God Will Save All Believers

Whether a person is a Jew or a Gentile, if he or she is a believer, God will save that person. Romans chapter 11 discusses how God manages His special relationship with Israel, according to His sovereign plan. At Christ’s arrival (birth), God hardened His nation Israel, and opened His favor to the Gentiles. When Paul speaks of God breaking off and grafting in, it is in the context of God’s mercy to choose the people He wants for salvation (Romans 11:5-10; 25-32).

God Saves By Grace

So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 11:5-6 ESV

Verse 6 clearly states that God saves by grace alone which has nothing to do with the person’s efforts. Because we depend on God’s mercy alone, we should not be arrogant and boast of being chosen. Paul wants to be sure that our attitudes about being saved fit with the reality of the situation.

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Romans 11:17-24 ESV

God broke off some natural branches from the olive tree “because of their unbelief.” That which is wild by nature, God grafted in among the natural branches. Also, “if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.” Those who believe apostasy is possible, think:

• those broken off were persons who had been born of the Spirit
• they have fallen from grace, and
• “neither will he spare you” teaches that those grafted in may also be broken off, or fall from grace.

I propose to show that such is not the meaning of the above scripture.

In verse 23, we learn that God can graft them in again. We also learn from Hebrews 6, that it is impossible to renew such to repentance as have fallen from grace. Falling from grace, in this context, means to give up on grace and return to the former sacrificial system prior to the Messiah.

The apostle is there showing the impossibility of falling from grace, and mentions, as one reason why men cannot fall, that it would be impossible to renew them. Therefore, if this breaking off were falling from grace, it could not be said, “God is able to graft them in again.” Therefore, the text teaches something else. Paul is speaking about God’s favor to nations, not a specific person. God’s favor has shifted in a global sense, but God is not fickle, He never “unsaves” His true believers.

God Saves Completely, Irreversibly

Paul says, “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us,” etc.

An objector might insist that God can and does separate us. I answer with John 6:37: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Therefore, God will, under no circumstance, cast out one that comes to him.

An objector might insist that we can cast ourselves out. But these branches did not cast themselves out, or break themselves off; and besides, it is not possible that one who is a saint, and has been born of the Spirit, and has the divine nature, can change that nature. A leopard cannot change his spots. The stony-hearted sinner cannot change his heart to one of flesh, and vice versa. Therefore, let Romans 11 teach what it may, it does not, and cannot be manipulated to, teach apostasy.

God Saves Each Person Only Once

The olive tree is the witness of God in the world. The Jewish nation had been this witness for hundreds of years. Although many of the servants in and about the temple were wicked men for those hundreds of years, yet their service perpetually testified of Christ. But now there is to be a change of the service as to the form of it, and as to the servants themselves. All are to know God and worship in spirit and truth.

Although it is the same olive tree or witness, yet it is spiritual Israel, service, and servants. From this service or olive tree, all unbelieving Jews, that is, those who never knew God, are broken and separated, not to be as witnesses in any sense, unless they should become believers. If this happens, they will again be united in the service of God, not as they were before for that was superficially ceremonial, but knowing for the first time the true spiritual service of God. John, in Revelation, calls the two witnesses the two olive trees, referring to Zechariah 4. Therefore, I think it safe to consider this olive tree a witness.

We may view the entire revelation of God as a complete whole. Under this view, David spoke of the beauty and strength of Zion. He saw the spirituality of the service, although many who served did not see to the end of that service. The church today answers to the ancient house of Israel. Although we learn in Hebrews 8:13, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away,” yet the true essence of that service is retained, and it is the ceremonial part that is to be rejected, and all true saints among the Jews are retained.

Jesus, the end of all ceremonies, has come, and these believe on him. Many Gentiles also believe on him, and they are taken (grafted) into the service, as witnesses of God. The evidence that these rejected Jews ever were believers is entirely wanting. The believing Gentiles are a part today of the real Israel of God. “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29 ESV). Romans 11:26 says “And so all Israel shall be saved.” Therefore, all Israel is every believer, and all Israel shall be saved. How can this text teach apostasy when it teaches that all believers will be saved?

God Keeps His People Saved

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Psalms 37:23-24 ESV

So good men may fall, and not be lost. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV). Also, Paul commanded certain ones to be delivered to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. From all of this, we may learn that God’s people may be cast out of the visible service, or broken off from being witnesses of God, and yet the “spirit be saved,” and not “utterly cast down.”

Our light before the world is sometimes dim, or even hidden, so that we cease practically to be witnesses for God and Christ, and under these circumstances, sometimes are delivered to Satan, not to be lost eternally, but for correction, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. In this breaking off, then, there is not the shadow of evidence that they may be lost eternally. To escape these misfortunes and save the cause of Christ from reproach, we are exhorted to give diligence to make our calling and election sure — sure to ourselves, our fellow believers, and the enemies of the church.

If we do these things, we shall be saved from the rod of our Father; for he chastens everyone he receives, not for destruction, but for correction. God’s correction keeps us healthy spiritually, preventing apostasy. All believers, having been born again, God foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (Romans 8:29-30). This process once begun cannot be interrupted.

This is post 16 in a series; you can read the previous post. This post started as the public domain works of J. H. Oliphant. While sections are the same in many ways, I modernized the language and added my thoughts to provide greater clarity for my readers.
Image by guentherlig from Pixabay