“Romans 11”

Saturday, February 11, 2017

The rejection of Christ by the Jews was never total. The majority of the Hebrew nation did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah. But some of them did accept and obey Him.

In Romans 11, Paul makes it clear that there was always a remnant of faithful Israelites, even in the dark days of the Old Testament monarchy (verses 1-4). And, in the first century, there were those in Israel who did understand the truth.

For those who did not accept Jesus as the Savior, it was not too late. If they heard the truth of the gospel and were obedient to it, they could still be saved.

Through the Jewish rejection of the Messiah, the Gentiles were given the opportunity to hear and obey the gospel (“for the Jew first and also for the Greek”).

But Jews who had initially refused to confess Christ could also still be saved if they would but turn and be converted through the preaching of the gospel. When Paul writes in verse 26, “And so all Israel will be saved,” he means through hearing and obeying, anyone could be accepted by God. That’s how any lost soul is made righteous before God, by obedience. All Israel and all Gentiles could be saved in this manner.

In verses 15-24, he compares obedience to God with branches from a wild olive tree (lost souls) being grafted into a cultivated olive tree (the saved).

And he reminds us of both the goodness and severity of God (verse 22). God will accept all who believe and obey and will punish all who reject and disobey.

--Roger Hillis

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