"All Israel Shall Be Saved"

Romans 11: 25-29

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 father's sakes.

29. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

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ften, when we are reading scripture, we do not seem to “get” what is being taught. Therefore, we must take extra time, or we will “miss” the plan of salvation.

Our subject might seem to imply that Israel’s centuries of apostasy are going to be “overlooked” by the Lord and that they will be blessed in the face of wickedness. This is not what God has in mind.

Actually, this passage is italicized in the Bible indicating that it is quoted. Coming from Isaiah 59: 19-20, we are told of God’s intention—to save all Israel. Undoubtedly, this could be confusing if taken at face value.

We have in Romans 2:28 a bold declaration concerning who, exactly, is to be counted a Jew. An “outward” Jew would be one who is able to trace his ancestry back to Abraham. In this verse, the Lord makes it clear that neither ancestry nor biology is what truly makes one a Jew. Verse 29 then clarifies that if one would be a Jew, he must rid himself of flesh.

If we continue in Romans 9:6, we are clearly told that just because one is descended of Abraham does not mean that he is “of Israel.” Here, the apostle is not speaking of a nation of people, but rather, those accepting the truth of salvation.

Galatians 6:16 speaks to us of a people “called out” of a people. Many believe that a “pedigree” affords them status. In the kingdom of God, this is not so. You see, the only “pedigree” that matters is that of Jesus, for

all who will enter the kingdom must enter “by faith” and this includes the Jews.

In today’s “churched” society, people believe that they are saved for various and sundry reasons. Some even feel that they will be saved simply because they die. We know that this is not accurate and is far from the truth. Therefore, we have a responsibility to live up to that to which we have been called.

Along with a calling to holiness, we are to be concerned for those who come to salvation. But it is hard to be concerned for another when one is preoccupied with himself. When we refuse to let things “go”; when we try to hang on to what we have been told that we are (or, have believed ourselves to be), we are ineffective witnesses for Him. You see, salvation involves being “remade” by the Lord so that that which results brings all credit to Him.

Nothing about us is important in salvation. God saves through His Spirit and the things of the Spirit are all that matter in the Spirit. We have already been informed that nothing can be substituted for salvation—no worship, no praise, no “activity.” God is tired of hearing the “noise” of our service of Him and is hungering for the “evidence.”

All that we say of the Lord, all of the praise that we offer with our lips is simply that—“lip service”—until we come to the understanding that salvation is “freedom from bondage” and then, choose to live this way!

No one will be saved in his current “state”: no one will be saved as a human being. The Bible makes it clear to us that it is not flesh and blood that will inherit the kingdom of God. This, of course, means that we then, must be “something else.” That “something else” is “of the Spirit” and this comes about not just by us having the Spirit, but being changed by (i.e. led of and by) the Spirit.

The “tools” for crossing the threshold from flesh to Spirit are instilled in us upon the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the means then to live in the Spirit is granted to us through our baptism in the name of Jesus. That baptism symbolizes our baptism into His death—which is the only means and hope that we have to be anything more than a frail, flawed, depraved, tragic, human being.

Though we live with ourselves all of the time and know our strengths (which are few) and our weaknesses (which are many) we still have a tendency to believe that there are things that we can do to “better” our situation. We will plot, plan and scheme to attempt to “fix” things and settle for less than resolution, even though all that we really need do is to “go to God!” You see, there are no solutions outside of God’s solutions. Whatever He says is so, is so!

The fact that God is our “Absolute” is hard for 21^st century man to “swallow.” Technically “savvy,” sophisticated, “liberated” men and women are talked about for thinking such simple thoughts. It is entirely up to you whether or not to let someone not knowing what you know to convince you not to believe your God. It will, then, also be up to you to accept the consequences of not wholly belonging to and depending upon Him.

If we intend to be part of the Israel that is saved, we will have to take on the responsibilities of Israel, part of which is, through the expression of praise, to be a witness of the goodness of the Lord. As we know that God is to be praised for what He does, “the Israel of God” is to let all men know. We are to thank God in the Spirit for the Spirit, for there is a great blessing inherent in belonging to His kingdom.

It is time for us to stop conducting ourselves as if we do not know who we are. Indeed, we are those for whom the kingdom is established and as such, are promised even more than the “natural seed.” The “Israel of God” is the Israel of God because of faith. By faith one is grafted in and by faith one receives the promises. If anyone should be benefiting from the promises of God, it should be us.

The “bottom line” is that the promise of salvation is given to no natural group of people, but rather, those who will believe God by faith. Therefore, whether one is a Jew, a gentile, African, Scandinavian, rich or poor, he has the same opportunity as the next man to be able to make it to heaven. So, while it is true that “all Israel shall be saved,” all Israel is going to challenge the accepted image of the Hebrew nation. Are you confident enough to stand up and be counted?