Romans 11:25-36 God’s extreme mercies

Romans 11:25-36

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery —so that you will not be wise in your own estimation —that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“ The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “ This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Background

Paul reminds the Gentile believers that the salvation of the world must include their Jewish brothers, and that the Jew’s rejection of the gospel is only partial and temporary. God’s extreme mercies and capacity for forgiveness will once again reach out to the Jews when He appears this time as the victorious Messiah. This shows that God does not give up on even the hardest of sinners. If God has not given up on the Jews, we must also not give up on anyone.

Having said that, Gentiles believers must not be arrogant but learn from the mistakes of the Jews and not to repeat them. Both the Jews and the Gentiles are arrogant and disobedient at some point, if not for the extreme mercies of God, none can be saved. As Christians, do we accept people’s criticism with an open mind? Do we despise others thinking that we have all the right answers?

Observation

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery —so that you will not be wise in your own estimation —that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“ The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “ This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

Paul warns the Gentile believers not to be conceited in their erroneous thinking supposing that God has given up on Israel: so that you will not be wise in your own estimation. God who knew the Israelites intimately has determined that their hardening or rejection of God is only partial and temporary. Through the ministry of a remnant of Israel, and at the appearance of Christ in His glory, Israel will publicly acknowledge Christ as the Messiah. God has reserved the revelation of Christ as the Deliverer for the salvation of Israel as the final event, but only after the Gentile world is fully evangelised: until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. However, it does not mean that every individual with Jewish descent will be saved, but only those who turn from their sins and acknowledge Christ as Lord. We can see that God is faithful, He will not give up on the rebellious; even Israel, who has been enemies of the gospel for the past 3800 years since the days of Abraham.

28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

Even though the Jews persecuted the ministers of the gospel: From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies, but they are nevertheless beloved of God because of His unfailing love towards them and His faithfulness towards Abraham. God is like a loving Father, who will never give up reaching out to his children who has gone astray; His love and His gifts for his children will never be revoked: for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Having said that, the Jew’s persecution of the Apostles actually resulted in them turning their focus to the rest of the world.

30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Paul says the above in the context of His own ministry where He was forced to go to the Gentiles because of the Jews’ rejection of the gospel. Nevertheless, the Jews’ disobedience towards God actually resulted in the Gentiles receiving mercy through the Paul’s ministry. It is intentional in a way that the Gentiles’ salvation may provoke the Jews into jealousy and towards repentance: because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. Nevertheless, there is no cause for either the Jews nor the Gentiles to despise the other because all have been found disobedient at some point. It is God’s mercies and unfailing love that resulted in the salvation of all: For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

God’s infinite wisdom is shown in the way He dealt with wickedness and injustice in the world. In the days of the Old Testament, the Jewish leaders were wicked, they fleece the people and took advantage of them. Some would say that God should destroy the wicked and spare the righteous. But at the same time, there is none righteous in this world, those who claim to be innocent are also evil in the way they treat their members at home. Therefore, God works the course of history in a way that man may not fully understand: How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! However, God’s decisions are perfect, merciful and just.

Truth

1.   Once God adopts you as His son, you are His son forever unless you choose to abandon Him: for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. No matter how rebellious His children may be, nothing can take away God’s love and longing for His children. What God has started in Israel, He will finish by saving the Jews when He returns as the victorious Messiah. He will not give up reaching out to all people desiring that none will perish but all to repent. When believers backslide, do not give up reaching out to them as God has not given up on them. If you have backslided in anyway, there is no better time than to turn back to God today. Jesus says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).

2.   Do not think that you know yourself well enough that others cannot criticize you. God is able to see the things that lay hidden in our heart that we could not see. Hence, Paul told the Gentile believers not to be arrogant. Some people may appear humble and sincere, but the moment they are promoted, they start to distant themselves from their friends. I have heard many people say how they wish they could return to the days of simplicity where they are happier even though they are poorer. Nobody would ever think that they could ever be unfaithful to their spouse on the day they got married; they are not aware of their propensity to sin and lust. People start to change when success gets to their heads for we are all corruptible men and women. If not for God’s enduring love towards us, we could have destroyed ourselves. Therefore, let us be humble and be open to criticism so that we could change and experience more of God’s mercy in our lives: For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

3.   God is faithful not only to you but to your children and your children’s children. Just as God is faithful to the Jews because of His relationship with Abraham: they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. This is great incentive to remain faithful to God and to love Him, because He is faithful to our generations to come. Even if our children rebel against God and abandon Him, God remembers His covenant with us and will hold onto our children.

4.    God’s blessings upon your life could also stir non-believers into jealousy and moving them to pursue God in repentance. However, do bear in mind the greater blessings of life include peace, joy, health, unity in the community and a clear calling for your life.

Application

1.    Do you remember the time when God first spoke to you regarding your calling? If He has spoken, perhaps it is time to do a review as to where you stand in reference to that calling. At same time continue to pray for your unsaved children, spouse, friends and relatives that God may use you to reach out to them just as He used the Gentiles to reach out to the Jews.

2.    Do you sometimes defend yourself excessively? Try to understand the reasons behind your behavior as it could stem from fear of failure and fear of man.

3.    Write on paper a list of things that people said concerning you that needed improvement. Identify some of the key areas and request your mentor to help you progress.

Dear Lord, I thank you for placing a calling in my life. I recognize Your extreme mercies are at work, and what You have started in my life, You will fulfill it to perfection. Release me from my past failures that haunts me and hinders my progress. As I humble myself before You, raise me up as Your servant to bring salvation to my world. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.