All Israel Shall Be Saved

For the last few weeks, we’ve been considering the status of ethnic Jews within God’s overall purposes. The Apostle Paul spent three entire chapters (9-11) in the book of Romans addressing precisely this subject.

Paul is determined to teach the Roman church that God has not given up on nonbelieving Jews. Although at the present time they’ve been excluded from God’s people, there is absolutely no reason why they can’t be “grafted back” into the covenant tree by putting their faith in Jesus.

Paul’s long discussion reaches its conclusion towards the end of Romans 11. Here Paul offers a summary statement of everything that he has been explaining over the last three chapters: “I don’t want you to remain in ignorance of this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel until the fullness of the nations comes in. That is how all Israel shall be saved.” (v25-26)

“All Israel shall be saved.” It is astonishing how much mischief these five words have caused. It seems that there is no end to the wild, speculative theories which this little phrase has generated. On the basis of this verse, some even claim that somehow God will eventually save every Jew who has ever lived! Others think that at the time of Jesus’ second coming, God will bring most or all of the Jews then alive to faith in Christ.

All this trouble can be averted if we pay close attention to the argument Paul has so carefully constructed. Crucially, we must remind ourselves of how the discussion began: “Not all who are from Israel, are Israel.” (Romans 9:6) Right from the start, Paul made it clear that Israel has been redefined. They are no longer merely the physical descendants of Jacob. Rather, Israel has been reconstituted as people of every nation who give their loyalty to Jesus.

The lesson of Romans 9:6 is that Paul can use the word “Israel” in two very different ways, even in the same verse! This insight is crucial for properly understanding Romans 11:25-26, where the apostle employs the same tactic. The meaning Paul intends must be determined by the context.

“A hardening has come upon part of Israel.” This refers to ethnic Israel; a “hardening” has come upon part of them. Paul is here summarizing the same thorny problem he’s been wrestling with since the beginning of chapter 9: most ethnic Jews have rejected Jesus as Messiah.

The term “hardening” merits further consideration. Many Christians misunderstand this as a rigid statement of predestination. That is, God makes a unilateral choice to harden someone’s heart in sin and rebellion, thereby ensuring their future condemnation.

But that isn’t how Paul and other Jewish writers used the language of hardening. Pharoah is the quintessential example of hardening; the Egyptian king was manifestly guilty of enslaving the people of Israel and murdering their firstborn sons. God would have been perfectly just to bring judgment crashing down upon his head.

However, rather than bringing about immediate condemnation, God chose to “harden” Pharoah’s heart. This idea is encapsulated in Romans 2:4-6. God is often very patient and kind towards those in rebellion against him. He provides a time of forbearance, offering sinful humanity the opportunity to come to their senses and repent of their wickedness. However, if they refuse to amend their ways, they “are building up a store of anger” against themselves, so that when the time of judgment does arrive, God’s wrath will be all the more fitting.

Importantly, the concept of hardening does not abrogate human freedom or responsibility. God gave Pharaoh many chances (ten, to be precise) to turn away from his iniquity. But in his arrogance and insolence, Pharoah refused. All that Pharaoh did, he did of his own accord. God simply used Pharoah’s own obstinacy to accomplish his own purposes. Pharaoh’s hard heart provided the opportunity for God’s justice to manifest itself all the more clearly. Thus, all the nations of the earth could see what transpired in Egypt and witness the power of the God of Israel.

Paul sees the same dynamic now at work among ethnic Jews. Their hearts have been hardened; they’ve rejected their rightful king. Since Jesus is “God over all blessed forever,” Israel has also spurned her covenant God.

This hardening does not mean that God has rejected ethnic Jews completely. Paul offers himself is a prime counter example: “I myself am an Israelite, from the seed of Abraham and the tribe of Benjamin.” Likewise, there were many other Christian Jews who formed a “remnant.”

Paul insists that this state of hardening is eminently reversible. The “apostle to the Gentiles” hoped that his missionary work would have the added benefit of making Jews “jealous.” That is, ethnic Jews would see people receiving the covenant blessings promised to Israel. Perhaps they will then recognize their loss and come to faith in Jesus.

Paul was under no illusion that all ethnic Jews would avail themselves of this opportunity. Bitter experience had taught him that many would continue to spurn God’s grace. But he does hold out hope that he can “save some of them.” (11:14)

Above all else, Paul makes it abundantly clear that, in order for ethnic Jews to re-enter the family of God, they must declare their loyalty to Jesus the Messiah. This is most explicitly stated in Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” He re-iterates the point in chapter 11, where he compares nonbelieving Jews to branches cut out of the covenant tree. They can be grafted back in again, but only through faith.

So, part of Israel (ethnic Jews) has been hardened. However, the Almighty is patient and merciful; he withholds judgment, thereby giving Jews time to come to faith in Jesus.

Meanwhile, people of every nation are now welcomed into the family of God. Note, “the fullness of the nations,” does not mean that Paul is advocating some kind of universalism. This phrase signifies that God will eventually bring into his kingdom a vast multitude of Gentiles, the full number of which is known but to him.

“And that is how all Israel shall be saved.” This innocent little phrase has resulted in all kinds of misunderstanding. That should not be the case. Paul’s words “and that” clearly signify that he is restating what he has just written in verse 25. Moreover, this statement offers a concise summary of everything Paul has written over the last three chapters. Namely, people of every nation will join a remnant of Jews in the family of God.

For Paul, these people are the true Israel. Their identity is rooted solely in their faithfulness to Jesus. They are the renewed humanity, the fulfillment of all the promises God made to Abraham so long ago. Israel has not been replaced, but they have been remade. Just as the potter remolds the clay, God has reshaped Israel around his anointed King.

Paul is not attempting to say anything more than what he has been saying since the beginning of chapter 9. He is not proposing (in one small sentence!) an entirely new theory about the fate of ethnic Jews.

He’s certainly not making the bizarre claim that every Jew who has ever lived will be saved. Nor does he suggest that most/all of the ethnic Jews alive at the final coming of Jesus will suddenly come to faith. That notion is found neither here, nor in any of Paul’s other writings. (Why would God favor the last generation of Jews versus those who have lived throughout history?)

Finally, Paul gives us absolutely no reason to think that ethnic Jews have some kind of parallel covenant whereby they can receive salvation apart from Jesus. There is absolutely no reason to think that Jews will be saved based upon their ethnicity. The Jewish temple in Jerusalem, the OT sacrifices and the Torah are now totally irrelevant; they have no role to play in the ongoing purposes of God. For Jews and Gentiles, there is only one covenant, and one path to salvation, through loyalty to Jesus the Messiah.