reformed blogging.

Romans 9-11 has been the subject of much controversy within Evangelicalism. Some hold to a replacement theology and claim that Israel does not mean physical Israel at all, but refers solely to the Church. Still others, on the opposite side of the spectrum, identify Israel with the physical nation of Israel while dismissing any reference to the New Testament Church as mere allegory. Earlier this month I posted a quote from Christopher J.H. Wright’s book Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament regarding this topic which opted for a view of Israel as an expansion of the “remnant” within Israel, since “not all Israel is Israel”.

It is evident that godly men exist on both sides of the camp. Even in view of Church history one is able to see that various time periods have shown influxes in certain eschatological views. An example of this is Old Princeton and the Puritans who, for the most part, held to Postmillenial convictions, a view that is almost entirely overlooked in the contemporary evangelical scene. The early Church Father’s likewise displayed a varying range in eschatalogy evinced in Tertullian who held to a Chilialistic or Premillenial view to Augustine who leaned towards Amilleniallism. So, there really is a lot of difficulty in claiming any one particular eschatalogical view to be historically orthodox. Yet difficulty in understanding Scripture’s teaching on eschatology (or any doctrine for that matter) is never reason to give up on it.

Having stated that much, the issue has been on my mind much. Wrestling with passages in the New Testament that, on the one hand, seem to indicate a complete fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in the person and work of Christ, and on the other, those which seem to point to an existing place for physical Israel (namely Romans 9-11).

I’ve been trying to mentally work out Romans 9-11 and thought I’d give it a go here.

I begin at the ends of Romans 8 where Paul speaks of the unchanging love of God in Christ Jesus, a love that will keep believers with Christ until the end. The problem arises, however, in the next chapter. Paul presents the tension in 9:1-5, the question being, God’s word to Israel. How is God’s unchanging love evinced with them? Has God not kept His promise? or as Paul puts it, “Has the word of God failed?” In verse 6 Paul answers that the word of God has not failed. Why is it that it has not failed?

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring… it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (9:6-8)

Paul’s response to the tension of God’s supposed rejection of Israel is not that God will keep His promise to every single physical Israelite, but that not all Israel is, in fact, Israel. The children of Abraham were children according to God’s election and promise, not according to the flesh. Thus in verses 12-13, Paul speaks of God’s love for Jacob and hatred for Esau. This was before they were born, so that God’s sovereign and gracious election would be clearly demonstrated.

The rest of chapter 9 certainly speaks of God’s election, but to what purpose? To show that God’s election of the remnant is according to His gracious will rather than according to flesh or works. In addition to the fact that only an elected remnant from among the Jews are saved, in verse 30 Paul now includes the Gentiles:

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone… (9:30-33)

So it is made clear, that God’s word has not failed. It has not failed, not because God will save every physical Israelite, but because not all Israel are Israel. From the beginning true Israel was never based merely on ethnic origin, but on faith. Yes, God chose a physical people. God chose Israel and Paul even states clearly that:

They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (9:4-5)

But in the same vein, Paul is able to say, very explicitly, that “not all who are descended from Israel belong… not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring…” What are we to make of this? On the one hand he clearly acknowledge their physical identity and even has great anguish for them, yet in the following verses he clearly states that despite their being Abraham’s offspring they are not all his children.

In chapter 10 Paul, having spoken of the Gentiles inheriting what the Israelites did not, goes back to his desire for his physical brothers. In 10:1-4, however, there seems to be no indication or promise that these physical Israelites will be saved. Why? Because they seek righteousness not by faith, but by their own works. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (10:4). They are not counted as children of God because they are not descendants of Abraham according to the seed who is Christ (Gal. 3:16). The rest of the chapter speaks of righteousness based on faith. That all who believe in the Lord and call upon His name will be saved. This “salvation” referred to in this passage is what physical Israel, those who were not of the remnant, are missing out on, and what the Gentiles, by faith, are entering into. This gospel message must go out to all the Gentiles and be preached, says Paul. But again, he returns to Israel. While the rest of the Gentiles hear and believe, what of physical Israel? “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (10:21) They still are not part of the remnant!

