About Israel (4): To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done (Romans 11:25-36)

Prayer

Father, we remember Moses request, “Now show me your glory.” Show us now why we should glorify you, why forever and ever we should sing this song of praise, because of what you have done through Jesus. In Jesus’ name.

Amen

Introduction

"To him be the glory forever, Amen." That is Paul’s last word in the monumental argument of Romans chapters 1 to 11. Paul wanted to travel to Spain to preach the gospel. He wanted the Roman Christians to help him get there. But he also wanted to help the Roman Christians deal with some issues that were perennial in the early church. Paul had never been to Rome when he wrote it, but he wanted to make both his gospel and Christian ethics known to the church. And so Paul explains his gospel.

Chapter 11 verse 36 is where he ends his explanation of the gospel and some of the pressing theological issues that he believes are effecting the Roman church: “To him be the glory forever, Amen.”

That is, Paul finishes on God’s glory. But some of you know that this is where some Christians start. So the Westminster Catechism, used by Presbyterians, asks first up.

What is the chief end of man? The Chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.[1] We exist for God’s glory.

Is this the way you normally think? Today, my chief duty is to glorify God and enjoy him? Is that what you think as you rise each morning?

Context

Mind you, it’s taken Paul 11 chapters to get to this. For Paul, this is the end point of all his thinking about God and his relationship with him. It is not the beginning. It is right to say our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. But Paul has taken 11 chapters to get there. What is it that has brought Paul to this point where he can exclaim, “To him be the glory forever, Amen”?

Well, we need a thumbnail sketch of the first 11 chapters. And Paul started with us, with our sinfulness. All of us have rebelled against God.

But the gospel, the good news is that God has done something for us, to deal with our sin. What we could not do because of our sin, God did, through Jesus Christ. God presented his own Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice of atonement. He laid on Jesus all our sins, who took the punishment for our sins, so that by trusting Christ, our sins are blotted out, forgiven, erased, and thus those who confess with their mouths Jesus is Lord, and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead will be saved. God considers us righteous by faith despite our bad record and bad heart. And God has given us his Spirit, by whom we can put to death our sinfulness. That’s chapters 1 to 8 of Romans.

In Chapters 9 to 11, Paul raises a problem: why does Israel, the Jewish nation, not believe in Jesus Christ? Why don’t the Jewish people accept Jesus as their Messiah? Has God rejected his Old Testament people? And the passage that was read for us today are Paul’s last words in answer to those question

Now, as we look at this passage, I want us to look at two things. I want to look at the ‘who’ and the ‘why’. Who are those who will (willingly) glorify God and enjoy him forever? Who are those who will willing give God the glory forever and ever, as Paul prays and does? And the second question is, why will they willingly glorify God and enjoy him forever?

Who Will Glorify God And Enjoy Him Forever? All Israel (vv. 25-27)

Verses 25 to 26a:

²⁵ “[2]I do not want you (pl) to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited[3], Israel has experienced a hardening in part, until the full number[4] of the Gentiles has come in ²⁶and so [literally, ‘thus’ or ‘in this way’] all Israel will be saved […] [5].

Paul doesn’t want us gentile Christians to be conceited[6] nor ignorant. A mystery has been revealed.[7] And the mystery is this:

True Israel = the Israel within Israel + Elect gentiles

Let me say it again: True Israel is the Israel within Israel, together with the elect Gentiles.[8]

Some in Israel are not really Israel (Rom 9:6). They are the ones who reject Jesus as the Christ. They are the part of Israel that has experienced a hardening.[9]

No true blue Jew would reject Jesus as the Messiah. Those who reject Jesus might have the right bloodline, but the wrong belief. And so they are not Israel.

But some outside Israel are really Israel. Paul says “In this way” or “thus” all Israel will be saved. So, “all Israel” includes the “full number of Gentiles”. In other words, in verse 26, Paul is talking about a broader ‘spiritual Israel’. Paul calls this elsewhere the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16).[10] It is the church.

Some people disagree that this is the mystery Paul is talking about here. But Paul has talked this way in other places. So in Ephesians 3:6:

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.’ (Eph 3:6 NIV)

As a boy I learnt the song, “Father Abraham has many sons, many sons has father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you.” I always wondered about it. That was a mystery to me! I am not Abraham’s son! I am not even a Jew! I was a half-Maltese, half Australian boy, in a Catholic infants school, singing that I was the son of the ancestor of the Jews that died 4000 years ago.

But the New Testament teaches that we might be Abraham’s spiritual descendants—not of Abraham’s flesh, but of his faith. For Abraham is the father of all who believe in Jesus Christ (Rom 4:11). So, there is now neither Jew nor Greek (Gal 3:28). There is only ‘in Christ’ or ‘outside of Christ’. If we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s children. We are included in Israel.

