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Sermon #3291

Future of the Jews

A Sermon on Romans 11:28-32

Originally preached April 9, 1965

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Scripture

Romans 11:28-32 ESV KJV
As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because …

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Sermon Description

How has God chosen to show mercy to Israel? Some argue that God is done with the nation of Israel and that when Paul says that Israel will be saved, he is speaking of the gathering together of the elect. In this sermon on Romans 11:28–32 titled “Future of the Jews,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has a different interpretation of this passage. He argues that the apostle Paul is prophesying of the day when God stirs up the hearts of the people of Israel and causes a great revival amongst them. God will fulfill His promises to the patriarchs and save many of their physical descendants. The hardening that has come upon Israel is only temporary and is used by God to send the gospel to the nations of the Gentiles. Did Israel stumble in order that they might fall? Paul says no. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the church should look forward to the day when God moves and brings a great revival in Israel and brings many to faith in Jesus Christ. This should encourage the church to evangelize the people of Israel, knowing that God has promised to do a great work of salvation among them, bringing many to faith and new life in Christ.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is explaining God's method of salvation in Romans 11:25-32. This passage sums up Paul's argument in this chapter and explains God's way of salvation.
  2. God has shut up all people, Jews and Gentiles, in disobedience so that he can show mercy to all. God did not create sin but he uses it to serve his purpose.
  3. Sin is always rebellion against God. God did not create sin for the purpose of redemption. But God can use sin to fulfill his will and display his mercy.
  4. God subordinates sin to his purpose but sin is not part of God's purpose. God did not create sin.
  5. Paul is not saying that God ordains sin in general for redemption. God is not the author of evil. Sin is antithetical to God.
  6. Though God is not the author of sin, sin is not outside of God's control. God can use sin to serve his purpose. God uses sin to show his mercy and grace.
  7. God presses people's unbelief to the point where only his mercy can save them. This shows that salvation is by God's mercy alone.
  8. Paul argues that salvation is by mercy, not human will or effort. No one can boast before God.
  9. The passage in Romans 11:25-32 reveals God's philosophy of history and how he deals with humanity. God allows sin but uses it for his glory.
  10. God's glory is shown through displaying his mercy. God's method of salvation emphasizes his mercy.
  11. Paul quotes Isaiah to show that God uses sin to serve his purpose. God creates the consequences of sin, not sin itself. God is in control of sin's consequences.
  12. The devil is under God's control. God allowed the devil to act in Job's life but within limits. God is over all.
  13. Pharaoh is an example of God using sin to fulfill his will. God hardened Pharaoh's heart to show his power and declare his name.
  14. God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart shows God using sin for his purpose. God did not make Pharaoh a sinner but used his sin.
  15. God's method in salvation is to show that only his mercy can save. No one can boast before God. Salvation is by grace through faith, not of ourselves.

Sermon Q&A

Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Teaching on Romans 11:25-32

What is the "mystery" that Paul refers to in Romans 11:25?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the mystery that Paul refers to is the future mass conversion of the Jewish people. This is not something that could have been predicted or understood without divine revelation. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul is revealing something extraordinary - that though Israel is currently experiencing a "judicial blindness" or hardening, there will come a time when "all Israel shall be saved." This is not merely the ongoing salvation of a small remnant of Jews throughout church history, but rather a future large-scale conversion of Jews that will be so remarkable it will be "like life from the dead" for the church.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe "all Israel shall be saved" means?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly believes that "all Israel shall be saved" refers to the future mass conversion of ethnic Jews - the bulk of the nation of Israel. He rejects two alternative interpretations: 1) that "all Israel" means the total number of elect Jews and Gentiles together, and 2) that "all Israel" means just the accumulated total of individual Jews saved throughout church history. Lloyd-Jones argues that Paul's language, context, and the climactic nature of the revelation all point to a future dramatic turning of the Jewish nation to Christ that will occur after "the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain God's role in Israel's unbelief according to Romans 11:32?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that when Paul says "God has concluded them all in unbelief," he does not mean God created or authored their sin. Rather, God has "shut them up" or hemmed them in their existing unbelief for a purpose - that He might show mercy to all. Lloyd-Jones is careful to emphasize that "God is not the author of evil" but that "sin is not outside God's control." God can and does use sin, even "aggravate it," to serve His purposes and display the riches of His grace and mercy. This judicial hardening has a redemptive purpose - to ultimately demonstrate that salvation comes solely through divine mercy, not human merit.

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones disagree with William Hendrickson's interpretation of Romans 11?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones disagrees with Hendrickson on several grounds:

  1. Hendrickson claims the context speaks only of "mass hardening and remnant salvation," but Lloyd-Jones points out that Paul explicitly says this hardening is only temporary and partial.

  2. Hendrickson argues that Jesus never predicted a national conversion of Jews, but Lloyd-Jones notes that Jesus said He had "many things" He couldn't yet teach the disciples.

  3. Hendrickson suggests special promises for national groups don't exist in the new covenant, but Lloyd-Jones points to Paul's statements that the Jews "are beloved for the fathers' sakes" and "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."

  4. Hendrickson's view that "all Israel" just means a remnant saved in each generation fails to account for why Paul would call this a "mystery" or why it would lead to his magnificent doxology.

How does this teaching relate to God's mercy in salvation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this teaching powerfully demonstrates that salvation is entirely of God's mercy, not human merit. He states: "God presses men's unbelief and disobedience to the very point at which it becomes quite clear that nothing but God's own mercy can ever give us salvation." The structure of salvation history - with both Jews and Gentiles experiencing periods of being "shut up in unbelief" only to be saved by divine mercy - highlights that no one can boast. God has arranged history this way to display "the riches of his grace and of his mercy." Lloyd-Jones quotes Ephesians 2 to reinforce this point: "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.