Romans 11:25–27

It is precisely through being wise in its own conceit that the professing church has fallen. It has looked on the Jews as entirely set aside, forgetting that "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (older translations: "without repentance") — that He never changes His mind.

Note carefully that "blindness in part" has happened to Israel. "Blindness" is a very strong word. It means being hardened like a stone. The noun in verse 25 is a medical term, "callus" — the hardening of skin. This then is the moral state of God's earthly people. And it is not limited to Israel. Ephesians 4:18 uses the same word for the state of the Gentiles.

The blindness that has come upon Israel is only blindness in part. The nation is not blinded nevermore to see, nor fallen never to be restored, nor cast off never to be received. The time of their casting off will end when the fulness of the Gentiles has been brought into blessing.

"The fulness of the Gentiles" is a very different thing. Israel, as a people, are now set aside, though a remnant is saved by the gospel, according to the election of grace. God is filling up the number of Gentiles He intends to save. The word "fulness" might be rendered "complement." In this way He is calling out of the Gentiles a people for His name. He is gathering to Himself the allotted number out of every nation, tribe, people and tongue. When that number is complete, the fulness of the Gentiles will have come in — come in to God. So "the times of the Gentiles" and "the fulness of the Gentiles" are two very different things.

"In part" strictly means in part. It is not just a softening of a severe statement. And "until" marks the point in time when the great change takes place. Calvin said that "until" does not mark this, and means no more than "that." That shows the strong prejudice of a good man whose knowledge of the language was imperfect… "The fulness of the Gentiles" cannot mean the general conversion of the world to Christ. The apostle's earlier reasoning in this chapter makes that certain. He asks: if the slips of the Jews were the world's riches, how much more their fulness?

It is because the apostle is speaking here of the Church as a stage in God's dealings. It came in through Israel's blindness, and it cannot go together with Israel's national blessing. Seen that way, the Church is Gentile, and it does not stop being Gentile when individual Israelites come into it. When they do, they take the same ground as the Gentiles… and they become detached from the nation as pictured here.

The fulness of the Gentiles means the full number of the saved, gathered out from among the Gentiles. They make up the church, the body of Christ. And when the body is joined to the Head in glory… the Lord will turn again to Israel. All Israel — that is, all Israel living in that day — will be saved, when the Deliverer comes out of Zion.

Israel is the subject of God's plans. God does not cast away what He has foreknown and appointed to blessing. This rests on positive grace. God does not change His plans, even though Israel has no righteousness... The apostle gives three proofs of this truth. First, there was a remnant chosen by God. Next, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make the Jews jealous. Third, the Deliverer will come out of Zion to turn away the ungodliness of Israel.

It is the future national restoration and salvation of Israel. They will be restored to their place in the line of God's testimony and promises on earth; heavenly hopes do not come into view here... Plainly it is the Jews, the literal Jews, who are meant here. The chapter distinguishes them from the Gentiles, and contrasts them with the Gentiles, from verse 11 on, and very clearly in this verse 26. "The fullness of the Gentiles" means the complete number of Gentiles who believe — all the Gentiles who share in the blessing while Israel stays stubborn.

A chosen remnant of Israel is spared. God will bring them to believe and graft them back into their own olive tree — not into the Christian church, which was never their own olive tree. They will become the nation — the "all Israel."

As the Spirit interprets the prophecy there, we are not to look for it to be fulfilled in the salvation of all Israel until after the full number of the Gentiles has come in. That is only going on now, so it is not complete. So the moment has not even arrived to begin applying it to Israel. But faith can profit by it at any time.

But what will bring this about? "The coming of the Deliverer out of Zion," replies the apostle. But is not Christ the Deliverer? And has He not come? Yes; but not out of Zion. He has come out of Bethlehem, and out of Nazareth, and, thank God, out of the grave also. But not yet out of Zion. Zion is the royal city, David's city; and when the King of kings reigns there, then Israel's deliverance will be complete.

The apostle cites the prophecy of the Redeemer coming to Zion as His coming out of Zion. Both are true, and each fits its place. The Redeemer must come to that mountain of royalty in the Holy Land so that He can come out from there. He will come to the righteous remnant, to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, and He will also turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Their hearts will be converted before Jehovah appears at the worst of their distress and destroys their enemies. But that appearing will deepen all their feelings toward Himself, and bring them into peace and blessing fully and for ever.

The Redeemer is now called the Deliverer, for He will prove to be both. When He came as the humbled Servant of the Lord He did redemption's mighty work. When He comes to Zion in His glory, He will bring the deliverance that redemption made righteously possible.

Some try to read the church into every Scripture. They do not see that the glory of Christ will have an object of His love on earth as well as in the heavens. They have fallen into the Gentile conceit that Romans 11 denounces and corrects.

In Jeremiah's beautiful prophecy there is no "if." The words that mark it are, "I will." Israel and Judah do come into the picture. But they come as those who receive, not as the important actors. The new covenant will come when God acts in the sovereignty of His mercy. Its righteous basis was laid in the sacrifice of Christ, which Isaiah spoke of. God will put His law inside them and write it on their hearts. Keeping it will then be as natural to them as breaking it once was. They will come into the light of the knowledge of God. All their sins will be forgiven, and even the memory of them dropped. And all of it comes by an act of God's sovereign mercy, as the closing verses of Romans 11 make so plain.

Israel's hardening was true then and still goes on — though, we may bless God, only in part. It was announced long before. Yet the same prophet, and the rest of the prophets too, look ahead to the bright day for the earth when all Israel, as such, will be saved. The fullness — the full number — of the Gentiles who now believe will have come in. And so the long guilty, long chastened people of the Lord will turn to Him. They will own Him in the crucified Nazarene as their Lord and their God. It will be just like Thomas, who represents them here: he saw Him and believed.

But how is this to come about? By the Gentile Church preaching the gospel to Jews? Not at all. Their faith will not be in an absent Christ. It will be in One they see with their own eyes, coming out of Zion to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. When they see, they will believe.

The heart of Jerusalem must be washed (Jer. 4:14) before God can place salvation in Zion for Israel His glory (Isa. 46:13)… But in that day a fountain will also be opened for the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). Then His people will know the once-rejected Jesus as their Saviour. He saves them from their outward enemies, and from the sins they will then admit. The verse next following claims for Israel the full blessing of the New Covenant.

This is no doubtful issue: God's covenant with them was to send His Son to them in glory and majesty. True, He came once in lowliness, and they refused Him. But that cannot cancel God's promise about His coming in glory. At that time He will take away their sins — and of course Calvary laid the basis for it.

Mercy through the Lord our righteousness has raised us up and seated us in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). In the same way, in the day when all Israel will be saved, mercy will rejoice in the lower parts of the earth. Only one covenant takes away sin through the Deliverer. That covenant will establish Israel, just as it now establishes the saints.

It is the Jew, not the church, that is in question throughout. Zion measures the privilege and the guilt of Judah. Nowhere in Scripture is it applied to the church, which is Christ's body… And so it is with Rom. 11:26. To read the church into any New Testament use of Zion would yield no right meaning.