Rev. Martyn McGeown
[Source: The Bible and Israel. Rev. McGeown is
the missionary-pastor of the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Northern
Ireland (www.cprf.co.uk) and is stationed
in Limerick, Republic of Ireland (www.limerickreformed.com).
He has written three books: Called to Watch for
Christ’s Return—an exposition of Matthew 24-25 (2016), Grace and
Assurance: The Message of the Canons of Dordt (2018) and Micah: Proclaiming the
Incomparable God (2018).]
Romans 9
In Romans 9:1–3 Paul expresses his sorrow at the
perishing of so many of his countrymen who are his “kinsmen according to the
flesh” (v. 3). He lists their many advantages (adoption, glory, covenants, law,
service, promises, etc.), chief among which is that Christ was born of them,
who is God blessed, forever (v. 5).
This
leads to a possible objection: if God promised salvation to the Jews, has his
promise failed? Is it “of none effect”? Paul answers in the negative—“Not as
though the word of God hath taken none effect” (v. 6). Paul explains this by
means of a very important principle: not all physical descendants of Abraham
are true Jews; not all who are outwardly “of Israel” are truly “Israel.” The
apostle demonstrates this point by appealing first to Isaac and Ishmael, and
second to Jacob and Esau. The difference, says Paul, is in God’s sovereign
election. Not only did God elect the nation of Israel, but he also
elected within the nation certain
individuals.
Paul
answers an objection in verse 14: “Is there unrighteousness with God?” After
vehemently rejecting the inference with “God forbid,” Paul proves the
sovereignty of God in showing mercy to some (v. 15) and in hardening others (v.
18), illustrating his doctrine with an appeal to Moses and to Pharaoh. A second
objection arises in verse 19: “Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find
fault? For who hath resisted his will?” Paul cuts off the objector by reminding
him of his place before God as a creature before the Creator (v. 20). Paul
illustrates the absolute sovereignty of God with the potter and his clay. The
potter owns the clay and has power (authority) over the clay. Out of “one lump”
(humanity) the potter makes some vessels (vessels of mercy) unto honor, while
he makes other vessels (vessels of wrath) unto dishonor. Some vessels are
prepared for glory, while others are fitted to destruction. The potter (God)
does this because he “is willing to show his wrath and to make his power known”
(v. 22) and so that he “might make known the riches of his glory” (v. 23). To
accomplish this twofold purpose of magnifying his wrath and mercy, God endures
the reprobate in longsuffering toward the elect (vv. 22–23).
This
is not abstract, because Paul immediately applies it to the reader: “even us,
whom he hath called” (v. 24), appealing to Hosea 1:10 and 2:23 as proof that the calling of the Gentiles was prophesied in the Old Testament (vv.
25–26). Peter cites the same passage for the same purpose in 1 Peter 2:10. After quoting some texts from Isaiah as
proof that God saves a remnant, Paul concludes that Israel has not attained to
righteousness because she sought it “as it were by the works of the law” (v. 32).
The Gentiles, who did not seek righteousness, have obtained righteousness, “the
righteousness which is of faith” (v. 30). This was Israel’s fatal stumbling, as
they tripped over Christ and perished, as God purposed and as the Scriptures
foretold (vv. 32–33; see also 1 Peter 2:6–8).
Romans 10
Paul
begins chapter 9 expressing his heartfelt sorrow over Israel’s perishing
(9:1–5). He begins chapter 10 in a similar fashion, by expressing his desire
for Israel’s salvation (v. 1). However, Paul does not excuse Israel for her sin
of stumbling at Christ. She has not submitted to God’s righteousness and by
seeking salvation in works has missed the goal of the law, which is Christ (vv.
3–4). This is all the more inexcusable because Moses made it clear that
righteousness was not found
in the law (v. 5). To seek righteousness in the law is, says Paul, to deny the
incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, for “it is to bring
up Christ again from the dead” or “to bring Christ down from above” (vv. 6–7).
Righteousness then is found only in Christ, and it is through faith in Christ
and confession of his name that believers are saved (vv. 9–10). Paul then
explains the necessity of preaching.
If
salvation is found only in calling upon the name of the Lord (v. 13; Joel 2:32), then a series of questions must be
asked: “How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall
they believe in him of whom (or whom) they have not heard? How shall they hear
without a preacher? How shall they preach, except they are sent?” (vv. 14–15).
