But you may ask, 'Didn’t God reject the Jews because of their disobedience?' I am glad you asked. Some had asked this same question of the Apostle Paul, and the answer was unequivocal: “GOD Forbid!” (Romans 11:1). Indeed, the 11^th chapter of Romans is Paul’s treatise on the role and future of Israel in God’s plan of redemption. Rather than teaching replacement theology, the Apostle Paul reasserts what was the clear teaching of the Old Testament. God is not through with Israel, and He has a grand plan for their future.

To summarize Romans 11, Paul tells us that God has not finally rejected His people, Israel. Rather, because of their disobedience, God has given them a “spirit of stupor”, a “partial hardening”. They have been broken off from the root, but will be grafted in again. During this time of Israel’s blindness, the gospel has gone to the Gentiles in order to make the Jews jealous. We Gentiles, the wild olive tree, have been grafted in to the root of the natural olive tree (Israel). Once the “fullness of the Gentiles” has come in (to salvation), then “all Israel will be saved.” Regarding Israel, Paul states, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). That is, God’s covenant with Israel in the Old Testament has not been revoked. Israel will inherit the blessings promised to them and one day in the future they will be grafted back in and “all Israel will be saved”.

Paul is merely repeating what God had already said in the Old Testament. He has promised to never cast off Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

Salvation of Israel

Throughout the Old Testament God promised that one day salvation would come to Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-28, 37:21-28; Hosea 3:4,5; Joel 3:16-21; Zechariah 10:6-12, 12:10). Though they had rebelled and sinned against God, He would one day have compassion on them to salvation. Paul knew the scriptures and this is what he is speaking of in Romans 11.