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Romans 11
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Chapter 11
The remnant of Israel
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Let me put a further question then: is it possible that God has rejected his people?[*a] Of course not. I, an Israelite, descended from Abraham through the tribe of Benjamin,
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could never agree that God had rejected his people, the people he chose specially long ago. Do you remember what scripture says of Elijah – how he complained to God about Israel’s behaviour?
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Lord, they have killed your prophets and broken down your altars. I, and I only, remain, and they want to kill me[*b]
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What did God say to that? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bent the knee to Baal[*c]
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Today the same thing has happened: there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
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By grace, you notice, nothing therefore to do with good deeds, or grace would not be grace at all!
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What follows? It was not Israel as a whole that found what it was seeking, but only the chosen few. The rest were not allowed to see the truth;
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as scripture says: God has given them a sluggish spirit, unseeing eyes and inattentive ears, and they are still like that today.[*d]
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And David says: May their own table prove a trap for them, a snare and a pitfall – let that be their punishment;
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may their eyes be struck incurably blind, their backs bend for ever.[*e]
The Jews to be restored in the future
11
Let me put another question then: have the Jews fallen for ever, or have they just stumbled? Obviously they have not fallen for ever: their fall, though, has saved the pagans in a way the Jews may now well emulate.
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Think of the extent to which the world, the pagan world, has benefited from their fall and defection – then think how much more it will benefit from the conversion of them all.
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Let me tell you pagans[*f] this: I have been sent to the pagans as their apostle, and I am proud of being sent,
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but the purpose of it is to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them.
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Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead!
The Jews are still the chosen people
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A whole batch of bread is made holy if the first handful of dough is made holy; all the branches are holy if the root is holy.
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No doubt some of the branches have been cut off, and, like shoots of wild olive, you have been grafted among the rest to share with them the rich sap provided by the olive tree itself,
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but still, even if you think yourself superior to the other branches, remember that you do not support the root; it is the root that supports you.
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You will say, ‘Those branches were cut off on purpose to let me be grafted in!’ True,
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they were cut off, but through their unbelief; if you still hold firm, it is only thanks to your faith. Rather than making you proud, that should make you afraid.
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God did not spare the natural branches, and he is not likely to spare you.
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Do not forget that God can be severe as well as kind: he is severe to those who fell, and he is kind to you, but only for as long as he chooses to be, otherwise you will find yourself cut off too,
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and the Jews, if they give up their unbelief, grafted back in your place. God is perfectly able to graft them back again;
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after all, if you were cut from your natural wild olive to be grafted unnaturally on to a cultivated olive, it will be much easier for them, the natural branches, to be grafted back on the tree they came from.
The conversion of the Jews
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There is a hidden reason for all this, brothers, of which I do not want you to be ignorant, in case you think you know more than you do. One section of Israel has become blind, but this will last only until the whole pagan world has entered,
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and then after this the rest of Israel will be saved as well. As scripture says: The liberator will come from Zion, he will banish godlessness from Jacob.
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And this is the covenant I will make with them when I take their sins away.[*g]
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The Jews are enemies of God only with regard to the Good News, and enemies only for your sake; but as the chosen people, they are still loved by God, loved for the sake of their ancestors.
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God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.
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Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience,
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so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually.
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God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.
A hymn to God’s mercy and wisdom
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How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods!
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Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor?
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Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything?[*h]
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All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.
Chapters of Romans
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
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