Sermon by Dr. Roger Spradlin
Article by Kevin Pirnie
📖 Dive deep into one of the most profound chapters in Scripture as Dr. Roger Spradlin unpacks Romans 11 and God’s incredible plan for Jewish salvation. This powerful 38-minute teaching will transform your understanding of God’s covenant faithfulness and His heart for Israel!
✨ In This Teaching You’ll Discover:
• God’s unwavering commitment to His chosen people
• The mystery of Israel’s partial hardening and future restoration
• How Gentile believers fit into God’s redemptive plan
• The beautiful imagery of the olive tree and grafted branches
• Paul’s revelation about “all Israel will be saved”
• Practical applications for believers today
God’s Unfailing Faithfulness: An Exposition of Romans 11
The Question That Won’t Go Away
Have you ever felt like God’s promises weren’t coming true? Maybe you’ve prayed for years for a family member to come to Christ, and nothing seems to change. Maybe you’ve watched a friend walk away from the faith, and you wonder if God’s word has somehow failed. If you’ve wrestled with these questions, you’re not alone. The apostle Paul himself grappled with what might be the most painful question of his ministry: Has God rejected Israel?
For two chapters now, Paul has been laying out the heartbreaking reality that most of his Jewish brothers and sisters have rejected their own Messiah. The very people who received the covenants, the law, the promises, and the patriarchs have stumbled over the stumbling stone. And if that’s true, if God’s ancient chosen people have been set aside, what does that say about God’s faithfulness? What does it say about His promises?
As we enter Romans 11, Paul gives us his most emphatic response yet: “May it never be!” Or as we might say today, “Absolutely not! God forbid!” But he doesn’t just assert this truth—he takes us on a journey through Israel’s history, through God’s mysterious purposes, and finally to a place of breathless worship at the unfathomable wisdom of our faithful God.
Living Proof: Paul’s Personal Testimony
Paul begins chapter 11 with something deeply personal. “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Romans 11:1).
Think about the power of this statement. Paul himself is exhibit A that God hasn’t given up on Israel. Here stands a man who was once named Saul—a Pharisee of Pharisees, educated under the famous Gamaliel, zealous for the traditions of his fathers, a Hebrew of Hebrews. This man didn’t just disagree with Christianity; he hunted Christians down with murderous intent. He held the coats while Stephen was stoned. He dragged believers from their homes and threw them in prison.
Yet on the Damascus Road, everything changed. The risen Christ appeared to him in blazing glory, and the chief persecutor became the chief apostle. If God could save Saul of Tarsus, then God certainly hasn’t abandoned Israel. Paul is walking, breathing proof that God’s grace can reach even the hardest heart among His ancient people.
The Remnant: God’s Faithful Few Throughout History
But Paul doesn’t rest his case on his own conversion alone. He reaches back into one of Israel’s darkest hours to make his point—the days of Elijah the prophet.
Picture the scene with me. Elijah has just come off his greatest victory on Mount Carmel, where God sent fire from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, proving beyond doubt that the Lord alone is God. But when Queen Jezebel threatens his life, Elijah runs. He ends up alone in the wilderness, exhausted, depressed, feeling like the last faithful person in all of Israel.
Listen to his complaint: “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life” (Romans 11:3).
Have you ever felt like Elijah? Maybe you look around your workplace and feel like the only believer. Maybe you sit at family gatherings and wonder if anyone else takes God seriously. Maybe you’ve attended churches where the theology was so watered down you wondered if you were in the right place. In those moments, we identify with Elijah’s despair. It feels like we’re standing alone.
But listen to God’s response to Elijah: “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (Romans 11:4).
Seven thousand! While Elijah was convinced he stood alone, God had preserved thousands of faithful believers. They weren’t making headlines. They weren’t prominent in society. They weren’t leading revival movements. But they were there—faithful and true, known to God even if unknown to Elijah.
This is what theologians call the doctrine of the remnant, and it’s absolutely crucial for understanding how God has always worked throughout history. The Greek word Paul uses here is leimma, meaning “that which is left over”—a residue or remainder. God has always accomplished His purposes through a faithful minority.
Think about it. In Noah’s day, it was only eight people who were saved from the flood. With Abraham, God started over with one man and his family. During the Babylonian exile, it was the faithful few like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who kept the faith. When Jesus walked the earth, it was the small band of disciples who truly understood who He was while the religious establishment rejected Him.
