The Remnant of Israel

Paul in Romans chapter eleven talks about

the Jewish faith and the remnant of Israel,

and yesterday I came across a verse

that just jumped out at me.

Lets go over the whole Chapter though so we can

grasp the whole concept of what Paul

was talking about.

I ask then: Did God reject his people?(Israel/Jews)

By no means! I am an Israelite my-self,

a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

God did not reject his people, whom he fore-knew.

Don't you know what the scripture says in the passage

about Elijah- how he appealed to God against Israel:

"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down

your altars; I am the only one left, and they are

trying to kill me."

and what was God's answer to him?

"I have reserved for myself seven thousand

who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen

by grace. and if by grace, then it is no longer works;

if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 11:1-6

Paul was saying, Look! God didn't give up on

the Israelites! he didn't give up on them in Elijah's

time and he sure is not going to now.

By Gods grace, the same grace he had upon all of us

for all our sins, there is a remnant, there are israelites

that will come to know Christ! God will open

there eyes and ears to receive everything they were

promised. Romans eleven continues with..

What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it

did not obtain, but the elect did. The others

were hardened, as it is written:

"God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes so that they could not see

and ears so that they could not hear,

to this very day."

and David says:

"May their table become a snare and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them.

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,

and their backs be bent forever."

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to

fall beyond recovery? Not at all!

Rather, because of their transgression, salvation

has come to the Gentiles(non jews) to make Israel envious.

But if their transgression means riches for the world,

and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,

how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

I am talking to you Gentiles.

In as much as I am the apostle

to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry

in the hope that I may somehow arouse my

own people to envy and save some of them.

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of

the world, what will their acceptance be but life

from the dead?

If the part of the dough offered as first-

fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy;

if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Romans 11:7-16

Paul was preaching to the Gentiles

because God revealed to him in a vision

that Jesus didn't just die for the Jews(which all the apostles were)

Jesus brought everyone salvation, making the Gentiles

no different from an Israelite/Jew. Paul

wanted the Jewish people and leaders to realize how

loving and merciful God was if he can bring salvation

to those who didn't even know him.

If some of the branches have been broken off,

and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been

grafted in among the others and now share

in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do

not boast over those branches. If you do,

consider this: You do not support the root,

but the root supports you. You will say then,

"Branches were broken off so that I could

be grafted in."

Granted. But they were broken off because of

unbelief, and you stand by FAITH. Do not

be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God

did not spare the natural branches,

he will not spare you either.

Romans 11:17-21

Paul is obviously warning the Gentiles not

to boast about the grace that has been given

to them FREELY because just as

God poured out his wrath upon

the "Natural Branches" aka his chosen people

the Israelites, he will do the same to the

Gentile.

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness

of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness

to you, provided that you continue in his kindness.

Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And If they do

not persist in unbelief , they will be grafted in,

for God is able to graft them in again.

After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree

that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature

were grafted into a cultivated olive tree,

how much more readily will these,

the natural branches, be grafted into their own

olive tree!

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery,

brothers, so that you may not be conceited:

Israel has experienced a hardening in part

until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

"The deliverer will come from Zion;

he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

And this is my covenant with them when

I take away their sins."

As far as the gospel is concerned,

they are enemies on your account;

but as far as election is concerned,

they are loved on account of the patriarchs,

for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Just as you who were at one time

disobedient to God have now

received mercy as a result of their

disobedience,

so they too have now become disobedient

in order that they too may now receive

mercy as a result of God's mercy to you.

For God has bound all men over to disobedience

so that he may have mercy on them all.

Romans 11:22-32

Those last verses are the ones that jumped out

to me. Gentiles didn't worship God, they

worshipped other Gods/false Gods...

but they didn't worship the ONE God and only God,

so in their nature to their very core they were nothing

but disobedient, and yet God had mercy...

We have been given the gift of grace,

and how undeserving we are of it.

Jesus Christ has brought the non-jews

and the Jewish together as one...

nobody is any less or more deserving then

the other for we all have fallen short,

but through Jesus Christ we are one.