Truth Rightly Divided

Romans 11:1-10

NGH BIBLE STUDY – ROMANS – OUTLINE #23

The Preservation of the Remnant (Romans 11:1–10)

If chapter 9 dealt with Israel’s past and chapter 10 with its present – chapter 11 will deal with Israel’s future – and answer the critical question asked in Rom 11:1 – “Has God cast away His People?”. Are all of God’s OT promises and covenants voided by the gospel now being preached? Have God’s purposes for the Church permanently replaced or fulfilled his promises to Israel? Our next three studies, taking us through chapter 11, will deal directly with this question. Does Israel as a national entity still have a future in divine purpose, or has God cast away his people? Paul’s emphatic answer in Rom 11:1 (“Certainly not” in NKJV or “God forbid” in KJV or “By no means” in ESV) shows how importantly he views this subject. God’s honour and God’s faithfulness are at stake – can God be trusted to keep his word?

Outline

Rom 11:1-6 – God has not cast away his people

  • Paul’s emphatic rebuttal to the question “Has God cast away his people” – Rom 11:1
  • Paul’s own conversion is proof of this – individual Jewish people were being saved – Rom 11:1
  • Example from Elijah’s day – Elijah thought he was the only one left – God says “no” – he had a faithful remnant – Rom 11:2-4
  • God presently has a remnant of Israel that are being saved by grace – Rom 11:5
  • “Grace” and “works” as a basis for attaining divine favour are totally incompatible – Rom 11:6
    (a frequent theme in this epistle!)

Rom 11:7-10 – National Israel has not received it’s promised blessing – but a remnant are being blessed by grace

  • Judicial blindness has been placed on national Israel because of their hardness and rejection of Christ (Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 29:10 and Psalm 69:22-23)
  • A remnant is receiving blessing

Key Points/Questions for Discussion

  1. Why is Paul so emphatic in his answer in Rom 11:1? Why is a literal understanding of God’s OT promises and covenants so essential to defending God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness?
  2. How can we be encouraged by the example from Elijah’s day that Paul provides? Maintaining testimony is a challenge and a responsibility – but it ultimately doesn’t all rest on us – God has (and will) maintain a testimony and will accomplish his purposes.
  3. How do we distinguish between individual Jewish people (like Paul) who are saved and are in the church and the future blessing of Israel as a national entity
    (described later in this chapter)?
  4. Does “judicial blindness” preclude human responsibility? Are there Biblical examples of how human unbelief can eventually lead to judicial blindness? (e.g. Pharoah “hardening his heart” and then the Lord “hardening Pharoah’s heart?)
  5. Why does Paul return again (in Rom 11:6) to the incompatibility between “Grace” and “Works” as a basis for obtaining divine blessing – stating even more emphatically than to this point in the letter that if you have one you absolutely can’t have the other?