Romans 11 & The Multiplicity of Israel

[VERITAS]

Paul agreed to discuss Romans 11 with me in a verse-by-verse format, but anyone (and everyone) is welcomed to contribute. I'm hoping that Fred might make an appearance (since he's the sole reason I signed up for the PuritanBoard).

Ok, here's my premises:

1) The term "Israel" - including the individuals that comprise "Israel" - are used in a multiplicity of ways by the apostle. Sometimes referring to Israel in a GENERIC sense, sometimes referring to UNBELIEVING Israel and sometimes referring ONLY to those in Israel who BELIEVE. Of course there is some overlapping.

2) The apostle's use of the CONDITIONAL, Subjunctive Mood is also significant to the discussion. From my perspective "HOW" a person is saved.

Most people think that Romans 11 is addressing the WHEN of Salvation, but I disagree and believe that Scripture is addressing the HOW of Salvation. It is then from this point that one determines the WHO being referred to. If their reasoning is from the WHEN perspective then the answer to the question is some distant future point and their WHO must be ethnic Israel, but if their reasoning is from the HOW perspective then the answer to the question is that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and the "Israel" that is to be saved are the people of God, regardless of ethnicity or previous religion, throughout all ages.

3) The reference to "the Coming of The Deliverer" is NØT something that is to occur in the future. It is something that the apostle Paul is pointing to that happened to in the past, with the First Advent. Thus it is THROUGH faith in Christ's First Coming that Jacob/Israel/the people of God are saved (the HOW of the occasion). This is WHEN a person's sins are taken away - when they believe. And this is the only way and means of Salvation - for "Jew" or "Gentile."

So, with that said I wanted to post a color-coded version of Romans 11 and address the multiple ways that the people of God are referred to in the text. The color format may be a little tedious to get used to but I think that ultimately it will save time. The alternative would be to put the various designations in brackets following the usage - e.g. Elijah [believing Israelite].

Interpretative Key:
(there is some overlapping)

BLUE = Israel in a Generic sense
RED = Unbelieving Israel
GREEN = Believing Israel

Underline = The Sovereign Act(s) of God

Orange = Conditional, Subjunctive Mood

{1} I say then, has God Cast Away His people? Certainly NØT! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

{2} God Has NØT Cast Away His people whom He Foreknew. Or do you NØT know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

{3} "LORD, they have killed Your prophets and they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?

{4} But what does The Divine Response Say to him?

"I Have Reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

{5} Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the Election of Grace. {6} And if BY Grace, then it is no longer OF works; otherwise Grace is no longer Grace. But IF it is OF works, it is no longer Grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

{7} What then? Israel has NØT obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. {8} Just as it is written:

"God Has Given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should NØT see
And ears that they should NØT hear,
To this very day."

{9} And David says:

"Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
{10} Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do NØT see,
And bow down their back always."

{11} I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall [eternally; from outside the realm of God's Grace]? Certainly NØT! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, Salvation has come to the nations. 12Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the nations, how much more their fullness !

{13} For I speak to you nations; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the nations, I magnify my ministry, {14} IF by any means I MAY provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save SOME of them. 15For IF their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

{16} For IF The Firstfruit is Holy, THEN the lump is also holy; and IF The Root is Holy, THEN so are the branches. {17} And IF SOME of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of The Root AND fatness of The Olive Tree, {18} do NØT boast against the branches. But IF you do boast, THEN remember that you do not support The Root, but The Root supports you.

{19} You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I MIGHT be grafted in." {20} Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand BY faith. You Do NØT be haughty, but fear. {21} FOR if God did NØT spare the natural branches, He MAY NØT spare you either. {22} Therefore consider the Goodness and Severity of God: on those who fell, Severity; but toward you, Goodness, IF you continue in His Goodness. Otherwise you ALSO will be cut off. {23} And they also, IF they do NØT continue in unbelief, THEN they will be grafted in, for God is Able to graft them in again. {24} For IF you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and you were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

{25} For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this Mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations has come in. {26} And SO all Israel will be Saved, as it is written:

"The Deliverer Will Come out of Zion,
And He Will Turn Away ungodliness from Jacob;
{27} FOR this is My Covenant with them,
WHEN I Take Away their sins."

