The Remnant of Israel
111I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3"Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? 4But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8Just 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." 9And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always."
The Salvation of the Gentiles
11I 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. 12Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! 13For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
The Restoration of Israel
25For 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. 26And 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; 27For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." 28Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33Oh, 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.
FAQs
Romans 11 concludes Paul's discussion about God's plan for the Israelites begun in Romans 9 and 10. Paul insists that, though Israel as a nation has rejected Christ, a remnant of Jewish Christians exists by God's grace. God has hardened the rest in their unbelief until enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ.
When was Romans 11 written? ›
Romans 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22.
What is the meaning of Romans 11 18 22? ›
Sermon Description
In Romans 11:18–22, Paul now warns the Gentiles against any boasting because of their new standing and salvation. There is no place for pride in a Christian's life and Paul warns that any such feelings would cause one to suffer.
What is the meaning of Romans 11 1 6? ›
The apostle Paul is addressing whether God has rejected Israel in Romans 11:1-6. Paul asks rhetorically if God has rejected His people. Paul answers "God forbid" or "May it never be!" Paul cites himself as proof - he is an Israelite of Abraham and Benjamin, yet he is saved. So God has not rejected His people.
Who is the root in Romans 11? ›
The root is God the "Holy One of Israel " Isaiah 10:20
In verse sixteen Paul says that the root is holy, “the Holy One of Israel” is God "the root" that gives life to the spiritual Israel(Isaiah 10:20), and the primary seed of Abraham's offspring is Jesus, the trunk of the tree.
Who is the remnant in Romans 11? ›
So, Paul is even pulling this word out of the Jewishness of the Old Testament to make his point, “a remnant,” and he is talking about here a small remnant of believing Jews that God has chosen from before the foundation of the world, not just as a chosen nation. This is inside of the chosen nation.
Who is Israel in Romans 11? ›
Ethnic Jews who have not placed their faith in Jesus make up the third group that bears the name Israel in Romans 9-11. We find this group in passages such as 9:31-32 and 10:21. Finally, the term Israel can also designate all of those who believe in Jesus, including both ethnic Jews and ethnic Gentiles.
Do some Jews believe in Jesus? ›
While an individual Jew could accept Jesus as the messiah and technically remain Jewish — rejection of any core Jewish belief or practice does not negate one's Jewishness — the beliefs of messianic Jews are theologically incompatible with Judaism.
Who is Baal in the Bible? ›
In the Bible, Baal is the name given to several different deities who are designated as false gods or idols. However, it is most often used to describe the specific Canaanite-Phoenician god of fertility and rain. Additionally, Baal is associated with Beezlebub, demons, and the devil.
What does Roman 11/19 mean? ›
Paul has warned Gentile Christians not to be arrogant about their position before God.
While the majority of scholars would agree that the broken branches represent unbelieving Jews, the wild shoots stand for the Gentiles, and the cultivated olive tree that in the Old Testament represents Israel (Jer.
What does Roman 11-17 mean? ›
He writes that some of the branches of Israel's tree have been broken off. In this context, that seems to mean they have been deliberately pruned away because of their refusal to trust in Christ for salvation. He describes Gentile Christians as being grafted in among the other branches on this metaphorical tree.
What is the main message of Romans 11? ›
Romans 11:2-6 meaning
God has not rejected His chosen people. He foreknew them, He chose them as His blessed nation, so He has not given up on them. God has chosen a new remnant through His own Grace, not because any human deserves it.
What is the meaning of Romans 11 7? ›
Israel did not find what it was looking for, but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened, NLT So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have — the ones God has chosen — but the hearts of the rest were hardened.
What does Romans 11:12 mean? ›
Paul introduced an important idea in the previous verse: The sin of Israel in rejecting faith in Christ resulted in the opportunity for all Gentiles to be saved through faith in Christ.
What are the first 11 chapters of Romans about? ›
Romans has four main parts. Chapters 1-4 introduces the need for human rescue. 5-8 focus on how Jesus forms a new covenant family. 9-11 describes how God will not give up on his covenant people.
What does Romans 11:1 mean? ›
Context Summary. Romans 11:1–10 finds Paul insisting that God has not rejected Israel forever, despite her refusal to come to Christ.
What is the meaning of Romans 11 11 12? ›
The sermon focuses on Romans 11:11-12 which discusses how the fall of Israel led to salvation for the Gentiles. Verse 11 poses a rhetorical question asking if Israel has fallen beyond recovery. Paul answers "God forbid" meaning it is unthinkable.
What does Romans 11 ingrafted branches mean? ›
This passage describes how Israelites hardened in their unbelief in Christ. It has created an opportunity for Gentile Christians to be ingrafted into God's figurative olive tree. The old branches of unbelieving Jews are cut off, and the new branches of Gentile believers have been grafted into the root.
