Beauty in the Book: Romans 11
Themes
This chapter dissects Israel’s past, present, and future stance with God—a people group that has always been reliant on His grace. Paul uses the metaphor of a grafted vine to discuss the dynamic between the Jews and Gentiles being welcomed into the family of God.
Questions
This chapter addresses the following questions:
Can someone who has fallen from faith be welcomed back into God’s family?
Will the whole nation of Israel eventually be saved? Who is saved now?
How does my disobedience intersect with God’s mercy?
Moving Forward
This writing will break down the chapter section-by-section, offering commentary for your reflection. Don’t miss the ending titled Beauty in the Book where it all gets wrapped up in a bow—highlighting how every chapter is woven with uplifting realities of God’s goodness and grace.
Romans 11:1-6
Paul opens this chapter relating to the Israelites, even down to verifying which tribe his family hailed from. Paul clarifies that God didn’t reject Israel by offering salvation in Christ, but rather, it is through Christ that he saved those from Israel whom he foreknew.
Now foreknew is any interesting word. A basic Apple dictionary definition defines it as having an awareness of an event before it happens. The greek lexicon (found at blueletterbible.com) uses a similar definition, but also notes that this word may describe those who are predestined by God for salvation.
Either way you swing it, it’s clear that God’s foreknowledge was at play from the time of Moses to the revealing of Christ as Messiah. In his mercy and wisdom, he set people aside and saved them according to grace.
Paul references the prophet Elijah in a moment that comes from 1 Kings 19. In this circumstance, The nation of Israel had given themselves over to idols. Specifically named “Baal”. Elijah had brought God’s word and prophecy to the people, but they turned on him. He was at the end of his rope when he cried out to God in desperation. He felt weary, alone, and desperate.
It was in this moment when circumstances for Israel appeared bleak to Elijah, that God assured him he had maintained 7,000 faithful souls for himself amongst the nation of Israel. 7,000 who didn’t bend their knee to the cultural idol worship, but maintained true devotion to their Living God.
It’s a perfect segway to the truth Paul is getting at: God has always been in the business of saving and sustaining people according to his grace, and to the praise of his glory.
At the time of Elijah, it wasn’t as if the whole nation of Israel was devoted to God, but rather a chosen few. In the same way, when Christ came, it wasn’t the entire nation of Israel that trusted in him as their savior, but only a chosen few.
Verse 6 seals it in, saying that salvation is according to grace. There is no place for trying to secure a righteousness by works in a grace-based system!
Romans 11:7-10
In this next little section where Paul references Old Testament scripture, we see that there were two choices for the people of Israel: either they were elected by God for salvation by faith, or they became hardened.
If you’re like me, you find this reality to be a tough pill to swallow. It almost feels unfair to the unsaved. But as we saw a few chapters earlier, in 9:20, it’s really not our place to question God’s ways. After all, it’s his right to operate in the way that displayed his power and reveals his glory in the utmost. The glory that is on display in accordance with his mercy:
But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory… Romans 9:20-23 NIV
We balance this humbling fact with the truth we know regarding God’s character. We hold these things in view:
He desires for no person to perish. (2 Peter 3:9)
We all deserve his wrath. If we are spared of it, it is only because he sent his own Son as our atoning sacrifice. Because he loved us so very much. (Romans 3:23, John 3:16-17)
He is compassionate and merciful by nature. (Psalm 86:15)
It’s fitting for him to be glorified in the utmost. He is worthy. (Psalm 145:13)
In all of this, we can conclude that God was entirely kind and just in his judgments of the Israelites. Not condemning the masses in an unduly manner, but preserving and saving a remnant according to the steadfastness of his grace.
Romans 11:11-15
It’s an interesting flip that takes place here. After so much time spent affirming God’s welcoming of the Gentiles to salvation through Jesus Christ, Paul once again affirms God’s merciful nature by sharing that just because the Jews rejected Christ and lost out on the incredible gift of salvation, didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be welcomed back if they placed their faith in Christ after all.
I want to note the way Paul describes salvation for the Jews in Acts 13:46:
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13:46 NIV
Paul attributed the Jews’ rejection of the Gospel as them considering themselves unworthy of eternal life. And while we all are unworthy of the gift, the difference between those who are saved and those who are unsaved isn’t their unworthiness, but their reception of the only One who makes them worth: Christ alone, by grace, through faith.
