# Rom 11:26 and Calvin's view



## YXU (Nov 15, 2008)

And so all Israel, etc. Many understand this of the Jewish people, as though Paul had said, that religion would again be restored among them as before: but I extend the word Israel to all the people of God, according to this meaning, — “*When the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith; and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, which must be gathered from both; and yet in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place, being as it were the first-born in God’s family*.” This interpretation seems to me the most suitable, because Paul intended here to set forth the completion of the kingdom of Christ, which is by no means to be confined to the Jews, but is to include the whole world. The same manner of speaking we find in Galatians 6:16. The Israel of God is what he calls the Church, gathered alike from Jews and Gentiles; and he sets the people, thus collected from their dispersion, in opposition to the carnal children of Abraham, who had departed from his faith.

Although Calvin takes all Israel to be all the elect rather than all the Jews, but he doesn't deny the future restoration of the Jews at all. Is it actually a better solution than the view that all Israel to mean Israel as a nation and body in the future? 

I understand Calvin's view to be that the Israel of God (all th elect) will be complete by the final national conversion of the natural Israel as a body into the Christian church. 

Any thoughts and correction?

BTW, is the land restoration part of the national conversion of the Jews into the Christian church?


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## moral necessity (Nov 15, 2008)

I think Calvin gives some additional insight into his thoughts when you look at his commentary on the Galatians verse he cites in Romans. In Gal. 6:16, he says, "This (referring to "and upon the Israel of God") is an indirect ridicule of the vain boast of the false apostles, who vaunted of being the descendents of Abraham according to the flesh. There are two classes who bear this name, a pretended Israel, which appears to be so in sight of men,-and the Israel of God........In a word, he gives the appellation of _the Israel of God_ to those whom he formerly denominated the children of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:29), and thus includes all believers, whether Jews or Gentiles, who were united into one church........they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children."

in my opinion, I do not think Calvin believed in the restoration of the "nation" of Israel, but rather the incorporation of those Israelites into the church who have faith like Abraham. I think in Romans he is using the term "Jews" to refer to believing Jews, not Jews of the flesh. Many Jews underwent a hardening during the massive Gentile conversion through Paul, yet some of those Jews who were hardened for a season of time were truly elect, and would later repent and come to faith, as Rom. 11 speaks of.


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## YXU (Nov 17, 2008)

I noticed something that the Romans 11:26 issue has light to the way we interpretate certain scripture, in certain sense, it seems to be that many of the dispensational arguments seems to be right.


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