By Liaf
We are going to wrap up the third chapter of
a three-chapter discourse of Paul’s about the nature and
purpose of Israel. I think you already perceive that the church
basically teaches that the Jews were needed to bring the Messiah
into the world, and because of distant (almost vague) promises to
the Patriarchs many years prior to Messiah that the Jews would
eventually be saved even though they rejected the gospel. But
above and beyond that, they have no other function (except maybe
to feed some people’s insatiable appetite to look for
end-time events through their behavior). In addition, the church
believes that certain non-Israelite Gentiles were that nation to
“provoke Jews to jealousy” given the responsibility to
carry the gospel to the world. We teach on this site that
the Jews were the part of Israel that followed the Law, and as
such did not find grace because they were following righteousness
by the Law. (I find that a living and constant demonstration of
the futility of the Law to save anybody). But a racially
elect portion of exiled Israel would later become a multitude
of great nations, in whom there were people called by
grace (a chosen remnant) to carry out the gospel of grace.
That’s the difference--- and a big one, too! God
would not have made promises to Abraham about having
descendents as a blessing to all nations only to spiritualize
them into descendents of faith alone. They were to be both
racially and “gracially” selected! And if I may
add a side note here, we often taught that Israel was God’s
oracle people to the fallen world. At one time, a Gentile could
have become part of Israel by following the Law, having
circumcision, etc. But with the “demonstration” of the
inefficiency of Law to save them (Israel) and everybody else, now
God uses the elect portion of Israel to spread the gospel as a
light to the fallen world --- the same basic purpose, just a
two-fold nature of their operation and the covenants. Got that?
Lets turn to Romans chapter 11:
Romans 11:1-6: 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.
So, if we could ask Paul about Israel, we
might have asked him the same thing the others would have by
questioning, “Well, Paul, what about Israel? The Lost Tribes
are nowhere to be found--- scattered abroad. The Jews, which are
known to the world, rejected the gospel. What gives? Did God cast
away His people?” NO! Paul himself said he is an Israelite,
namely from the tribe of Benjamin. Yet he assured us that he was
a chosen apostle to preach the gospel of grace (well,
there’s at least one Israelite that is not cast away,
and if not him, not all the others either). However, Paul was
assuring us that while there were racial children of promise,
only an elect few (by grace) were once chosen as demonstrated in
the Old Testament story about Elijah. Even so (likewise,
or in the same way) there is an election of grace of certain
people of Israel now. These people (especially the
people of the Lost Tribes) would aspire to greatness and from
them would come the election of grace. Again, Paul
contrasted works and grace. The Jews were the “works”
clan and just as they were not the chosen (birthright) race,
likewise the chosen race (of Israel) obtained grace. Because they
are of grace, they are not the “works” crowd. If
election and salvation would be of “works”, that would
defeat the whole point of grace (and the chosen, blessed race).
Or again, if the gospel “did take” with the Jew, then
they’d be of both the race and grace crowd. You see, either
way this would defeat the dualistic nature that Paul was trying
to explain. Let’s continue reading this chapter:
Romans 11:7-10: What then? Israel hath
not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath
obtained it, and the rest were blinded [Paul now quotes
scripture about those who are 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. [this
is the Jew]
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.
In other words, Paul was saying that Israel
did not obtain what they sought for (the grace) and of course
they were exiled becoming the Lost Tribes. The elect within that
group obtained it (the grace) and the rest (the Jews) were
blinded to the gospel.
Romans 11:11-12: 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. 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?
Paul continued the subject of stumbling
of the Jewish portion of Israel. He assured his readers that God
did not cause their fall just for the heck of it, or merely
because He was a wrathful God. Rather, their fall happened so
that salvation would come to the Gentiles including the elect
race of Israel so that those of the election of grace could
spread the gospel. The Jews were provoked to jealousy over
this--- they were diminished (i.e. a supposed failure) but if
their fall enabled the launch of the gospel of grace (which is
amazing in itself), how much more so when the elect portion of
Israel comes to their fullness (i.e. the fulfillment of the
birthright promises) to carry out the gospel? Shortly, we will
come across that word “fulness” again. I will then
state the Scripture Paul was alluding to, and it will amaze you.
Romans 11:13-24: For I speak to you
[the Romans whom he was addressing] Gentiles, inasmuch as I am
the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
If by any means I may provoke to
emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
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?
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump
is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
And if some
of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree,
wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root
and fatness of the olive tree
Boast not against the branches. But if
thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, The branches were
broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Well; because of unbelief they were
broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but
fear:
For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also
shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they abide not still in
unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in
again.
