Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

What is God’s plan for Israel? Prophecy is God telling us of the future over which He rules and reigns. At the time of its writing, 25 percent of the Bible was prophetic in nature, anticipating future events that God promised. Is there going to be some sort of great revival or miraculous turnaround?

In Romans 11:26, Paul prophecies, “All Israel will be saved.” This verse is the cause of one of the biggest debates in the New Testament. Theologians war with one another over this verse, generally taking one of two positions:

1. God saves all the Jewish people who are alive before Jesus returns. Could God do this? Absolutely, He could. He could save everyone who is physically Jewish (by birth).

2. God saves all the Jewish people who are predestined. Paul began this section with, “Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6). Instead of saving the physical Jews, God saves the spiritual Jews—the elect.

Let me give you a sports analogy. Teams generally have a starting lineup, but sometimes someone does something to disqualify themselves from the game. This person is forced to return to the bench, sideline, or even leave the arena. Someone else comes off the bench and takes the first person’s position in the game. Paul says this is what has happened to the Jewish people. From the beginning of human history, they have been “in the game.” Then some Jews hardened their hearts, thus disqualifying themselves and forcing them onto the bench. The Gentiles then came off the bench and went into a playing position.

We Gentiles might be tempted to become prideful in our playing position, but Paul reminds us that God will eventually bring the Jewish people back on the field to finish the game. There is great hope for the nation of Israel in the end. God has planned an incredible turnaround for the Jews at the end of history. A mass revival is in the works. We need to love the nation of Israel, and we need to pray for the Jewish people. They are the people through whom God brought His Word and His Son into human history, and He is not done with them.

Paul introduces an important word: “mystery” (v. 25). In your Bible, you need to have a metaphorical mystery box where you put things you are unsure about. Paul says the future is a bit of a mystery; God knows it but not us. A wise person knows there’s a lot they don’t know. Paul is one of the most brilliant minds in human history. He is filled with the Holy Spirit and writes much of the New Testament, yet he says, “The future is a mystery to me.”There is an attribute of God called omniscience, and it means that God knows everything. The Bible says we only “know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12), but God’s knowledge is all-encompassing. It requires some humility for us to say, “God knows everything, and I do not know everything.”

Today’s Reflection

As a believer, how should you face the unknown future?