Listen to Romans 11 Podcast
Romans 11 Podcast and Commentary: All Israel Will Be Saved
The phrase “All Israel will be saved,” found in Romans 11:26, has long been a subject of debate and intrigue among theologians and biblical scholars. This profound chapter in Paul’s letter to the Romans presents a stunning vision of God’s ongoing plan for Israel and the Gentiles, offering a future hope for both groups under the redemptive work of Christ. Our Romans 11 podcast not only clarifies God’s faithfulness to Israel but also introduces the mystery of Gentile inclusion in God’s salvation plan. By exploring this chapter, we gain insight into the nature of God’s promises, the role of Israel in His redemptive plan, and the overarching unity that will one day exist in Christ.
Exploring Romans 11 Podcast Deeper
The phrase “All Israel will be saved” represents the culmination of God’s promises to Israel. For many, it points to a future time of spiritual revival and national recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. This passage reveals that despite Israel’s current state of unbelief, God is faithful to His covenant promises and has not permanently rejected His people. The promise of Israel’s salvation emphasizes both God’s grace and His enduring faithfulness.
God’s Faithfulness in Romans 11
One of the central themes of Romans 11 is the faithfulness of God to Israel. While Israel has rejected the Gospel, Paul argues that God has not rejected His people. The apostle reminds us that God’s promises are irrevocable and that Israel’s rejection of Jesus is not permanent. This sets the stage for a future redemption.
The Remnant in Romans 11
Throughout Israel’s history, God has preserved a faithful remnant, those who continue to trust in His promises. Paul draws attention to the fact that even in the midst of Israel’s widespread unbelief, there has always been a small group of Jewish believers who have embraced Christ as the Messiah. This remnant is evidence of God’s continued work within Israel, even when the majority has not believed.
Grafting in the Gentiles
Paul uses the vivid metaphor of an olive tree to explain the relationship between Israel and the Gentiles. Just as wild olive branches are grafted into a cultivated olive tree, Gentile believers have been incorporated into the spiritual blessings and promises originally given to Israel. This imagery highlights the unity of God’s people in Christ—both Jews and Gentiles are partakers of His salvation.
Future Restoration
The climax of Romans 11 is Paul’s assurance that Israel’s rejection is not final. In verse 25-27, Paul prophesies a time when the fullness of the Gentiles will come in, and Israel will be restored. At that point, many Jewish people will turn to Christ, acknowledging Him as the promised Messiah. This is the culmination of God’s redemptive plan, where Israel’s salvation becomes a powerful witness to the world.
Romans 11 Study and Commentary
Engaging deeply with Romans 11 offers rich theological insights, especially regarding the mystery of God’s plan for Israel and the Gentiles. Numerous biblical commentaries help explain the intricate details of this passage, such as the relationship between God’s sovereignty, Israel’s partial hardening, and the eventual salvation of the Jewish people. These commentaries explore how Paul’s words should be understood in light of both Old Testament prophecy and New Testament fulfillment.
Scholars differ on the precise interpretation of “All Israel will be saved,” but most agree that it speaks to a future moment when the majority of Israel will recognize Jesus as the Messiah, completing God’s plan of redemption. It also assures believers that God’s promises to Israel are not nullified by Israel’s current unbelief.
In summary, Romans 11 reveals a hopeful vision of Israel’s future restoration and highlights the unshakable faithfulness of God in keeping His promises. For the Gentiles, it emphasizes the privilege of being grafted into the spiritual inheritance of Israel, underscoring the unity that exists in Christ. Through this chapter, believers are reminded that God’s purposes for Israel are ongoing and will reach their fulfillment in the coming of the Messiah.
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- Classic Christianity Book by Bob George
- Simple Gospel – Simple Grace by Bob Christopher
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Podcast Transcript
Wanna discover your freedom in Christ? Then listen in as Mike Stone and Kevin Smith talk about it today on Grace Coach. Welcome to Grace Coach. My name is Kevin Smith. Got my best friend, Mike Stone, with me today.
How are you? I’m doing great. Beautiful, beautiful sunny day in Chicago. Out and about, getting my car worked on and doing some electrical work and stuff. But, ready to jump into Romans chapter 11.
What about you? Yeah. We’ve come a long way. We got through 10 chapters, and Paul’s amazing the way he writes. And, you know, I wish we could talk about every chapter, every podcast, but, you know, we can’t do that, which is why I go back and listen to the podcast over and over again.