Paul describes salvation as riches in Romans 11:12, and that it is. Ephesians 1 has a heart-stirring section that in my Bible carries the headline of “Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ”. Check out the extravagance of all that is ours in Jesus. It’s a little long, but filling. Like a sumptous dessert that begs to be savored and enjoyed for every last morsel. Enjoy:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christwhen you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritanceuntil the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV
If you glossed over that, here are the really fun bullets of the richness that is ours in Christ:
Blessed in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing (v. 3)
Chosen to be holy and blameless in God’s sight (v. 4)
God was pleased to adopt us as his children (v. 5)
Freely given God’s glorious grace (v. 6)
Revealed the mysteries of His wisdom: to bring unity to all under Christ, when the proper time of fulfillment has come (v. 8-10)
Predestined to bring praise to God (v. 11-12)
Marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our spiritual inheritance (v. 13-14)
Redemption as God’s special possession (v. 14)
Woah. Even the bullet points were hearty! But it makes this point clear: “riches” is the perfect word to describe all that is ours in Christ.
And the richness of God is not bound to one people group. Just as the Jews’ rejection of the Gospel set headway for it being presented to the Gentiles. So God still desired that the Jews would see this wonderful salvation and turn to receive it.
God’s perfect wisdom and intention has been unchanging from the beginning: that Jews and Gentiles alike might share in the “boundless riches of Christ”. This beautiful reality that has been hidden in God for ages became unfolded. His eternal purposes culminated in Christ. (Romans 10:4)
His intention is described in Ephesians 3:6-11:
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:6-11 NIV
We see this idea ushered in when we read Romans 3:21-24 and remember that God’s righteousness was alluded to by the prophets and through the law, but it wasn’t brought to its entirety until Jesus came. His perfect wisdom allows for both Jews and Gentiles to be let into the promise by faith in Christ:
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24 NIV
Paul makes it clear here that the Gentiles being let in doesn’t preclude the salvation of any Jews who call on the name of Jesus by faith. God is gracious and redemptive, worthy of all praise!
Romans 11:16-24
Here, using the metaphor of botanical grafting, Paul seems to set out in order to accomplish a few things:
To provide a framework by which to think of the Gentiles inclusion into God’s family
To dissuade the forming of any superiority complexes among the Gentiles
To highlight the importance of continuing in belief
First, let’s talk about the framework. In this metaphor, the Lord is the nourishing and supportive root of the plant. This causes me to consider John 15, where Jesus explains more in-depth what it means that he is the base of the plant and we are the branches. Here’s John 15:1-8:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:1-8 NIV
Here, we see a beautiful depiction of what it means to not only be connected to the vine, but to be in the care of God our Gardener, who prunes us and refines us as we abide in Jesus.
This is the framework by which we might consider how the Gentiles have been welcomes into the family of God. If Jesus is the base vine, and those who abide in him are his branches, then Jews and Gentiles alike can be welcomed into the family of God.
But Paul makes a distinction between the natural branches and the unnatural branches. Both are recipients of God’s mercy through faith, yet it is cautioned against for the Gentiles to become arrogant that the natural branches were cut off so that they might be allowed to reside in the plant via the practice of grafting, though they are unnatural branches. Which leads us to our next point:
No superiority complexes! There is no place for boasting in the family of God—except to boast in Christ alone.
For while the Gentile believers didn’t have a history of trying to be gain value in God’s eyes by the means of the law, that didn’t forbid their human pride from conjuring up other ways to fall into the pit of self-righteousness. To assume that they were somehow better than the Jews was to neglect the reality that they were entirely saved by grace just the same.
I love what Paul said in Galatians 6 when he addressed folks who were still attempting to be self-justified. He reminds them that we are never to grow haughty in our own regard, or to boast for what we bring to the equation. Au contraire, we boast in what Christ has done for us:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 NIV
For the second we begin depending on what we have done versus what God has done, is the moment we fall from the amazing grace poured out for us. (Galatians 5:4, Philippians 1:6)
Paul offers a stern warning to the Gentiles in verse 20—“Do not be arrogant, but tremble”—reminding them that the Jews who didn’t place their stake in Jesus were broken off of the vine. The Gentiles would be wise to have a trembling humility before the power of God, revering his mercy and being characterized by gratitude for the generous inclusion they’ve gained into God’s family. To tremble before God in regards to their salvation, not to get a big head because of it.
Finally, through the metaphor, Paul emphasizes the importance of continuing in belief, referencing two pronounced aspects of God’s character: his kindness and sternness.
