Grace upon Grace Upon Grace Upon Grace

Romans 11:1–11 AV

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. 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, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 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. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 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.

Introduction:

Romans: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 8: God Has Not Canceled His Promises to Israel—Part 1: His Setting Aside of Israel Is Partial

No message of Scripture is clearer or repeated more often than the unqualified declaration that God can be trusted, that He is the very source and measure of truth. By definition, His divine Word is absolutely trustworthy. Whatever He says is true and whatever He promises comes to pass.

Shortly before his death, Joshua testified to Israel, “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed” (Josh. 23:14; cf. 21:45). David praised and exalted the Lord as “the God of Truth” (Ps. 31:5). After Solomon prayed before the altar on behalf of his people, “he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant’ ” (1 Kings 8:55–56).

In His high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed to His Father on behalf of His followers, “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Paul reminded Titus that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), and the writer of Hebrews declares that “He [God] who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23; cf. 6:17–18). God’s promises never fail because everything He says is wholly true, without a trace of error.

No passage of Scripture articulates God’s truthfulness and trustworthiness more eloquently than chapters 9–11 of Romans. As we have seen in an earlier chapter, Paul begins this remarkable section on the nation of Israel with the declaration that it is “Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises” (Rom. 9:4).

God had made clear and specific promises to His chosen nation Israel. Some of those promises were conditional, dependent on Israel’s obedience. But His greatest promises to His chosen people were unconditional and therefore were grounded solely in God’s righteous integrity. Were God to fail in those promises, He would be less than righteous and just. He would be what God cannot be.

Contrary to what some sincere Christians maintain, God cannot be finished with the nation of Israel—for the obvious reason that all of His promises to her have not yet been fulfilled. If God were through with His chosen nation, His Word would be false and His integrity discredited. Among those who most strongly insist that God is through with the nation of Israel are those whose theology is commonly referred to as covenant theology. It is ironic that, because of a distorted view of Israel, covenant theology cannot escape the implication that God is not faithful in fully honoring His covenants.

God’s first covenant with Israel was through Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people, who became the nation of Israel. Just before He commanded Abraham to proceed from Haran to Canaan, God promised, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:2–3). After Abraham (then called Abram) entered Canaan, “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered’ ” (Gen. 13:14–16). Some years later, God reiterated the promise, saying, “ ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’ ” (Gen. 15:5).

On that occasion God instructed Abraham to cut certain prescribed animals in half, laying the two parts opposite each other. Except as an observer, Abraham did not participate in the confirmation of that covenant. Only the Lord passed between the pieces of the animals, signifying that He alone had dictated and would fulfill the covenant (see Gen. 15:8–21).

Although that covenant was for the benefit of Abraham and his descendants, and ultimately for the blessing of the entire earth, the terms of the covenant were unconditional, and it was sworn to and affirmed by God with Himself. He made an inviolable oath with Himself to keep His promises to Abraham. However faithful Abraham or his Israelite descendants might be, God would fulfill the covenant in every detail. This was a divine covenant founded on God’s sovereign election of Israel as His chosen people (see Heb. 6:13–20).

Because of God’s promises to Abraham and to his descendants through Isaac, the son of promise, the nation of Israel has always been and always will be divinely preserved. Otherwise God could not fulfill His irrevocable promises to her. He caused Israel to outlast all the nations who were contemporary with her, and He still preserves her today. In 1948 He brought her back into her own land as an independent and recognized state among the nations of the world.

God’s character and integrity, His trustworthiness and faithfulness depend on His continued preservation of Israel. God has obligated Himself to ultimately redeem the nation of Israel and to establish her as a purified and glorious kingdom above all others in the world.

God has promised to bless all the peoples of the world through Abraham and his descendants, and the fulfillment of that promise culminated in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. He arose from Israel, but the redemption He offered was to Jew and Gentile alike. Early in His ministry, Jesus declared that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Near the opening of this epistle, Paul assures his readers that “the gospel … is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile]” (Rom. 1:16).

But because the Jews as a nation rejected their Messiah, God temporarily set that nation aside “until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25). At that time, with unfailing certainty, “all Israel will be saved” (v. 26). In addition to bringing His chosen people to salvation, God will fulfill His promises to restore her own kingdom in her own land, which will become a land of eternal blessing and peace.

Above all, God promised

“a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jer. 31:31–33)

The Jews of Old Testament times understood that those divine promises would be fulfilled literally. But when their Messiah came, spiritual blindness prevented them from recognizing Him. “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). When Pilate mockingly asked the Jewish crowd, “Shall I crucify your King?” the chief priests, speaking for all of apostate Israel, declared with hypocritical vehemence, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).