Thus, Paul sets forth the necessity of preaching for the salvation of the
elect. The rest of chapter 10 deals with the unbelieving response of Israel to
the preaching: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel … Have they not heard? …
Did not Israel know?” (vv. 16–19). Israel did hear and know, but Israel refused
(“a disobedient and gainsaying [contradictory] people”) (v. 21) and God even
prophesied his turning to the Gentiles: “I will provoke you to jealousy by them
that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you” (vv. 19). This is
just judgment upon Israel and it is good news for the Gentiles.
Romans 11
In
chapter 11 Paul addresses an objection: if the nation of Israel has been
rejected with the result that God also saves the Gentiles in one church, has
God cast away his people? Chapter 11 is pivotal to understanding God’s purposes
with the Jews in the New Testament age. Both premillennial dispensationalism
and postmillennialism appeal to this chapter in defense of their doctrine of
a future, national conversion of Israel. Although the chapter does not teach that, it does teach that
God has promised to save ethnic Israelites in every age of New Testament
history until the return of Christ. That promise is quite remarkable because it
pertains to no other nation: God does not save Irishmen, Germans, Filipinos, or
Americans in every age.
While many of the proud nations of the Old Testament (the Philistines,
Moabites, Edomites, etc.) have ceased to exist and (very likely) New Testament
nations will cease to exist, God has preserved a remnant of ethnic Jews in the world. This does not mean that
God will save all or even all ethnic Israelites, but he will save a remnant in
every age, a remnant “according to the election of grace” (v. 5) until the
fullness of Israel is brought in, so that “all Israel shall be saved” (v. 25).
However,
he will save ethnic Jews in exactly the same way in which he saves ethnic
Gentiles—by faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul
answers the initial objection (“Hath God cast away his people?”) with a firm
“God forbid” (v. 1), illustrating the faithfulness of God’s promises to his
foreknown people in his own (Paul’s) case (“I also am an Israelite”) and in the
case of the remnant preserved in Elijah’s day (v. 4; I Kings 19), and
concluding that “at this present time also there is a remnant [of ethnic
Israelites] according to the election of grace” (v. 5). Gracious election and
righteous reprobation operate in Israel as well as in other nations. Thus even
within Israel, “the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded” (or
hardened) (v. 7). Paul proves that God hardens some (even the majority of)
Israelites from Psalm 69, which Psalm even teaches the fearful truth that God
hardens the reprobate by means of their earthly prosperity (“Let their table be made a snare,”
etc.).
This
leads to another objection concerning God’s hardening of the reprobate: “Have
they stumbled that they should fall?” (v. 11). Paul’s answer is “God forbid,”
for God’s purpose in reprobation is much greater than merely the damnation of
the wicked. In inscrutable wisdom and awesome power, God ordains the hardening
of the [reprobate] Jews for the salvation of the [elect] Gentiles.
“Through
their fall (literally, ‘their transgression’) salvation is come unto the Gentiles”
(Rom. 11:11). The “transgression” here is Israel’s great sin in rejecting and
crucifying the Messiah—only a hardened Israel could have committed such a gross
transgression, which transgression was necessary for our salvation. The result
of this transgression is: “the fall of them” (v. 12); “the diminishing of them”
(v. 12); “the casting away of them” (v. 15); and their “blindness in part” (v. 25).
This is God’s awful, but just judgment on the nation of Israel and on most
Israelites.
Nevertheless,
the judgment of the Jews brings salvation to elect, believing Gentiles (and to
elect, believing Jews, too), namely: “the riches of the world” (v. 12); “the
riches of the Gentiles” (v. 12); and “the reconciling of the world” (v. 15),
which Paul calls the “fullness of the Gentiles” (v. 25). In addition, God
purposes by the casting away of the Jewish people to provoke some
of the unbelieving Jews to jealousy so
that they believe in Jesus Christ: “to provoke them to jealousy” (v. 11); “if
by any means I may provoke to emulation (or, jealousy) them which are my flesh,
and might save some of them” (v. 14). In this way, the reprobation and
hardening of Israel serves the salvation of elect Jews and Gentiles in the New
Testament age!
Paul
further illustrates this with the olive tree in verses 16–24. He begins with a general principle in
verse 16: “for if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the
root be holy, so are the branches.” When studying this illustration, we must
take the “organic approach,” for Paul views Israel as one living whole, not
individualistically, but corporately;
not in terms of individuals, but from the viewpoint of generations. The root of the olive tree is Christ (Is. 11:10; Rom. 15:12; Rev. 5:5, 22:16).
Among
the branches are first, natural branches, which are the Jews in their
generations; and second, wild branches, which are the Gentiles in their
generations. Some of the branches, whether natural branches or wild branches,
are “in” the olive tree, so that they are saved in their generations, enjoying
salvation and partaking of “the root and fatness of the olive tree” (v. 17).
