11:1
So Paul has been making the point as strongly as he can that the assumption of the Jews that they had some sort of special right to be in the kingdom was badly mistaken, that faith was God’s chosen way in, and the only way in, and that the Gentiles who believed were as much part of the kingdom as anyone else. In this chapter he deals with two primary issues. First, has God rejected Israel? Or more pertinently, has God rejected His people? Secondly he warns the Gentiles in no uncertain times not to become proud! Pride was a big part of the Jewish problem, it would be a serious mistake for the Gentiles to become proud!
To the first issue the answer is that God has definitely not rejected His people. Paul himself is an illustration of this, and Paul, as Saul, vigorously persecuted the church. Paul was a most Jewish Jew and he believes, he has been saved.
11:2-4
“God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.” “Foreknew” means more than simply having knowledge of what is going to happen. It is more a matter of God having determined to save people. So this really means God saves those He intends to save, and this number is greater than we think. Elijah thought he was the only one left who was faithful to the Lord, but God told him that He had kept seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 18:1-46). Now, things were bad in Elijah’s time, and in Paul’s time many Jews had rejected Christ, but that was not the end of the matter. God’s plans are better than we imagine.
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