Paul applies this principle to his own day: “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice” (Romans 11:5).
Grace Alone: The Foundation of the Remnant
Now notice that phrase very carefully—”according to God’s gracious choice.” This remnant doesn’t exist because they were smarter than others, more spiritual than others, or worked harder than others. They exist because of God’s sovereign grace.
This leads Paul to one of the most important theological statements in Scripture: “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6).
Friends, grace and works are like oil and water—they simply don’t mix when it comes to the basis of our salvation. You cannot combine them. The moment you add even the smallest work as a requirement for salvation, you’ve destroyed grace. It’s no longer grace at all.
Think about what this means practically. If someone asked you, “Why are you a Christian?” what would you say? If your answer involves anything about your own goodness, your own wisdom in choosing God, your own decision to follow Christ, you’ve missed the heart of grace.
The proper answer always begins with God: “I’m a Christian because God chose me. God called me. God opened my blind eyes. God gave me the faith to believe.” This doesn’t mean we don’t have to repent and believe—we absolutely do. But it properly orders the theological sequence and gives glory where glory is due. Salvation belongs to the Lord from start to finish.
The Hardening: A Sobering Reality
Paul now addresses a difficult truth. He quotes from Isaiah and the Psalms to explain that God has given the majority of Israel “a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not” (Romans 11:8). David adds, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, and a stumbling block and a retribution to them. Let their eyes be darkened to see not, and bend their backs forever” (Romans 11:9-10).
This is hard teaching. God has judicially hardened most of Israel in their unbelief. But before we recoil from this, remember what Paul has already established in earlier chapters: they first hardened their own hearts against the clear revelation of God. They pursued righteousness through works rather than faith. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. God’s hardening is His just response to their willful rejection.
But here’s the crucial question: Is this hardening permanent? Has Israel’s stumbling led to their permanent fall? Paul answers emphatically: “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be!” (Romans 11:11).
Israel’s stumbling is not their final fall. God has a purpose even in their temporary rejection, and it’s a purpose that will ultimately result in blessing for the whole world.
The Divine Purpose: Blessing Through Israel’s Stumbling
Here’s where Paul reveals something remarkable about God’s mysterious plan. Israel’s transgression has become the means by which salvation has come to the Gentiles. Think about it: if the Jewish leaders had accepted Jesus as Messiah, if the nation had crowned Him king, would the gospel have spread to the ends of the earth? Would we Gentiles be grafted into God’s family?
But God in His sovereignty used their rejection to accomplish something greater. Jesus went to the cross, died for the sins of the world, rose from the dead, and commissioned His disciples to take the gospel to all nations. What the enemy meant for evil, God used for the greatest good imaginable.
Yet Paul says this was also designed “to make them jealous” (Romans 11:11). Picture this: Gentiles who were far from God, who had no covenant relationship, who were strangers to the promises—these people are now experiencing the blessings that rightfully belonged to Israel. They’re forgiven. They’re adopted. They’re filled with the Holy Spirit. And this is supposed to provoke Israel to jealousy, to make them say, “Wait a minute—that’s supposed to be us! We want what they have!”
And if Israel’s transgression and failure have brought such riches to the world, Paul asks, “how much more will their fulfillment be?” (Romans 11:12). If their stumbling brought blessing, imagine what their restoration will bring! If their temporary rejection opened the door for Gentile salvation, what will their acceptance mean? Paul says it will be nothing less than “life from the dead” (Romans 11:15).
Paul’s Ministry Strategy: Provoking Jealousy
Paul now reveals something personal about his apostolic ministry. As the apostle to the Gentiles, he magnifies his ministry precisely because he hopes it will provoke his fellow Israelites to jealousy and save some of them (Romans 11:13-14).
This is beautiful, isn’t it? Paul’s love for the Gentiles and his love for his Jewish kinsmen work together. He’s not choosing one over the other. By faithfully proclaiming the gospel to Gentiles and seeing them come to faith, he hopes Jewish people will see the reality of God’s work and desire it for themselves.
This should shape how we think about missions and evangelism. When we reach people with the gospel, when lives are transformed, when communities are changed, it’s not just about those individual salvations—as glorious as those are. It’s also a testimony to those who haven’t yet believed. It makes the reality of God visible and attractive.
