Romans

Remember that Paul is talking about Israel in chapters 9, 10 and 11, as you can see by the first verses in each chapter. The following verses tell us what happened to Israel in Paul’s time, and how that effects the world today. These verses summarize the events recorded in the book of Acts. Acts shows the transition from Israel’s program for peace on earth, to Paul’s message about Gentiles and Jews equally having a future in heaven.

(Vs 11.) "Have they stumbled that they should fall?" When did the nation Israel stumble? See Rom 9:31-33. (Is 8:13-15 & 28:16) They stumbled over Christ, the Rock. They didn’t recognize Him and had Him crucified. (Acts 2:23,36&3:13-17) But did that cause their fall? No! (Luke 23:34; Mat 12:32) Even after Christ’s resurrection, in Acts 1 through 7 God was still speaking only to Israel. (Examples Acts 2:5,14,22,36; 3:12,25; 5:30,31) Back then, Jews were scattered all over the world, just as they are today. (Dan 9:7; Acts 2:39) On the day of Pentecost, (the 50^th and last day of the feast of weeks, Deut 16:16; Lev 23:15-17) there were Jews and proselytes from all over the world in Jerusalem, speaking many Gentile languages. (Acts 2:1,5-11) But nowhere in those first 7 chapters of Acts does God offer salvation to any Gentiles who may have been there, only to the Jews. So obviously Israel did not fall from being God’s people when they crucified Christ, because God continued to deal with them exclusively even after that.

"But rather through their fall ....," So Israel did fall, just not at the crucifixion. When then? In Acts 7, God the Holy Spirit, speaking through Stephen, summarizes Israel’s rebellion, and labels Israel as uncircumcised. (Acts 7:51) That meant they had broken God’s covenant, and were no better than the Gentiles. (Gen 17:10-14; Rom 2:25-27) In Mat 12:31,32, Jesus had warned Israel about this unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit. Israel did not fall when they spoke against the Son of God, but they did fall when they rejected the Holy Spirit of God who came to earth 50 days after the Son rose from the dead. (John 7:39; Acts 1:2-10; 2:1-5; 4:8,31; 7:55 Pentecost means 50. Ask if you’d like to see how all these events fulfill the Jewish feast days.)

"....through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles." In Israel’s earthly program, the knowledge and blessing of God will go out from Jerusalem to all the earth.(Gen 12:3; Is 2:1-4; 60:1-3) But when Israel fell in unbelief, that was postponed, and God introduced a new program through Paul in which He offers free pardon and blessing to all mankind equally, without going through Israel. (Rom 3:23,24; 10:12,13; Eph 2:17-19; 3:1-6; Gal 3:26-29;)

(Vs 12.) Israel fell in Acts 7 from being God’s channel of salvation to the world, and God has offered salvation now to the Gentiles directly. What great riches to have God’s word, and direct access to Him because Christ has paid for our sin! (Col 2:2,3; I Tim 2:3-7) Acts 8 to 28 shows how the importance of Israel diminished away. Paul is converted in Acts 9 and his new ministry takes over from that of the 12 disciples.(Gal 2:7-9) But Paul reminds us here, that what God has planned for Israel will yet happen, and when it does, the world will profit even more from their fullness then it now does from their fall.

(Vs 13.) Paul is the only "apostle of the Gentiles" in the Bible. He is the only one to write about "the dispensation of the grace of God.....which was kept secret...but now" is given to us Gentiles in this age. (Eph 3:1-6; Rom 16:25,26) So he has a very important office. Paul is not magnifying himself, and neither should we, but we need to know how unique and important his message is for us. (I Tim 1:11-16)

(Vs 14.) But Paul is still concerned for his fellow Jews, and wants them to be saved along with the Gentiles. (Rom 10:1; I Cor 9:19-20) Notice in Rom 10:19, how Israel was provoked to jealousy by the Jewish believers led by the 12 disciples; and here, they are provoked by Paul and the Gentile believers to jealousy (vs 11) and "emulation". Emulation is rivalry, an effort to equal or excel. Up until the time of the end of the book of Acts, God used Israel’s signs and miracles (Ex 34:10; Is 8:18) to validate Paul’s new message.(Acts 14:3) Many believed Paul’s message and this made the religious Jews envious. (Example, Acts 13:42-46) Paul wrote Romans during the events of Acts 19&20. (Acts 19:21; Rom 15:19,24-26)

(Vs 15.) God has temporarily cast away the nation of Israel, (but not individual Jews, as we saw in verses 1,2) so now He can offer reconciliation to all the world equally. (Rom 11:32; II Cor 5:17-21) Christ "hath broken down the middle wall of partition between" Jews and Gentiles...... "that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross".(Eph 2:14-16)

The world is benefitting from Israel’s fall now, but it will benefit even more from Israel when Christ returns to earth and receives them again. That will bring world wide revival,"life from the dead", in a kingdom of heaven on earth. (Is 9:6,7; 11:9,10; Mat 28:18-20) That is what John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed to be at hand, (Mat 3:1-2; 4:17,23) and what Peter offered to Israel after Jesus’ ascension. (Acts 3:19-21). That kingdom has been only temporarily set aside along with the nation Israel, until our time period is finished. (Rom 11:25)

(Vs 16.) "Holy" means to be set apart for God. In Numbers 15:17-21, the first bit of dough was offered to God and the rest of the lump was then good too. Paul uses this illustration to show that if you start with something holy, what comes from it is holy. God started with Abraham, (the root), and called him out from his family and homeland to be holy, set apart for God.(Gen 12:1-3; 17:1,2) From Abraham came the nation of Israel (the branches) which was also set apart for God. (Ex 19:5,6) So next, Paul cautions the Gentiles to have the right attitude toward the Jews.