{28} Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. {29} For The Gifts and The Calling of God are irrevocable. {30} For as you were once disobedient to God, yet you have now obtained Mercy THROUGH their disobedience , {31} even so these also have now been disobedient, that THROUGH the Mercy shown you they also MAY obtain Mercy. {32} For God Has Committed them all to disobedience, that He MIGHT Have Mercy on all [who believe].

{33} Oh, The Depth of The Riches both of The Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How Unsearchable are His Judgments and His Ways past finding out!

{34} "For who has known The Mind of The LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?"
{35} "Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?"


{36} For OF Him and THROUGH Him and to Him ARE all things, to Whom be Glory forever. Amen.

Whew! I hope I got all the formatting right!

 

[VERITAS]

shameless bump

 

[WrittenFromUtopia]

I'm confused about your definition of Israel, still...

 

[Areopagus]

Veritas,

I too am fairly confused at your color coding. I'm not confused because of the colors, but because of their placement. For example, you say:

{7} What then? Israel has NØT obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. {8} Just as it is written:

You say that Israel in v.7 is in a generic sense, but suddenly it switched to unbelieving Israel in the latter part of v.7. How is that? If the latter part of v.7, which is the subject in the former, is the unbelieving Israel, how then does it switch to unbelieving Israel without any provocation or identification by Paul? It seems to me that "the rest" that were blinded are the Israel in the first part of v.7. If so, then the rest of your color coding begins to fall apart.

Honestly, I looked through it all and I find fault with quite a bit of the color coding. Maybe I'm confused though and you can help clear that up for me.

In Him,

Dustin...

 

[VERITAS]

Hey guys. Thanks for posting something (anything! ). I was hoping Paul (or even Andrew) would be the first to say something...

Well, as I stated in my opening post I view Rom 11 to be talking about HOW Israel (the elect) are saved and not necessarily WHO is saved or WHEN they are saved (with regards to ethnic Israel; although those elements are certainly there). I think everyone would agree that the difficulty in this chapter is primarily verse 26: "And SO all Israel will be saved..." (but only if we're confused about who is meant by Israel which I believe is also answered elsewhere in the N.T.) And "SO"means: "in this manner". What manner? That which is described both preceding v.26 and IN the verse - i.e. "The Deliverer will come out of Zion and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (that is, the people of God). This isn't some event yet future, but an event almost 2,000 yrs removed from us. It was His first coming and the inauguration of the N.C. that delivered the people of God from bondage and turned away ungodliness.

Make sense?

As for verse 7 I think that is a PERFECT example. It reads:

What then? Israel has NØT obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Israel (as a nation) has not obtained what it seeks, that is salvation, a right relationship, peace and reconciliation with God, but the elect (within Israel - and also now people outside of that particular family/nation) has obtained it and the rest (of Israel as a nation, that is the unbelievers) have been spiritually blinded as foretold by the O.T. scriptures. The "obtaining" and the "blinding" are both Sovereign acts BY God through His election of some to salvation and His passing by of others. (Oops. I gave away my position on THAT, huh? :grin: What do you bet Cheri that Paul's a supra?)

How else would YOU understand/read that sentence, Dustin?

P.S. I was prepared to go through this chapter verse-by-verse if the color-coding method didn't make sense, so any reply, lengthy or not, is welcome.

[Edited on 1-27-2005 by VERITAS]

 

[VERITAS]

I have now.

BTW, I was arguing on another board that the Church IS the new Israel when suddenly I had an epiphany: Israel wasn't Jacob's REAL name, it was a SYMBOLIC name that he was given by God and that by which his offspring became IDENTIFIED with him and thus with God.

Jesus is the Israel being spoken of in Isa 49:3 and it is through identifcation with Him that we are born into the family of God.