1 John 3:16


"By this we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

Friday 7 May 2010

Conclusion to Romans 11

So Paul’s enquiry is satisfied. He started by asking about his national people Israel (Rom 9:1-5). His answer was God has not cast them off. The callings and elections of God are without repentance. He said even at this present time there is a remnant from among them.

He said he wished to provoke them through the Gentiles so that he might save some (Rom 11:14). He said the Gentile’s salvation would provoke them and by this God would lead to Himself those He has chosen from among national Israel. He said if the Gentiles could be grafted in, then the natural branches God chose could much more so be grafted back into fullness in Christ. Grace is the key to this chapter and to the whole book of Romans. God is saving His people through the finished work of Christ:
O the depth and the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements…For of Him and through Him and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever.” (Rom 11: 33, 36).

Of Him, through Him, to Him is the whole purpose of this chapter and of Romans and of the whole gospel. It is also the whole purpose of this book that we have written.
Rom 11 is about the Israel of God, the church, the 144,000 (a symbol of completeness) of Revelation. It is all about the theme of Romans, that all have sinned, all are concluded under sin and God saves His people through grace alone.

“So then, it is of faith, so that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed.” (Rom 4:16).

This is the theme of Romans. All Israel shall be saved. All the seed – Abraham’s seed!

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