Romans Lesson 20

Introduction

A very pleasant good day to you and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. I hope that you have a New Testament near you that you’ll be opening with me to the reading find in the eleventh chapter of the book of Romans as we continue our verse by verse study of this epistle that was written to the saints that were in Rome. The letter to the church at Rome was a letter that really deals with the grace of God. That gospel is God’s power into salvation. However, the question is raised well, what about the Jews who’ve been following the law of Moses? And throughout this book, there has been a contrast between the law of Moses, a system of salvation by works, versus a system of salvation by grace that is explained through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Romans chapter 9 and 10 and 11, we really have a section that is dealing primarily with the Jews. What about the Jews? Is God unfair to the Jews? You see, many people today know that the Jews were once God’s chosen people. But very few people understand chosen for what? Even the Jews seem to misunderstand that God’s blessings and special favors that he had bestowed upon them was in order that Jesus Christ might be born in that family. God had chosen Abraham as the father, as the father of a great nation. In fact, God said in Genesis chapter 12, to Abraham they would make of him a great nation, that he would give them a place to live. But the real purpose and the focus of those promises were explained in Genesis chapter 12 and verse 3, when he said that through the seed of Abraham He would bless all families of the earth.

God chose the Jews in order that he might bless everybody. That is, the chosen seed, you see, would be Jesus Christ, through whom salvation is made possible to all the world. But if at one time the Jews were God’s chosen people, why have they fallen from God’s favor? Very few people who know that they were once God’s chosen people do not know the answer to the question, why have they fallen? But in Romans chapters 9, 10 and 11, the inspired apostle has explained to us why they fell. Because of unbelief. Their failure to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God led to their rejection of God. And as the result, God rejected them as a nation. But what we’re going to see in chapter 11 is that God still loves them.

1. Hath God Cast Away His People? God Forbid

And God would still receive them back if they would but turn in belief unto him. If you have your testament open, let’s read this begin first of all the first six verses of Romans 11. And we’re going to see in this whole chapter, really as we study it, that God wants them to be saved. Romans 11, verse 1. I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God had not cast away his people which he foreknew. What, or know ye not what the scripture saith of Elias or Elijah? How he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so, then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace. Otherwise work is no more work. The nation of Israel fell. But you see, not all Jews are Israel. The apostle, in fact, says of himself as the answer to the question, has God cast away his people? Look at me. Look at Paul. Why, he said, I’m an Israelite. In fact, I’m of that faithful tribe of Benjamin, at least one of the tribes that did not go into idolatry when the northern kingdom turned away from God.

He was of a faithful tribe. He was a Benjamite, an Israelite. But more than just being a Jew in the flesh. Here was a man who had earlier adamantly opposed the way of Christ. When we first read about Paul, he was called by his Hebrew name Saul in Acts the eighth chapter, and then in chapter 9, he was making havoc of the church. He was persecuting Christians. If God could save a man like Paul, not only was he an Israelite in the flesh, but one who had once opposed Christ, who could say that God did not love the Jews, or that God would not receive the Jews. He stood as an answer to the question, has God cast away his people? The answer? God forbid. Certainly not.

In fact, though, as we read this chapter, you begin to see that two Israels are being contrasted here. There’s the Israel that is in the flesh, the nation of Israel. Then there is the Israel that is spiritual. And here he really describes his people as being the spiritual Israel. You see, God has not cast away his people. Though the nation of Israel fell, all Jews are not the Israel of God. Back in chapter 9 and verse 6, in fact, we we noted the verse where he says that they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. What he meant by that simply was that just because one is born in the flesh doesn’t mean that he’s going to be the child of God. Christians are not born in the flesh, Christians.

You don’t become a child of God a day because you happen to be born of a certain family or a certain race. And just because one may have been born an Israelite didn’t mean that he was of the Israel of God, that is the spiritual Israel. What that’s really saying is God’s people are those who obey him. And he uses Elijah as illustration. You may recall back as the story is revealed in 1 Kings chapter 18 and 19, how Elijah, the prophet of God in the days of that wicked Ahab and his wife Jezebel, who encouraged the people to turn and serve Baal, an idle God. And Elijah, even after showing that there was one true God, Jezebel came home, and when she learned that the prophets of Baal had been slain, she said, By tomorrow by this same time Elijah’s life would be taken.

