Unbelieving Israel's Fall Is Not Necessarily Permanent (11:11-12).
Paul now makes clear that the fall of unbelieving Israel is not necessarily permanent. As he will point out, they can be regrafted onto the olive tree (Romans 11:23). This theme then raises a question about the main emphasis in Romans 11:11-32. Is the main emphasis that the conversion of Gentiles is intended to bring Israel to the Messiah (Romans 11:11-12; Romans 11:14-15; Romans 11:23-24), or is it that a new Israel has been formed including in it the nucleus of the elect of Israel (Romans 11:5) and all the Gentiles who have responded to the Messiah (Romans 11:17; Romans 11:22-24), so that all might enjoy God's salvation? There really is no contest, for while the former is an undoubted fact that underlies what is said, there can really be no doubt that Paul's main purpose is to bring a new revelation concerning the incorporation of the believing Gentiles into the true Israel, based on what he has already revealed in Galatians 6:16 (that the church is the Israel of God). And this is finally evidenced in that it builds up to the dramatic statements in Romans 11:25-26, and the final conclusion in Romans 11:32. It is just that, being Paul, he cannot resist using what he is saying for the practical purpose of arousing Gentile Christians to seek the conversion of Jews to their Messiah, and to correct their attitudes towards them. Thus we would contend that the main aim of the subsection is to give teaching concerning the forming of the new Israel, with its final triumph in view, resulting in salvation for all, both Jew and Gentile (Romans 11:25-26).
In order to demonstrate this further let us consider what Romans 11:11 ff. tell us about the Gentiles who come to the Messiah:
· The stumbling of the unbelieving Jews was so that salvation might come to the Gentiles (Romans 11:11).
· The casting away of the unbelieving Jews was to result in the reconciliation of the world i.e. the Gentiles (Romans 11:15).
· The receiving of the converted Jews was to result in life from the dead for all, thus including the Gentiles (Romans 11:15).
· The breaking off of the branches was so that the Gentiles might be grafted in so as to fully partake of the goodness of the olive tree (Romans 11:17), in other words so that they might enjoy the benefits of being Israelites.
· The root of Israel has borne the branches, thus making them a part of redeemed Israel (Romans 11:18).
· God's goodness is revealed towards the Gentiles and they must continue in that goodness (Romans 11:22.
· The aim was that both Jews and Gentiles be grafted in to the one tree (Romans 11:24), thus becoming the Israel which the olive tree represented, and thus being part of the ‘all Israel' which will be saved (Romans 11:26).
· The full number of the Gentiles were to come in (Romans 11:25).
· They have now obtained mercy (Romans 11:30 ).
· God will have mercy on all (Romans 11:32).
It is clear then that the theme of Gentile salvation, viewed from different aspects, is what is primarily proclaimed throughout the passage.
The secondary theme, although an important one, is that of reaching out to unbelieving Israel to seek to incorporate them into the true Israel. Thus:
· The aim is to provoke them to jealousy (Romans 11:11). But this is because salvation has come to the Gentiles.
· Their fall has resulted in riches for the world/Gentiles, how much more then will their fullness (Romans 11:12).
· Paul is speaking to the Gentiles, partly with a view by any means of provoking Israel to jealousy (Romans 11:13-14), because the receiving of them back will be ‘life from the dead' (Romans 11:15).
· The Christians from among the Gentiles are not to glory over unbelieving Israel, who have been broken off from Israel, but are to recognise that if they do not continue on steadfastly they will go the same way (Romans 11:17-22).
· If unbelieving Israel do not continue in their unbelief they will be regrafted in (Romans 11:23-24).
· The hardening of Israel has occurred so that the full number of Gentiles responding to Christ will ‘come in' (Romans 11:25).