Romans 11:1-24 The Gospel - Gods offer of salvation to Jew and Gentile

Romans 11:1-24 The gospel - God's offer of salvation to Jew and Gentile

Nathan Wakefield / General Adult

Theological Proposition/Focus: When we truly grasp the magnitude of God's gracious offer of salvation, the only fitting response is humble awe.

Christ Focus: Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah through whom God remains faithful to Israel and merciful to the nations, accomplishing salvation by grace alone.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Respond to God's gracious salvation with humility, gratitude, and a renewed passion for others—especially those who have not yet believed.

Introduction

Image: Standing at the edge of something vast—like the Grand Canyon or the open ocean—where words fail and silence feels appropriate.

Back in 2017, Emily and I took a road trip through Nevada, Arizona, and southern Utah. To this day, I think our favorite hike of all time came from that trip. One morning, we drove to the Grand Canyon, parked the car, and walked up to the edge. As we looked out across the canyon, there were simply no words to describe the depth and scale before us.

So what did we do? We grabbed our bags and started walking.

We hiked until noon. We like to think that we eventually reached the creek at the bottom and then turned around to begin the long journey back up. But the reality is that even though we reached the edge of the river, we were still probably a couple hundred feet above it on the edge of a rock wall. It was truly incredible. Even now, we often talk about wanting to do it again. Words still can't fully describe the grandeur of what we saw—pictures don't do it justice.

When it comes to salvation, something even more significant is at stake. And yet, because we cannot fully comprehend its magnitude, we sometimes shrink it down—make it manageable, explainable, even familiar. But salvation was never meant to be reduced. It is meant to be held in awe, in its full scale and grandeur.

Setting the Stage:

When we step back and look at Scripture as a whole, one of the hard questions we are forced to wrestle with is this: Why did God choose Israel? They repeatedly reject Him and seem to live in a constant cycle of rebellion.

If we press further, the question becomes even sharper: Why doesn't God simply fix Israel's rebellion? Is the God of the universe unable to lead His own people into faithfulness? Didn't God promise to bless Israel—and wouldn't that blessing include the ability to live for Him?

Paul is addressing a deep theological and pastoral concern: if many in Israel have rejected the gospel, has God failed to keep His promises?

Or to ask it another way: if salvation truly comes from the all-powerful God of the universe, why don't more people embrace it? Does the lack of widespread belief suggest weakness on God's part?

Romans 11 answers with a resounding no—revealing a God whose grace is purposeful, surprising, and far more expansive than we imagine.

Body

Grace — God's grace is not automatically given to the majority (11:1-10).

God still loves and preserves His chosen people, but lineage alone is never the basis of salvation. There is a great deal tied up in this truth. Israel still holds a unique place in God's redemptive plan, yet that position does not mean that every Israelite is currently enjoying a right relationship with God. In fact, Paul makes it clear that the majority are not.

God's work is often carried forward through a faithful remnant, not the majority (1-4).

Paul begins with a rhetorical question: Has God rejected His people? And he answers it immediately—By no means! As evidence, Paul points first to himself. He is an Israelite, a living example that God has not abandoned His people.

But Paul's argument goes deeper. God has a long-established pattern of working not through the majority, but through small, faithful remnants—people He sovereignly preserves to carry forward His purposes.

Paul illustrates this with the story of Elijah from 1 Kings 19. After Elijah's dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel—a moment that should have sparked national repentance—Elijah instead finds himself fleeing for his life. Jezebel threatens him, and Elijah runs forty days to Mount Horeb.

There, Elijah pours out his despair before God, saying:

"I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." (1 Kings 19:14)

Elijah believed he was completely alone. But God corrected his perspective. He revealed that He had preserved seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. Elijah was not part of the majority, and he certainly did not have political or cultural power—but he was not alone. God was still at work, just not in the way Elijah expected.

Let me pause here and say this clearly: even when things feel bleak, even when you feel isolated or discouraged, you are not alone. The God of the universe is still at work. This is how He has always worked, and we should not be surprised when He continues to do so.

Since salvation is by grace, we should expect it to defy human expectations (5-6).

If you wanted to change the world, who would you choose to influence? From a human perspective, we would say the rich, the powerful, and the influential. There's a reason you and I aren't receiving regular invitations to galas or presidential balls—we aren't the movers and shakers.

But that is a purely human way of thinking.

God operates on an entirely different frequency—the frequency of grace. His work is not based on power, wealth, influence, or human achievement. God gives freely, according to His own will. And because grace is His method, His work often defies our expectations.

