Should We Give Up Hope for the Lost?
Thinking about Romans 11:11-12.
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! (Romans 11:11-12)
God had not rejected His people - the remnant, not the physical nation of Israel (Romans 11:1-6).
While Israel thought they were the “seeing ones,” they were actually blind to the truth and stumbled at the preaching of the gospel of Christ (Romans 11:7-10).
At this point, it would have been easy for the Gentiles to say, “They had their chance! Why should we spend any more time and money trying to reach these people with the gospel?”
The Holy Spirit will emphasize through Paul that not all hope is lost for the Jewish people. Paul still intensely desired to “save some of them” (Romans 11:14).
“Have they stumbled that they should fall?”
There are a few different ways of looking at this question.
One way is that Paul asks, “Is physical Israel’s fall God’s fault?” If this is what Paul is asking, his answer is a firm “Certainly not!”
Some think that Paul asks, “Has physical Israel’s stumbling at the gospel even caused the remnant to fall?” Again, he would deny that to be the case. Personally, I’m not so sure about this way of looking at the question. Contextually, the most recent group of people that “they” points back to is the physical nation of Israel (Romans 11:7-10). I’m not sure there is much contextual support for assuming two different groups are referred to in the two “theys” used by Paul.
Another way of looking at Paul’s question is, “Has the physical nation of Israel stumbled and fallen to such an extent that none of them can ever rise?” Paul responds, “Certainly not!” Personally, I think this interpretation of Paul’s question fits the best with the context that comes before and after his question.
Through the fall of physical Israel in rejecting the gospel of Christ, salvation had come to the Gentiles. The book of Acts shows that the Jews’ violent rejection of the gospel drove Christians out into other communities where non-Jews lived in greater numbers.
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. (Acts 8:3-5)
Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21)
So yes, physical Israel had stumbled and fallen because they rejected the gospel of Christ. But their rejection opened new doors of opportunities to reach the Gentiles with the truth of Christ.
Paul hoped that the Gentiles entering God’s kingdom would provoke his fellow countrymen to “jealousy” so they would return to God and enjoy the blessings He offered through Jesus Christ.
Paul’s grand strategy was that the Jews, seeing the blessings enjoyed by the Gentiles and missing out on these, would become jealous and turn to the risen Lord for their share of the blessings. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 390
“How much more their fullness!”
Paul reminded his Gentile readers that they could not deny the benefits that had come their way, in part, because the Jews rejected Jesus and the gospel.
His point was that if the false step of Israel in rejecting the gospel had so many positive results, such as riches for the world and riches for the Gentiles, then how much more [would] their fulfillment be! - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 390
I don’t think we find a large-scale Jewish conversion prophesied here by Paul - he says in Romans 11:14 that he hopes to “save some of them,” which is a far cry from a massive turn of physical Israel to Christ. But if that were to happen - what a blessing that would be!
And I think that’s partly Paul’s point here.
“If you Gentiles have received blessings because the Jews rejected the gospel, and your reception of the gospel is certainly something worth celebrating - then how much more should we rejoice when Jews repent and turn to Christ?”
Paul has not abandoned hope for “those who are my flesh” (Romans 11:14). He still desires to save some of them - and it would be wonderful when even some of them obey the gospel of Jesus Christ!
I think we see in these passages Paul’s determination to continue to hold out hope for his fellow Jews. He wanted to see them saved (Romans 10:1), and even if he could only save some of them (Romans 11:14), he saw that as a result worth celebrating!
We are reminded to hold out hope for people we love who have rejected the gospel. Just one returning to God is worthy of celebration (see Luke 15).
We have an unfortunate tendency sometimes to give up on people long before God gives up on them. This mindset had apparently arisen among some of the Christians in Rome, and Paul confronted it head-on.
God continues to desire that all the living will repent and return to Him (2 Peter 3:9). May we share our Lord’s desire that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
Good take on a tough subject.