Premillennial Nuggets – Romans 11:25-27
The Freedom of God in Saving a Future Ethnic Israel

I must preface this article with a few brief comments on the contextual flow of Paul’s argument. It is important to grasp chapter 11 by what just came before it in chapters 9-10. Just as Paul teaches in Romans 9 that it is the freedom of God to save individuals based solely on his mercy to demonstrate his glory and power, likewise, in chapter 11, Paul reminds his audience that God is free and absolutely sovereign in saving Israel in the future.
In Romans 9, Paul responded to the objection that God failed to save a people for himself by arguing that God has not failed because he has graciously chosen Gentile individuals to be saved, “It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel” (vv. 6ff).
And similarly, in Romans 11, Paul reminds his audience that God has not failed with the nation of Israel since their salvation is in the future; and thus believing Gentiles should not become “conceited” and “wise in your own estimation” because “a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and so all Israel will be saved.”
Paul is confident that God will bring about a saved future Israel one day. He furthers writes, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!” (v. 1) “Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!” (v. 12) The apostle could not be more emphatic about this future reality.
Let me make this observation. It is essential that we grasp this consistency on seeing Paul’s concern in both Romans 9 and 11 as he is defending God’s freedom in saving Gentiles (chapter 9) and Israel (chapter 11) which constitute the one people of God. I have observed that many in the Reformed tradition will proclaim fervently God’s freedom of individuals in Romans 9, but will not allow God to be free in respect to the future salvation of Israel. And conversely, I have seen many in the non-Reformed tradition proclaim God’s freedom in the salvation of a future Israel from Romans 11, but suppress the interpretation of his freedom of saving Gentile individuals in Romans 9. We cannot pick and choose when to apply God’s salvific freedom–we must be consistent. We must allow the text to speak, not our Traditions read into the text. We need to submit to the Potter’s terms, not ours.
The following is an argument for a future ethnic Israel in God