All Israel will be saved (3)
Gentile "fullness" is not a certain number of
Gentile converts. It is their state of fullness. It's their being
filled with the riches of God's grace in Jesus Christ. In 15:29 Paul
tells the Roman Christians that he is coming "in the full measure of
the blessing of Christ." He comes with what all that Christ means and
is and he calls that "the fullness of Christ." Israel is hardened until
the Gentiles have experienced the meaning of Christ.
"Until" the fullness of the Gentiles has come in?
"Until" appears to suggest a time sequence. As if, "the hardening will
continue (only) until the Gentile fullness has arrived." At that point
the hardening will cease. That appears to be the commonly accepted
view. Taking that to be true, what then? It's tempting to think that
when the hardening ceases Israel will automatically turn to Christ and
this is what very many evangelicals believe. But we need to remember
that the hardening didn't make this section of Israel into
unbelievers—they were already unbelievers and the hardening (God's
judicial sentence) made use of their sin. If God withdrew the special
circumstances that hardened a section of Israel it would not follow that they would automatically come to faith. If they didn't believe before the hardening there's no guarantee that they will believe after it.
But it's the following phrase that generates the
evangelical view. "A hardening in part has happened to Israel until
Gentile fullness has come in and so all Israel will be saved."
The "and so" is often taken as something like "consequently" or "and
then" or "following that" all Israel will be saved. But "and so" should
be taken as an adverb of manner, "in this way" or "and this is how" all
Israel will be saved.
But making "and so" an adverb of manner is awkward
if we link it immediately with the hardening of Israel or Gentile
fullness. N.T. Wright in his commentary on Romans takes "and so" to
mean "in this way". He thinks that it's always been God's way of saving
Israel, by hardening. Maybe it's better to say that it's by bringing in
Gentile fullness (and so making Jews jealous so that they want
in—11:31) that God will save Israel. But I'm sure it's better still to
look back to 11:23-24. All Israel will be saved "in this way," namely,
turning from unbelief. This means that 11:25-26 is a little—but not
unimportant—aside before he returns to how Israel is to be
saved. Where lies their hope? In turning from unbelief (11:11:9,23-24).
And when they turn from their unbelief it will be in keeping with the
purpose of the Messiah's coming (11:26-27).
Paul changes a preposition in quoting Isaiah 59:20.
The prophet speaks of a Redeemer coming "to" Zion but Paul says that
the Redeemer will come "from" Zion. I think Paul is rebuking the
Gentile arrogance again and reminding them that the root bears them and
not they the root (11:18). The redeemer who redeems both Israel and the
Gentiles comes not from Gentiles but from the Jews. The Messiah is
theirs (9:5, 15:27).
So here's
what I think Paul has said here in this section. "You Gentiles must not
be arrogant because you are now people of God while Jews are on the
outside looking in. You stand by faith and they are outside. It's true
that they were cast off (11:15,22b) but this was no permanent purpose
of God, he hasn't 'washed his hands of them'. No, if they turn from
unbelief they will be received into their own blessings (11:23-24).
This is the way all Israel will be saved. Understand this, the hardened
condition God produced, is on a segment of Israel—an unbelieving
segment (11:20) and it was accomplished that your rich blessing might
be brought in (11:30). If unbelieving Israel turns from unbelief they
will be gladly received as if they were alive from the dead (11:15,23)
because that's precisely why God sent the Redeemer (11:26-27). And by
the way, the Redeemer that saves you and them comes from among them!"
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.