Israel not cast away, Romans 9 -11

“God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.” Romans 11:2 (NKJV)

Jews who believed in Christ for justification are part of the people of God with Gentiles. Together, they are the new people of God who are together in a place of privilege and blessing.

This new people includes the Jews who believe, and therefore, the Jews have not been cast away.

This present people of God is a result of judgment on Israel as a Nation and people rejecting Jesus as the Christ and justification by faith. The number who were disobedient was significant enough that God set them aside for a new people for His purposes.

Israel will be restored again as a people of God. But Israel must be more narrowly defined: For they [are] not all Israel who [are] of Israel, 7 nor [are] [they] all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." 8 That is, those who [are] the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Roma 9:6-8 (NKJV)

Israel is of a specific linage, through Isaac, then Jacob. But even more specific than that, it is those who are justified by faith in Christ: 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Roma 10:3-4(NKJV)

Some Jews believed, but apparently not enough; and so Israel as a people were judged, and broken off from the place of privilege and blessing, and as a result, God grafted in believing Gentiles with those Jews who did believe, and they became the new people of God.

But the time will come when “all Israel will be saved,” (Romans 11:26) but in the more narrowly defined sense (“they are not all Israel who are of Israel”). But all Israel will be saved in the sense of a people, a nation.

Charles Hodge on Romans 11:26: "Israel here must mean the Jewish people, and 'all Israel' the whole nation. The Jews, as a people, are now rejected; as a people they are to be restored. As their rejection, although national, did not include the rejection of every individual, so their restoration though national, need not include the salvation of every Jew. All Israel does not mean all the true people of God, as Augustin, Calvin, and others explain it; nor all the elect Jews -- i,e,, all that part of the nation which constitute "the remnant according to the election of grace" --but the whole nation, as a nation. (Romans Commentary)

Romans 11:19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well [said]. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

Some use this to teach salvation can be lost. However, what is in view is the analogy of the root of an olive tree as the place of Divine privilege and blessing. The root is that place, and the branches the recipients.

What happened to Israel? They as a people were removed from the place of privilege and blessing, the root. Therefore, the unbelieving were broken off, while the believing Jews were not, because the new people who were in the place of privilege and blessing were believers in Christ which included believing Jews.

7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day."

What was sought? Righteousness. Why didn’t they obtain it? They sought it by works of the Law and not faith, Romans 9:32. This righteousness is “justification,” and to be justified is to be saved.

The elect obtained it but the rest were blinded. Israel as a nation of people did not obtain it, but there were those of Israel who did. We could argue that the elect are those who God chose to find it, but if that is how it works, then why “blind” the rest? If they are not chosen, why blind them, since they can’t see anyway?

It’s not that all of Israel sought righteousness by the Law. Some did seek it by faith. And grace is received by faith.

But because many or most of Israel did not seek this righteousness by faith, God removed Israel from the place of privilege and blessing.

I believe the blinding is explained in the quote from Isaiah, taken from 29:10-13. God removed their continual reception of the word of God.

Since Israel was removed from their special status, those unbelieving Jews were “broken Off” from then place of privilege and blessing, which only believers, Jew and Gentile would enjoy.

Thus we can understand Romans 11:16-21 as speaking of the “root” as the place of privilege and blessing.

The Jew being outside of this place, and seeing God’s working especially among the Gentiles, might then seek the truth out of jealousy.

This is why Paul sought to magnify his ministry among the Gentiles: “13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy [those] [who] [are] my flesh and save some of them.”