Romans 11.31-The Present State Of Unbelief In Israel Is In Order That Because Of The Grace The Gentiles Obtained, Israel Would Also Obtain Grace
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday September 2, 2009
Romans: Romans 11:31-The Present State Of Unbelief In Israel Is In Order That Because Of The Grace The Gentiles Obtained, Israel Would Also Obtain Grace
Lesson # 387
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 11:28.
Last evening we continued with our study of Romans chapter eleven by noting Paul’s use of a correlative clause in Romans 11:30-31.
In Romans 11:30, Paul teaches his Gentile Christian readers in Rome that they who were once unbelieving in God have now been obtained grace because of Israel’s unbelief.
This evening we will note the apodasis of this comparative clause by studying Romans 11:31, which teaches that God’s purpose for the present state of unbelief in Israel is in order that because of the grace the Gentiles obtained, Israel would also now obtain grace.
Romans 11:28, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.”
Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Romans 11:30-31, “For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.”
In Romans 11:31, “so” is the adverb of manner houtos (ou^tw$) (hoo-tos), which is employed with the relative adverb of manner hosper, “just as” that appears in Romans 11:30 to form a comparative clause.
The protasis of the comparative clause, that is introduced by hosper, “just as” in Romans 11:30, teaches that the Gentiles who were once unbelieving in God have now been obtained grace because of Israel’s unbelief.
This echoes Romans 11:11.
Romans 11:11, “Therefore, I ask, did they stumble so as to fall down in complete in ruin? Absolutely not! On the contrary because of their transgression salvation is experienced by the Gentiles in order to provoke them to jealousy.”
The apodasis of the comparative clause is introduced by the adverb of manner houtos and teaches that “in the same way” that the Gentiles were formerly unbelieving prior to the church age so the nation of Israel is presently unbelieving.
Romans 11:31, “So these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.”
“Also” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which introduces a statement that teaches that “in addition to” those Gentiles who were once disobedient but exercised faith in Christ and as a result appropriated the grace of God, disobedient Jews will also obtain grace through faith in Christ because of the grace of obtained by the Gentiles.
“These” is the nominative masculine plural form of the demonstrative pronoun houtos (ou!!to$) (hoo-tos), which refers to the Jews who presently reject the gospel here in the church age.
“Now” is the adverb of time nun (nun) (noon), which is employed with the aorist tense of the verb apeitheo, “have been disobedient” in order to emphasize the present state of unbelief of the majority of Jews in Israel during the church age.
“Have been disobedient” is the third person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb apeitheo (a)peiqevw) (ap-i-theh-o), which is used to describe the present state of unbelief among the majority of Jews in Israel during the church age.
Romans 11:31, “So these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.”
“That” is the conjunction hina (i%na) (hee-nah), which is employed with the subjunctive mood of the verb eleeo in order to form a purpose clause, which presents the divine purpose for the present state of unbelief among the majority of Jews in Israel during the church age.
The divine purpose of the present state of unbelief among the majority of Jews during the church age was in order that because of the grace obtained by the Gentiles through faith in Christ, the Jews would also obtain grace through faith in Christ.
“Because of mercy shown to you” is composed of the articular dative neuter singular form of the noun eleos (e&leo$) (el-eh-os), “because of mercy” and the dative neuter second person singular form of the adjective humeteros (u(mevtero$) (hoo-met-er-os), “shown to you.”
In Romans 11:31, the noun eleos means “grace obtained” and speaks of God’s grace from the perspective that it is obtained or appropriated by the Gentiles through faith in Christ.
The word functions as a dative of cause indicating that “on the basis of” or “because of” the grace that the Gentiles obtained or appropriated through faith in Christ, the nation of Israel will also obtain grace at Christ’s Second Advent.
Paul puts the expression, “because of mercy shown to you” before the conjunction hina in order to emphasize it.
He is emphasizing that the very grace that God gave to the Gentiles through faith in Christ would also be given to the Jews when they turn from their unbelief and believe in Christ at His Second Advent.
Paul reveals a mystery in Romans 11:25 that a partial hardening has taken place in Israel between the first and second advents of Christ until the full number of Gentiles who are to be saved has come into existence.
At the Second Advent there will be a national regeneration and restoration of the nation of Israel according to Romans 11:26-27.
Romans 11:25-27, “In fact, I by no means want each and every one of you spiritual brothers and sisters to be ignorant of this mystery in order that you will not be arrogant concerning yourselves, namely that a partial hardness is taking place in Israel until and during which time the full number of Gentiles has come into existence. And then, in the following way, all Israel will be delivered just as it stands written for all of eternity, ‘The Deliverer will arrive out from Zion. He will remove totally and completely the godless ones from Jacob.’ Furthermore, this is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the covenant established by Me for their benefit when I act on My promise and remove their sins.”
Romans 11:31, “So these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.”
“They” is the nominative masculine third person plural form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (au)tov$) (ow-tos), which is emphasizing that the nation of Israel who are now unbelieving during the church age will obtain grace like the unbelieving, heathen Gentiles.
“Also” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which indicates that “in addition to” the once disobedient Gentiles who obtained grace through faith in Christ, the nation of Israel will also obtain it as well at the Second Advent after the full number of Gentiles to be saved have been saved.
“May be shown mercy” is the third person plural aorist passive subjunctive form of the verb eleeo (e)leevw) (el-eh-eh-o), which refers to God’s grace that will be appropriated by the majority of Jews in Israel at the Second Advent of Christ once the full number of Gentiles to be saved has come into existence.
This grace is in the form of the forgiveness of sins and being entered into an eternal relationship and fellowship with God and being made joint-partakers with Gentile Christians of the abundant blessings of the Abrahamic covenant.
“Now” is the adverb of time nun (nun) (noon), which is employed with the aorist tense of the verb eleeo in order to emphasize the immanency of the nation of Israel obtaining the grace of God through faith in Christ at His Second Advent.
It speaks of the fact that the nation of Israel is “now” in a position because of her unbelieving state, to obtain grace through faith in Christ.
Completed corrected translation of Romans 11:30-31: “For you see, all of you were formerly unbelieving in God the Father, but now all of you have obtained grace because of their unbelief so in the same way they also have now been unbelieving in order that because of the grace you obtained, they themselves would now also obtain grace.”
Therefore we can see from our studies of this comparative clause that appears in Romans 11:30-31 that there is similarity between the Jews and Gentiles experience in that both have been unbelieving, the Gentiles prior to the church age and the Jews during the church age.
There is however differences in that the Gentiles obtained grace and salvation because of the nation of Israel rejected Christ.
However, the nation of Israel will obtain grace and salvation because of the grace that the Gentiles obtained since Paul teaches in Romans 11:25-27 that the nation of Israel will not repent and trust in Christ until the full number of Gentiles to be saved, have in fact been saved.
When the full number of Gentiles, have been saved between the first and second advents of Christ, then the Second Advent will take place when the majority of Jews in Israel will have faith in Christ in contrast to the majority in Israel who reject Him during the church age.
Romans 11:31 teaches that God’s purpose for the present state of unbelief in Israel during the church age was in order that because of the grace obtained by the Gentiles through faith in Christ, the Jews might also obtain grace through faith in Christ.