Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE MYSTERY OF ISRAEL’S BLINDNESS”
Romans 11.25-32
This message will be all about the study of a mystery. Those of you who have read your Bible extensively realize that there are some mysteries mentioned in the New Testament.
In Matthew 13.11 the Lord Jesus Christ refers to the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. In Mark 4.11 and Luke 8.10 He refers to the mystery of the kingdom of God, which I am convinced is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven.[1]
In First Corinthians 2.1 Paul refers to the “testimony of God,” which is translated the “mystery of God.” A few verses later, in First Corinthians 2.7, Paul writes,
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery.”
In First Corinthians 4.1 Paul identifies his co-laborers and himself as “stewards of the mysteries of God.” Then, in First Corinthians 15.51, he writes,
“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Ephesians 1.9 refers to
“the mystery of His will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.”
Ephesians 3.3-4 reads,
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words;
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.)
These three verses in Ephesians refer to the mystery of the Church. Then there is the mystery of God’s will[2], the mystery of Christ[3], the mystery of the Gospel[4], the mystery of God[5], the mystery of iniquity[6], the mystery of the faith[7], the mystery of godliness,[8] the mystery of the seven stars of Revelation 1.20, and the mystery of the woman in Revelation 17.7.
To you newer Christians, let me reiterate what will gradually become obvious to you, that in the Bible we see some things referred to as mysteries. However, some clarification is needed about what a mystery is. In the Apostle Paul’s day, there were what are now referred to as mystery religions. Secret organizations had secrets, and passwords, and subtle gestures that would be made in public, whereby they would know who else is in on the mysteries. So well were the secrets kept that almost nothing is known nowadays about the mystery religions of ancient days, except that they existed.
There are organizations that exist today which are, for all intents and purposes, mystery religions. They are secret organizations which have their little clubhouse secrets, their special hand gestures and signs to identify each other in public, and secret special knowledge. Such organizations as the Masonic Lodge, the Eastern Star, Job’s Daughters, De Molay, Knights of Columbus, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Skull and Bones society at Yale University, and even to some extent the Elks Club and the like, are modern day mystery religions. The most notorious mystery religion of our present day is the Church of Scientology.
Even these cockroach clubs that we normally call street gangs are poor and shabby imitations of the ancient mystery religions in several aspects. They have their hand signs that they flash (and moronic wannabes flash when taking selfies), as well as their little dark and dirty clubhouse secrets.
Before I am tempted to stray too far afield from my message, let me say that the concept of a mystery in the Word of God is entirely different from the concept of a mystery which is found among lost people, and their idolatrous and childish secret organizations. Among the lost, a mystery is a truth or a fact concealed. However, in the Word of God a mystery is a truth revealed; something which was once hidden from the understanding of men, but which is now openly proclaimed and declared.
With that in mind, the subject of this message is “The Mystery Of The Blindness Of Israel.” Please turn in your Bible to Romans 11.25. When you find that verse, stand with me for the reading of our text:
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Keep in mind that the thrust of the entire 11th chapter of Romans is that God has not permanently cast off His people which He foreknew. To be sure, He did set them aside, and they are set aside in our present day. But cast them off permanently? No.
To this point in Romans chapter 11, Paul has written two passages which give assurance that Israel’s setting aside by God is only temporary. At this time we examine the third assurance, which has to do with the mystery of Israel’s blindness. If our understanding of a Scriptural mystery is correct, that it is a truth now revealed and not concealed, then we look into our text for today expecting God to show us what the mystery of Israel’s spiritual blindness is.
Our expectation will be satisfied with three portions of the passage before us:
First, THERE IS THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY
Romans 11.25:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Three components comprise this verse:
First, the wish of Paul:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery.”
Here we have evidence of what I stated earlier, that a mystery in the Bible refers not to truth concealed, but to the truth now revealed. Paul’s desire, his wish, is for his readers, his brothers and sisters in Christ, to no longer be ignorant of this mystery.
Second, the wisdom of the readers:
“Lest ye should be wise in your own conceits.”
An understanding of this mystery is important for Gentile Christians. It is key to our having a proper estimation of ourselves about God’s plan for the ages. Misunderstanding our natural wisdom, is not Paul warning us that failure properly to understand this mystery can result in being conceited? Sure he is. And what are conceits? The word here translates a Greek word that refers to calluses. It is the development of a spiritual callous that makes you less sensitive to spiritual truth than you ought to be.[9] In context, Paul is concerned that ignorance of this mystery will result in being hardened toward Jewish people, perhaps even becoming anti-semitic. Is that not what has happened in modern times with so many professing Christians, even among so-called religious leaders? Ignorance of the truth about the mystery of the blindness of Israel has resulted in just what Paul was afraid of, rising anti-Semitism among professing believers in Jesus Christ.
