Title: The Unrepentant Gift and Call of God
Romans 88
God's Unrepentant Gifts and Calls
Romans 11:23-36
1. Israel in God's love
In verse 28, Paul expresses the two-sided relationship between God and Israel as ‘the enemy’ and ‘the one who is loved’.
(1) He said, “If it is the gospel, they are enemies because of you.” Now Israel is in a position of enmity with God. Because they have not accepted the Son of God and are rebelling against the righteousness of God. But Paul is blaming “because of you” against such a thing. These words of Paul are revealing that the relationship between Israel and God has become an enemy by God in Abraham and Israel in order to save the Gentiles together with Israel, and by calling the Gentiles through the gospel. It reminds us that if it were not for the Gospel, Israel would still be in a position to receive the grace of salvation through Abraham's faith. This does not mean that they came to salvation because they were descendants of Abraham, but it means that under the Old Testament, there were only children of promise among the descendants of Abraham's lineage, who were regarded as seeds.
(2) It is said that “the one who was loved because of the ancestors”. The object that is said to be loved is, of course, Israel. Paul's words would be the logic that Israel is in a position of enmity with God because of the gospel, but Israel is still loved by God. Paul's use of the word election here refers to a special case of Israel. Looking at the Bible, we can look at God's choice from two perspectives. One is the choice as a child of God (Ephesians 1:3-5). There can be no Jewish or Gentile barriers to this choice. It is only through this choice that God is accomplishing his work of salvation. But if I mention another choice, it is Israel's choice as God's people.
Israel is the descendant of Abraham. We must not overlook the fact that God planned the birth of the promised Messiah as the descendant of Abraham, the descendant of a woman, and chose Israel as such a people among all men. For Israel, this one fact alone cannot help but be a nation of great glory. Although Israel is now at an enemy with God because it opposes the gospel, it is said that Israel is still loved by God because this election is still in effect. This love brought the restoration of Israel (declared independence on August 15, 1948) as promised to their ancestors. And as promised to Israel in the future, the salvation of the remnant of Israel will be accomplished at the end of mankind.
(3) He said, “The gifts and callings of God are without repentance.” Then, when Israel is rebelling against God, and the period of rebellion continues for a very long time, does God regret their choice? Paul said, “For the gifts and callings of God there is no regret.”
Since God is not life, there can never be any regrets for what He does. He said, “God is not a human being, so that he is not arrogant; he is not a kind man, so he has no regrets. There is nothing wrong with God's choosing Israel against his will. Because it is accomplished according to God's providence, which He wants to accomplish in the first place, there can be no failure in God, and therefore there is no reason for regret. Even now, all these things are being fulfilled according to the eternal providence of God only for the purpose of His glory.
2. God Is Merciful to All
From verses 30 to 32, Paul speaks very harmoniously about the relationship between man's disobedience and God's mercy.
(1) “The disobedient Gentiles received God’s mercy because of Israel’s disobedience.” Because the Gentiles remained abandoned in their sins, they did not know the Word of God nor did they obey the Word. But because of Israel's disobedience, the gospel was preached to the Gentiles, and they received God's mercy and were saved. Israel's disobedience resulted in the Gentiles receiving God's mercy. Here's what Paul has to say about this.
“Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly, saying, The word of God should be preached to you first, but since you have rejected it, and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46).
(2) But Israel's disobedience meant that in the end, the mercy shown to the Gentiles might be obtained for them as well. Disobedience comes from the hardness of the heart. However, God was very patient with human beings in this way, so that in the disobedience, they might gain the mercy of God. The reason Israel is now in disobedience is that God has a wonderful will for them to receive God's mercy, and through this mercy Israel said that the remnant of Israel will be saved from their disobedience now.
(3) Paul came to this conclusion here. “God has imprisoned all men in disobedience, so that he may have mercy on all.” The fall of man caused by one man, Adam, brought about a terrible, irretrievable sin, and all human beings were taken captive in death. God has not opened any way for such a man to attain righteousness. Neither the law given to Moses nor the conscience engraved in the human heart could be an instrument of righteousness. In other words, God has bound us humans in disobedience, so that when the time comes, He will show His great mercy through Jesus Christ by His grace.
Conclusion: When Paul realized the grace of God that was so rewarding and mysterious, he could not help but admire his amazing admiration. “Deep is the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, his judgments are beyond measure, and his ways are beyond finding.” All things come from God and return to God. It is only God who will be glorified for ever and ever. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.