The
people had killed many of the prophets of God and digged down the
altars of God and Elijah was cast down in his own imagination,
thinking that he was the only one of God’s people among the nation
and that they were seeking his life. Some times we are guilty of
assuming things that prove not to be true. Elijah, contrary to his
stated belief was not the only one among the nation of Israel.
Sometimes we make a similar mistake when we think that we can make a
judgment about someone’s eternal destiny. We should be content that
God knows them that are his. Elijah thought he was alone, however:
“But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to
myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image
of Baal.” The scripture does not say that these seven thousand were
following the God prescribed manner of the worship of God, however,
they knew that they should not bow the knee to the image of Baal.
They were a remnant or portion in the midst of that northern
kingdom.
“Even so then at this present time
also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” Some
have thought this “remnant” is the militant church as a portion of
the total elect family of God somewhat akin to Ezekiel’s vision of a
wheel in the midst of a wheel. However, as we will see that cannot
be. First, we note that a remnant is not necessarily a small
portion of the whole. If a seamstress had a bundle of 10 yards of
material and used 1 yard to make a dress, then the nine yards left
over would be a remnant of the whole. The above simply teaches that
God’s elect people are a remnant of the whole. This could be a very
large portion of the whole or a smaller portion of the whole. God
knows them that he chose and how large it is.
“And if by grace, then is it no more
of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works,
then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” In the
previous verse, Paul describes the remnant is according to the
election of grace. Obviously this election is of grace. He pointed
out to us that the election is not of works, and if any part of it
was of works, then it would not be grace. Moreover, if the election
is of grace, that automatically excludes works. God’s choice of a
people to be his and live with him in eternal glory is all of
grace. There was no work involved by those chosen in this
election. In contrast, those who make up the “militant church” do
so as a result of hearing the gospel, believing the gospel,
repenting, and being baptized. There are works involved in being a
member of the Lord’s militant church on earth. Yes, it was by God’s
grace that we are born of the Spirit and thus able to believe the
gospel and respond to it. But our entry into the church on earth
definitely involves our works. Therefore, we must conclude that the
“election of grace” embraces all those chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world.
Verses 7-10
...and the
rest were blinded.
Rom. 11:7 What then? Israel hath not
obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained
it, and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God
hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not
see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David
saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: 10 Let their eyes be
darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.”
“What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for…” What Israel was seeking for was to
establish their righteousness through the works of the law as they
had corrupted it. The law was not given as a means for someone to
make themselves righteous. As we read in Rom. 9:31 “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.” Israel had sought to make the law a tool by
which they could attain to a righteous state before God.
Subsequently, Christ had no place for them in their religious
system. To acknowledge Christ would be to acknowledge that they
could not get right with God through their own efforts.
“But the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded…” What God’s elect could not do among the
Israelites, the election to glory had obtained it. God through his
covenant of redemption that is set forth in Rom. 8:29, 30 has made
all the elect righteous before Him. However, this is contrary to
the popular Jewish belief system of that day and through their
stubborn rebellion against believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and
holding to the erroneous principle that righteousness could be
obtained through keeping the law, they were blinded to the truth
that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.
“(According as it is written, God
hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not
see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” While it
was God who gives to his children spiritual eyes and spiritual ears,
yet through stubborn rebellion against the plain teaching of God’s
word, God gave to the children of Israel a spirit of slumber, eyes
that see not and ears that hear not. This was their chastisement
because they had stubbornly held to a false principle and had
rejected the Lord of glory.
“And David saith, Let their table be
made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense
unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and
bow down their back alway.” Throughout the scriptures, the table is
presented as an eating table and most often is used as a tool for
fellowship. When two are agreed they eat with one another as a sign
or symbol of fellowship. The food which the Jews of that day were
eating was a works system designed around observing the law in order
to establish ones righteousness. This system became known as
Judaism. This system is eerily similar to most religious
denominations of our day. A reliance upon man to keep a system of
laws or rules to establish righteousness becomes a snare to those
who worship there under. This system snares those who are embraced
therein. A snare is a type of trap such as a noose around ones
extremities holding you so that it is difficult to get away. This
system also traps those who are under it. The word, trap, here is
more like an animal caught in a hunter’s trap. Moreover, this
system becomes a stumbling block to an understanding of the truth.
“Let their eyes be darkened that they
may not see, and bow down their back alway.” When a person’s mind
is fixed on a false belief system it becomes darkened to any other
belief, most often they have a difficult time seeing the truth
because their mind is darkened. I find it interesting that many
people can read the same scriptures as I do yet never see the
doctrines of grace as they are plainly spelled out in the
scriptures.
Verses
11-15
Rom. 11:11 “I say then, Have they
stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their
fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to
jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and
the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more
their fulness? 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14 If by any means I
may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save
some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling
of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the
dead?”
“I say then, Have they stumbled that
they should fall? God forbid…” It is impossible for someone to fall
out of the grace of Christ and be eternally lost. While one may
stumble in their belief system, yet this stumbling does not change
the work of Christ on behalf of his elect children. All for whom
Christ died will live in heaven with him without the loss of a single
one. He gives eternal life to “as many as the Father gives him” as
we read in John 17:2 “As thou hast given him power over all flesh,
that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him.”
“But rather through their fall
salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to
jealousy.” As Paul had previously established it is impossible for
any of God’s elect to fall from God’s promises in the covenant of
redemption (Rom. 8:29, 30), however, one may fall from believing the
truth of God’s word and go about trying to establish their own
righteousness. This is what the children of God among the Israelite
nation in that day had done. Subsequently, through their fall, God
directed the gospel of the grace of God to be carried to the
Gentiles, whereby first Peter went to the house of Cornelius and
preached to Cornelius and his family and friends, and the gospel was
readily received by them. Most of the successful response Paul had
in preaching the gospel of the grace of Christ was to the Lord’s
people among the Gentiles. This set off a series of persecutions by
the Jews against the Gentile believers as they were jealous of the
manifest blessings of God toward them.
“Now if the fall of them be the
riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the
Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” The blessings of the
Gentiles believers of that day and the blessings of us Gentile
believers today came subsequent to the fall of the Jews from the
plain teachings of God's word. We have great gospel rich today
subsequent to the fall of the Jews. Paul reasons that if the fall
of the Jews resulted in the riches of the Gentiles, then how much
more would have been the blessings of that day upon the Gentiles, if
the Jews had embraced the doctrines of the grace of Christ. They
would have brought to the gospel table about 1500 years of embracing
the law covenant and the experiential knowledge they had there
under. What a wealth of knowledge and experiences that would have
brought to the Gentile believers of that day.
“For I speak to you Gentiles,
inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh,
and might save some of them.” Paul desired that he might “provoke
to emulation” (make jealous) them which are his flesh (the children
of God among the Jews). That is that when they see the Gentiles
embracing the doctrines of grace, that they might themselves be
stirred up to seek the truth and embrace it and be saved from their
ignorance and going about trying to establish their own
righteousness through the works of the law.
“For if the casting away of them be
the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be,
but life from the dead?” The Jewish people had been cast away from
embracing the gospel truths and entering the church Kingdom of God
through their unbelief. If they could be made to see the gospel
truths and embrace them, it would have been like life from the
dead. It would have been a resurrection from a dead works system to
obtaining an experiential life in the kingdom of God.
