All Israel Will Be Saved

“And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”” -Romans 11:26–27

God will save all Israel in the way he just described (and is about to finish describing Cf. vss. 28-32), that is by hardening Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has been achieved. It is in this the way that the mystery will unfold. To support his argument, he references God’s promises to Israel in the Prophets (Cf. Isaiah 59:20–21; Jeremiah 31:33–34).

But what does Paul mean by all Israel? There is a prominent view among modern evangelicals that Paul is pointing to an end-time event, Christ’s return, when the Jews still living after the fullness of the Gentiles has been achieved, will suddenly repent and be instantaneously grafted back into the olive tree. All Israel are those saved at that time.

But following Paul’s train of thought since the beginning of chapter 9 would not support such a view. That only the Jews living at a particular time in history (i.e., Christ’s return) is not supported by the text or by reason. It is clear Paul means all Israel in a spiritual sense (Cf. Romans 9:6); and, given the fact that he contrasts the Gentiles with Israel, referring to Israel no less than 10 times since the beginning of Chapter 9, it is additionally clear that Pauls is speaking of the believing remnant of Israel in every generation, the total number of elect Jews. In his commentary on Romans, William Hendriksen points out that in verses 25 and 26, “All Israel parallels the fullness of the Gentiles.” God is saving his elect from both groups and making them one people of God (Ephesians 2:14 Cf. Revelation 21:5).

What is most striking, and what should never be forgotten as we journey through Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, is that all of Paul’s arguments are made in light of the gospel, the unmerited favor of God toward hard-hearted sinners. Though God rightly judges deserving sinners (i.e., gives them justice), he also gives mercy and grace to innumerable undeserving sinners (i.e., gives them non-justice). What he never gives is injustice. He is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).