The Olive Tree: Understanding Our Place
Now Paul gives us one of the most powerful illustrations in all of Scripture—the olive tree. This image helps us understand the relationship between Israel and the Church, between God’s ancient people and those of us who have been grafted in.
The olive tree represents God’s covenant people, with the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—as the root. For centuries, the natural branches (ethnic Israel) grew from that root, drawing life and nourishment from God’s promises to the fathers.
But Paul says some of those natural branches were broken off because of unbelief. And you—if you’re a Gentile believer—you were a wild olive shoot, having no natural connection to this tree. Yet by God’s grace, you were grafted in among the remaining branches and now share in the rich root of the olive tree (Romans 11:17).
Let that sink in for a moment. If you’re a Gentile Christian, you were wild by nature. You had no claim on God’s covenants. You were, as Paul says elsewhere, “separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
But God took you—a wild, rebellious branch—and grafted you into His covenant people. You now draw life from the same root. You share in the same promises. You’re part of the same family. What amazing grace!
The Danger of Pride: A Solemn Warning
But with this privilege comes a serious warning. Paul says, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you” (Romans 11:18).
This warning is desperately needed. Throughout church history, Gentile Christians have often fallen into the trap of pride, looking down on Jewish people, claiming that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. This arrogance has led to horrific persecution of the Jewish people, often done in the name of Christ.
Paul says if you start boasting, remember this: you don’t support the root; the root supports you. You’re a latecomer to this tree. You were grafted in by grace. Everything you have is a gift. The promises were given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The covenants belong to Israel. The Messiah came through the Jewish line. You’re the beneficiary of someone else’s heritage, adopted into a family that isn’t naturally yours.
So when we look at Jewish people who haven’t yet believed in Jesus, our response should never be pride or contempt. It should be humility, gratitude, and prayer. After all, we’re only in the tree because God was merciful enough to graft us in.
Continuing in God’s Kindness: The Condition
Paul then makes an argument that should make us think carefully: “You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either” (Romans 11:19-21).
Notice the condition: “if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22).
Now, this raises important questions about the security of salvation. Is Paul saying that true believers can lose their salvation? From a premillennial perspective, understanding that God deals differently with different groups in different dispensations, we recognize that this warning is primarily corporate, not individual.
Just as national Israel was temporarily broken off corporately (though individual Jews could still be saved), so Gentile Christendom as a whole could be broken off if it departs from faith. We see this in church history—regions that were once centers of Christianity have fallen away, and God has raised up the church in other parts of the world. The warning is real.
But this doesn’t negate the security of individual believers who genuinely trust in Christ. Those who truly believe, who continue in His kindness by faith, will persevere because God preserves them. The warning serves to expose false profession and to encourage genuine faith.
Israel’s Future Grafting: A Premillennial Hope
Now comes one of the most exciting parts of this chapter. After warning Gentile believers not to be arrogant, Paul turns to the hope of Israel’s future: “And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again” (Romans 11:23).
Think about the logic here. If God could take wild olive branches (Gentiles) and graft them into a cultivated olive tree contrary to nature, how much more can He graft the natural branches (Israel) back into their own olive tree? It’s perfectly consistent with the tree’s nature. In fact, from a horticultural standpoint, it’s much easier.
Paul isn’t speaking hypothetically here. He’s pointing to a future reality. From a premillennial perspective, this grafting back in will happen when Christ returns to establish His kingdom. It’s not just possible—it’s promised.
The Mystery Revealed: Israel’s Future Salvation
Paul now reveals what he calls a “mystery”—something that was hidden in previous ages but is now being made known: “I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26).
Let’s unpack this carefully because it’s crucial to understanding God’s prophetic plan.
First, Israel’s hardening is partial. It’s not total—there has always been a remnant of Jewish believers, and there still is today. In fact, more Jewish people have come to faith in Jesus in the last 75 years than in the previous 1,800 years combined.
Second, this hardening is temporary. It will last “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” From a premillennial perspective, this refers to the completion of God’s program with the Church age. When the last Gentile who will be saved is brought into the kingdom, when the Bride of Christ is complete, then God will turn His focus back to Israel in a special way.
Third, “all Israel will be saved.” Now, we need to be careful here. Does this mean every individual Jewish person who has ever lived will be saved? From the context and the rest of Scripture, it seems better to understand this as the nation of Israel as a whole—a massive, national turning to Christ. When the hardening is lifted, when the veil is removed, the nation will recognize their Messiah and embrace Him.
