Has God given up on Israel?

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. And I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life! 4 But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal.

5 In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace. 6 Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.

7 What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for, but the elect did find it. And The rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that cannot see
and ears that cannot hear,
to this day.

9 And David says,

Let their table become a snare and a trap,
and a pitfall and a retribution to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent continually.

Romans 11:1-10

There are about one hundred people in our church reading through the Bible this year. You may join that program at any time. Speak with me after the service. How many of you, reading through Scripture, have encountered a verse that did not sit right. Made you uncomfortable. Offended your modern sensibilities.

How many of you have read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. And your first thought was, that’s not fair. Or perhaps sat in the sermon through Romans 9. Where God has mercy on whom He wills. He hardens whom He wills. And felt a knot in your stomach.

Let us be honest. When you read those things, it can make you question the character of God. Because it sound less like good news. And more like a threat.

Now, that feeling. That tension. That is not a sign of weak faith. It is a sign of an engaged mind. It is a sign of a sensitive spirit. What if I told you that very tension is the key. It unlocks the stunning depth of God’s grace. It reveals the sobering reality of His justice.

Today we will walk into the heart of a tension filled passage. Stare it in the face. And I’m not going to explain away the tension. I’m going to show you this tension exists to reveal something breathtaking about God. And about us.

Romans 11:1-10 reveals this. God is completely faithful to save a remnant by grace. And God is completely just to harden the rest in unbelief. Therefore you will face His justice in your unbelief. Or you will receive His grace in Christ.

There is no other option. There is no neutral ground.

To understand this, to see how a good God makes this choice so clear, so stark, we must open our Bibles to Romans 11.

If any are saved, they’re saved by grace

God is completely faithful to save a remnant by grace.

I ask, then. Paul isn’t merely curious. Paul is bring to conclusion his argument made in Romans 9:30-10:21. There he asked a question. If God’s word never fails, how is it that Israel unbelief is so rife? Israel’s faith is faulty. Does that mean that God’s faithfulness to them is faulty too?

Has God rejected his people? This is a big question. If God has rejected His people then His promises are lies. His covenants are broken. His character is flawed. He is not faithful. He is not true. He is not God. We are left without hope. If God’s words have no meaning. And salvation hope has no anchor.

Paul is clear. Absolutely not! It is the strongest possible negation. Unthinkable. Impossible. It cannot be. God cannot deny Himself. God cannot break His promise. God cannot be unfaithful. It is a theological impossibility.

So Paul goes about proving this stunning impossibility. How? Three reasons. Three unshakable pillars supporting the faithfulness of God. First, personal testimony. Second, biblical precedent. Third, theological principle.

First, personal testimony. For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. Exhibit A. Saul of Tarsus. That Hebrew of Hebrews. That Pharisee of Pharisees. That blameless legalist. That violent persecutor of the church. That chief of sinners. But God. Paul is now a slave of Christ. An apostle to the Gentiles. A trophy of grace. Living proof that God saves Israelites. Paul is the first proof that God remains faithful towards Israel.

Second, Biblical precedent. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel? Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. And I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life! Elijah was in despair. Apostasy all around him. Loneliness within. He concluded he was the last faithful man standing. But he was wrong. But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal. There is a pattern. It is written. God preserves His remnant. A remnant chosen by grace. The remnant is the second proof that God remains faithful towards Israel.

Third, theological principle. In the same way then. In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace. Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace. Grace and works are like oil and water. They do not mix. Grace is God’s unmerited favour to those who deserve His wrath. Works is man’s merited effort to earn God’s favour. Salvation is all of grace. The theological principle that we are saved by grace alone means God can be faithful to save whosoever He wills. He saves. By grace. Through faith. In Christ. To the glory of God alone.

God is seen to be faithful as He saves a remnant by His own grace.

Salvation is by grace alone. God will have His remnant. But this raises a terrifying question. What about everyone else? What of those who do not receive His grace? Which leads to Paul’s next sobering point.

All that are lost, are hardened for doom

God is completely just to harden the rest in unbelief.

What then? What about everyone else? The question hangs in the air. And the answer is sobering. It is biblical. Israel did not find what it was looking for. Israel sought righteousness. But not by faith. They sought righteousness by their own works. And so they stumbled and fell. But the elect did find it. They found a righteousness that comes from God. In Christ alone. Through faith alone. By grace alone.

And The rest were hardened. Here is a divine passive. They were hardened. By whom? The context is clear. God hardened their hearts. Like He hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Like He hardened the hearts of the Canaanite Kings. Like He hardened the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. Hardening is a work of God. Hardening judicial work. Hardening is His righteous work.

Scripture testifies to this reality. Hardening is not a new thing. Hardening is an old pattern. A pattern of God’s just dealings with persistent unbelief. as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear, to this day. God’s hardening ends in man’s total inability. The hardened have a spirit of stupor. A deep slumber of the soul. A numbness to spiritual truth. The hardened have eyes that cannot see. They look upon the glory of Christ in the gospel. And they see no beauty. They see a foolish story. The hardened have ears that cannot hear. They hear the call of Christ. The pleadings of the Spirit. And they hear only an echo. A meaningless sound. This is their state. Not for a moment. Not for a season. To this day. The condition persists. It continues. Unless God in grace breaks through.

9 And David says. The sweet Psalmist of Israel pronounces a terrifying verdict. A verdict of ironic justice. Let their table become a snare and a trap, and a pitfall and a retribution to them. Behold the table. It represents every blessing. Prosperity. Fellowship. Covenant privilege. The law. The temple. The worship. The promises. All the blessings of God upon His people. But for the hardened, these blessings are a curse. Their blessed abundance is a snare. Their security is a trap. Their religion is a pitfall. Their inheritance is their retribution. Why? Because their trust is in the blessings. And not the Blesser. They cherished the gifts. And rejected the Giver.