Paul knew that most Jews were confused about Israel’s true destiny in regard to her Messiah. They reasoned that, because Israel was God’s chosen nation, it would be inconceivable that she would spurn her own Messiah, much less put Him to death. Regardless of how disobedient, rebellious, and spiritually blind Israel might become, surely she could not fail to recognize and receive her long-awaited Deliverer. Even if ordinary Jews failed to acknowledge and honor Him, the religious leaders were certain that they themselves could never make such an egregious error.

But Jesus prophesied that rejection in the parable of “a certain nobleman [who] went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.” Just as the citizens of that country declared, “We do not want this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:12–14), so the nation of Israel refused the reign of Jesus Christ over them. Shortly after Pentecost, Peter reminded his fellow Jews of that tragic rejection: “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:15).

Because Israel “stumbled over the stumbling stone,” Jesus Christ, and would not believe in Him (Rom. 9:32–33), because Israel did not know “about God’s righteousness, and [sought] to establish their own” (10:3), and because God had continually, “all the day long, … stretched out [His] hands to a disobedient and obstinate people” (10:21) who rejected Him, would not God be fully justified in forever rejecting them?

In itself, that wickedness would more than deserve God’s complete and permanent condemnation. Paul makes clear, however, that Israel’s rejection of Christ did not catch God by surprise but was, in fact, an integral part of His eternal plan of redemption. He makes equally clear that, despite its being part of that plan, Israel’s rejection of Christ was by her own rebellious choice, for which the Lord holds her fully accountable.

Once again we see the remarkable and seemingly irreconcilable association of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. It is perfectly evident from history as well as from Scripture that Israel rejected Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation He offered. Scripture also makes certain that God consequently set His ancient and beloved people aside.

What we have seen throughout the whole history of Israel as well as the history of our lives is this (and thus the title) Grace upon Grace Upon Grace upon Grace.

We want to start tonight by looking at this passage from the vantage point of Grace.

The word “grace” or “χάρις” in the Greek appears five times in this portion of Scripture and all of them are within just two verses; verses 5-6.

But of all the words that the Apostle uses in this text, it is the word “Grace” that appears the most.

So we want to look at this portion of the text, in detail, and look at it from the standpoint of Grace, because that certainly seemed to be on the Apostles mind.

We want to see five areas of facts of God’s Grace in this passage.

First, we want to see that God’s Grace is Steadfast, then God’s Grace is Sovereign, then God’s Grace is Sure, then God’s Grace is Specific and then finally God’s Grace is Sweeping.

Notice first:

I. God’s Grace is Steadfast (vs. 1-2a)

Romans 11:1–2 AV

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. 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,

Now, as we transition into chapter 11, we need to keep this important textual fact in mind; that chapter divisions were not part of the original autographs, or they were not part of inspiration.

It was not until the 13th century that modern chapter divisions appeared in the text.

And it was not until the 16th century that modern verses were introduced.

And the reason that it important for us to remember is that as the Romans (the original recipients of this letter) would have read this, they would have been reading one long chain of text; no chapter divisions and no verse divisions.

So there would have been no break in thought in their minds as they were reading this letter from the Apostle Paul.

And so as they were reading what in our Bibles is Chapter 10, I think the same question cam to their minds that probably would have come to mine and probably came to the mind of the Apostle because he answers the question in the following verses.

And as you do Bible Study you can get a feel of what the author is thinking or objections that he has encountered by what he says.

And as we begin to study chapter 11 we can get a feel for what he was thinking.

Because he begins chapter 11 with a question.

Romans 11:1 AV

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.

So you can sort of get a feel of what the Apostle is thinking.

I mean he spent good majority of the previous chapter speaking about the Gospel is only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles, they the Gentiles are also the recipients of the same blessings and riches in Christ that the Jews are receiving.

Then, as we saw last week, that the Lord has stretched out His hand to Israel ready to receive them, but they were disobedient.

So He would turn His grace to another nation that would make them jealous, the Gentiles.

So Paul anticipating the natural question (or perhaps has been asked this questions), he answers it in the opening verse.

“Has God cast away his people”.

“Cast away” is the Greek word “ἀπωθέω” and it literal means to “push aside”.

But assed to that, it means to push aside with force, to reject.

This Greek word is used six times in the NT.