Paul quotes from Isaiah to describe this: “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (Romans 11:26-27).
This points to the second coming of Christ. When Jesus returns, not to the Mount of Olives alone, but in power and glory, Israel as a nation will look on the one they pierced and mourn, and they will be saved (Zechariah 12:10). This is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Israel.
The Tension: Enemies and Beloved
Paul now describes a remarkable tension that exists regarding Israel: “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; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28-29).
Look at both sides of this equation. In terms of the gospel, most of Israel currently stands in opposition. They reject Jesus as Messiah. They are, in that sense, enemies of the gospel. And ironically, this has worked to our benefit as Gentiles, because their rejection opened the door for our inclusion.
But from the standpoint of God’s sovereign choice, they are still beloved. Why? Because of the fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God made unconditional promises to the patriarchs, and He will keep those promises.
This is where we see the absolute faithfulness of God. He doesn’t make promises and then take them back. He doesn’t call a people and then change His mind. The text is crystal clear: “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
If God could break His promises to Israel, what confidence would we have that He’ll keep His promises to us? But because His calling and His gifts are irrevocable, we can trust Him completely. What He starts, He finishes. Whom He calls, He keeps. What He promises, He performs.
The Great Reversal: Mercy for All
Paul now brings us to the crescendo of his argument with a beautiful symmetry: “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. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all” (Romans 11:30-32).
Do you see the pattern? We Gentiles were once disobedient. We had no relationship with God. We were rebels by nature and by choice. But when Israel stumbled, mercy came to us. We who deserved nothing received everything.
Now Israel is in disobedience, but Paul says that through the mercy shown to us, they too will be shown mercy. The same grace that saved us will save them. The same gospel that opened our blind eyes will open theirs.
And notice the ultimate purpose: “God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” This doesn’t mean universalism—that every individual will be saved. The context makes clear that both Jews and Gentiles are saved by faith in Christ, and many reject that faith. But it does mean that God’s plan includes mercy for both groups—both Jew and Gentile will be represented in His eternal kingdom.
This is God’s master plan. He allowed both Jews and Gentiles to experience disobedience so that both would be dependent on His mercy. Neither can boast. Both stand only by grace. And when the story is complete, when representatives from every tribe and nation and people and tongue are gathered before His throne, all the glory will go to God alone.
The Doxology: Worship at the Depths
As Paul contemplates the wisdom and sovereignty of God’s plan, he can’t contain himself. Theology leads to doxology. Understanding leads to worship. He breaks into one of the most magnificent expressions of praise in all of Scripture:
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).
This is where all good theology should lead us—to our knees in wonder and worship.
Paul marvels at the depths of God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge. The word “depth” here suggests something that cannot be fully measured or comprehended. Like trying to find the bottom of the ocean, we can dive deep into God’s wisdom and never reach the end. There are always greater depths to explore, more wonders to discover.
His judgments are unsearchable. The word means they cannot be fully tracked or traced out. We can’t connect all the dots. We can’t see all the reasons behind His decisions. Even with everything Paul has explained in these chapters, there are still mysteries we don’t fully understand.
His ways are unfathomable. They’re beyond our ability to fully trace out or understand. Just when we think we have God figured out, He does something that surprises us, that works differently than we expected, that accomplishes His purposes through means we never would have chosen.
Who has known the mind of the Lord? The implied answer is: no one. We don’t have the capacity to fully comprehend God’s thoughts. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth.
Who has been His counselor? Again, the answer is obvious: no one. God doesn’t need our advice. He doesn’t need us to tell Him how to run the universe. He doesn’t consult with us about His plans.
Who has first given to Him that it might be paid back? The answer: nobody. Everything we have comes from Him. We can’t put God in our debt. We can never do enough good works to make Him owe us. All is grace.
And then Paul gives us the ultimate statement of God’s sovereignty and glory: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”
Everything originates with God—He is the source. Everything happens through God—He is the means. Everything leads to God—He is the goal. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Therefore, the only proper response is: “To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
Living Between the Already and the Not Yet
As we conclude this study of Romans 11, we find ourselves living in a unique moment in redemptive history. We live between the “already” and the “not yet.”
