Epistle to the Romans
Chapter 11 – Jewish Apostasy
Romans 11:1-6 Remnant
Man’s expectations cannot bind God and the Jews had forfeited any claim on His promise. Up to this point, you might get the idea that God has rejected Israel. Paul is clear – God forbid. It is impossible to be a Jew and believe that God has cast off his people. We see where it would be just if God rejected the Jews, but God is not like men. To belong to any group which is united by common convictions is to accept certain responsibilities. Actions or attitudes which are in manifest opposition to the tenets of the group should be sufficient to disqualify from further membership.
The redemption of the many through the faithfulness of the few is known as the concept of the remnant. This will be used to show God’s plan continues in spite of the faithlessness of His people. Paul quotes Elijah when he pleaded with God that he was the last one left and they were out to kill him. God replied, “You have resources beyond your knowledge.” This is the part the Christian church is to play in God’s plan. It may be small; but provided it is faithful to its vocation, it will not be insignificant.
Historically, the whole Jewish nation has never risen to its full privilege and responsibility. At every period only a devoted minority accepted the appointed task and faithfully served God. This nucleus is the saving element; in spite of the apostasy of the many. The sacrifice of the few kept alive a devotion to the will of God. It serves to increase and clarify the understanding of what God offers his people and what he asks in return. The few are chosen by grace, not works. If grace could be earned, it would no longer be grace.
Romans 11:7-15 Redemption
When God chose Israel as a special instrument and only a few responded to his call; what happened to the rest of them? Their hearts were hardened. They did not fail because they were hardened. They hardened because they failed. Light becomes darkness for those who abuse it. Judgment follows the misuse of privilege. Repeated refusal to answer God’s call becomes a habit that grows into complete spiritual insensibility. This is directed at the Jews because the apostasy of those who had great opportunities is more tragic in itself and more serious in its consequences than the failure of less favored people.
Paul quotes from verses 22 & 23 of Psalm 69 to condemn those who persecute the people of God. Those who ignore the truth lose all power of seeing it. If righteousness is a reality, its demands must be exacting and ignoring the requirements must bring consequences. Judgment is inseparable from the rule of law in a moral world. Ignoring it is not proof of our emancipation, but rather an indication that our indifference is bordering on folly.
Paul admits that the Jews have stumbled but he is not willing to concede that they have completely fallen. Paul is relying on God’s power to use even our failures as a means of perfecting his plans. He is reaffirming his belief that in all things God can co-operate for good with those who love him. The apparent forfeiture by the Jews of their spiritual privileges cannot be final. Through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles. When the Jews realize what they forfeited by their negligence, they will see its value demonstrated by the experience of other races. What they learn to desire, they will begin to seek; and what they seek, they will assuredly find. If the world was enriched by the Jews diminishing, how much more will it be enriched by their fullness?
Paul allows no one to question his calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles. He knows he is promoting a wider fellowship by creating a Gentile church. Perhaps motivated by jealousy, some of the Jews will turn and be saved. Paul’s expectation of the Christian church is incredibly high. Its witness to the truth must be so clear, the testimony of its corporate life so unmistakable, that those who are without will steadily be drawn within its borders. But, the Jews have retained their corporate unity, their ancestral faith, and their opposition to Christianity throughout the ages. Paul looks forward to the day when an Israel, chastened in mind and humbled in spirit, will turn unto him whom they rejected and in his worship will find their peace. Have we done all we can?
Romans 11:16-24 Grafts
Paul recognizes the Gentiles are entering into a rich heritage which is not their own. They did not contribute anything to it. Yet, it shares with them its abundant wealth. We often see this in cultures. People from a different background have a different approach to exploring the riches of a new civilization. They recognize values that are unnoticed by the original residents. We become blind to the opportunities available to us through familiarity or indifference. The newcomers can awaken in us a new appreciation for what we have had all along. A religious tradition is embedded in the accumulation of past insights and discoveries. If we are part of it, we should hesitate to throw it away for new discoveries until we have plumbed the depths of its contributions to who we are. If it is new to us, we should appreciate its contributions to our lives before we consider changing.
Humility is a necessary virtue in the religious life, but very difficult to cultivate. Pride is often the last and strongest citadel of sin. Spiritual arrogance is fraught with danger. The things we value most are often not of our own gaining and grant us no special privilege. Those who feel they are maintaining a certain tradition may find the tradition is actually sustaining them. Why should we boast over a gift from God? All gifts can be revoked and those who prove unworthy will forfeit that they possess. The Gentiles occupy a favored position because the Jews lost it. The Jews lost it because pride and self-reliance blinded them. Others who allow themselves to fall into the same fault will be overtaken by the same fate. Religious privileges are never grounds for pride. They are to be accepted with gratitude and safeguarded by undeviating humility.
Do you think of God as being always severe or only kind? We depend totally upon God’s mercy and often ignore his justice. We all know people who only talk of God’s judgment and downplay his mercy. Paul reminds us that justice and mercy belong together. The gospel offers forgiveness, but it demands repentance. Judgment cannot be eliminated from the moral life. Those who fall will face judgment. Without the goodness of God there would be no gospel at all. Without the severity of God that gospel would be neither plausible nor persuasive.
We depend on God’s mercy to retrieve us from the consequences of falling. But that mercy depends on us. If pride hardens us in our error we will retain the judgment. If we repent, there is the possibility of rejoining the heritage we rejected. This is not only possible; it is altogether right and desirable in God’s eyes. The shepherd recovers his lost sheep to the joy of all his friends. The woman finds her lost coin to the joy of her neighbors. The prodigal son returns home and the household makes merry.
Romans 11:25-36 Salvation
People are always in danger of trusting in their own powers It is the arrogance of thinking they are preferred before others because of their essential superiority. Exceptional privileges – especially in the spiritual world – can be received only as gifts, prompted by God’s mercy and finally resting on his eternal purpose. Our only protection against pride is to cultivate an attitude of grateful humility.
The foundation of our faith lies in one essential postulate. We live in an ordered world, whose spiritual laws are as dependable as its physical ones. The creation takes its character from the creator. The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Our life is sometimes puzzling and our spiritual understanding is difficult, but, at least they are not complicated by an unpredictable power behind all things. Our faith and the conduct of life rest on the belief that God’s purposes do not vary.
We have worked hard to explain spiritual things about which we know little. They invariably are resolved by accepting that there are inscrutable mysteries greater and more comprehensive that we can understand. They are the eternal purpose of the Most High. We humbly admit the limits of our knowledge and return to certain convictions. All things are from God. All things will be accomplished through God. All things were created to be a glory to God forever.