And Elijah fled and hid even under the juniper tree, and there he prayed unto the Lord. In 1 Kings chapter 19 and verse 10, he said, Lord, why not take my life? I’m the only one left alive. And what did God say to him? There are yet 7,000 who have not bowed their knees to Baal. Who were God’s people in Elijah’s day? Well, not they who were born Israelites, but he said, those who were serving God, those who were obeying God. And that’s the point of the illustration here in Romans chapter 11. Just as Paul, an Israelite in the flesh, was not in covenant relationship because of his fleshly birth, but because he was obeying God. Just as it was back in Elijah’s day. The real people of God were those who obeyed God, not just those who happened to have a fleshly birth as an Israelite.

Even in Galatians chapter 3, verses 26 through 29, the apostle there describes much the same point. When he says, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there’s neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs, according to the promise. Those who are in Christ. How do you get in Christ? By faith, and not by faith only. He says, those who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Even in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 16, he there even describes those who are the Israel of God.

2. A Remnant According to the Election of Grace

Those who are the people of God or the Israel of God, simply those who obey God. Now, back in Romans chapter 11, he says in verse 5, even so then at this present time. Also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. In other words, just like it was in Elijah’s time, even so now, in the time that this is being written, there is a remnant. Now, a remnant means simply a part of. Not everybody who is a Jew in the flesh is in the family of God today. There’s only a remnant of Jews that are saved. Again, back in chapter 9 of Romans and in verse 27, he quoted there from Isaiah, from Isaiah 10 and verse 22, who have predicted or prophesied that though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant shall be saved.

There are those today who preach a doctrine that says, in effect, that somehow, some way, at some time later, all Jews are going to be saved. We will deal in the next lesson in Romans 11 and in verse 25, which speaks about how the time that so, or verse 26, so all Israel shall be saved. And some have taken that verse and sort of taken it out of its context and assumed a conclusion that is inaccurate. It fails to observe the whole context. Here in our passage, Romans 11 and 5, and also in Romans 9 and verse 27, he says, only a remnant shall be saved. Not everybody who is an Israelite. So the verses certainly do not contradict themselves. What is meant when we get to chapter 11 and verse 26?

3. If by Grace, Then It Is No More Works

Well, we will observe then, even as here, that all Israel shall be saved, those who obey by faith. The remnant are saved because they’ve obeyed God, the people of God. And so if they continue not in unbelief, so then shall they be saved. Verse 6 says, if by grace, are the alumnants, how are the remnants saved? By grace. And he says they’re saved by grace and not by works. He says, if by grace, then it is no more works. Again, here’s a passage where many preachers have taken and they’ve confused it. They contrast works versus grace, as though grace means man absolutely does nothing. They’ve missed the context. The book of Romans is not setting up grace versus obedience, but rather a system of salvation by grace, revealed in the gospel, that itself demands obedience.

Faith that saves is a faith that obeys. But that system of grace is in contrast to the system of works. You see, the system of works was really the law of Moses. And that law of Moses has contrasted, particularly back in chapters 3 and 4 of Romans, you were studying with us then, you recognize or remember how we made the point in Romans 3 and verse 20. How the apostle says, Therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. By the law is the knowledge of sin. Under the law of Moses, a system that demanded perfect keeping of the law, perfect works. That system of works didn’t save. Man couldn’t keep it perfectly, you see. Even Galatians chapter 3 and verse 10 says that the man is cursed who continueth in the law.

For if he’s going to follow the law, you have to keep the law perfectly, and nobody could do that. So he found himself bound in sin, in the bondage of sin. In fact, Romans 3 and verse 28, the apostle, in making this contrast, said, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law, without the works of the law of Moses. We are now under a new system, the system of grace. Well, what’s the contrast? If the system of works was the law of Moses, the system of grace is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The very theme of the book introduced in chapter 1, verses 16 and 17, where Paul said, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believed it, to the Jew first and also of the Greek.

But that system of salvation, by which he says, Romans 11 and 5, even at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. You see, God foreknew how he would save men. God for knew that by the means of Jesus Christ, his death as the ransom, a gift that we do not deserve, a gift by grace, Jesus to die on the cross for us. But by that system, the means of salvation would be provided. But that system of grace, the gospel of Christ, involves some obedience. Listen to Titus chapter 2, verses 11 and 12, where he says, the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us. Now that says, there’s faith. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.

