Romans 11

22 God shows sternness to those who fell—that is, to those who were disobedient, who did not believe. And He shows kindness (or grace) to those who believe. Yet Paul gives a condition for receiving God’s “kindness.” He says: God will show kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. If we do not continue in God’s kindness, if we do not continue believing in Jesus (in whom God’s kindness is fully demonstrated), then God will withdraw His kindness and we shall be cut off. In other words, if we do not remain in Christ, we shall be cut off from God’s kindness and grace. We shall be thrown away like a dead branch (see John 15:6 and comment). Therefore, says Paul: Do not be arrogant, but be afraid (verse 20).

Many Bible scholars quote verses 19-22 to support the opinion that Christians can lose their salvation if they stop believing. But others say that true Christians can never lose their salvation. This second group says that anyone who becomes “cut off” could never have been a true Christian to begin with. According to this second group, Paul here is simply giving Christians a warning against being arrogant, but he is not saying that they would ever be completely “cut off.” It is difficult to be certain which of these two interpretations is correct (see General Article: Can We Lose Our Salvation?).

23 If the Jews do not persist in unbelief, they will again be grafted back into the tree. They will again become citizens of the true Israel—that is, members of the church of Christ.

24 It is much easier to graft into a tree its own natural branches (the Jews), than it is to graft branches that are wild by nature (the Gentiles). Thus Paul is confident that one day the unbelieving Jews will repent, turn to Christ, and be grafted back into the tree from which they originally came.

25 In verses 17-24, Paul has used the illustration of the olive tree and its grafted branches to explain to the Gentiles the mystery of Israel. His purpose in explaining all this to the Gentiles is so that they might not be conceited (see verses 17-18).

Israel has experienced a hardening until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Only God knows what the “full number” of the Gentiles will be. But it will be such a large number of people that no one will be able to count them (see Revelation 7:9). During the time the Gentiles are being added to the church (which, of course, includes this present time) only a few Jews will believe. But after the full number of the Gentiles has believed, then the Jews will begin to believe also. Many people think that when this happens, the end of the world will be near.

26-27 Thus, in the end, all Israel will be saved, that is, all believing Jews. For without faith no one—neither Jew nor Gentile—can be saved.

Paul here quotes from Isaiah 59:20-21. The deliverer (Christ) will come from Zion.⁵⁸ Christ “comes from” Zion (Israel) because He Himselfwas an Israelite, a Jew.

Christ will turn godlessness away from Jacob,⁵⁹ that is, from Israel. Christ will, in the end, turn Israel back to God.

28 The Jews of Paul’s day were enemies. They were enemies of Christ and of all Christians. And they remain “enemies” to this day. Nevertheless, God originally chose the Jews to be His special people (Exodus 19: 3-6). God Himself created the nation of Israel. God called Abraham, the first Jew. God raised up Isaac, Abraham’s son. Even though most Jews have not believed in Christ, God still loves them on account of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

29 God will never completely reject the Jews. He has given them great gifts, such as the law, the prophets, the promises. He called them to be His people. Even though they are disobedient, He will not abandon them; His gifts and his call to them are irrevocable—they cannot be changed.

30-31 Just as the Gentiles had once been disobedient and had received mercy (and salvation), so the Jews have become disobedient so that they too may now receive mercy (verse 31). If God has shown mercy to the Gentiles, He will surely show mercy to the Jews, His own people.

32 All men have been disobedient to God. All men, both Jew and Gentile, have “gone their own way” (Acts 14:16). God has bound all men over to disobedience—that is, He has “given them over” to disobedience (see Romans 1:24,26,28). But He has done this so that He might show mercy to all—that is, to both Jew and Gentile. If men were not disobedient, they wouldn’t need mercy. Only sinners need mercy. But remember—we are all sinners (Romans 3:10-12). And to receive God’s mercy, we must confess our sin.

Paul does not say here that God will show mercy to every person. Paul says that He will have mercy on all—that is, on all nations, on all who believe in Christ (see Gal-atians 3:22-29 and comment).

33 In Chapters 9-11, Paul has been talking about things which are not easy to understand. For example, why did the Jews fall away? Why does God harden some people, yet show mercy to others? We do not understand why. What God wants to do, He does! Yet whatever God does is also right, just, and wise. God has a plan and purpose for every person, both Jew and Gentile. Paul doesn’t understand everything about God’s purposes; nevertheless, he has complete confidence in God’s wisdom and knowledge. God’s purposes are amazing; through the fall of the Jews, the Gentiles have now been given the chance to enter the kingdom of God. Now God has given to all people the chance to find salvation. God’s plan for mankind is so great and deep that Paul can only praise God, saying: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments (see Colossians 2:2-3).

34 Who has known the mind of the Lord? (Isaiah 40:13-14). Only one man has fully known the mind of the Lord, and that man is Jesus Christ. But through Jesus’ teachings, we too can know the mind of the Lord (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have knowledge of the Lord’s mind, for Jesus has made him known (see John 1:18 and comment).

35 The Jews were envious of the Gentiles, because the Gentiles were receiving God’s salvation. The Jews grumbled because they had lost God’s blessing. They accused God of taking away their inheritance.

However, what God gives He has the right to take away. When Job was tested by Satan and lost his property, his honor, his family, and his health, what did he say? He didn’t grumble; he didn’t accuse God. He said: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:20-21). And in Job 1:22, it is written: In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

And so, Paul quotes from Job 41:11, saying: “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” No one as ever given to God; God is the Giver. God doesn’t need to repay anyone. God is a debtor to no man. It is we men who are debtors to Him in all things. Let no man complain against God!

36 Why must we not complain against God? Because God is all-wise, all-good, all-powerful. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (see 1 Corinthians 8:6).