Paul explains that in his present time there is still a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, it cannot be based on works—otherwise grace would no longer be grace. That is why the people God chooses are often not those the world would expect. They are ordinary people, dependent entirely on Him.

Earlier we asked the question: If salvation really comes from the all-powerful God of the universe, why don't more people believe it? Here Paul answers a related question: Why don't the people we expect to "get it" actually get it? And the answer is simple—because God does not work through human merit; He works through grace.

God is neither threatened nor surprised by Israel's partial rejection (7-10).

Paul now addresses another hard reality. Many within Israel are earnestly seeking righteousness—but they are seeking it on their own terms, through works rather than grace. And this, Paul says, is not unexpected. God spoke of this very reality throughout the Old Testament.

When people consistently reject God's way and insist on pursuing righteousness by their own means, there are times when God responds by hardening them—by giving them over to the path they have chosen. This is a theme we have already seen in Romans: when people persist in doing things their own way, God may allow them to experience the consequences of that choice.

None of this catches God off guard. Israel's partial rejection does not signal God's weakness or failure—it highlights His sovereign patience and His unwavering commitment to grace.

MTR: Glorify the God who chooses grace over anything else.

That means we begin by confessing the subtle ways we trust our spiritual résumé more than the cross—believing, even quietly, that God is more pleased with us when we perform better. It means learning to thank God not just for the blessings He gives, but for the grace by which He gives them—undeserved, unearned, and freely offered. And it means allowing that grace to reshape our worship, replacing entitlement with awe, as we remember that we do not stand before God because we belong, but that we belong because God, in His mercy, chose grace.

Jealousy — God uses mercy to awaken desire (11:11-16).

We now return to our original question: If salvation truly comes from the all-powerful God of the universe, why don't more people believe it? And Paul pushes the question even further: If salvation comes from the all-powerful God of the universe, why is He working so extensively through people who were not originally His own?

Paul's answer is striking. God's inclusion of the Gentiles is not accidental—it is intentional, purposeful, and redemptive for Israel.

God's desire is that His people return to Him (11-12).

In the previous verses, Paul spoke about the hardening of Israel's heart—but hardening does not mean hopelessness. While many in Israel have turned away from God, the situation is not beyond recovery.

In response to Israel's rejection, Paul intentionally turned his ministry toward the Gentiles. We see this clearly in Acts 13:46, where Paul and Barnabas say:

"We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles."

And again in Acts 18:6:

"From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

But this shift did not mean that God—or Paul—had given up on Israel. Quite the opposite. God was using His blessing of the Gentiles to awaken desire in His people. As Israel watched Gentiles receive the grace, joy, and life of the gospel, God was stirring longing in their hearts for what they themselves had rejected.

Paul even hints that a greater day is coming—a time when both Jew and Gentile will together enjoy the fullness of God's saving work. What looks like loss now is not permanent. God is using present mercy to point toward future restoration.

Paul's heart burns with longing for Israel's salvation and pastoral care for the Gentiles (13-14).

Before Paul offers an admonition to Gentile believers later in the chapter, he pauses to explain why all this talk about Israel matters to them—and to us.

Paul reminds his readers that he is an apostle to the Gentiles. God specifically called him to bring the gospel to those outside Israel. We've already seen this calling played out in Acts 13 and 18.

Yet Paul does not see this assignment as a rejection of his Jewish identity. He is still a Jew. He still loves his people. And he takes pride in his work among the Gentiles because he believes God will use it to draw Israel back to Himself.

In other words, Paul is saying: I gladly serve the Gentiles because I know God will use this work to awaken my own people. Paul understands a key truth—God often reaches people indirectly, by letting them see what they are missing.

And Paul is convinced that when Israel turns back to God, extraordinary blessing will follow.

Israel's future acceptance will unleash extraordinary blessing (15-16).

Paul begins with a breathtaking claim: Israel's rejection brought reconciliation to the world. Israel rejected Christ, and that rejection led to the cross. And through the cross, God brought salvation to the nations.

Think about that for a moment. In the ultimate act of redemption, God transformed rejection into salvation.

So Paul asks us to consider the reverse: if Israel's rejection brought life to the world, what will their acceptance bring? Paul's answer is clear—something like resurrection from the dead.

To explain this hope, Paul uses two metaphors.

First, the image of firstfruits. In Numbers 15:19-21, Israel was instructed to offer the first portion of dough to the Lord, and that offering sanctified the rest. Second, the image of a tree—if the root is holy, the branches will be also.

