GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR MAN FROM START TO FINISH

Part V: God's Righteousness Vindicated In His Dealings With Israel And The Gentiles, Romans 9:1-11:36

C. God's Future Salvation Of The Nation Israel, Romans 11:1-36

1. Israel's Current State In Light Of God's Future Plan

(Romans 11:1-10)

I. Introduction

A. The nation Israel is spiritually lost today, and humanly speaking, seemingly hopelessly so: Dr. Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries, claims many Jews view "the message of Jesus that is conveyed through the Gospels is intrinsically antisemitic [sic]," making this "assumption . . . one of the primary underlying reasons for the rejection of Christianity by Jewish people," The Chosen People, Vol. XXIV, Issue 8.

B. However, the Abrahamic Covenant that is yet to be fulfilled promises God will bless the world through the descendants of Abraham, meaning Israel must be saved in right relationship with her Messiah Jesus in the end.

C. Romans 11:1-10 clarifies Israel's current state in light of God's future plan for our insight and edification:

II. Israel's Current State In Light Of God's Future Plan, Romans 11:1-10.

A. Paul asked the rhetorical question that required a negative answer in Romans 11:1a: "God did not reject His people, did He?" and his answer was the emphatic negative, "By no means!" (B. K. C., N. T., p. 482)

B. The Apostle stated that one evidence of this truth was Paul himself, a Hebrew, an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin, Romans 11:1b.

C. Indeed, God has not cast away His people, those who would be saved by faith in Christ, people God has from eternity past foreknown as His people by His infinite foreknowledge, Romans 11:2a.

D. Paul mentioned another illustration of this truth in the ministry of the prophet Elijah: when discouraged over Israel's national apostasy from the Lord in turning to pagan Baal worship, Elijah had told the Lord that he alone was left, that they sought his life, to which the Lord replied that He had reserved a remnant of 7,000 people who had not bowed the knee to Baal, Romans 11:2b-4.

E. Accordingly, even in the current history of the Church, there is a remnant of Hebrew people who will trust in Christ according to the election of grace, people who are justified by faith apart from works, Romans 11:5-6.

F. Thus, the elect remnant who seek God's salvation by faith are saved where the rest of the Hebrew people who insist on gaining righteousness by works are blinded, Romans 11:7.

G. This blinding is a judicial judgment from God that has repeatedly occurred in Israel's history, Rom. 11:8-10:

1. Paul referred to God's blinding Israel in Isaiah's day, citing Isaiah 29:10 that told of God's giving apostate Hebrews the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, Rom. 11:8.

2. The Apostle cited David who hundreds of years before Isaiah's era in Psalm 69:22-23 called for the table of apostates to be made a snare and a trap, a stumblingblock as just recompense for them, that their eyes be darkened that they might not see and that their back be bowed down always in oppression, Rom. 11:9-10.

H. [Indeed, Jesus in His earthly ministry spoke of God's judicial hardening of Israel's apostates, Matthew 13:1-52:

1. When Christ began to speak in many parables in Matthew 13:3, His disciples asked Him why He was using such hard-to-understand speech (Matthew 13:10), so Jesus explained that He was giving them the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven while hiding it from the people by way of parables, Matthew 13:11.

2. The reason for this cloaking of Kingdom truth from the people while explaining it to His disciples was the spiritual unbelief in the people who had not accepted Jesus' clear teachings (Matthew 13:12); God was thus hardening them unto divine judgment by cloaking His truth from them, Matthew 13:13-15. God's hardening ministry in Isaiah's era was thus again at work in Jesus' day, Matthew 13:14.

3. However, in contrast to such hardening, Jesus alluded to many godly prophets and righteous men in many generations who had desired to receive the truths He was then teaching, Matthew 13:17.

I. Accordingly, even today, we who believe in Christ have access to His spiritual truths that those who have rejected Biblical truth do not, so we can know the things God has for us, cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6-10.]

Lesson: Though the nation Israel has not accepted Christ and is under divine judicial spiritual blindness and hardening, a remnant who trust in Christ is being saved, and this situation is a recurring theme throughout Israel's history. Thus, a remnant of Israel will be saved in the end, and through that remnant God will bless the saved Gentile remnants in fulfillment of the Genesis 12:1-3 Abrahamic Covenant!

Application: May we trust the plan of God to be fulfilled, and may WE believe in Christ to be blessed!