Read Romans 10:11-11:6
In verse 10, we saw that justification is the result of believing “with the heart,” but that this results in confessing with the mouth that “Jesus is Lord [Jehovah].” Justification and salvation are not two events. They refer to the same experience viewed from different perspectives. In verse 11, Paul confirms that salvation has always been on the ground of faith by quoting Isaiah 28:16, “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (LXX). Now in verses 12 and 13, Paul asserts that God makes no distinction between Jews and Greeks (i.e., Gentiles), for he states, “The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”1 This was true even in Old Testament times. While God’s program centred around the seed of Abraham, yet there were many Gentiles who knew God. Two exceptional examples are Melchizedek and Job. Notice particularly Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” This is a quotation from Joel 2: 32, where the word for “the LORD” is Jehovah. This Hebrew verse, along with others, clearly indicates that Jesus is Jehovah. See also Isaiah 40:3 and Matthew 3:3. Verses 14 and 15 give us a rebuttal to verse 13, where Paul imagines the Jews disclaiming any responsibility for their unbelief. Notice the four questions, commencing with the word “How.” “How shall they call on … How shall they believe … How shall they hear … How shall they preach …?” Paul answers these four objections by just answering the fourth question, “As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (v15). This is a quote, in part, from Isaiah 52:7. Notice that the context of this verse in Isaiah is predicting future salvation. Notice also the change in Romans 10:15 from “Him” in Isaiah 52:7 to “them” in Romans. The original reference in Isaiah is to the Messiah Himself. But here we have not only the Messiah, as He brought the truth of the gospel in His earthly life, but, subsequently, the preaching of the gospel by the apostles following the return of Christ to heaven. The fact that the gospel has been preached to Jews and Gentiles removes all the objections of verses 14 and 15. Verse 16 goes on to indicate that the fact of Israel’s unbelief was also predicted by Isaiah (53:1). Romans 10:17 draws the conclusion: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of [concerning] Christ” (ESV).
In verses 18-21, Paul puts the blame for Israel’s unbelief squarely upon the nation. In verse 14, Paul had posed the question, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” Now, in verse 18, he answers that question: “Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.” Paul applies the principle taught in Psalm 19:4. In Luke 24:47, the risen Lord Jesus said to His disciples that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” In Acts 1:8, the Lord said to the disciples, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The Jewish nation was given priority in hearing the gospel. But it was not exclusively for them. It seems that one of the greatest stumbling-blocks to the Jews was that the gospel was not exclusively for them. Paul asks the question, “Did not Israel know?” (Rom 10:19). He goes on to quote Deuteronomy 32:21 and Isaiah 65:1-2 to indicate that the Old Testament Scriptures certainly warned the nation that, because of their unbelief, the gospel was going to go to the Gentiles. If they didn’t know, it wasn’t because they hadn’t been told. This leads us into chapter 11.
God’s Plan for Israel
Paul commences chapter 11 by asking the question, “Hath God cast away his people?” The verb “to cast away” is in the aorist tense, which emphasizes the end result rather than the process. The idea being expressed here is, “Has God totally and finally rejected the nation of Israel?” Paul’s immediate response is “God forbid” or, literally, “May it not be.” Ten times in Romans Paul uses this expression in response to questions he himself asked. Darby translates it as “Far be the thought.”
As proof that God has not abandoned His people, Paul states, “For I also am an Israelite.” Then he states, “God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” (v2). The key to the meaning of this statement is the phrase “which he foreknew.” This is the second time this verb appears in the Roman epistle, the first being in 8:29. There we read, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Peter also uses this verb in 1 Peter 1:20: “Who [Christ] verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.” Here it is translated “was foreordained,” which clearly is the idea being conveyed. The same is true in Romans 8:29 and 11:2. Back in chapter 9 Paul wrote, “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel .… They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (vv6,8). Paul continues by reminding them of Elijah’s appeal to God, “Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life,” to which God replied, “I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal” (11:3-4; see 1Ki 19:14,18). As in the past, God still has a remnant who are faithful to Him (v5). Paul is quick to stress that this is on the principle of unmerited favour, not works (v6).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