10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and their backs be bent continually. The finality of it. The comprehensiveness. Eyes darkened. No light can penetrate. No truth can be perceived. Backs bent. Not in humility. But under the unbearable weight of a judgment they chose. A rebellion they loved. A God they ignored.

Is God just to harden them? Truly. He is completely just. He hardens them, even as they first harden themselves. He confirms them in the rebellion they have freely chosen. He gives them over to the rebellion they desire. He judicially confirms them in the path they have chosen. Their doom is not a surprise. It is a sentence. A sentence upon active, persistent, unbelief.

God is completely just to harden the rest in their unbelief to this day.

You will face His justice in unbelief. Or you will receive His grace in Christ.

Connect to the gospel

This passage connects to the gospel in its deepest fibre. Grace alone saves. Grace is God’s unmerited favour. A favour you could never earn. A favour you do not deserve. A favour that has been made available by only one means. The death and resurrection of Jesus. On the cross, Jesus bore the full wrath of God. Wrath that we deserved because of our active rebellion against Him. Wrath we deserved because of our persistent unbelief. Jesus took it. Jesus absorbed it. Jesus exhausted it. He did this so that we may receive His righteousness. His perfect righteousness. A foreign righteousness. A righteousness not our own. This is the glorious exchange. Your sin for His perfection. Your rebellion for His obedience. Your curse for His blessing.

As Martin Luther wrote, Grace costs us nothing, but is cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself.

By grace you get what you do not deserve. You get Jesus. This is the gospel. You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made salvation necessary. Christ contributes everything. This is how God remains both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Application for believers

Grace has freed you. The crushing weight of self-justification is lifted. You no longer need to prove your worth. You no longer need to perform for approval. The verdict is in. Not guilty. You have been declared righteous in Christ.

So let this staggering truth of God’s grace do two things in you right now. First, let it crush every ounce of pride. Look at your hands. Are they empty? They are. You didn’t bring anything of worth in your hands to the foot of the cross when you got saved. You are not a part of the remnant because you were smarter. You are not here because you were better. You are not here because you made the right choice while others made the wrong one. You are here by His unmerited favour. Period. Feel the weight of that humility. It is a freeing weight. It levels you. It puts you in the dust. And from the dust, you can see Christ clearly. And you can see others clearly. No one to look down upon. Only other sinners in need of same grace you’ve received.

Second, let that same grace fuel a fierce and hopeful compassion. If He saved you by grace alone, then hear this, no one is beyond His reach. Not your brother. Not your sister. Not your father. Not your colleague. Not that person you have written off as too far gone. No one. Their hardness of heart is not a barrier to His grace. It is the very reason for it. Let that hope compel you. Not out of duty. Not out of guilt. But out of overwhelming gratitude. You have received a gift you did not deserve. How can you not plead with others to receive it too?

This is what I want you to do. This week. Not someday. This week. Urgently plead with someone. One person. To be reconciled to God. Plead with them. Beg them. Love them enough to tell them the truth. You will face His justice in unbelief, or you can receive His grace in Christ. Tell them the old story. Offer them grace. Offer them Jesus.

Application for unbelievers

Do you want to know what hardening looks like in everyday life? It is not a lightning bolt. It is a slow drip. It is the slow numbing of your conscience to your sin. That thing you used to feel guilty about, now you barely notice. It is the cynicism towards spiritual things. That eye roll when someone mentions church. That smirk at the Bible. That internal sigh during a prayer. You dismiss it. You explain it away.

Let me tell you a story. A frog jumps into a pot of cool water. He feels fine. Comfortable. Then a fire is lit under the pot. The water warms slowly. Degree by degree. The frog adjusts. He acclimates. He does not notice the danger he is in. He is being cooked alive. And he does not even know it. That is how hardening works. Slowly being boiled alive in your sin and shame. Degree by degree. And you don’t even notice.

I need to be direct with you. Your unbelief is not a passive state. It is not neutrality. It is an active rebellion. It is a fist raised against your Creator. And it invites God’s just and terrifying hardening. Do you feel the danger of that? The spiritual stupor described in these verses. The danger of your eyes no longer seeing. The danger of your ears no longer hearing. This is not a future threat. This is a present reality for those who resist Him. Do not mistake God’s patience for His approval. His patience means He is giving you time. Right now. This moment. While hardening can be broken.

Please. I plead with you. Cry out to Him right now. Today. In your heart. Acknowledge your unbelief. Call it what it is. Rebellion. Receive the grace that He holds out to you in Christ. It is a free gift. Do not wait. Your next breath is not guaranteed. You have heard the truth. You have two choices. You will face His justice in unbelief. Or you will receive His grace in Christ. There is no other way. Choose Christ.

Conclusion

So we end where we began. With that tension. That discomfort in your spirit when Scripture challenges your assumptions. We asked how a good God could harden hearts. We wondered about His justice. His fairness.

Romans 11:1-10 has answered us. Not by explaining away the tension. But by revealing the twin pillars of God’s character. His sovereign mercy. His righteous judgment.

The argument stands. God is completely faithful to save a remnant by grace. God is completely just to harden the rest in unbelief.

Therefore this choice stands before you. Will you will face His justice in your unbelief? Or will you will receive His grace in Christ?

There is no other option. There is no neutral ground.