Romans 11:7-24
God’s Severity (vv. 7-10)
He allows them to be blinded by religion (Is. 29:10, 13)
He allows them to be burdened with religion (Psalm 69:22-23)
God’s Goodness (vv. 11-18)
Humanity benefited from their fall
Humanity blessed by their failure
Rejection by the Jews
Rescue for the Gentile
Restoration of all who believe
God’s Purpose (vv. 19-24)
Abraham: The Root (Gen. 12:1-3; Rom. 4:1-12)
Christ: The Vine (Jn. 15:1-8)
Believing Jews and Gentiles: The Branches/The Church (Eph. 2:14-18)
More To Consider
Though most Jews have rejected the message of salvation in Jesus, a remnant within the total population—the elect—did obtain salvation (vv. 5–6). The rest were “hardened”—a curious term. Since the entire point of 9:30–10:3 and 10:16–21 is that Israel was responsible for its rejection of God’s salvation despite the prophets’ best efforts to call them to repentance, Paul did not mean that God determined their obstinacy. If God Himself hardened some Jews’ hearts so they could not believe, it makes no sense for God to say through Isaiah, “I spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the wrong path, following their own thoughts” (Rm 10:21; Is 65:2). This passage from Isaiah that Paul cited goes on to castigate Israel for provoking God and repudiating His laws.
Other uses of the hardening metaphor (a calcifying or callous-building effect) often make clear that hardening of the heart is a self-induced state (e.g., Mt 13:15; Mk 6:52; 8:17; 2 Co 3:14). Even the explicit statement that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart follows a series of events showing that Pharaoh was hardening his own heart (Ex 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34–35; 1 Sm 6:6; cp. Ex 9:12; 10:1; 11:10; 14:8). Therefore, though God may indeed solidify people’s resolve to reject the truth, apparently He does so because they have first resolved themselves to do so. God does not harden hearts that would otherwise have been responsive to Him. Jesus’ quotation of Is 6:9–10 made this very point (Mt 13:14–15).
Ted Cabal et al., The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1698.
The wild olive was often ingrafted into the fruitful one when it began to decay, and this not only brought forth fruit, but caused the decaying olive to revive and flourish.
Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ro 11:11.