For if thou wert cut out of the olive
tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature
into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the
natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
This next portion of Scripture is about the
“mystery of the wild olive branch” and summarizes
nicely the “mystery of the Gospel” that Paul taught
regarding the non-Israelite Gentiles being heirs in the promises
to Abraham. This passage in and of itself is a long lesson. I
only want to highlight a few things here, however. Paul again was
concerned about his kinsmen, and if by chance he could have some
of them saved, he would. He then compared them (the Jew) to
broken off branches where Gentile converts could be graphed in
their place. This is what is commonly referred to as the
“church age” where Gentiles are included in the
promises and plan of salvation (then the end-times begin after
the church is taken before the Tribulation). Notice Paul
said “some” of the branches (not all) where broken off.
Most people see this word “some” as meaning there were
some Jewish converts who were not broken off --- I agree. But as
we’ve been digging into these chapters, we already saw that
the elect race of Israel would have some within their ranks who
would later accept the gospel (by God’s grace). These are
the majority of the branches while the majority of the Jews (or
“some”) were broken off. These people, along with the
graphed-in Gentiles, would get their source from that olive tree
(symbolic of the life in Christ empowered by the Spirit). The
Gentiles, not being native to the oracles of God, were thus
referred to as a “wild” branch. Consequently, Paul
warned them that they would stay in place, provided they
continued to be useful (i.e. “in his goodness”)--- for
if God lopped off his chosen people, He would have no
better motivation to spare a wild branch either. Likewise, the
Jew was familiar with the revelation of God--- it’s just
that they did not seek righteousness by faith through Christ.
Given that their block would be removed and they’d turn
again to God in faith, they would “fit back in” more
naturally than the heathen Gentile. The next verse is going to
knock the socks off of you IF you really understand and
appreciate what we teach here. It will open eyes like never
before.
Romans 11:25-27: 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 [literally “partial blindness”] is
happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in.
And so [i.e., “in this
manner”] all Israel shall be saved: as it is written,
There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob:
For this is my covenant unto them, when I
shall take away their sins.
If you were like me, you heard that these
verses meant that the Jews would be blind until all the Gentiles
that God called would come into His fold, and then the Jew would
be saved later at the end-times. Nope. Verse 25 is a revelation
of a mystery that could stand alone (in my opinion) but
complimented and summarized what Paul was saying earlier. Israel
was blind to their identity becoming the Lost Tribes. And
for that matter, the Jew was blind to the faith revealed in the
gospel. But this was supposed to happen, Paul stated, until
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Now what do you
suppose that meant? Paul was quoting Genesis 48:19 where Ephraim
would become a multitude of nations. This can equally be
translated the fullness of the nations! And if you’ve
been following our teaching here, these people would lose their
identity to become as “Gentile” nations! What Paul was
saying was that Israel’s partial blindness would be there
until they become a multitude of mighty nations (from whence came
our greatest preachers, evangelists and missionaries to the
world). Then they would be powerful preachers of the gospel with
a testimony that would save many of themselves and others! Thus, in
this manner all Israel shall be saved! In other words, Paul
was pointing out that despite the blindness of the Jew, and
despite the “lost ness” of Israel as they became the
“Lost Tribes”, God would eventually use them (and
indeed started off with a select few) mightily as His new oracle
people with a new name as the Bible says of them! And if I may
add one more thought here, the birthright tribe of Joseph had
Ephraim (which means ‘fruitful’) and Manasseh. As with
any of the firstborn, they inherited a double portion. That
foreshadowed both an election of race and grace for these
people. None of this was meant for the Jew. The Jews had
their own promises. The Anglo-Saxon/Celtic and kindred tribes
were the chosen race of God (Israel) to bring the Gospel to the
world. Does that mean they are superior? No, no, a thousand
times no! It means they were chosen for a responsibility that
they’d better wake up to and keep lest they’d be
punished more than those who were not entrusted with the oracles
of God. They are God’s workers in other words. They are
responsible for bringing into the Kingdom people from all
kindreds. Remember, an election of race only enables a
certain people for God’s purpose, but includes only Earthly
blessings in and of itself. These people still need to be saved
spiritually. However, an election of grace (the best kind)
includes all people. Paul then said, “As concerning
the gospel, they [the Jews] are enemies for your sakes:
but as touching the election, they [Ephraim-Israel] are
beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance.”
In other words, the Jews were to be enemies
of the gospel, but the elect part of Israel (the birthright
people) were beloved for the fathers’ sakes because
of the promises of God as a reward to the patriarchal
fathers’ faith. In short, Paul was saying that things may
not have looked too good on the surface for Israel, but God had
promises to keep, and as a result Israel was not cast away.
The rest of the chapter basically has
Paul’s reaction of praise (in which some of it is
Scripture)--- he said the same thing I always say about God. God’s
a genius! Who else would have thought up a marvelous story
that Paul had to tell in the last three chapters? I remember
putting out a message not long ago about having a “praise
reaction” when the purpose of God is understood
intellectually resulting in an emotional praise reaction (as
opposed to emotional praise alone). I forget which message that
was---- well, I guess you’ll just have to read all of
them. J