Sunday School Notes: Romans 11:26-32

²⁶ In this way also all Israel shall be saved, just as it is written: “The Redeemer will come out of Zion; he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. ²⁷ And this is my covenant with them, when I shall take away their sin.” ²⁸ On the one hand [they are] enemies by the standard of the gospel on account of you, but on the other [they are] beloved by the standard of election on account of the fathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy by their disobedience, ³¹ in the same way also now these have been disobedient, by the mercy [shown] to you, such that also they now may be shown mercy. ³² For God closed up all unto disobedience, so that he may have mercy on all.

We started this week by quickly reviewing what we discussed last week. Does the “all” in verse 26 mean all, as in every individual Jew? I think given the context, it is right to understand the “all” there to be corporate. In other words, Paul uses it in the same way one might speak of “all the church” being present at an event when, in fact, the large majority of the church is present, not necessarily every single individual member. The following verses lend support to this view.

Paul quotes, or “sort-of-quotes,” two Old Testament passages: Isaiah 59:20-21, and Isaiah 27:9. I think we’ve talked about Paul’s quotation of the Old Testament before and the reasons why he might diverge from the original Hebrew. He could be quoting from a Greek translation that we don’t have–one different from the LXX (Septuagint). Alternatively, he could be translating the Hebrew himself, or possibly quoting the passage from memory. It’s even possible his intention is to give the gist of the verses in order to make his point. His citation doesn’t contradict what the Old Testament teaches about the coming Messiah. The message of these passages is that the Redeemer is coming to purify Israel and forgive sin. That Redeemer has, of course, come, and he is accomplishing this work. This is why so many of Israel have turned away, and only a remnant have turned to Christ. God is keeping His covenant promise to Israel, and is cleansing the ungodly from within their midst, and the ungodliness from within their hearts.

Verses 28 through 32 serve to summarize Paul’s argument in chapter 11. According to, or by the standard of the gospel, Israel as a whole is at enmity with God for the sake of the Gentiles. Israel, as a whole, has despised the gospel message and turned from God, and this is part of God’s plan to prune the tree of ungodly Israelite branches, and make room for saved Gentile branches. And yet, by the standard of, or according to, election, Israel is beloved of God. Paul has made the point repeatedly that God is not finished with Israel, and He will keep the covenant promise He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The fact that the tree is rooted in them, and the fact that He is bringing in Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy, shows that Israel still has a special place in God’s heart.

I should point out, with regard to that statement, that “elect” does not necessarily imply “saved.” God chose Israel as a nation above every other nation to be His special people, the ones to receive the Law, the prophets, the covenants, and through whom the Messiah would come. It is a sign of God’s favor upon Israel that He so honored that nation. And despite Israel’s sin and turning away, God will keep the covenant promise He made to that people. Not every Israelite has been saved, or will be saved, but God will not reject the nation as a whole, because of His faithfulness to the people He chose and the promises He made to them. The Jews have no more merit before God than the Gentiles; their righteousness before God depends upon Christ, just as with the Gentiles. But “on account of the fathers,” because of the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, His love is still upon Israel, and He will not turned His back on her.

Paul says that God’s gifts and calling are “irrevocable.” The “gifts” are probably what he talked about back in 9:4-5. And the “calling” is, again, to do with Israel being selected by God out of all the nations on the earth to be the people through whom He would have dealings with the world.

Finally, if there are still any prideful Gentiles thinking that Israel’s sin is a sign of God’s eternal displeasure with that nation, they should remember their own situation. There was a time when those Gentiles were under the wrath of God for disobedience. Indeed, it is only by God’s grace that the gospel has gone out to the Gentiles, and God has used Jewish disobedience to allow the Gentiles the opportunity to partake of His mercy in Christ. In Ephesians 2, Paul talks about how his Gentile readers were once walking according to the flesh and in rebellion to God, and yet God reconciled them to Himself in Christ as an act of His grace. And through that Gentile outreach, God will win over His people.

Paul speaks of both the Gentiles and Israel being shown mercy now. Does Paul mean literally, right now? There was not a huge influx of Jews to the church in Paul’s day. I think Paul is using “now” in verses 30 and 31 in the sense of “at this time,” or “in this period of history,” after Christ’s death and resurrection.

In verse 32, Paul uses the Greek verb sugkleiô, meaning “to close up.” This same word is used in Luke 5:6, speaking of Peter’s fishing nets “enclosing” a great number of fish. Perhaps more significantly, this verb is used in Galatians 3:22-23, which seems to be addressing a similar idea. God has shut all people–that is, both Jew and Gentile–in disobedience, so that He might show His mercy to all (both Jew and Gentile). This verse is not teaching universalism (i.e., that every individual will be saved), but emphasizing the point that has been his constant drumbeat throughout this letter: both Jew and Gentile stand equally guilty before God, and only by His grace in Christ can Jew or Gentile be saved.

Next week, Lord willing, we’ll finish up chapter 11.