Who are those who will (willingly) glorify God and enjoy him forever? Who are those who will give God the glory, just as Paul has?

There is no reason why it need not be you, as long as you repent towards God and believe in Jesus. For there is a new Israel being formed as we speak, consisting of those who trust in Jesus. They will never be put to shame.

This is the answer to the question, ‘who will glorify God?’ The answer is, Jews and gentiles who trust Jesus.[11] But we now need to ask the question, why will these glorify God and enjoy him forever? And the first answer comes to us in verses 28-29.

They Are Elect (vv. 28-29)

Verses 28-29:

²⁸As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. ²⁹For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.[12]

Here I think Paul is talking about individual elect Jews,[13] the hidden ‘Israel within Israel’. They are “enemies according to the gospel”. This is because they do not believe the gospel yet!

Paul, it seems to me, speaks of those Jews like himself who were once enemies of the gospel, who tried to prevent the gospel going to the gentiles (1 Thess 2:15-16), but whose hearts God had planned to change and will indeed change. These are those loved on account of the patriarchs. That is, these are those who receive the promises that were originally given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Genesis.

And God is no Indian-giver when it comes to election. His gifts and his call are irrevocable. His grace to them, the elect, is irresistible. Paul might have kicked and resisted, but Christ got him before too long. And thus the elect remnant of the Jews, chosen according to grace, will be brought in, even if they don’t believe now.

Someone might say, “God doesn’t force me to believe, does he!” No, he doesn’t force you. He woos you and me and makes us want to come to him. He changes our wills and makes us willing. He takes the unwilling will, and wills it to be willing.

And God doesn’t change his mind about his gifts and call. It is an effective call and irresistible grace, and a good thing too, because we need to know that God finishes the projects he starts.

They Are Disobedient (vv. 30-32)

Let’s just have a think about God’s plan of salvation. Let’s think about how God allowed humans to sin in the first place. God allowed the fall of humans—indeed, in a sense he predestined them. And then over thousands of years, God established a relationship with Israel—all this to prepare us for the coming of Christ.

It just seems fantastic and unbelievable! Why did God do it that way?

God could have prevented Adam and Eve from sinning, couldn’t he? Then Jesus would not have had to die for our sins, would he? And there would be no hell, not judgment, no sin, no suffering, no misery.

Well, there is an answer to this sort of question.[14] Paul gives it in verse 32[15]:

For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

God wanted to relate to humanity in a way that would show his mercy. So God bound all men over to disobedience. He has shut every one of us in a prison of disobedience. He allowed each of us to disobey him, and fall into sin, so that every person he brings into the coming kingdom of heaven can only say, “I am here because of God’s mercy. There is no other reason. I don’t deserve to be here. I really belong in hell, with those others who rejected Christ.[16] But God has given me salvation and heaven as a gift.”

So there is nothing in any of us that God looks at and says, “Ah yes, I should save Chris, or Liana, or Pete, or Stuart, or Lil, or Kay, or me.” There is nothing in us, no work we can carry to judgement day, that will justify us, and make us acceptable to God, for we are shut up in disobedience, whether Jew or gentile.

They Receive Mercy (v. 32)

God shuts us up in our own disobedience by his permissive will, so that he might have mercy on us. Salvation depends completely on his mercy—it is all of grace, all of mercy. The only way we are to be saved is God’s mercy. And it is to be found in Christ, and his cross and resurrection. We will be saved by his life.

Do you see this? Do you see God’s mercy? Do you see that salvation is all his, from first to last?

Otherwise, you will glorify yourself. We will then say, “I brought this thing to my justification—either my willingness to believe in Christ, or my good works.

The Only Response: Praising the Gob-Smacking God (vv. 33-36)

So we shouldn’t be surprised at Paul being gob-smacked. He can speak no more. All the rest he has to sing.[17] Verses 33 to 34:

³³O [the] depth of the riches of the [and] wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out, ³⁴who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his-counselor

In other words, who would have guessed that God would save people this way? No one would have dreamed this up! Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. God’s ways are not our ways

And God is nobody’s debtor.[18] See that in verse 35.

Who has ever given to God that God should repay him.

Answer: No-one! Even if we had no sin, God owns us as our creator. And what extra debt we do owe him because of our bankruptcy in sin! None of us has any right to demand entry to heaven because of ourselves. Sometimes you hear it. If God doesn’t let me into heaven, some people say, he is not fair! I’m not so bad. He owes it to me!

Friends, God owes us nothing! No one earns or deserves heaven. God will pay no man off with it. Heaven can only be received as a gift. Heaven is an act of mercy to you.

Rather, God owns everything:

For [Because] from him and through him and to him [are] all things.

Everything, not the least our salvation, is from God. We are debtors to his grace and kindness.

To him the glory forever, Amen. To God be the glory. Let none of us glory in our salvation and our own achievements. The mercy of God to us must lead us to glorify him.