Already the gospel has gone to the Gentiles. Already millions from every nation have been saved. Already wild olive branches have been grafted into the tree. Already we’re experiencing the blessings of salvation in Christ.
But not yet has the fullness of the Gentiles come in. Not yet has all Israel been saved. Not yet has the Deliverer returned from Zion. Not yet has every knee bowed and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord.
From a premillennial perspective, we’re in the church age, the time when God is calling out a people for His name from among the Gentiles. We’re in the time of Israel’s partial hardening, but we’re watching for signs of their restoration. And we’re waiting expectantly for Christ’s return, when He will establish His kingdom and fulfill all His promises to Israel.
This in-between time calls for several responses from us:
First, humility. We Gentile believers must never become arrogant toward Israel. We’re grafted-in branches living by grace alone. Everything we have is a gift. We have no grounds for boasting.
Second, urgency. If we’re living in the time approaching the fullness of the Gentiles, if we’re seeing prophecy fulfilled before our eyes, if we’re watching pieces fall into place for events Paul predicted two thousand years ago, then we need to be about our Father’s business. We need to share the gospel while there’s still time.
Third, hope. God has not abandoned Israel. He will keep His promises. If He’s faithful to them despite their unfaithfulness, then we can trust Him to be faithful to us. His gifts and calling are irrevocable.
Fourth, prayer. We should pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We should pray for Jewish people to come to faith in their Messiah. We should support ministries that reach out to Jewish people with the gospel in love and truth.
Fifth, worship. When we understand God’s plan—how He weaves together human choices and divine sovereignty, how He’s worked through both Jew and Gentile, how He’s accomplished His purposes despite human rebellion—the only appropriate response is worship.
The Personal Challenge
You cannot read Romans 11 and remain unchanged. Paul’s teaching demands a personal response.
If you’re reading this and you’ve never trusted in Christ, understand that you’re a wild olive branch with no natural connection to God’s covenant people. You have no claim on His promises based on your own merit. But God wants to graft you in. He wants to give you a place among His people. He wants you to draw life from the root and bear fruit for His glory.
The gospel invitation is open to you. Trust in Jesus Christ. Believe that He died for your sins and rose from the dead. Turn from your rebellion and embrace His mercy. Today is the day of salvation.
If you’re a believer but you’ve been proud—thinking you’re somehow better than others, thinking you earned your salvation or deserve your place in God’s family—repent. You’re a grafted-in branch living by grace alone. Everything you have is a gift. Let humility replace pride. Let gratitude replace entitlement.
If you’re Jewish and wondering about Jesus, consider Paul’s argument carefully. The same God who called Abraham, who delivered Israel from Egypt, who gave the law at Sinai, who promised a New Covenant through Jeremiah—that God has provided a Deliverer who comes from Zion to take away sins. Jesus is that Deliverer. The veil can be lifted. The blindness can be removed. You can recognize your Messiah and experience the forgiveness and new life He offers.
If you’re a Gentile believer who has looked down on Jewish people or been indifferent to their spiritual condition, let this chapter transform your heart. They are beloved for the sake of the fathers. God has a glorious plan for them. Pray for them. Support ministries reaching them with the gospel. Recognize that God is not finished with Israel.
The Ultimate Goal
At the end of the day, Romans 11 isn’t primarily about Israel, and it’s not primarily about the Church. It’s about God—His faithfulness, His wisdom, His mercy, His glory.
When all Israel is saved, who gets the glory? God.
When the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, who gets the glory? God.
When the olive tree is full and flourishing with both natural and grafted branches, all drawing life from the same root and bearing fruit for the same purpose, who gets the glory? God alone.
This is what worship is all about—recognizing God’s supreme worth and giving Him the honor He deserves. When we understand His mysterious plan, when we see how He weaves together the threads of human history, when we recognize how He’s worked through both Jew and Gentile to accomplish His purposes, when we stand amazed at the depths of His wisdom and knowledge, the only response is worship.
So let us join Paul in his doxology. Let us exclaim with wonder at the depths of God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge. Let us acknowledge that His judgments are unsearchable and His ways unfathomable. Let us confess that no one has known His mind, no one has been His counselor, no one has given to Him expecting repayment.
Let us affirm with conviction that all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him.
And let us declare with joy and confidence: To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
May this study deepen your understanding of God’s faithfulness, strengthen your faith in His promises, and lead you to greater worship of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all praise, now and forevermore.
