What does
this mean? It can only mean one thing really, and that is simple: "All
Israel."
All, and only
all, without exception. "In this way all Israel will be saved." If we
define "all Israel" to mean all Israel, then we take Paul at his word
and we are forced to conclude this cannot possibly be a reference to physical
Israel or the modern nation of Israel. How can we be certain of that?
Simple: is
all physical Israel saved? No. Not now, not in the Bible. Not in the past. No
Christian would deny that the majority of Jews, or physical Israelites, are and have been unbelievers. Most Jews have not come to believe in Jesus, and most Jews and
Israelites denied God in the Old Testament as well. As someone has said,
"the majority of Jews have not yet believed."
Correct. This
is precisely correct.
Now, if
"all Israel" means that the nation of Israel will repent at some
future date, then what Paul really means is that "some of Israel will be
saved" but the vast majority throughout time are condemned to hell. If
history goes another year, 10 years, 100 or a thousand, it does not matter,
most of Israel will not be saved. So, Paul has butchered language by defining
"all Israel" as a tiny fraction of Israel, but they are "all
Israel" in that day. Come on.
What a
terrible message. How does this vindicate God's gospel?
However, we
can be thankful that it is certain Paul did not mean this. Look what he says: "a
partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has
come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved," (Rom. 11:25-26).
Physical Israel does not come to faith after the Gentiles. There have always
been heaps of Jewish Christians, our Bibles are 100% proof of that, Jewish
Christians wrote 27 of its books.
"The
fullness of the Gentiles" is the WAY all Israel is saved. As John told us,
"51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year
he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation
only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered
abroad" (John 11:51-52).
God's plan
was always to bring Jews and Gentiles together in Israel. That's the Revelation
of the gospel mystery. To bring "the nation" (Israel) and all other
believers together. That's "all Israel", the spiritual Israel. All of
them are saved. Any other reading forces you to admit by "all" you
mean "some".
This fits
exactly with how Paul uses the term in Romans 9 where he defines “all Israel”
for us,
“6
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are
descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham
because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be
named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the
children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Rom.
9:6-8).
It is not the
children of the flesh that are Israel, but the children of the promise, or
children of faith. It was never about the flesh, it was always about faith. “All
Israel” is all who believe in the Lord. Note, Isaac is counted as part of
Israel here, as a child of promise, even though Israel was still a generation
away. Because it is not about flesh, it is about faith that makes you a member
of God’s holy nation.
The question
now is? Does this fit with Paul’s theology elsewhere? Yes it does.
In Roman’s 11 part of Paul’s focus is trying to prevent Gentiles from falling into arrogance about being part of God’s people now. By emphasizing that now that they are part of Israel this does not make them better than the Jews who were cut out of the tree:
"17
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive
shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are,
remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19
Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20
That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand
fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not
spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the
kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but
God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too
will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief,
will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you
were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to
nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural
branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree" (Rom 11:17-24).
Paul is not
arguing that it is arrogant for Gentiles to consider themselves part of Israel.
He is saying that it is arrogant to ever forget that they stand as part of Israel by faith. Many Jews fell into relying on the flesh and forgot that only through faith could they remain a part of the tree (Israel). His whole argument is crafted to warn
Gentiles not to rely on the flesh to remain God's people. Humility is
recognizing that no one is too special to be cut from the tree, we all stand
but by the grace of God and faith in him.
Also, if the
Jews were not cut out of Israel, then what were they cut out of? He is not
emphasizing the distinction between them. He never does so.
So many false
teachers have made Galatians 3 about women preachers that most of the modern
church has forgotten that it is actually about who is a member of Israel.
Paul's answer is that it is all who are in Christ who are part of Abraham's
faith, who are part of the people of God, who are in Christ, and therefore,
full citizens of Israel. Galatians 3:28, "28 There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's
offspring, heirs according to promise."
To say Paul
taught a separate goal in Christ for Jews and Gentiles is actually to teach
deep error. It rejects the basic principles of his teaching. It sets Paul
against Paul, who never taught such a thing.
Jews and Gentiles are also both full citizens of Israel through faith,
"11
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the
uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh
by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ,
alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of
promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ
Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in
his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of
commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new
man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God
in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came
and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18
For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you
are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the
saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom
the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the
Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God
by the Spirit" (Eph. 2:11-21).
The lens you
have to bring to bear to create a distinction between Jewish and Gentile
Christians massacres the New Testament. It is really a form of
pseudo-Marcionism[1].
And it only convinces most people because there is a pseudo-Israel in the
Middle East right now which they can't see past. But the New Testament rejects
such teaching wholesale. It is all about Jews and Gentiles coming together in
Christ as one people.
I really feel
like you have to work hard to not see this in the Bible. John made this clear
as well,
"51
He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he
prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only,
but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So
from that day on they made plans to put him to death." (John 11:51-53).
This teaching
in John is exactly what Paul is teaching in Romans and Galatians and Ephesians
and Philippians. John was clear about this. Paul was never unclear about this. The
circumcision – which is synonymous with Israel - is only believers in Jesus.
This is a fundamental tenet of Christianity. It is the chief teaching that
offended the Jews in the book of Acts. Paul is clear about this though,
"3
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in
Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason
for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for
confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the
people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law,
a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under
the law,[c] blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the
sake of Christ" (Phil. 3:3-7).
Paul spent
his whole life rejecting the idea that the Jews and Christians have separate
plans. To then turn around and read Romans 11 to be teaching just that, sets
Paul against Paul.
List of
References
[1]
Marcion was a Gnostic heretic who tried to excise the Jewish elements out of
the Bible.
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