Will All Jewish People Be Saved? - Romans 11

 

God’s Mercy Is for Everyone - Romans 11

25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
    and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
 And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.”

Paul turns to the question if the Israelites were God's chosen people what will happen to them in the end?  In this chapter he is writing to the Gentiles. Perhaps they had asked him about this question.  First of all, Paul calls it is a "mystery'.  Though he will give some teaching on why this happened it is still a mystery.  Why God chooses some and not others is an age old question that has never been answered adequately.  Why?  Because God is God and we are not.  Finally, Paul intimates that when the full number of Gentiles enter the fold, "All Israel shall be saved!"  This is challenging.  Does this mean all Jewish people will be saved regardless of their response to Christ?  While Paul seems to say this, it doesn't square with everything else Paul teaches in Romans. His clear and repeated message is that we are saved by grace through faith in what Jesus done for us. There are many theories about this phrase Paul uses, but suffice it to say Jesus died for all people regardless of religious or ethnic identity. Many people from Jewish descent have come to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  I.e. "Jews for Jesus".  Finally, it is a mystery so we should spend less time trying to figure out who is saved and more time sharing the Good News with all people.  

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

Another important aspect of Paul's teaching in this chapter is when Paul says, "For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn."  God made a promise to the apostle Peter in Acts 2:39, "The promise is for you and your children and all who are far off." When God looks at us he also looks at our family.  The irrevocable nature of God's call on our lives gives us confidence even when our faith is weak.  We all have times in our lives where we fall away from faith or are disobedient to God.  Fortunately our salvation doesn't just rely on our faithfulness, but on God's faithfulness to us.  This is summed up quite well by Paul when he writes in Philippians 1:6, "He who began a good work in your will be faithful to complete it." 

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

3For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?
 And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Bottom line: we don't fully understand the mystery of God's plan of salvation for the Jews and Gentiles.  But we know all things happen to show us God's glory.  Whether it was including the Gentiles as part of the plan after most of the Jews rejected Jesus, or the return of the Israelites to the family of God.  LIke God's heart, our heart should be for all poeple to be saved and live our lives reaching out to those who don't know Jesus.