I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. (Romans 11:1)
Apostle Paul was saying that Jews are not excluded from the message of grace. He cited himself as an example of a believing Jew.
God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (Romans 11:2-4)
Prophet Elijah thought that God had cast off the nation and he was the only one left serving the Lord. But God showed him that there was in fact a remnant.
Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. (Romans 11:5)
God will often use a small group of people to accomplish big things. With the Lord, things may often start small but it does not remain like this always.
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. (Romans 11:6)
Just as oil and water don’t mix, as principles, grace and works don’t mix together.
“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.”
And David says:
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.” (Romans 11:8-10)
What I am saying may be slightly out of context with Romans 11 but this will be very helpful to you.
There are demonic powers that hinder us from seeing clearly in the realm of the spirit. Notice the phrases, ‘the spirit of stupor’ and ‘let their eyes be darkened’.
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:11)
The Amplified Bible reads, "So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall [to their utter spiritual ruin, irretrievably]? By no means!"
Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:12-15)
Throughout scripture, we see that the gospel only went out to the Gentiles after the Jewish people rejected it. (Read Acts 13:46)
Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46)
When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. (Acts 18:5-6)
In many such instances, the rejection of the gospel by the Jews became riches for the Gentiles.
However, Paul deeply desired that this would provoke the Jews to jealousy, motivating them to receive the blessings the Gentiles enjoyed. An example of this would be David being provoked to jealousy seeing Obed Edom prosper. This motivated David to bring the ark back. (Read 2 Samuel 6:12)
For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. (Romans 11:16-18)
The firstfruit probably represents the first Christians, who were Jewish.
On a side note: When you bring your first fruits to the Lord, the remaining portion is also holy.
Apostle Paul was warning the Gentiles against boasting in the fact that salvation had been opened to them based on their goodness. The unbelief of the Jews had caused them to be broken off and that the same thing could happen to the Gentiles if they were not careful to stand strong in faith.
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. (Romans 11:22)
God's turning from the Jewish nation to the Gentiles had both severity and goodness in it. It had severe consequences for the Jews, but it blessed the rest of the world.
And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. (Romans 11:23)
Some Gentile believers were erroneously led to think that there was no hope and future for Israel. Israel had rejected the gospel of grace and it had now passed to the Gentiles. God had now chosen them instead. It is this kind of pride that Paul is opposing
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26-27)
There are many Old Testament prophecies that speak of the Jewish nation being restored to its former status, both physically and spiritually. The Jewish nation as a whole will turn to God, but there will be individual Jews who may not.
For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] (Romans 11:29 Amplified)
If God has called you, that calling is still there. Now you may have messed up, backslidden or simply not feeling like you have it all right, the truth is, the calling of God is lying dormant.
And if God gave you a gift—if He gifted you along a certain line—that gift is still there!
All you need to do is this. Apostle Paul told Timothy to “stir up” the gift that was within him, saying, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6).
Someday you feel the gift of God is not functioning in you and through you. The truth is, it's still there.
Now there is a downside to this. If you see the life of Samson, Judas. There was compromise and hypocrisy in their personal lives, and yet the gift continued to function.
This is true in the natural and the spiritual realm as well. A person may be born a gifted singer in the natural realm. He or she sings in bars and gets people high on booze or drugs. God does not take away the gift that He placed on the inside of that person. This was a gift that God gave and it is up to the person to use it to serve God, himself or some demonic power.
Likewise when we are born again of His Spirit. We are given spiritual gifts. We have a choice to use these gifts to glorify the Lord under His guidance or use these gifts to serve self.
This is what happened to King Saul, He became yesterday’s man. He continued to wear the crown today.
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