Third, the workings of God. This mystery is “that blindness in part is happened in Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Paul here refers to the judicial blinding of Israel that was mentioned earlier in this same chapter of Romans. We are not specifically told in this verse that Israel’s blindness is a work of God, but we know it to be true. Romans 11.8 reads,
“God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; unto this day.”
So, God has done a mysterious work. He has veiled the eyes of His covenant people, resulting in their spiritual blindness to the truth of the Gospel. The blindness is not absolute. It is not complete. Some Jewish people are receiving Christ and are being saved. However, most do not. Most will not. This state of spiritual affairs will remain unchanged until “the fullness of the Gentiles.” What is “the fullness of the Gentiles”? Keeping in mind that the word “fullness” probably means the same thing in this verse that it meant in Romans 11.12, I am of the opinion that “the fullness of the Gentiles” refers to that future time when the full complement of Gentiles come to know Christ, when the greatest number are converted, which will be at the Second Coming of Christ. To paraphrase and summarize then, the mystery of the blindness of Israel is this: God has blinded Israel to the Gospel until the full complement of the elect Gentiles come to know Jesus Christ.
Next, THERE IS THE EXPLANATION OF THE MYSTERY
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Five related comments help us to better understand the ramifications and implications of this mystery of Israel’s blindness:
First, the consequence of God’s work:
Verse 26:
“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”
Paul predicted the outcome of the mystery of the blindness of Israel. The result that God will bring about because of it will be the salvation of the nation of Israel. To support his contention, he refers to Isaiah 59.20:
“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.”
This fixes the time when “the fullness of the Gentiles” is realized. The Deliverer is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is a specific reference to His Second Coming in power and great glory. The turning away of ungodliness from Jacob is the effect of Christ fulfilling the New Covenant, promised in Jeremiah 31.31 and following, wherein they are born again, and their sins are forgiven:
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.”
Second, the covenant promising God’s work, verse 27:
“For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
Here Paul specifically refers to the New Covenant that I just commented on. This is not the Mosaic Covenant, wherein God promises to bless Israel if they obey Him. Rather, this covenant referred to is one of the four unconditional covenants that God has made with Israel that are solely dependent upon God for their ultimate fulfillment.[10] Since God cannot lie, Titus 1.2, He obligates Himself by a covenant and will fulfill His obligation.
Third, the contrast amidst God’s work, verse 28:
“As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.”
Paul is here referring to something that is quite difficult for people to understand. On the one hand, the Jews are the enemies of Christ. All unsaved people are enemies of Christ; Romans 5.10 shows us so clearly:
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
They certainly acted like enemies toward the Christians of Judea in Paul’s day, according to First Thessalonians 2.14-16:
14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
Even though the Jewish people are our enemies, insofar as the Gospel is concerned, they are still the beloved of the Father, insofar as the election is concerned. Therefore, despite their actions or attitudes toward us and the Gospel we preach, we are not their enemies, and we must recognize that our heavenly Father loves them. That, by itself, ought to govern our behavior toward Jewish people and Jewish evangelism.
Fourth, the confidence in God’s work, verse 29:
“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
What is the basis of our confidence in God’s workings? God never changes His mind. He is unchangeable. As Malachi 3.6 declares,
“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
Oh sure, there are places in the Old Testament where it is stated that God has repented of something or other. However, look those passages up and study them and you will see that they are what are called anthropomorphisms. They are descriptions of God’s activity, likening God’s actions to that which most closely resembles human behavior. Therefore, while it may appear that God changes His mind, what has occurred is a change of behavior by God’s people, which produces a change in God’s response to their sins. The point that Paul is getting at here is that God is immutable. God does not change. Again, “I am the LORD. I change not.” “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.”[11] The result of God’s immutability? His gifts and callings are without repentance.
God does not, will not, cannot, take back any gift that He has given or calling that He has extended. What would conceivably cause God to take back a gift or withdraw a calling? Sin? Are not all of God’s gifts given despite sin, and all His callings extended despite sin? Sure they are. Our omniscient God knows the end from the beginning. He is never caught by surprise by anything that we do. Therefore, we can have confidence that what God has given to anyone they will come to possess, without interruption, for eternity. And what call God has extended to anyone will be, eventually, responded to.