Absolutely. Absolutely. I I I do that also. Yeah. But, yeah, as we jump into Romans chapter 11, I would like to as just a overarching kind of a mind setting, a couple of verses.
The last three verses in Romans chapter 11, how we should understand it. Let me read it. I’ll start in verse 34 through 36. For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?
And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever. Amen. As I read through this chapter, there were some things that were a little contradictory, that you could read it.
And one verse says one thing, another verse says another things, and you could almost infer there’s a contradiction or it just doesn’t make sense. But as I read this, it really was like, alright. This is it’s all about god’s will and us submitting to however this pans out. I I mean, you and I can sit here and do this podcast, and we can say, well, I think it means this, and I think it means this. And the bottom line is, as the world pans out, and as we get into the end times, things are going to get so crazy, and we’re not gonna things may happen where we our head turns around and says, I never in a million years saw that coming.
But it’s in the Bible, and it’s what God says, and it’s how God wants it to be. So, anyway, let’s jump in there, in person. And, really, you know, what you’re talking about is what’s going on today with the craziness in the world and the antisemitism that Oh my gosh. Yeah. Come back, you know, since the Nobody ever thought that that this would come back and haunt the Jews and the anti Israel stance by so many people worldwide.
And yet, god has god is saying and said in, you know, just in Genesis fifteen eighteen that the lord made a covenant with Abraham who became Abraham. Yeah. And he says, to your descendants, the Jews, I give this land from the Wadi Of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates. Oh, yeah. He draws the boundaries, and yet here are some people saying to the river, to the sea, it’s our land, and God is saying, no.
I gave it to the Jewish people. It’s all through the Old Testament. So it’s just this craziness. Yeah. It is very clear.
And it’s amazing if you look at the boundaries that are in the old testament that God gave them, it’s much bigger than what the nation of Israel is today. I mean, it is huge. And so who know who like I said, who knows how that’s gonna all pan out? And who knows the mind of the Lord? So I’m gonna read first before we get into chapter 11, Romans ten one to three, and and a review that brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God is for the Israelites, is that they may be saved.
Paul’s praying for his own Jewish brothers and sisters, for I can testify about them that they are zealous for God. But their zeal is not based on knowledge, the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It’s not based on Jesus Christ. It’s based on self righteousness Yeah. That comes by the works of the law.
And it says just that in verse three, since they did not know the righteousness of God, that’s the imputed righteousness Right. That’s given to every born again Christian, Jew or Gentile, who comes to Christ, they did not know about that and sought to establish their own, and they did not submit to God’s imputed righteousness. Wow. That is just the way it was back then, and it’s the way it is for many people today. We’re stuck in religion and legalism who are trying to work their way to get God to love them and accept them and to be right with God versus just accepting God’s imputed righteousness that Romans one says comes by faith and faithfulness.
Yeah. I was just gonna say, Abraham believed God by faith and he was accredited righteousness. And there was other people in the Old Testament that did that, but it all points to Jesus Christ. It’s all points to, you know, the work of Christ works frontwards and backwards. Since the Jews rejected Jesus, and in Acts twenty eight twenty eight, it says that I am now going to the Gentiles because they will listen.
The the Jews didn’t wanna hear about Jesus. The Gentiles are willing to, and that’s where Romans eleven one comes in. I asked then, did God reject his people? Because he went to the Gentiles. Yeah.
No. It says, by no means, I’m an Israelite myself, descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people for whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how we appeal to God against Israel? Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to kill me.
And what was God’s answer to him? I is I have reserved for myself 7000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal. So too at the present time, there’s a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works. If it were, grace would no longer be grace, so they’re polar opposites.
Yes. You can’t come to Christ by the grace of God and then get back under the works of the law. You can, but You’ll be miserable. Be miserable, depressed, angry, judgmental. The love of God will not be flowing through you.
No. So he says he’s reserved a remnant chosen by grace. So not sure if that’s a remnant of Jews who were chosen by grace or just a remnant of people who are chosen by grace. But, certainly, it cannot be based on works. If it were, grace would no longer be grace.
It’s one or the other. One of my favorite verses, second Thessalonians two thirteen says that god chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the spirit and belief in the truth. So he chose that. He didn’t chose that you come to Christ by the works of the law. He he chose that you come to Christ by the sanctifying work of the spirit and belief and faith in the truth.
Yes. It’s all about that’s the other thing about this, chapter where it says like, even this verse you just read, in his undeserved kindness in choosing them. And so that that may contradict like I was saying, there’s some, like, seemingly contradictions in here, but it’s like like well, okay. Here’s the even a better one, where it says, he he put them all under disobedient. And I’m I know I’m jumping around here a little bit.
