CONCERN OF GOD

Background Passage: ROMANS 11:1-36

Lesson Passage:ROMANS 111:1-2, 5-6, 11-15, 25-26A, 28-32

BIBLICAL TRUTH: CHRISTIANS ARE TO BE AWARE THAT GOD REFUSES TO GIVE UP ON REACHING THOSE WHO REJECT THE GOSPEL.

KEY BIBLE VERSE: ROMANS 11:30-31

As a teenager in Communist Russia, Oleg had a passion: drawing. One day while sketching a tree, he paused to consider its grandeur. He noticed the intricacy and detail in the leaf. He studied the magnificence of its massive shape. How could such a thing of beauty just happen? Oleg's questioning mind led him on a search for the Designer of that tree.

At his local library, he discovered a Bible translated into the Russian language. Unable to check the Bible out, this young truth seeker read and studied the pages of God's Word while sitting in the library. Eventually Oleg came face to face with God, the creator of the universe, as revealed through Jesus Christ. Through the power of Scripture on the heart of a Russian teenager who did not know a single Christian, God saved Oleg. Years later, I taught Oleg in a seminary classroom and came to know his remarkable journey to God.

How can we doubt God's concern and compassion for anyone when we consider Oleg's story? If God did not give up on Oleg, someone who had no spiritual guidance or encouragement, would He give up on that person you know? And if God has not given up on that person, should you? You may be a channel God wants to use in order to show His unwavering concern.

BACKGROUND PASSAGE OVERVIEW

God did not reject Israel, though Israel rejected the gospel. God remained faithful to His promises through a remnant of Israel, preserved by His grace.

Israel's rejection of the gospel provided the Gentiles with the opportunity for salvation. Through the Gentiles, God worked to make His people Israel more aware of their need for salvation.

Gentiles were warned not to mistake God's grace as a sign that they have assumed Israel's place of special favor. God extends mercy to anyone who believes, Jew or Gentile.

Israel's hardness of heart is only temporary. Spiritual fervor and vitality will return to Israel one day. At that time, God's covenant will be fulfilled.

God is worthy of praise and adoration for the grace and mercy Hew extends. Only the God of wisdom and complete knowledge could conceive of a plan to show love for His people Israel.

In Romans 11 Paul concluded a three-chapter summary of God's relationship with Israel. He showed that god's redemptive work toward Israel continues in spite of Israel's rejection of the gospel. At times, we may be tempted to give up on someone who shakes a fist at God or declares no interest in knowing God. We may be tempted to dismiss religions or nations or people groups who appear to be defiant against the claims of Jesus Christ. We may question the need to send missionaries or pray for their salvation or give so they can hear the gospel.

Yet, here we are reminded that God never gives up on anyone as long as that person is alive. His concern and love never waver just because someone refuses His love. As God loved Israel and reached out to the entire nation, so God loves all the people in the world and reaches out to them.

STUDY QUESTIONS 1.Whom did Paul present as evidence that God had not rejected His people? (11:1)
2.Who is the “remnant” Paul described? (11:5)
3.What sin did Paul caution the Gentiles against? (11:25)
4. Who benefited from Israel's resistance to the gospel? (11:28)

NONE ARE REJECTED (ROMANS 11:1-2)

Romans 11 1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

VERSE 1 ~ Reject means to “cast away or repudiate.” Israelite is a title of nationality, declaring Paul's status as a Jew; therefore, he was an heir to the promises of God. Paul presented himself as “Exhibit A” that God did not reject His people.

VERSE 2 ~ That God foreknew Israel is another reason we know it is impossible that God would reject Israel. The verb foreknew is used five times in the New Testament; the related noun is used twice. Of these seven occurrences, five are in connection with God (as in this verse) and two are in connection with people. When used of people, its meaning is that someone had “foreknowledge based on prior experience.” When used of God, its meaning is “a firmly settled purpose.”

Within the council of the Godhead,an eternal decree was made that selected Israel as the nation through whom all nations would be blessed. God foreknew Israel through this purpose settled in eternity. Though Israel rejected God, God did not reject Israel. Instead, He continued to show His concern for His chosen people.

Through Elijah's experience, Paul reminded his readers that God's purposes in Israel would be fulfilled, although seemingly all of Israel had rejected the gospel. Elijah had thought he was the only prophet left and that God's purposes would fail (see 1 Kings 19:10, 14). God assured Elijah that many prophets unknown to Elijah were faithful and that His purposes would come to pass.

SOME ARE SAVED (ROMANS 11:5-6)

5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. .

VERSE 5 ~ The remnant (“that which was left”) was made up of Jewish Christians. Time is not chronological time, but a “period or season of time.” At this point in history, god's salvation came to the Gentiles although the same salvation was being rejected by Israel. Even so, a remnant of Israel recognized and received God's salvation through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The fact that any Jews were part of this remnant had nothing to do with their Jewish heritage or their religious practice to Mosaic law, but everything to do with grace.

In overflowing and abundant love, God offers the gift of salvation to those who do not deserve it, Jew and Gentile, Even the most faithful Christian in the world does not deserve God's mercy any more than the most wicked sinner.

VERSE 6 ~ Grace and works are mutually exclusive ideas. To mix them is to destroy the meaning of both. Every world religion, human philosophy, and religious decree of government reflects a pathway to God of either grace or works.

People know god through the goodness of their lives (works) or through the goodness of one Life (grace). The first is represented by the scales of judgment (“Does my good outweigh my bad?”). The second is represented by the cross (“Nothing about my life is acceptable to a holy God; all I have is Jesus Christ and His righteousness applied to my life”). What symbol represents your journey to God?