Fifth, the contemplation of God’s work, verses 30-31:
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Notice the irony of what Paul points out here. Is it not true that the Gentiles, is it not true that in past times we, did not believe in God? Sure. But now, because of the unbelief of Israel, the Gospel was directed toward us, and we have obtained mercy through their unbelief. That is verse 30. Verse 31 informs us that those who presently do not believe, speaking of the Jewish people now, will obtain mercy through our mercy. They will someday come to know Christ as a result of our coming to know Christ. Truly, the blindness of the Israelites has been a mystery concealed. Thank God it is now a mystery revealed.
THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY, THE EXPLANATION OF THE MYSTERY, FINALLY, WE HAVE THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THE MYSTERY
Verse 32:
“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”
Here is stated why God has gone through all of these intricate dealings with the Jews and then with the Gentiles, blinding some and illuminating others to the truth:
First, as preparation:
“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief.”
Two words to take note of here. First, the word “them.” The “them” here is the nation of Israel. Second, the word “concluded.” The word means “to shut together.”[12] Picture what happens to fish drawn up in a net in the Sea of Galilee. They are all, together, “concluded” in that net. In like manner, Paul is telling us that the mystery of the blindness of the Israelites was motivated by God’s intention to draw the Israelites up in the net of unbelief. That is, He took the entire nation and blinded them to spiritual truth so that He could conclude them lost.
Why conclude them in unbelief? I close with the culmination:
“That He might have mercy upon all.”
The mystery of Israel’s blindness is directly related to Israel’s future salvation. Point in fact, the whole reason for blinding Israel in unbelief was that He might extend mercy to them. In other words, and this will sound very familiar to those of you experienced at bringing the lost to Christ, He got them all lost so that He could get them all saved. This is not to say that Israel was not already lost before God blinded them, because they most certainly were lost. However, it must be understood that the lost sinner’s conviction of sin results in recognition of his lost condition before God as he comes to repentance. It will be the same with the nation of Israel when God saves them.
The mystery of the blindness of Israel. One of some mysteries referred to in God’s Word. Certainly, one of the more important mysteries, since it explains what God is doing when He judges His covenant people by blinding them to spiritual truth and directs the Gospel effort toward people like you and me.
Think about it. There is no doubt that God’s intentions have always been to send the Gospel message to Gentiles to accomplish our salvation. How God accomplishes this, however, as well as how He dealt with Israel’s unbelief, is amazing. We are told in Romans 1.16 that the Gospel message is to be preached to the Jew first and also to the Greek, Greeks, of course, being Gentiles. But the response to the Gospel, when looking at peoples as a whole, is exactly reversed. The Gentiles first, then the Jews.
It has not completely happened yet. The time of the fullness of the Gentiles has not yet come. But we are getting closer all the time. Someday the veil will be lifted from Jewish eyes, and they will repent of their sin and trust the returning Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and He will take away their sins and turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
How do we know that God will not change His mind? How do we know that those things He has given to Israel, and that calling He has extended to Israel, will not be taken back and withdrawn? Because God is not man that He should repent. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
The truth of this mystery is so exciting to the child of God. Exciting for two reasons to Gentile believers like you and me: First, it shows that we in our belief are being used by God to prepare the Israelites for their certain future salvation. As well, we can even bring individual Jewish people to Christ now and then. Second, in Paul’s explanation of this great mystery, he reminds us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. How does this apply to me? Well, eternal life in Christ is a gift, is it not? According to Romans 8.28 Christians are called according to God’s purpose, are we not?
Guess what this adds up to. It adds up to the fact that once a sinner comes to know Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior . . . that is it. I am then saved, sealed, and on my way to heaven. What a great God we have. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord. Is He your Savior? If not, He will be, He has designs to be when you come to Christ.
Come to Christ now.
__________
[1] George N. H. Peters, The Theocratic Kingdom, Vol I, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1978), pages 283-284.
[2] Ephesians 1.9
[3] Ephesians 3.4; Colossians 4.3
[4] Ephesians 6.19
[5] Colossians 2.2; Revelation 10.7
[6] 2 Thessalonians 2.7
[7] 1 Timothy 3.9
[8] 1 Timothy 3.16
[9] Fritz Rienecker & Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1980), page 374.
[10] Those covenants are the Abrahamic, the Palestinian, the Davidic and the New covenants.
[11] Hebrews 13.8
[12] Ibid., page 374.
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