Deep down, we want to glorify ourselves. At least, I feel that. When I daydream, I am in the bright lights, receiving the acclaim of others, receiving the praise of peers. A glory boy basking in the golden light of whatever achievement I’ve dreamed I’ve had.

But our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever! It is to glorify God for what he has done. So do you want to glorify God. Then think about what he’s done. This of his electing mercy to you, while you were shut up in disobedient, and then his sending of the deliver from Jerusalem.

To God be the glory, great things he has done So loved he the world that he gave us his Son. Who yielded his life an atonement for sin And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Let the earth hear his voice. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice. O come to the Father through Jesus the Son And give him the glory great things he has done.

[1] Compare Catechism for Young Children with Scripture Proofs: ‘Why did God make you and all things? For his own glory (Q3).

[2] NIV omits 'For'.

[3] Or 'wise concerning yourselves'.

[4] Lit, 'fullness'.

[5] Paul continues by citing Isaiah 59:20-21. In Isaiah 59, iniquity has separated people from God, which Isaiah lists in graphic words (vv. 1-8, cf. Rom 3:10-20). But then Isaiah includes himself as those who mourn over their sins (note change from second and third person to first person in vv. 9-15a). Thus, righteousness stands at a distance. However, then the Lord acts (vv. 15b-21). The lack of righteousness is appalling to God, and he works saving righteousness himself in response. This righteousness involves retribution on his enemies, but from the west (gentiles?) men will fear Yahweh, and revere his glory. The final verses (vv. 20-21) Paul quotes, but not per the MT or the LXX. Paul says "The Deliverer will come [from: ek] Zion." Note that the Hebrew original is lamed not min, indicating a direction of ‘to’ or perhaps ‘for’ or ‘in respect of’, generally not ‘from’. The LXX reads ‘for the sake of’ (heneken not ek). It is possible to read lamed as ‘for’ or ‘with respect to’ and thus ‘from, out of’ may be a legitimate application of the Hebrew original. If so, it possibly indicates that the Redeemer comes from Jerusalem (possibly to the Gentiles and the Jews of the diaspora). Likewise, the message of the redeemer comes from Jerusalem (Romans 15:19, where Paul says, "From Jerusalem all the way around to Illycium, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ"). Paul seems to close the quote with a phrase perhaps derived from Jeremiah 31:33-34 or Isaiah 27:9, or both: "when I take away their sins". This is an appropriate summary of the work of the redeemer under the new covenant. In any case, the view of Moo that ‘Zion’ is heaven, from which Jesus comes to rescue the Israelite nation in his second coming, is not required.

[6] Moo’s strongest criticism of my position is that it contradicts the hortatory purpose of Romans 11:11-32. See Moo, Romans, 721. However, if 'the Israel of God' includes Jews and gentiles, there is just as much rationale for gentile Christians not to be conceited. Israel has only experienced a hardening "in part". It is not all of Israel who have been hardened. Thus, Jew and gentile are saved together and in the same way. They are the new reconstituted Israel. There is therefore no place for boasting for the gentile Christian, for the way of salvation is that God has mercy on all, whether Jew or gentile.

[7] Compare Romans 16:25-26, that the mystery has been "now revealed […] so that all nations might believe and obey him". See also Ephesians 3:6: "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. This mystery was not made know to men in other generations, but has been revealed by the Spirit to the Apostles and prophets." This is God’s wisdom (Eph 3:10), not the wisdom of men themselves (Rom 11:25).

[8] For a full modern defence of this reading see R L Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 1024-1032. Calvin, Comm Rom takes ‘all Israel’ to mean, "when the gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith". It cannot mean every individual Israelite (See Morris, Romans, 421). ‘Israel’ Calvin extends to the whole people of God, drawn from Jews and gentiles alike (Gal 6:16). Calvin’s editor takes the view that Calvin’s position is unsatisfactory. However, NT Wright follows Calvin here, per Barnett. Compare Barth, Shorter Comm, 145: "God deals with all Israel (gathered from Jews and Gentiles)".

Moo with a vast number of commentators and scholars, including J Murray and I Murray, take it to mean ethnic Israel as a whole on the earth at the end time. Barnett takes it to refer to ethnic Israel throughout history. Barnett rightly sees this is an answer which is consistent with God’s choice and salvation of his people. But Calvin’s understanding has all the benefits of Barnett’s but also best explains the link of the gentiles' ingathering with the salvation of Israel. As Barnett himself notes, ‘thus’ (houtos) denotes process or mode: "in this manner all Israel will be saved". Compare Moo, Romans, 720. Moo makes it clear that houtos refers to the manner of salvation and that it links to what is before. Note that Barnett excludes "any notion of a future salvation of Jews apart from the redemption of individuals through the usual processes of gospel ministry" and that "this passage lends no weight to the idea that Israel will turn to Christ at his appearing".