So this grace, system of grace revealed in the gospel, teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. There’s some doing, there’s some works that we must do, that are works of faith. Actually, the book of Romans talks about obedience of faith. And the obedience of faith. That is to hear the gospel, to believe, and then to act by faith. It does not annul grace. When a man obeys what God has commanded, he is not annulling salvation by grace. Nobody deserved the gift of Jesus Christ. The grace of God provided the means of salvation. And it’s not a works, lest any man should boast. Who could say we deserve Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us?

But a man does not understand either works or grace if he thinks that by obedience of faith we are denying grace. Obedience of faith, Romans 1 and verse 5, the book begins by saying that it was written for obedience to the faith among all nations. It closes with a similar statement in Romans 16 and verse 26. And right in the middle of the book, listen to what he has to say about obedience. God between the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Romans 6, 17 and 18. You want to be saved by the grace of God, even like these in Romans 11 and verse 5.

According to the election of grace, God elected the plan, not the man, but he responds according to our faith. By grace through faith are you saved. And a faith that obeys is the faith that saves. We’re going to pause for just one moment. When we come back, we’re going to read further in Romans chapter 11. And again, talk about why it is that Israel actually fell and ask ourselves the same question. Could we also today fall as they did? You stay with us. We’ll be back in just one moment. As we continue our study in Romans the 11th chapter, the apostle has just explained that God has not cast away his people. It may be true that the nation of Israel has fallen because of unbelief, but his people are those who obey him.

4. Israel Fell Because of Their Hardened Hearts

And the apostle himself, Paul, stands as an example, as proof that not all Jews are lost. And in fact, he used an Old Testament example of Elijah, how that likewise during his time, only those who had not bowed their knees to an idle God were really called God’s people. That even now there is an election. There’s a remnant according to the election of grace. Those who obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ and did not cling to the law of Moses or a system of works. But now let’s read it Romans chapter 11, verses 7 through 10. When he says, What then? Israel had not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. According as it is written, God had given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day.

And David saith, Let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back always. Why did Israel fall? What then he’s saying? If they didn’t follow by grace, what’s happened to them? Well, in this he explains, Israel fell because of their hardened hearts. Now they sought God’s favor, but they didn’t attain unto it. Only the election obtained it. The rest, he says, were blinded. Why were they blinded? Well, really, we’ve already seen an answer to that in our study earlier. In chapter 9, in fact, verses 32 31, he made a contrast of Israel with the Gentiles and said the reason Israel did not attain to the law of righteousness is because they sought it not by faith.

But rather they sought it according to the law of Moses, the law of the system of works. And in chapter 10, verse 21, God, all day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people or an obstinate people. Why did Israel fall? Well, this explains that they fell because they rejected faith in Jesus Christ. They rejected the grace of God that had been bestowed and given to all men, made possible that all men could be saved, but they rejected it because they clung to the law. In fact, he would say here, in quoting from David, a passage from Psalm 69, David said, Let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. They were bowed down because they’re clinging to the law of works rather than a system of grace, and that table, descriptive of the system of salvation or works through uh forgiveness through the perfect law keeping, that table became as a snare to them.

They clung to that rather than turning to the Christ, and it became as a trap and as a snare. And by the rejection of Christ, they rejected God. But Christ became the very stumbling block. That is, they refused him and stumbled over him. Indeed, why were they lost? Why had they fallen? Actually, it’s because of their own hardness of heart. In the New Testament, Jesus in Matthew chapter 13, verses 13 through 15, made the explanation. Why did he teach in parables? Why was it that not all Jews understood? Even the very religious people of his day didn’t understand. Is it because God’s word was not understandable? That wasn’t the reason. Matthew 13, verses 13 through 15, he says, I speak to them in parables because they seeing, see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand, and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand.

Seeing you shall see and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted, and I should heal them. God does not force faith on anyone. And in fact, the same sun that melts butter, hardens clay. The same word of God that for some is that which those who are in poor in spirit will receive and humbly obey, submitting themselves to it. Others reject it. And that’s what happened to Israel. The reason Israel as a nation fell is because they first closed their own eyes. Jesus said, Ye would not.

Matthew 23. You remember as he overlooked it, uh, Jerusalem. Matthew 23, verses 37 and 38, he said, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft would I have gathered thee, even as a hen together her chickens and her wings, and ye would not. That’s a lesson for you and me today. We need to guard our own hearts and be careful lest we determine what we want to believe, and we close our minds and close our Bibles. We must always keep an open Bible and an open mind. With the attitude, the willingness, as we see truth, to accept it and to obey it. Whether it’s what we’ve always wanted to believe or had believed, we need to be willing to change. The Jews were not willing to make such changes, to accept the gospel instead of the law.