When I think about God’s kindness, this Scripture comes to mind:
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:6-9 NIV
God’s kindness was displayed to us in offering us salvation in Christ. Continuing in this salvation provided by faith is continuing is to continue in his kindness. And yet, there is a sternness to remember when we consider that Jesus is the one and only way to life.
If we want life in the vine, it has to come via the person of Jesus.
And while God is stringent in this regard, he certainly isn’t stingy. For anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! And if they fall away, they can be re-welcomed. (Romans 10:13)
It’s like the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32. That son had full freedom to leave his Father’s care—of course, leaving that care left him withered and cut off from a beautiful relationship with the one who loved him oh-so-much. Coming back though, he was met with a warm embrace and a welcoming back into the family.
So it is with those who are broken off of the vine of Christ, if they don’t persist in their unbelief, they can be grafted back in once again.
Oh, the incredible mercy of God!
Romans 11:25-29
After chapters of proclaiming that God’s promise to the nation of Israel is extended beyond the actual nation, and how God’s promise to Abraham extended beyond Abraham’s actual descendants, this portion of Scripture can almost feel like a plot twist.
As it turns out, all of Israel—actual Israel—will be saved after all.
This certainly is a mystery, but it’s a mystery that displays the faithfulness of God in an unmatchable way. For while Israel’s hardness paved a way for the Gentiles to be welcomed into God’s family, God’s tenderness towards them opened the door for them to be let back in when the time is right. The nation of Israel is deeply loved by God.
And don’t miss v. 29: “…for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable”.
God set his sights on Israel, and he isn’t wishy-washy. He’s solid and stable, and faithful even when his people are faithless:
…if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 2:13
God is unlike us, in our frivolous humanity. He is divinely dependable:
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 NIV
Israel has a history of seeing God’s faithfulness come through for them again-and-again. May we all find peace in this aspect of God’s character as one who is unchanging, reliable, and true.
Romans 11:30-32
You may remember chapters earlier in Romans 9, we touched on how God allows the hardening of hearts in order to display the depth of his mercy. It even mentioned Pharaoh, a notable example from Scripture in which we see God hardening someone’s heart. See below:
For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will? But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? Romans 9:18-24 NIV
While it can feel confusing at times why God might harden some hearts and not others, a posture of humility tells us that we really don’t have a right to question it at all. We can simply hold it in tandem with all we know to be true about God’s character, predominantly the fact that his mercy extends even to those whose hearts are hardened.
After all, every single person has gone astray. (Isaiah 53:6)
And every single person was dead in their sin, out of touch with God’s ways. (Ephesians 2:1-3)
And every single person has been offered salvation through the person of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:1-5 NIV
So while our hearts may have all been hardened at one point, it’s because of God’s incredible mercy that the hardness of our hearts didn’t get the final say. But God’s transformative love came in—removing our heart of stone and giving us a soft heart of flesh.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
And that’s exactly what we see here in Romans 11:32, that disobedience may have been present in all of us, but it was there so that God’s mercy might be made known:
For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Romans 11:32 NIV
Romans 11:33-36
It’s no wonder that Paul bursts into doxology after all he has covered regarding Israel! Truly, God is magnificent, mysterious, and merciful beyond measure.
It reminds me of this Scripture from Isaiah, which displays God’s gracious and supreme wisdom:
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:7-9 NIV
God is truly unfathomable—and blessed are we that he is unfathomably good.
Beauty in the Book
Like the sun around which our entire solar system revolves, so God’s goodness was intended to be centric to the entire Biblical narrative. This isn’t a story about broken people turning better; it’s about a perfect God saving broken people.
There is no place for striving here, only surrendering to the steadfast mercies of God. This was a hard pill to swallow for the nation of Israel, and many of them became hardened to the truth of Christ. And yet, they could never fall too far for His goodness.
For while their rejection of Christ was a circumstance God used to open the gates of salvation to the Gentiles, one thing becomes clear in this chapter: that gate—salvation by faith in Christ—is always open to welcome them back. And while there is presently only a remnant found in Him, God certainly will remain faithful to Israel in a way that ends in their salvation.
Never forget that God is like this: that he is faithful and that all his promises are true. That we simply get to continue in his grace, nurtured by His Spirit, abiding in Christ.
Our job is to continue in his kindness. (Romans 11:22)
And his kindness is one that extends far-and-wide. Mercy upon mercy. To the glory of his name.
