Read Romans 11:25–27
Questions from the Scripture text: What does the apostle call them in Romans 11:25? What does he not desire for them? Of what does he not want them to be ignorant? What would happen to them if they were ignorant? What is the mystery—what has happened to Israel? To what extent? Until what has come in of whom? What will happen in this way (Romans 11:26)? Where has this been indicated before (cf. Isaiah 59:20–21)? Who would come from where? What would He turn away? From whom? What is this (Romans 11:27a)? When (verse 27b)?
What truth should we be living by? Romans 11:25–27 prepares us for the sermon in the midweek prayer meeting. In these three verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should be living by the truth that the Lord is saving His elect through the church that has His Word in their mouths.
Our desire for our beloved: living by truth. The apostle affectionately calls them “brethren” and expresses his desire for his beloved: that they would not be unknowing. “Mystery” here means something that we wouldn’t know apart from God’s revelation. If God has told us, then we need to know it—not just for information, but for life. This should be our desire for those we love: that they would live by the truth.
The danger of ignorance: pride. The boasting against which we were warned in Romans 11:18-20 overtakes us when we live without knowledge. We become wise in our own eyes. Being reduced to learning from God should humble us. It doesn’t just give us more facts; it rewrites our narrative understanding of those facts.
The narrative of all history: God saving all Israel. If it is through the lens of pride that we look at the hardening of Israel and influx of gentile believers through the lens of pride, we see a people who just weren’t as soft-hearted or discerning as we are. But if we look at it through the lens of Scripture, we see God saving all His elect. We see a focus not upon ethnic Israel but upon a spiritual Israel that includes both the fullness of the elect gentiles and the fullness of the elect Jews. “In this way” (to be exact) all Israel will be saved.
The New Testament church: the offspring of the Messiah. Romans 11:26-27b quotes from Isaiah 59:20–21. The Redeemer comes to His elect to redeem them from their sins. If we go back to the original context (Isaiah 59:21), we see the Lord’s promise to the coming Messiah that those who are His would have His Word in their mouth forever. His people are called His “seed,” His offspring. And benefit comes not just to them but to their offspring as well. This doesn’t remove the need for continuing in God’s goodness (Romans 11:22), but it does describe the new covenant church: those with Christ’s Word in their mouth and in their children’s mouths. This new covenant includes Gentiles and Jews together, and it is the mechanism on earth by which God is gathering the fullness of the elect to Himself!
Whom do you love that need to learn the truth and live by it? What is the truth about how they may be saved, or how you may be saved? How does this prevent being wise in your own eyes? Who are the church, now? What is God doing through them? How?
Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for giving us to live in Christ’s administration of Your church on earth. Grant that His Word would be in our mouths and our children’s mouths. And use Your church to gather in all of Your elect, until they all are saved, we as through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP130 “LORD, from the Depths to You I Cried” or TPH425 “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place”
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