5. Have They Stumbled That They Should Fall? God Forbid

And therefore, their table became a snare and a trap and a stumbling block unto them. But let’s read further. In verses 11 through 1115, what’s happened as a result of their rejection of Christ? Romans 11, verse 11. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid. But rather through their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now, if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them, the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them.

Or if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be? But life from the dead. Now from the very start, remember, as this chapter began, he’s asked the question, has God cast away his people? And he answered, certainly not. God forbid. Well, here in verse 11, the question is raised, have they stumbled that they should fall? And that’s uh answered again with the expression, God forbid. Certainly not. What do you mean by this? By their crucifixion of Christ, have they lost all hope of salvation? The word fall is found two different times, at least in the King James translation of verse 11. And they’re really from two different Greek words. The first word, should have they stumbled that they should fall, really carries the idea of have they have they missed out all hope?

Is there no opportunity for them to be saved? The second fall really is translated in some trespass, by their sin or by their trespass. He says, rather through their fall or through their trespass, salvation is coming to the Gentiles. What’s really he’s saying here is that, first of all, the fact that they have refused Christ up to this point doesn’t mean that there’s no hope for them. They could turn in belief. Back in verse, in fact, later in verse 23, he’s going to say, if in fact they abide not in unbelief, they shall be grafted back in. They shall be saved. But secondly, is there some good out of their fall, out of the sin or their trespass? With wicked hands, they’ve crucified Jesus, Peter explained in Acts chapter 2 and verse 23.

So by that trespass, they crucify the Son of God. The result? Salvations come to the Gentiles. By the crucifixion of Christ, salvation’s been made possible to all the world. He died for our sins. He was raised the third day that we might have hope of eternal life. And therefore, through Israel’s trespass, there is salvation. Romans 3 23 through 26. All is sin and come short of the glory of God, but now we can be reconciled or saved by the faith that’s in Christ Jesus. And as he preached to the Gentiles in Acts 10 and verses 34 and 5, God is no respecter of persons in every nation. He that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. But notice in this context where he says, now, if the fall, verse 12 of them be the richest of the world, that is, if through their trespass salvation’s been made possible to all the world, and the diminishing of them, that is the fall as a nation, that be the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?

I believe he’s trying to say, look, can Jews be saved? Yes. Their fullness, if they find salvation, wouldn’t that be great? Especially true, that it would be great in God’s sight. The very people who’ve been his favorite people of the past. And then in verse 13, he says, I speak to you Gentiles. Now listen, the message from here forward is going to be a message especially to Gentiles, those who are not Jews in the flesh. Don’t boast of your position. Don’t say you’re better than the Jews. Don’t look down your nose at the Jews. They did you a favor, first of all, by being the family out of which the Christ came. And even their rejection of the Christ brought salvation or made salvation possible. But what if Jews could be saved?

He says in verse 14 or verse 13, I’m an apostle of the Gentiles and I honor or magnify mine office. But I would love to provoke my fellow brethren in the flesh to emulation. Verse 14, I think it’s a significant word that I might save some of them. Isn’t it significant? There are those who today who sometimes talk about all Israel is going to be saved, but he says, Maybe some Jews would emulate the Gentiles. That’s the point. Not all of them. He’s saying, hopefully, maybe some would see by faith and obey. And that’s how they’d be saved. Later we’re going to see in our next lesson. Our time is about gone this time, but in our next study, we’re going to see that the possibility that the casting away of the Gentiles may bring the salvation or reconciling the world and the receiving of them would be as though life from the dead.

Conclusion

The next lesson really talks about how could they come back from spiritual death? And so all Israel shall be saved. Verse 26. But what’s the soul mean? By faith. Gentiles were saved by faith. Jews are going to be saved by faith. That is, in the same manner as Gentiles are saved. How is it that men can be saved? When Christ ascended to heaven. He said, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned. That’s the message that was preached in the first century. And if the Jews would accept Christ by faith, they could be saved just like the Gentiles were in a like manner. That message is true for you and me.

If you believe Christ to be the Son of God and will be baptized into his death for the remission of sins, you’ll be the child of God by faith and of the seed of Abraham. Until our next study, we bid that the grace and the peace of the Lord shall be with you.