Will all Israel be saved? (Romans 11:25-36)
Billy Milton - May 29, 2005
I mentioned a few weeks ago that the 3 chapters between 9 and 11 have generated enormous amounts of debate and controversy over the centuries, and it still continues to the present day. Indeed since the end of the 2nd World War and Israel’s re-gathering as a nation the arguments about Israel’s future, and their current place in God’s plans, have, if anything, become more strident, especially in the light of the holocaust and the collective guilt many people feel over that atrocity. But what does the Bible say about Israel’s future? Is God going to usher them all in under some sort of legal technicality?
Well, I outlined a few weeks ago the 3 main ways that modern scholars think about Israel, using the ‘passport and road illustration’ as seen in this PowerPoint slide. [3 ways to God – 1 road/1 passport; 2 roads/1 passport; 2 roads/2 passports] I indicated then that I favoured the 1 road/1 passport model but urged you to make up your own mind. Today’s the last chance to preach on this little section for a while and I’d love to know later what you have decided.
In these last few paragraphs of this section, Paul is addressing the Gentile part of the church and he urges them in v25 to be neither ignorant nor arrogant. David Hume the 18th century philosopher said, “Where men are the most sure and arrogant, they are usually the most mistaken.” I can think of many occasions when I was both – indeed being ignorant of something is often a pre-requisite for being arrogant. I often smile when I think of the time at school when I played a lot of badminton. STORY OF COUNTY LEVEL TRAINEE TEACHER WHO PLAYED DUMB AND THEN THRASHED US COCKY KIDS.
It is easy for us to think we are better than we really are. The Jews, to whom God had given the Law, along with the promise of being a great nation and the source of great blessing to others, always thought that they were better than the Gentiles. Indeed they referred to them in conversation as dogs. When Jeremiah the prophet warned Israel in Jeremiah 7 that God was losing patience with them they just mocked him and told him that nothing could ever happen to them because they had the temple. “The temple, the temple, the temple” became their lucky chant. Of course not long after that God fulfilled his threats of judgment and they were conquered and taken into exile. But even that did not bring them to repentance!
Now, in the early church, the boot is on the other foot and these despised Gentiles, who had come to faith, now began to look down on the Jews who were rejecting salvation by faith in Jesus Christ and instead clinging onto the old traditions. Paul’s words in Romans 11 are intended to give the Gentiles a reality check. His purpose is to teach them the truth, which should turn them from arrogance to humility and from self-congratulation to heart-felt worship.
Let’s just remind ourselves where we are. The Jews had rejected Jesus as their Messiah and, as a nation, they were still in a state of unbelief. Already, they were experiencing the judgment of God in the form of hardened hearts, and they would soon suffer a great physical calamity when the Romans in AD72 left Jerusalem in ruins. On the other hand, many Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus. The complexion of the churches was changing from an almost exclusively Jewish constituency to a predominantly Gentile membership. And that type of change is always hard to handle. In fact, any change in the make up of a church is always hard and it’s a real tribute to the longer serving members of KRC that they have lived through quite a lot of change in recent years and been able to embrace it. Well done!
So anyway. despite the changes in the make up of the church, the Gentiles needed to understand something - Israel’s history is no mere academic exercise; a few facts to be learned by the Gentiles. Neither is her failure any reason for the Gentiles to be proud. The Gentiles should learn from the mistakes of Israel and they should be humble. If God has not overlooked the transgressions of His chosen people, surely He will not take the Gentiles’ sin lightly either. Obedience is the key to abiding in God’s promised blessings, and unbelief leads to disobedience, which in turn leads to divine judgment. When the Gentiles begin to be proud, they reveal the same symptoms that led to Israel’s demise. Let them be warned! Let us be warned!!
The Gentiles assumed that God was now finished with Israel as a nation and that they were now the ‘new Israel’ so Paul uses a clever approach to catch their attention. The Gentiles were proud of their superior knowledge so Paul talks about a mystery to pique their interest. Now, in the Bible a ‘mystery’ is not like a Hercule Poirot story where you can arrive at a conclusion by following the clues. In its broadest terms, a Biblical mystery is a truth which we sinners could never have imagined and which we are unable and unwilling to believe, even when it’s revealed to us.