The latter part of verse 6 in the KJV is omitted in the Holman DSB because the two translations follow different Greek manuscripts at that point.

SOME ARE JEALOUS (ROMANS 11:11-15, 25-26)

11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved:

VERSE 11 ~ Having built the case that Israel stumbled in their quest for God (9:33-11:9), Paul answered the question of just how badly Israel stumbled spiritually. Did they stumble so as to fall? (“not be able to get up again”) On the contrary introduces the idea that God took Israel's stumbling and used it as a means of eventually bringing Israel back to Him. Jealous has no connection with the romantic jealousy of today (characterized by a possessive insecurity or self-centered control). The difference between God's jealousy and human jealousy is in who benefits. In human jealousy, the one who is jealous seeks to benefit himself or herself. When God was jealous toward Israel, He wanted Israel back for Israel's benefit, not God's. God is sufficient and complete within Himself.

VERSE 12 ~ Riches for the world refers to the spiritual riches made available to the Gentiles through Israel's rejection of Jesus as Messiah. Failure means “diminishment,” speaking of the spiritual blessing missed because of Israel's stumbling. Paul argued that if Israel's stumbling brought such blessing, imagine what blessing would come when all Israel (full number) one day receives Jesus as its Messiah as a nation. Anyone who rejects the gospel is missing the blessings of fulfilling the purposes for which our Creator made us.

VERSES 13-14 ~ Paul spoke directly to his primary readers, the Gentiles. Some Gentile Christians may have thought God had turned away from obstinate Israel once and for all. In Israel's place, they may have imagined that God looked on the Gentiles as an even greater object of His affection than Israel.

Paul allowed no room for such boasting. Even his role as an apostle to the Gentiles was partly a way to help his own people come to Christ. Paul was committed to the faithful discharge of his duties with this end in mind. As he did so, he would magnify (or “glorify”) his ministry role as being a part of God's abiding concern for Israel. Paul did not denigrate his passion to reach the Gentiles with the gospel, but wanted to remind the Gentiles that God's concern for Israel was no less real in spite of their spiritual hardness. VERSE 15 ~ World reconciliation could be interpreted several ways: as a worldwide spiritual awakening, as the completion or fulfillment of redemption at the resurrection, or as the acceptance of the gospel by the Jewish people. Verse 15 seems to parallel verse 12, meaning that life from the dead (v15) relates to “full number” (v12). Seeing the verses as parallel means that world reconciliation refers to Israel's turning from unbelief to salvation .

VERSES 25-26a ~ Mystery means a formerly hidden purpose of God that is revealed to provide a more complete understanding. The hidden purpose Paul referred to is the Israel's hardness toward God is not permanent. In time, Israel would move from spiritual rebellion to spiritual acceptance. Paul wanted the Gentile believers at Rome to remember this in case they were tempted to become conceited, thinking they now occupied Israel's position of favor.

All Israel could be interpreted in three ways: literally all Jews will be saved, Israel as a whole will turn back to God, or as “spiritual Israel” (all believers, both Jew and Gentile). Understanding all Israel to mean “Israel as a whole” seems most consistent with Paul's reference to a “remnant chosen by grace” (v.5) and “only the remnant will be saved” (9:27). Interpreting all Israel as “spiritual Israel” appears less likely since Paul's discussion in the entire section has treated Jew and Gentile as separate ethnic groups.

ALL CAN BE SAVED (ROMANS 11:28-32)

28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

VERSES 28-29 ~ Israel's rebellion toward God made the nation an enemy of God in terms of spreading the gospel. This worked to the advantage of the Gentiles. But god's love toward Israel remained, based on His everlasting covenant with Israel's patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God's gifts (charisma) speak of favor given without any merit on the part of the recipient.

The fact that God chose Israel was based solely on God's grace. Calling refers to God's invitation to embrace salvation rather than referring to a vocation. God's gracious choice of Israel and His invitation to receive salvation through the Messiah, Jesus Christ, does not change or disappear in spite of Israel's rebellion. This invitation to salvation is irrevocable, meaning the invitation is not subject to a change of mind on God's part (“without repentance” in the KJV)

VERSES 30-31 ~ Paul compared the Gentiles and Jews in their responses to God. At one time the Gentile believers were in a state of rebellion; but at the time of his writing, they received God's mercy as a result of Israel's rebellion. Out of the mercy shown the Gentiles, mercy will eventually come to the Jews.

VERSE 32 ~ Imprisoned means “corralled or confined.” The idea is that God has confined both Jews and Gentiles to one kind of sin and guilt—unbelief. Disobedience carries the picture of someone who is stubborn, still-necked, and obstinate in attitude. Both Jew and Gentile need God's grace for the same reason, and both are within the scope of receiving the same mercy from God.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

God is concerned about every person in the world. As followers of Christ, we are called to be channels to communicate His concern to others. Showing God's concern to some people is easy and more difficult with others. Yet God is concerned about every person with equal love and compassion.

Do we see God as being concerned about everyone? Consider the following prayerfully: Is there a sinful lifestyle you believe puts an individual beyond God's concern? A religion? An attitude of rebellion or hardness of heart? A nationality?

Who are the persons who seem to you to be unlovely and unworthy of God's concern? God's concern for them is no less than His concern was for you before you became a believer. Therefore, your challenge is to become a channel for His concern with every opportunity you have. Will you accept it?