[9] Calvin takes ‘in part’ to mean ‘in a manner or in a measure’, but I think it at least implies numerically part. ‘Until’ for Calvin does not specify order of time, but ‘that the fullness of Gentiles’ comes in. Moo, Morris, and most others read until and in part as indicating that the hardening is partial and temporal; it is limited in time and extent. This is true. However, until (achris) need not indicate that the state of hardness will be reversed, but that it will be brought to an end (by judgment): See Reymond, New Systematic, 1028, N T Wright in Moo, Romans, 717 fn 29. Though Moo disagrees mainly on ‘context’ grounds (which I have dealt with on Romans 11:1-24), Moo notes that "the Greek construction Paul uses could mean this": Moo, Romans, 717.

[10] Cole, Galatians, 183-4; The prepositional phrase ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ parallels ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς . The clause could perhaps be directed only to Israelite believers in general: ‘also the Israel of God’, but this is unlikely, given the continuity Paul says believing gentiles have with Abraham, Isaac, and Jerusalem (Gal 3:8-9,14, 4:21-31). Rather, ‘the Israel of God’ are all those, Jew or gentile, who observe the ‘canon’ (v. 15). We should thus not conceive of a separate ‘mercy benediction’ directed to a group of pious Jews in Galatia. Rather, Paul reminds the Galatians that what the Judaizer’s promise them, they already have ‘in Christ’.

[11] In chapter 15, Paul says these words: 'Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.' Again it says, 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.' And again, 'Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you people. And again Isaiah says: "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."' (Rom 15:8-12)

[12] Literally, "On the one hand, according to the gospel, [they are] enemies on account of you, but according to election [they are] beloved on account of the fathers]. For without regret [are] the gifts and the calling of God" (v. 28).

[13] Calvin says of verse 28; "he speaks not now of the election of individuals, but of the common adoption of the whole nation". But Calvin also says of this verse, "that some hope might remain to the remnant, Paul maintains that the purpose of God stands firm and immovable, by which he had once designed to choose them for himself as a peculiar nation. God will not depart from his promise to Abraham (Gen 27:7)." This suggests that Calvin explains the kindness of God to the nation in terms of his love for the remnant. There is clearly an interplay of the election of the remnant and the election of the nation throughout the passage. The call of the nation Israel is true, but this doesn’t mean that every Israelite will be saved. Only the elect or remnant are saved, the "Israel within Israel". However, God has still been faithful to Israel through his election of the remnant. Moo notes those commentators who agree with this exegesis do so by seeing a link between Rom 9:6-13 (including Meyer, Lenski, Refoule, Dreyfuss, Hafemann). The position that is attractive to me is that which "seems to be suggested by Stuhlmacher and Longenecker" that the remnant Jews are referred to. They are now enemies with respect to the gospel (because they don’t believe it), but are loved by God on account of the patriarchs (ie, they are elect), and therefore they will believe the gospel, as is the goal of Paul’s prayer and missionary efforts (Rom 10:1, 11:1-10): See Moo, Romans, 731 fn 86 and especially fn 87).

[14] "This is a remarkable verse […] he has so arranged by his providence, that all should be guilty of unbelief, in order that he might have them subject to his judgment, and for this end, -- that all merits being buried, salvation might proceed from his goodness alone": Calvin.

[15] Literally, "³⁰For just as you (pl) then disobeyed God, but now you received mercy through their disobedience,³¹Thus also they now have disobeyed, by the mercy you received, so that also they [now] might receive mercy ³²For God shut together all, with a view to disobedience, so that he might have mercy on all" (Rom 11:30-32). The third 'now' suggests that it is during this age that the Israelites receive mercy, not in the future: Reymond, New Systematic, 1028-9. Now is the time when elect Israel receive mercy. Moo indicates the weakness of his position regarding this ‘now’ when he says, "Some commentators, indeed, think that this 'now' here is one clue among many others that Paul is not thinking in this chapter of a great future conversion of Jews. But I am convinced that the verses I have cited are conclusive for the futuristic interpretation. That being so, it seems best to treat Paul’s 'now' as an expression of imminence, expressing his conviction that this final manifestation of God’s mercy to Israel could take place 'now, at any time'": Moo, Romans, 735.

[16] The passage does not teach universalism of salvation, but universality of disobedience, and therefore universality of opportunity of mercy.

[17] Calvin, "Whenever then we enter on a discourse respecting the eternal counsels of God, let a bridle be always set on our thoughts and tongue, so that after having spoken soberly and within the limits of God’s word, our reasoning may at last end in admiration."

[18] Calvin, "Now this is a remarkable passage, for we are here taught that it is not in our power to constrain God by our good works to bestow salvation on us, but that he anticipates the undeserving by his gratuitious goodness."