In Romans 11, Paul asks a slightly different question. In chapter 9 he asks whether God’s word has failed, the answer is an emphatic no, God has not failed because God’s promise to Israel stands and the Gentiles are receiving the promise of Abraham, they are all being saved by faith. Though not all physical Israel are inheriting this salvation, this is no problem for Paul since God’s promise was to Abraham’s children, who are children not by flesh, but by faith. Here, then, he asks whether God has rejected His people. Again, the answer is in the negative, “By no means!” Paul responds that he is himself “an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.” He is clearly referring to his physical lineage! No, God has not rejected Israel, and Israel can still inherit this salvation (that the non-remnant are currently not inheriting) by faith! Paul himself is evidence that God is still allowing physical Israel to be part of this remnant, this seed of Abraham, the true children of promise. And rather than point to future fulfillment as some would have it, Paul rather points again to this idea of a remnant. He cites 1 Kings 19:10, stating that even in the days of Elijah God did not save all of physical Israel, but extended His promise to the remnant. And the rest he hardened by His own sovereign will. Why did he harden the rest? So that he might demonstrate his mercy. Because through the failure of the Israelites salvation has come to the Gentiles. How so? Well, up until Christ’s incarnation true religion was in Israel only. To them (as mentioned earlier) was given the Law and the prophets and the promise, etc. Yet, again and again they proved to be failures, constantly turning away from God and rejecting His prophets. What was the result of this? God needed to send His Son who would write the Laws on their hearts rather than give it to them merely externally. Thus, was Christ sent, and with Christ came the fulfillment of the Law, what the Israelites failed to do, Christ did. His “exodus” from Egypt, His baptism, His temptation in the wilderness, all these incidents point to a fulfillment of what Israel failed to do. Christ perfectly obeyed the Law and took on our sins. He faced the wrath of God and to us, by faith, is given His imputed righteousness. All this Christ did, because the Israelites did not and because we, as sinful humans under the Law, could not.

Finally, perhaps, the most important passage in all of this, the conclusion of chapter 11. In verses 25-27 there is an indication of a partial hardening that has taken place among Israel. This is evident because so many of them are not only rejecting the gospel, but persecuting the Church of Christ. This will be “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” This does not go against, but rather supports the idea of the remnant, and depicts the pattern of God in relation to Israel throughout redemptive history. This is the reason why some began to wonder in the beginning of chapters 9 and 10 whether God’s word had failed, and whether God rejected Israel. And this hardening of the Jews, evident especially throughout Christ’s life, death and resurrection, and in the early Church, will remain until that fullness comes in. And in this way, that is, in physical Israel being partially hardened until all the Gentiles come in, will “all Israel be saved.” In verse 26 Paul gives the definite answer to both questions found in chapters 9 and 10. All Israel will be saved, but one must recognize that “all Israel” are not all Israel according to the flesh, but according to faith. God has not rejected Israel, but has sought to save them in this manner, so that the remnant Israel will join with the Gentiles who are the seed of Abraham by faith in Christ, and so “all Israel (the remnant) will be saved” and God’s word will be shown true.

Verses 28-32 seem to go back to the fact that God has not rejected Israel. Paul is clearly speaking of Physical Israel in verse 28, “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” What does this mean? That God will not forsake all of Israel, remember the hardening is partial. This is indicative of God’s plan to save all whom He has elected, all who have now been “consigned to disobedience in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.” The reference to “all” is, contextually speaking, not all without exception. For not all people everywhere who are consigned to disobedience are shown a saving mercy. Rather, it is in regards to all the elect. It is all without distinction not all without exception. The problem enters when Paul’s statement that God has not rejected Israel is taken to mean that He has accepted all of them. What Paul seems to mean is that God has not rejected Israel entirely, but in accordance with Old Testament history, a remnant still remains, and the remnant will be saved. Thus a partial hardening.

So God’s word has not failed, His promise stands and is fulfilled in the remnant, those who are, in Christ, the seed of Abraham. God has not rejected Israel. Rather, God has expanded the remnant to still include Israelites (such as Paul) as well as Gentiles. And we are now, by faith in Christ, Abraham’s seed. The true people of God does not consist of a Church that has replaced physical Israel since it never was physical Israel to begin with, but in a Church that has expanded on the remnant which includes both Jews and Gentiles. So Paul continues to work to preach salvation to the Gentiles, as well as to incite jealousy in his fellow Jews that they may likewise inherit the kingdom. What’s the whole point of Romans 9-11? As mentioned in the earlier post, through such an understanding of the passage we are able to discern the basis for Paul’s theology of history and missions.

So how does this all come together? God’s promise finds its fulfillment in the remnant. Thus the physical people of Israel will not all see the kingdom of heaven, nor is there any reason to expect a future kingdom for physical Israel. Since now in Christ “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all bestowing his riches on all who call on Him” (10:12). The people of God are one. In this sense there is continuity with the Old Testament. God’s remnant within physical Israel has expanded to include Gentiles. These people consist of Christ’s body, and these are the promised “seed of Abraham.” God’s promises to Israel in the Old Testament find fulfillment in Christ and are applied to believers.