Other branches are “cut off” from the olive tree, so that they perish in their
generations through unbelief.
The
“cutting off” of branches occurs in this way: perhaps a man was a faithful
believer, but his son, although saved, was lukewarm. His children (the original
man’s grandchildren) were even more lukewarm, and seeing the example of their
lukewarm father, they drifted from the truth. The next generation (the original
man’s great grandchildren) then apostatized completely. In this way, over time,
branches are cut off from the olive tree: “because of unbelief they were broken
off” (v. 20).
It
is important to note that Paul is not teaching the falling away or cutting off
of individuals, but of generations. A
true child of God cannot perish, but an unfaithful child of God can be, and
often is, judged by the apostasy of his children. Take, for example, the Christian who is
not a faithful church member: he attends irregularly and without much
commitment; he does not diligently teach his children (he is lax in requiring
them to learn their catechism, for example); he allows his children to skip
church and even encourages them in worldliness. Such a man must not be surprised when God cuts off his children
and grandchildren, when they show even less interest in the truth than he did.
The Bible contains fearful examples of this. Therefore, the earnest prayer of
godly parents must be: “Lord, cut us not off in our generations!”
The
attitude of the child of God in light of this truth is “fear” (not terror, but
a holy trembling) (v. 20). Paul warns the Gentiles not to boast: “boast not
against the branches” (v. 18); “be not high-minded, but fear” (v. 20). Paul
also warns the Gentiles that just as the Jews were cut off in their generations
through unbelief, the same thing could happen to them: “thou standest by faith” (v. 20); “if God
spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee” (v. 21);
“behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell,
severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (v. 22). Nevertheless, adds Paul, God can
graft the Jews back into the
olive tree. In fact, it is easier for God to graft the natural Jewish branches
into the olive tree than it is for God to graft wild branches into the olive
tree (11:24)!
Here,
then, is God’s way of salvation throughout the New Testament. Many of the Jews
are cut off in their generations, so that the Gentiles can be grafted into
Christ. God uses the salvation of the Gentiles to provoke the [elect] Jews to
jealousy, so that they are again grafted into the olive tree in their
generations. When Jews or Gentiles are unfaithful, God cuts them off in their
generations, fulfilling his decree of reprobation. This process continues until
the fullness of the Gentiles (v. 25) and the fullness of the Jews (v. 12) are
saved. “And so,” concludes Paul, “all Israel shall be saved.”
The
words, “and so,” do not mean, “and then,” as if Paul were teaching a future
national conversion of Israel. Rather, the words mean, “in this way.” As God
gathers the elect Jews and Gentiles throughout the New Testament age, the
fullness of the Jews and the Gentiles are brought in, with the result that “all
Israel” is
saved.
We
should understand the meaning of the word “fullness” in Romans verses 12 and 25. It does not mean “all the Jews” or “all
the Gentiles.” It does not even mean “the majority
of the Jews” or “the majority of the
Gentiles.” The fullness of something is simply “that which fills up something” or “the full
measure of something.” The fullness of a glass of water is reached when the
last drop of water fills the glass. The fullness of time was reached when the
last second of time dropped into God’s hourglass (Gal. 4:4).
Therefore,
the fullness of the Jews is reached when the last elect Jew is saved; the
fullness of the Gentiles is reached when the last elect Gentile is saved.
However, notice that the fullness is reached not through an extraordinary mass conversion of either Jew or
Gentile toward the end of history (the dream of many postmillennialists), but
through the ordinary means of God gathering his church one individual at a time
from the Jews and the Gentiles. Therefore, the fullness of the Jews and the
Gentiles will be reached at around the same time. Paul does not teach in Romans
11 that the fullness of the Gentiles will be reached in a certain year and
then the fullness of the Jews will be reached seven years, or a thousand years,
or any other number of years later. When the last elect Gentile and Jew are
saved, the end of the world shall come with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Paul
proves that the salvation of Israel is a spiritual,
not a political salvation: it does not consist in the restoration of their
nation or the construction of a new temple, but in the forgiveness of sins (see Isaiah 59:20–21 and Jeremiah 31:31–34, which Paul quotes in Romans vv. 26–27). In conclusion, Paul reminds the reader
of God’s twofold purpose in the hardening of some for the sake of the salvation
of others, ending with a stunning doxology in vv. 33–36.
The
whole New Testament proclaims the same truth—for Jew and Gentile alike
salvation is found only in Jesus Christ!
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