July 23, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Exodus and Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Romans 11 (NIV)
The Remnant of Israel
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”?……Continue Reading
Romans 11 Glory to God Amen
Israel was broken off the Vine because of their unbelief. We as Gentiles were grafted as branches into the Vine for a time until it is full. Then Israel will be given another chance to come to Jesus the Christ as their Messiah when He returns. Meanwhile even now many Jews are coming to Christ as their Lord and Saviour. But as it is with all mankind if one keeps rejecting Jesus as their Saviour there will come a time when their hearts will be hardened and there won`t be a way of return. God gives mankind a free will. Romans 11:19,20,21 { Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high minded, but fear. Romans 11:25 { For I would not, brethren that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part is happened to Israel, unto the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.} Thank God that I was allowed to be His as a Gentile. God bless you all.
Roman’s 11
Romans 11
Romans 11
Imagine if the Jewish race all accepted Jesus as their savior. We as gentiles would not have a chance and we would hate the Jews even more then what the world does today. But God in his infinite wisdom allowed us to be called his chosen people. Unnatural at birth but now grafted in. Sobering to think we were grafted in. Love the verse until the full number of gentiles were fulfilled. Then God goes for his chosen people. Will all 12 tribes be saved?? Same for all believe or hardened heart.
33 ¶ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”fn
35 “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
It is hard to reconcile the working of God in a nation and His working in individuals. God has blinded Israel for a time. But wouldn’t that be individuals too? Will ultimately all Israel, living and dead, come to Christ and be saved? The use of “foreknew” vs 2 and “election of grace” vs 5 apply to Israel as a whole and the remnant respectively. It talks about unbelief as the reason for the cutting off. So when it speaks of the whole nation is it speaking of a general unbelief among most individuals or a deliberate “spirit of stupor” by God upon them….but not on the remnant?
I don’t think there is a distinction intended between the nation Israel and individual Jews, because individual Jews make up the nation. So there was a hardening in some as a consequence of their rejection of God and there was salvation to some because of the grace of God. And yet their free will was and is active in all of them because they do not fall beyond recovery. I don’t believe all Israel, living and dead, will come to Christ and be saved. It would negate the belief necessary for salvation and the rejection of that gospel by many Jews as mentioned in the chapter. The statement is related to the full number of Gentiles coming in, and they are the ones grafted into Abraham and thereby the true Israel. And it is in the Gentiles being saved that Israel (whom the Gentiles now are) is saved.
Make sense?
The idea that somehow all Jews, living and dead, will be given a second chance to accept Christ seems to contradict a lot of Scripture as well, doesn’t it? Whether it is Ezekiel chapter 18 or Hebrews 9…it seems clear that God will judge all people based on where they place their faith (Abraham). Today is the day of salvation…everyone must decide THIS day whom they will serve. Themselves, or Christ?
And I meant placing their faith in Christ…not Abraham…was just pointing to him as an example of one whom God counted their faith toward them as righteousness…indeed, Christ’s righteousness, which is what is required to be reconciled to God.
God does love His people and has a purpose for them. Because of their rejection of Him and their stubborn hearts, God blinded them so as to not see His way clearly, both before Christ and in relation to Him. But by His grace, there is a remnant who will come to Jesus both by God’s will and theirs. But their rejection of God and His rejection of them, made way for the Gentiles to be saved and thereby be grafted into Abraham. And both the truth that came from the Jews and the faith that came from the Gentiles is valuable, so no one has a reason for pride in relation to the work of God. And yet God saving the Gentiles by the grace expressed through Jesus was intended by God to stir up the Jews to recognize what they are missing. So God’s work amongst the Jews and Gentiles have purpose in each others lives. But all who will be saved must come to faith in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile. And whatever hardness God fosters in people’s lives is to help that process of coming to Christ, not to prevent it. And His mercy is available to all and is needed by all to be made right with Him. And God is not done with the Jews. They are still His people and He is reaching out to them to bring them to Jesus and the truth and power of His gospel.
Romans 11
You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. We were grafted in because of God’s great mercy and the believing Jews will be saved as well because of God’s great mercy. So let us praise God with these words from Paul: From him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever!
Romans 11
I like the way Pastor put it in his comment “the truth that came from the Jews and the faith that came from the Gentiles is valuable, so no one has a reason for pride in relation to the work of God” God really is the root and the reason, we all need to make a choice to believe and follow. The idea that the choice to believe grafts us into Him leaves me with this beautiful picture of diversity and uniqueness as all different race, creeds, and religious backgrounds come together to be a part of the family of God.