Romans 11:1-10: God's Faithfulness to His Chosen People

Romans 11:1, 5.. "I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!...So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. "

Romans 11 is probably the least spoke of chapter in all of the book of Romans. It speaks much of the Israelites, which is a hot topic in today's evangelical world. Nevertheless, Romans 11 is scripture, and the Bible itself tells us that "all scripture is breathed out by God and useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, let us look at it intently this morning.

Paul's initial question is as follows: "Has God rejected his people?" The context here is certainly about his Israelite people, not "his people" in a whole. We can know this for certain because all of the verses surrounding this statement are talking specifically about Israel, and not all people who are saved (Remember, when approaching biblical interpretation, that "context is king."). Paul's question here is this: since God has allowed some of Israel to not be saved, has he thus forsaken the Israelites? Paul has just described how some of the Israelites, though they heard the truth, did not believe. Has God then rejected his people? Paul's answer: By no means!

Paul has three arguments here to prove his point: Firstly, Paul himself is a Jew. Paul is a case-in-point that God has not rejected his chosen people. Secondly, in the Old Testament, there were always Jews who fell away, yet there was always a remnant. Paul argues that the pattern that is happening now is the same as that under the Old Covenant. Some Jewish people reject God, yet God keeps a remnant for himself. Thirdly, since God has always kept a remnant, he is certainly doing the same thing in this time. Therefore, God has not rejected his Israelite people.

What's the point of this? Why does Paul spend ten verses showing how God has not rejected his Israelite people? Let us notice two key points: 1) God's faithfulness, and 2) God's faithfulness to the Jews. Firstly, God is faithful. He fulfills his promises to his elect, both Jew and Gentile. Praise the Lord. Secondly, God is faithful to the Isrealites. Remember that salvation is "first for the Jew and then for the Gentile" (Romans 1:17). Although the Gentiles, under the New Covanant, can delight in all of the privileges of salvation that the Jews can delight in, God still has a special place for is original chosen people. This doctrine is often disputed on whether it is biblical and how it is played out, but I do not believe that anyone can reject its existance. Why does Paul spend so long of a time speaking of the Isrealites in chapters Romans 9-11? Because God has a special place for them within Christianity, meaning that there are promises specifacly to them that have not yet been fulfilled. The Gentiles are surely grafted in (which we will look at tomorrow), but that does not change the promises made specifically to the Israelite people.1

Nonetheless, the point here is obvious: God is faithful. Amen.

1. This opens the door to a huge theological debate, of which I desire not to get into. However, feel free to disagree with my opinion on this. I would encourage you to back it up with scripture.