It’s a little further in the chapter where it says in verse 32, for God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. So the question I have to ask, and this is kind of covers all these contradictions in this chapter or seemingly contradictions because we know, you know, God’s plan, there is no contradictions. In us, we may be confused about it. But in God’s mind, it’s all squared away. So in this verse, 11 verse 32, for God is in prison, everyone is in obedience so that everyone have mercy on everyone.
So did God imprison everyone under disobedience? Or did Adam’s sin imprison everyone under disobedience? And the word of God would say, as a result of Adam sin, sin covered all of people. And that’s how you can understand this. And many of these other things, it’s like our actions, like God, like God chose people.
He chose people, but you still have to believe. Okay? Everything is based on belief and faith. It’s not God’s gonna randomly choose Joe Blow down the street and just pluck him out and say, okay, he’s he’s in. No.
Joe Blow down the street still has to understand the gospel and believe by faith. That’s right. So that’s that’s what I’m saying is it’s like, you know, you look at all these different things of, like, you know, oh my gosh. God’s choosing. Well, he’s choosing, but there’s a way that you have to go for God to choose.
Well, and the big thing that he chose is just the verse I read. He chose you to be saved Yes. This way, through the sanctifying work of the spirit and belief in the truth in Jesus, in faith in Christ. This is the way. Yeah.
Whoever believes in their heart that Jesus rose from the dead, you will be saved. God chose it. Passes with their mouth. That way. Yeah.
Now it’s up to everyone, Jew and Gentile, every person to to come to that conclusion. Let me read, seven to, looks like, 10. What then? What the people of Israel so sought so earnestly, that is the righteousness of God, they did not obtain. Mhmm.
The elect among them did, the Gentiles. But the others were hardened, the Jews. Now why were they hardened? Because they were doing all the work. Just think.
You’re out there on your job. You’re doing all the work, and this other fella or whoever my feet is doing nothing and he’s getting paid the same wage, you’re gonna your heart’s gonna be hardened towards him. Yes. He is. So if we just take that example, that is what’s going on here.
That is what hardened the Jews’ heart is that he went to a people who did not seek him, that did not follow the law. He he went to a whole another nation, and they thought, hey. We’re the chosen ones. What are you Yeah. What are you going to them for?
Just like in Hosea, I will go to a people who are not my people. It’s it’s all part of his plan. So in a, it says, god gave them a spirit of stupor. Now he’s talking about the Jews. Eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear to the to this very day.
And David says, may their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block, and retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see and their backs be bent forever. And so he’s referring to Israel. Yes. This is what is going to happen when I go to the Gentiles, and this is God talking.
When I’m gonna go to those Gentiles, this is really gonna harden these these Jewish people’s hearts. Yes. And of all the old testament verses, Paul could have chosen. He this verse he chose, from David in the Psalms, Psalm 69. I mean, doesn’t it paint a picture of Israel in in the real deal of who they were?
I mean, think about, imagine yourself in the context of what is going on here. Israel was so proud. They thought, you know, their table was bountiful. They had the whole world underneath their, you know, grasp. They had God, they were God’s chosen people.
So of course they felt like their whole table was bountiful to them, but it was a snare. That bountiful table, that that spiritual kind of, like, exercise they were doing, it was a snare to them. So Paul just nails them with this thing. And it is basically in that next verses, let their blessings cause them to stumble. They just like we read in the verse of, last verse in, chapter nine, where it says, they stumbled over Christ.
The stone that they laid in Zion, that’s what they stumbled over. And so, Paul again, you know, like a awesome trial lawyer brings in the evidence that just nails it home. I want you to take 11 take eleven and twelve. Sure. Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery?
Of course not. They were disobedient. So God made salvation available to the Gentiles, but he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now, if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world would share when they finally accept it. Yeah.
And then ultimately become that’ll happen in the after the tribulation when God turns to Israel and the last Gentile has come in. Yes. But here, it’s, you know, back to Romans ten nineteen. It says, I will make you envious, talking to the Jews again, to those who are not a nation, the Gentiles. And I will make you angry by a nation who has no understanding, the Gentiles.
Yes. Yeah. So it’s just a jealousy, anger, and they are hardened to Jesus Christ, but there will be a day when God does turn back to them. And there’s a remnant. Certainly, I’m one of them who has come to Christ.
