'And so all Israel shall be saved' Rom 11.26

We should remind ourselves that our title text comes from the 'letter-essay' written by the apostle Paul to the Roman church around AD 55-57 from Corinth. 

This consideration needs to be emphasised; we too quickly imagine that Paul was writing to us when it is more accurate to say that Paul was writing to his contemporaries in the first century AD in the capital city of the Roman Empire. He was not writing to¹ 21st century disciples.



When we comprehend this principle which is somewhat obvious but is frequently not remembered as it should be, we may view many scriptures in different² ways. We should always ask, to whom was this scripture written and/or spoken, we are considering, and how does that affect how it applies to the church today?

Romans 9-11

The section, Romans 9-11, deals with the grave issue of the failure of Israel to respond in faith to manifestation of the Messiah (Rm 9.1-5; 10.1-4). How is it possible that Israel to whom so much was given has failed to receive the promises by faith?

And Paul's astonishing simple answer to this knotty problem is that God elected Israel to receive the promises but not all Israelites are of Israel (Rm 9.6b). That is, not all physical Israelites are part of the 'remnant according to the election of grace' (Rm 11.5). Paul illustrates the principle with the examples of Isaac and Jacob who were preferred over Ishmael and Esau respectively.

We also know that Israel continually resisted the prophets throughout the OT (Acts 7), then rejected John's baptism of repentance, and Jesus' preaching of the Kingdom of God in the NT (Lk 7.24-35). Jesus also said in the face of the Jewish leaders' continued antagonism, through parables that 'the kingdom' would be taken from them and 'given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof' (Matt 21.33-46).

Moreover, second, Paul argues that the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles is God's way of provoking Israel to jealousy (Rm 11.11).

Romans 11

One important thing that dispensationalism has a hard job explaining from Romans 11 is the undoubted emphasis on the oneness of the people of God!

With thanks to F. Jenkins 2010

Interestingly, some in the classical dispensational tradition such as Darby and Scofield gave this passage a wide berth. And no wonder! The reason for that is Paul's interest in the one, 'good' Olive Tree and the grafting in of the Gentiles (Rm 11.17). This idea doesn't comport with dispensationalism's idea of two congregations of God, Israel and the Church.

That distinction between two peoples of God doesn't appear in this passage. One good Olive Tree with both Jewish and Gentile members is revealed and those outside are either branches broken off or Gentiles who haven't responded to the gospel.

Additionally, to assemble an earthly Israel one needs land but Paul says nothing about land anywhere in Romans 11. His focus on Israel concerns its salvation (Rm 10.1; 11.11).

'And so all Israel shall be saved'

This text in Romans is sometimes cited by dispensationalists³ to support the idea that God still has plans to save cultural Israel in a future millennium.

Rm 11:25-32  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 [Gentiles] in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [Israel's] unbelief: 31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they [Israel] also may obtain mercy. 32  For God hath concluded them all [all people] in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all [people].

The general dispensational sequence is that (i) blindness has from the first century AD happened to Israel; (ii) until the fulness of the Gentiles are saved; and (iii) then the salvation of Israel will take place. Point (iii) is supported by vv 26b-29 which is a melding of various OT texts. We should note that no sequential 'then', understood as a further action, can be found in the text.

A non-dispensationalist might view the passage viz., (i) blindness has happened to Israel; (ii) until the fulness of the Gentiles are saved; (iii) 'and so','by this means' 'all Israel shall be saved' [italicised words inferred from text].

Acts 15.14-18

This interpretation does not appear to be 'natural' to many exegetes; but we can find a parallel in Acts 15.14-18 where a text from the OT (Amos 9.11-12) that seemingly had no application to any New Testament congregation when written is applied by James the apostle and leader of the Jerusalem church to the entry of the Gentiles into the church⁴.

In Acts 15, the situation involved the vexed issue of whether Gentiles who were coming to believe in Jesus as the Christ should become circumcised. After hearing convincing testimony about the authentic work of God among the Gentiles from Peter, and then Barnabas and Paul before circumcision, James summarises his opinion and uses Amos to show that this development among the Gentiles has been foretold in the prophets: 

Act 15:16 After this I [the Lord] will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

In this instance the Lord 'returns' to rebuild the 'tabernacle [tent] of David'. This rebuilding is done with Jewish membership initially (on the day of Pentecost) -after all, the Jerusalem Church is a Jewish Church- and then follows verse 17 which, different translations render the 'and-the-Gentiles' phrase as 'even-the Gentiles' or 'including-the-Gentiles'. Reading the passage using either of these renderings gives good sense.

By the way, the Acts passage is just another pericope showing the amazing unity between the people of God in the OT and the New which in these verses picture in terms of the One Tabernacle.


1. I am not of course suggesting that Paul's writings are not FOR our time. Undoubtedly they are and rightly are applied to our time by giving us holy 'examples' (1 Cor 10.6-11) for one thing. That's what the Puritan preachers used to describe in their sermons as 'application'. They would structure their sermons (here) and the application phase would bring home the message of the text to the assembled hearers.
2. For example, in Matt 5.39, we find Jesus' words: 'But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.' To whom were these words directed in the above text? Clearly Jesus is giving instruction to the disciples (Matt 5.1) and moreover, he is giving this instruction to his Jewish disciples in 1st century Judæa. Some Reformers refused to serve in the military, most notably the Anabaptists, on the basis of this text.
3. Most premillennialists and many classic postmillennialists would also hold such a belief while varying as to the timing and the character of God's dealing with cultural Israel.
4. Note that the Tabernacle of David is another image -not a physical building- for the united New Era of believers in Christ Jesus.