Paul's point is this: the Jewish remnant who have already embraced the gospel are the firstfruits, the root. And what will follow—the full turning of Israel to Christ—will be extraordinary.

Let's bring this down to ground level. Paul's passion for salvation flows from his conviction that when people truly come to Christ, everything changes. Salvation is not just personal—it is world-shaping.

The salvation of people brings about the restoration of creation. You have heard me say time and time again that the world is not as it was meant to be. Salvation is a key step on the road to God's restoration and frankly the only step I think we have any say in during the current dispensation.

MTR: Ask yourself: What would it look like if I shared Paul's passion for salvation?

Paul genuinely believed that the greatest need of the world was salvation. Do we believe that? John Lennon and Paul McCartney told us that "all you need is love," but the gospel says something deeper: all you need is Christ.

Do you truly believe that leading people to salvation can change lives, families, communities—even the world?

Reverent gratitude — The only proper Gentile response (11:17-24).

Grace received should never lead to arrogance—but to humility, respect, and hope.

Gentile believers must honor the root that supports them (17-18).

In verses 17 and 18, Paul continues the metaphor he introduced in verse 16 but now develops it more fully. He describes the relationship between Jews and Gentiles using the image of an olive tree and the practice of grafting.

Throughout Scripture, God often used the olive tree to picture His work with Israel (Jeremiah 11:16; Hosea 14:5-6). Paul assumes his readers would recognize this imagery.

Now, I am not a horticulturist—but with a little research, something fascinating becomes clear. In the ancient world, grafting was common, but not in the way Paul describes here. Normally, a cultivated branch would be grafted into a wild tree in order to improve the wild tree's fruit. What Paul describes is the opposite: wild branches being grafted into a cultivated tree .

That reversal is the point.

God has done something extraordinary in bringing Gentiles into salvation—something He was under no obligation to do. This was not earned, negotiated, or deserved. It was an act of sheer grace.

Because of that, the proper Gentile response is not boasting in our position, but gratitude for being included in it.

Salvation should produce humility, not presumption (19-21).

Paul anticipates a dangerous line of thinking: Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in. To anyone tempted to view themselves as superior, Paul responds bluntly—this is not about you.

We do not stand because we are impressive; we stand because we trust. The right response to salvation is faith, not arrogance. And the one who responds to grace with pride should tremble, not boast. We have nothing to brag about and everything to be thankful for.

Two key truths must be held together here.

First, Gentile believers do not replace Israel. God used Israel to bring about our salvation, and that alone should produce humility and gratitude.

Second, salvation calls us to remain humble. True salvation is secure—but persistent arrogance should cause honest self-examination. If someone consistently trusts in their own goodness, insight, or spiritual status, the question must be asked: Am I trusting in Christ, or am I trusting in myself?

God saves by faith alone. If Israel needed faith, Gentiles certainly do as well. Grace never produces pride—it produces dependence.

So if you find yourself clinging to your accomplishments rather than Christ, the response is not despair, but repentance. Turn again to Jesus.

God's mercy invites hope for Israel's future restoration (22-24).

Paul concludes this section with hope. God is actively working toward Israel's restoration, and when they turn back to Him, He will gladly receive them.

This has important implications for how we think and live.

First, God has not abandoned His plan for Israel. Any teaching that suggests God is finished with Israel not only misunderstands Scripture but risks the very arrogance Paul is warning against. God keeps His promises.

Second, God's plan for Israel centers on repentance and salvation. Verses like Psalm 122:6 ("Pray for the peace of Jerusalem") and Genesis 12:3 ("I will bless those who bless you") are often quoted out of context or without the whole view of Scripture. The greatest need facing Jewish people today is not political stability, but reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.

So what does it truly mean to pray for the peace of Jerusalem or to bless God's people? It means humbly living out our salvation, lovingly bearing witness to Christ, and praying that the gospel would be heard and received.

And yes—that involves action. We put our time, our resources, and our lives where our convictions are. We become a people who humbly share the gospel, recognizing that the only real solution to the world's deepest problem is the saving grace of the Almighty God.

But you might ask, that does not involve action! Oh yes it does! We need to put our money, our action, where our heart is and I hope that our hearts are completely sold out for God's plan of salvation. Let's become a people of action—a people who humbly share the gospel, recognizing that the only real solution to the world's problem is the saving grace of the Almighty God of the universe.

Conclusion (suggested direction)

Romans 11 does not end with pride or certainty—but with awe. Salvation is bigger than we imagined, deeper than we deserve, and broader than we expect. When we consider the magnitude of God's gracious offer, the only right posture is reverent wonder before Him.

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