A Jew. I was bar mitzvah ed. I grew up with two Jewish parents, and I came to Christ out of great need. I knew I was a mess. I didn’t know where to turn, and I know you have the same kind of story, but I was at the end of my rope.
Amen. And there was nowhere to turn. And then when someone offered me to go to a church, I’m like, oh, absolutely. Love to. Yes.
Maybe I’ll get some help there. Exactly. And that’s where I found Listen. Just to comment on these, last couple of verses in verses 11 through, 12. Yeah.
Basically, it’s God’s plan. It is God just when you sit back and think about how cool this is, that everything’s happening today is no surprise to God. This was all in his plan. He planned for the Jews to be hardened. He planned even it says, at the appointed time, the Gentiles, I’m opening up to the Gentiles.
At the appointed time, I’m gonna sacrifice my son. All of this stuff, it was planned out according to and it’s it’s mind blowing when you do the research and you see all these things like, oh my the Jews were, like, meticulous, not only just in the recording of their scriptures, you could go on, you know, like, they did not miss a jot or a tittle in transcribing these scriptures. And so you can see the care they took in recording the details of god’s plan, and we are the beneficiaries of it today. I’m gonna keep reading 13. I am talking to you, Gentiles.
In as much as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people, because they’re jealous of Mhmm. Of the gospel, of Jesus, of being made right with God by faith and faith alone. That would make anyone jealous who’s working their tail off. Amen. And it says, and to save some some of them.
Verse 15. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, talking about the Jews, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? That’s the spiritual dead. If the part of the dough offered as fruit first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy. If the root is holy, so are the branches.
If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, Gentiles, through a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others, and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other Jewish branches. And I’m just adding that in there. It just says branches, but referring to Jewish people. If you do, consider this. You, Gentiles, do not support the root, but the root supports you.
You will say then branches were broken off so I could be grafted in. Granted, but they were broken off because of unbelief, referring to the Jews. Amen. You, Gentiles, stand by faith. Don’t be arrogant, but tremble.
For if God did not spare the natural branches, right, the Jews Yeah. Who he went to first, but they rejected him, so he went to the Gentiles. He will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and the sternness of God, sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you will also be cut off just like the Jews.
But he’s really never cut them off completely. He just went to the Gentiles because the Jews wouldn’t listen. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree referring to Jews and Jewish believers? Wow.
Yes. Well, again, this is a a simple analogy of what is recorded in other, books of the bible of God being the vine dresser. And in this case right here, it refers to the Jews being the olive tree and the Gentiles being the ones that are grafted in. But the thing that we can rest in is that God is the vine dresser. God is the one grafting in and and cutting out as a good vine dresser does.
He sees what needs to happen, and he does it. So it’s it’s a beautiful, beautiful picture of just god’s love. It it’s it it like, in this verse right here, what it talks about in verse 22, trusting in his kindness. That’s just another way to say trusting in the gospel. That’s right.
The gospel is God’s kindness. The gospel is what to draw everybody to them himself. You know, this good news that we preach as much as we can. And it’s really the essence of what the Bible is that God has been kind to the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike. That means to everybody to just receive this gift.
And that kindness is he’s taken away all of our sins, not some of them, not, the ones that we did yesterday, but the ones we’re gonna do tomorrow and thinking about doing today. It’s like all of them. That’s hard to believe. It’s too kind. But this is kindness.
It’s too kind. It’s too kind. It’s a all or nothing deal. It’s all or nothing preposition. And then he rose from the dead and that anyone who believed in him shall not perish spiritually, but have eternal life, eternal forever.
That’s pretty kind too. Amen. Amen. Amen. Why don’t you read Kevin, 25 to 34?
Take us from here. Wow. We’re gonna get rid we’re gonna get done with this whole chapter today. Can you believe it? I can’t believe it.
Alright. 25. I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes Christ. You mentioned that all the time.
When the fullness of the god when Gentiles comes in Mhmm. Verse 26. And so all Israel will be saved. Okay, that that to me is mind blowing right there. Alright, as the scripture says, the one who rescues will come from Jerusalem and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness And this is my covenant with them that I will take away their sins.
Many other people of Israel are now enemies of the good news and this benefits you Gentiles, yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels and God’s mercy has come to you so that they too will share in God’s mercy. Verse 32. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
Oh, how great are God’s riches in wisdom and knowledge. How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways. For who can know the thoughts of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back.
Verse 36, for everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever. Amen. Praise God. Nothing more to say.
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