New Testament · Letters

Romans chapter 11

So I’m asking: did God his people? Absolutely not! I myself am an , a descendant of Abraham, from the .God hasn’t rejected his people—the ones he . Don’t you remember what the Scripture says in the story of ? He pleaded with God against Israel:“, they’ve killed your , torn down your , and I’m the only one left—and now they’re trying to kill me too.”But what did God say back to him? “I’ve kept seven thousand people for myself who haven’t kneeled down to .”It’s the same way right now—there’s a that exists because of God’s .And if it’s because of his , then it’s no longer based on . Otherwise, his generosity wouldn’t really be generosity at all.So what happened? Israel as a whole didn’t get what they were , but the ones God chose did get it. The rest had their ,just as it’s written: “God gave them a —eyes that can’t see and ears that can’t hear—and it continues to this very day.”And David says: “Let their become a trap and a snare, a stumbling block and for them.Let their so they can’t see, and keep their .”So I’m asking: when they , did they fall beyond recovery? Absolutely not! Instead, because of their failure, has come to —and that’s meant to make Israel .Now if their failure means incredible for the world, and their loss means incredible richness for non-Jewish people, just imagine how much more their will mean!Now I’m speaking directly to you non-Jewish people. As an to non-Jewish people, I take my role seriously—hoping that I can somehow make my own people jealous enough to bring some of them to be .Because if their rejection meant that the world could be , what will their acceptance mean? Nothing less than !If the , so does the whole batch. And if the belongs to God, so do the branches.Now some of the branches have been broken off, and you—a —have been among the remaining branches and now share in the from the root.But don’t those broken-off branches. If you’re tempted to feel superior, remember: you don’t sustain the root—the root sustains you.You might say, “Those branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”Fair enough—they were broken off because they didn’t , and you stand firm only because you do trust him. So don’t be about it. Be humbled by it.After all, if God didn’t spare the , he certainly won’t spare you either.Look at both sides of God’s character: he is toward those who fell away, but toward you—as long as you continue living in his kindness. Otherwise, you’ll be cut off too.And if they don’t persist in their , they’ll be grafted back in—because God has the power to graft them in again.Think about it: if you were cut from a wild olive tree and grafted——into a one, how much easier will it be for the natural branches to be grafted back into their own olive tree!I don’t want you to miss this , brothers and sisters—otherwise you might start thinking too highly of yourselves: a has come over Israel, and it will last until the of non-Jewish people has come in.And then . As it’s written: “The will come from ; he will turn away from Jacob.And this is my with them: when I take away their .”When it comes to the , they’re currently opposed to God—which has actually benefited you. But when it comes to God’s choice, they are deeply loved because of the .Because God’s and his .There was a time when you didn’t trust God, but now you’ve received because of their distrust.In the same way, they are currently living in distrust, so that through the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.Because God has in their so that he can show mercy to everyone.How deep is the of God’s wisdom and knowledge! His decisions are , and his paths are !“Who has ever understood the ? Or who has ever been his advisor?”“Or who has ever given God something first, so that God would ?”Because , , and is . All the belongs to him forever. .