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Romans 11 Commentary

Please choose a passage:

Romans 11:1

God has not rejected Israel. Paul, both an Israelite and an apostle of Jesus Christ, is evidence that this cannot be true.

God has not rejected His chosen people. He foreknew them, He chose them as His blessed nation, so He has not given up on them. God has chosen a new remnant through His own Grace, not because any human deserves it.

Romans 11:7-8

Israel has sought righteousness through following the Law’s rules and has failed to obtain it. Only the remnant that God has chosen have found righteousness (through faith).

Romans 11:9-12

Israel has not been cast aside forever. They have sinned, but through their sin God is ushering the Gentiles into salvation. In part, God has done this to make the Israelites jealous, so they would remember their need for Him.

Romans 11:13-16

When Israel is restored, it will be like a dead body coming back to life. God is a God who redeems and restores.

Romans 11:17-18

Just because Gentiles have been adopted into God’s family does not mean they are superior to the children who have wandered away. Jews have rejected God, and God has taken this opportunity to save Gentiles.

Romans 11:19-24

If we let ourselves become arrogant, if we lord over others, God will discipline us. God is in the business of redeeming. He will bring Israel back to Him; therefore Gentiles should not look down on unbelieving Jews.

Romans 11:25-27

Israel is currently under a temporary disconnection of fellowship with God. Until the time of the Gentiles ends, He will keep Israel set aside from Him.

Romans 11:28-32

We are all sinners—Jews and Gentiles. We choose to sin. Gentiles are not better than the Israelites. God has shown mercy to Gentiles, nevertheless, and for now He has set aside His people, who have rejected Him.

Romans 11:33-36

God is God. It is impossible to completely understand Him. He is all powerful and He doesn’t owe anything to anyone. He will keep His covenants. He will continue to pursue those He has called.

Additional Resources

Book Theme

The Apostle Paul writes to the world-renowned believers in Rome, the center of the world at that time, in order to answer a slanderous charge made to them against Paul and his message. Paul’s detractors claim his emphasis on faith overturns the law. Paul says that ” just living by the law” does not achieve personal justice before God, while “just living by faith” does. Paul then demonstrates what a just life looks like: harmonious living with Jesus as the leader. Paul also makes clear the choice a believer has: to walk in faith and the power of the resurrection and experience resurrection life, or walk in sin and unnecessarily experience the negative consequences.

Chapter Context

In chapter 11, Paul explains that God has not abandoned nor rejected Israel. God will keep His promises to His people. For now, God has set aside a remnant of faithful believers, including Paul himself. Even so, Israel has broken fellowship with God and has stumbled against Christ’s gospel of grace. This has allowed the Gentiles to come to faith in Christ, being like wild olive branches grafted into a tree, where unbelieving branches were broken off to make room for them. In light of this, Paul warns his Roman readers not to become haughty toward the Israelites. God will punish those who are proud. God will also restore Israel to Him, He will keep His covenant promises. The mercy of God is unfathomable.