It is used in where Paul and Barnabas are in Antioch of Pisidia and they were speaking boldly the truth and they tell the people that it was necessary that they speak the Word of God to them since they have (ἀπωθέω…translated) “thrust” it aside.

This Greek word, ἀπωθέω, is also used twice here and also in where it is translated “reject”.

So the question that Paul is address here is “has God rejected or thrust aside, with force, His people”.

I want to bring to your attention some textual information that I believe is important and I hope that you will find it as informative as I did.

When we study verse 1, we have what is called a textual variant.

A textual variant us when one Greek manuscript says something different from another Greek manuscript.

You say, “How can that be isn’t there only one?”

No there isn’t only one.

Without taking the time to go through all the history of the transmission of the NT, that is not my assignment tonight, let me just say to you that we have much more that just one Greek manuscript.

In fact, we have approximately 5,690 Greek manuscripts of the NT.

For a more detailed discussion of the topic then we have time for here, listen to John MacArthur’s sermon “The Fitting End to Mark’s Gospel” @ gty.org.

Now, without bogging you down with a lot of details that we do not have time to get into, let me just say that not all of those 5,690 manuscripts are complete NT manuscripts; in fact, most are not.

They are fragments that have been found over the years and dated as to when it was thought that they were written.

And when you bring all of the fragments together and view them, you can be very sure that you have a record of what the Lord wants to say to you.

Even NT Skeptic Bart Ehrman says that there is more reliable proof for the NT then any other book of antiquity.

But I could go on for a long time on the topic of “textual criticism”, but I do not want to stray from the text.

The variant that I want to bring to your attention in verse 1 is the word “people”.

Now, like most variants that you will encounter in the NT, they do not make a difference on the interpretation or meaning of the text.

In fact, ever English translation and most Greek manuscripts have “λαός” or “people”.

However, are a few Greek witnesses that have a different Greek word.

There is a manuscript P46, “P” stands for Papyrus, which is how many of the Greek manuscripts were written on at first, and the number 46 is how they are cataloged.

P46 has the Greek “κληρονομιαν” which is translated “inheritance”.

P46, which I have in my library, and is from the 2nd century; Romans is believed to be originally written in the Spring of A.D. 56, so this is a very close witness.

Now, as I said, this variant (and a word is considered a variant if the scribes added or deleted breath marks), does not make a difference on the interpretation of the text.

But when you discover this very early witness that uses “inheritance” rather than “people” that exciting to me.

In fact, there are at least three place in the Scripture where his people are called “an inheritance”; , and .

So, the Apostle poses the question “has God thrust aside his inheritance?”

I mean, since the Gentiles are receiving all the benefits of Grace, does that mean that God has thrust aside with force His inheritance?

God Forbid! He says.

“μή γίνομαι” and that is the strongest way in the Greek language to express something.

This is the Optative Mood, which is Paul’s way of expressing an intense desire or wish.

With all the emotion that the Apostle can bring, he says, “May that never be said” or “by no means”.

He then continues with the fact, and this would have added to the emotion, “I am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin”.

“I mean, may that never be said that God has thrust aside the Jews, because I am one”.

Despite Israel being disobedient and obstinate , Scripture is replete with the Lord’s promises never to forsake His chosen people.

1 Samuel 12:22 ESV

For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.

Through the Psalmist the Lord declared to Israel:

Psalm 89:31–37 ESV

if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

Psalm 89

Psalm 94:14 ESV

For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;

Psalm 106:44–45 ESV

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

God’s grace always surpasses Hus people’s sins.

is entirely devoted to thanking and praising God for His unalterable and permanent covenant relationship with Israel.

Psalm 105:8–10 ESV

He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,

Psalm 105:8-10

After Israel returned from seventy years of captivity in Babylon, the Levites spoke to the Lord on behalf of a now penitent nation, acknowledging before Him the people’s repeated cycles of going from wickedness to penitence to forgiveness to restoration and then reverting again to wickedness:

Nehemiah 9:26–27 ESV

“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

Neh.

Nehemiah 9:31 ESV

Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Although Israel deserved on God’s damnation, His own promises to her would not permit it.

Nehemiah 9:32 ESV

“Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.

Because of His covenant promises to Israel, that nation was never, and can never be completely cast aside by the Lord.

And then in, what I believe to be one of the greatest Scriptural evidence of the Perseverance of the Saints, Paul turns that same promise, not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles as well.

In light of the context of out study, if you study verse 2 and still believe that God does not hold onto His own, then you have completely misinterpreted the verse.

This is beautiful.....Next time!!!

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Vol. 2, p. 90). Chicago: Moody Press.