The very mention of revealing a mystery to these Gentiles should prove humbling. Instead of priding themselves in knowing truth which is concealed from others, they must humbly admit that this truth is that which even they would never have believed, apart from revelation and divine illumination. The revelation of this truth is a matter of grace and not a matter for which they can take credit.
And what is the mystery? Its this - Israel’s failure is neither full nor final, but rather partial and temporary, and that Israel’s “fall” is not only the impetus for God’s saving the Gentiles, but also for God’s mercy to be poured out on His chosen people yet again. The Gentiles seemed tempted to conclude that Israel’s fall was total and final. They appear, as some in the church do today, to want to think of themselves as having replaced Israel as “God’s favourites.” They were wrong! God’s purpose was that Israel would only partially and temporarily be hardened. The hardening was partial, because God always preserves a faithful remnant (see 9:27-29; 11:4-6). The blindness of Israel is only temporary, just long enough for God to save the full measure of those Gentiles whom He has chosen.
Let me take a quick digression here. Why would God bother to remain faithful to the Israelite nation? Well the fact is that he is not remaining true to the Jews – he is remaining true to his covenant promises to them. And that covenant cannot be rescinded “for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” God made a covenant with Abraham that involved the land, the people becoming a great nation and the promise of a ‘seed’ (Jesus) who would come from their lineage. That covenant cannot be ignored or set aside by God, even if his people rebel against him.
Let me illustrate. Turn to Joshua 9 and read the story of the Gibeonites – TELL HOW THEY DUPED JOSHUA INTO MAKING A COVENANT WITH THEM AND HOW JOSHUA WAS 100% OBLIGATED TO DEFEND THEM EVEN ALTHOUGH IT WAS A ‘FALSE’ COVENANT. Folks, listen to this very carefully. The moment we become a Christian we too enter into a covenant with Jesus that is irrevocable. It doesn’t depend on our good behaviour, which I for one am very grateful for, it depends on God’s character and his grace. WE ARE SECURE. Now, to be sure, there are obligations on our side of the covenant but it was Jesus that made the covenant and he will never throw us out.
So, “all Israel will be saved”. What does that mean? Can we just forget about evangelising the Jewish nation? I mean it seems to say that they are saved already. Many people really believe that it is pointless evangelising a people who are saved already. I disagree. The key words are “All, Israel and Saved”. What does each mean? Well, Israel I believe means the most obvious thing – it is Israel the nation - the Jewish people. So does ‘all Israel’ mean that every single last person born of Jewish extraction will be saved regardless of their religious standpoint or regardless of whether or not they accept Jesus as the Messiah of God? Well, no I don’t believe that we can justify that from the rest of the Bible. What I do believe is that the phrase ‘all Israel’ is used as a generic term for a ‘great mass’ of Israel.
We use the same language today. For instance, I heard a reporter say after the General Election, “The Nation has voted Tony Blair back into power.” Well I don’t know about you but I didn’t! In fact over 60% of the nation didn’t but we understand what he meant. Paul is using a similar figure of speech here. How do I know? Well, he says they need to be ‘saved’. That, along with 9:3 and 10:1 and numerous other verses tells us that the Jews will need to come to God in the same way as the Gentiles – only by grace and through faith in Christ. And not ‘all’ will do that – some will remain hard.
And we know that the deliverance will come through Jesus because verse 26 tells us that the deliverer will come ‘from’ (out of) Zion and not ‘to’ Zion. In other words the deliverer will be one of them and he will remember the covenant and take away their sins. He won’t perform some type of celestial whitewash and usher every Jew into his presence, but only those Jews who repents and trust in Jesus the Messiah. So will ‘All Israel be saved’? No, not in the sense that we might first have thought but certainly the opportunity is there for every single Jew and Gentile to repent and come to God. V32 tells us what God wants. Do you know what he really wants? He wants to have mercy on every person who has ever lived. But he cannot because his justice will not allow that to happen.
As Paul takes on board the majesty and extent of God’s plan of salvation he is moved to give praise to God. And that should be the intelligent response of all of us when faced with the almighty God. No room here for arrogance or ignorance but plenty of room for intelligent praise.
Let’s close by saying this doxology together from the screen. vv33-36:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory for ever! Amen.