Romans 11:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

NIV: But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

NASB: Now if their wrongdoing proves to be riches for the world, and their failure, riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

CSB: Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!

NLT: Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

KJV: Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

NKJV: Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

Paul introduced an important idea in the previous verse: The sin of Israel in rejecting faith in Christ resulted in the opportunity for all Gentiles to be saved through faith in Christ. Now Paul asks one of his "how much more" questions.

If Israel's sin brought the riches of sharing in God's glory to the world, and if Israel's failure to believe brought those riches to all the Gentiles, then how much more will Israel's full inclusion in Christ mean for all of us? Put another way, if Israel's sin can result in that kind of glory, then imagine how much glory will result when Israel accepts Christ!

Paul will finally answer this question in verse 15. There, he will write that Israel's acceptance of Christ will mean life from the dead for all who trust in Christ. He will clarify that idea in the following verses, but the central idea is this: God has hardened most Israelites to faith in Christ for a time, but He will eventually bring many Israelites to faith in Christ. The result, mysteriously for now, will be life from death for all of us.

Romans 11:11–24 describes why God has hardened Israel in her unbelief in Christ. It is to make room on God's figurative olive tree for the Gentile Christians. The old branches of unbelieving Jews have been broken off for now, and the new branches have been grafted in to the root. In turn, the salvation of so many Gentiles will provoke Israel to jealousy, drawing her back to God through faith in Christ when He removes the hardening of her unbelief. When that happens, after enough Gentiles have believed, the old branches of Jewish believers will be grafted back into the tree.

In Romans 11, Paul concludes his exploration of God's plan for His chosen people Israel. It's true that as a nation, Israel has rejected faith in Christ, but a remnant of Israelites has believed in Jesus. God has hardened the rest in unbelief, but will bring Israel back to faith when enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then many Israelites will trust in Christ, as well, and God will renew His covenant with His people. Paul concludes this section with a powerful poem or hymn about God's independence and how He is beyond our full comprehension.

Romans 11 concludes Paul's discussion about God's plan for the Israelites begun in Romans 9 and 10. Paul insists that, though Israel as a nation has rejected Christ, a remnant of Jewish Christians exists by God's grace. God has hardened the rest in their unbelief until enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then God will release Israel to believe in Christ and restore His covenant with her as many individual Jews come to faith in Christ, as well. Paul stands in awe of God's vast and unknowable mind and complete ownership of all things.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.

Accessed 5/3/2024 1:34:52 AM