When Fullness Doesn't Mean Full and All Doesn't Mean All

In Romans 11:1 Paul affirms that God has not rejected His people, has He?  And in 11:11, similarly, Paul is affirming, God has not condemned His people, has He?  In both cases Paul supports his assertion by calling in examples, including his own, of God's salvation among the elect Jews and even the Gentiles.  It might be obvious, but when Paul uses the Gentiles as one proof that God has not condemned His people, we must conclude that Paul is thinking of more than issues of ethnicity and is considering the Body of Christ, the Church.

As noted previously: " So the failure of Israel as a nation has not deterred God from His original purpose, i.e., to keep “. . . a remnant, chosen by grace.” (Romans 11:5, ESV).  And this failure of Israel has resulted in the door being opened to the Gentiles, which in turn has been a means of grace to awaken the desire of some Jews to be saved."  Then Paul writes, “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!” (Romans 11:12, ESV). "God planned salvation history so that Israel’s trespass would open salvation for the Gentiles, and the Jews in turn would be provoked to jealousy when they see Gentiles being saved and enjoying a relationship with God."^[1]

The phrase "how much more will their full inclusion mean" is now moving us further into the discussion.  This is the first instance of this notion in Paul's argument.  Whatever it means, it is taking us further.  But before we try to understand we need to go back to the "big picture".  We recall Paul is writing Gentiles in Rome.  The theme of Romans 11 will be more directed to Gentile responsibility than Jewish actualization or expectations.  Secondly, we must never forget that through this letter Paul is re-defining what it means to be Jewish.  “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” (Romans 2:29, ESV).  In fact Paul makes the most radical statement just before that in Romans 2:26 (ESV)

²⁶ So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

If Paul is right in his assumptions then it will be possible for some Jews not to be saved, and some Gentiles to be saved.   So as we consider Romans 11:12 we ask the first question: What does the "their" mean?  Well in the first two instances in the verse it clearly means the ethnic nation of Israel.  It is "their trespass" and "their failure".  In the third instance does it also mean the same thing?  We will have to work that through. The "world" is "the Gentiles".  So Paul is pointing to some concept of Israel's "full inclusion".  This term "full inclusion" or "fulfillment" (NASB) or "fullness" (KJV)  could mean ". . . the entire group of Jews who turn to Christ. Alternatively, it may refer to the fullness of blessing that Jews and Gentiles experience together as one people of God."^[2]

In other words, Paul may be using "their" in one way meaning "their" – the fulfillment of the Jewish nation; or Paul may be using "their" in the way of how much more will their (Jew and Gentile)  full inclusion mean?   That word "fullness" or πλήρωμα [pleroma] may mean fullness as in numbers; but it also can mean fullness in a qualitative sense[3] (". . . referring to the full experience of kingdom blessing . . .."). ^[4] Perhaps when we get to verse 26 we will be able to affirm that from Paul's vantage point this fullness of kingdom blessing is ultimately the glory of Christ’s church made up of both Jews and Gentiles.

So we now understand why people debate and differ.  Paul may be talking about an idea that a great number of ethnic Jews will experience salvation; or he may be talking about the qualitative kingdom blessing of the combination of Jew and Gentile into one Body.  The only way we are going to have some certainty is to follow Paul's argument through.  But to fast forward momentarily I draw you attention to Paul's conclusion, which, in my opinion has to be determinant effect on our interpretation.  Note Romans 11:30–32 (ESV)

³⁰ For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. ³² For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

I gather two presuppositions from this concluding statement of Paul.  Firstly, Paul is talking about the "now", not looking toward an future eschatological event.   This is consistent with the first part of the chapter where Paul answers the rhetorical questions based on God's present dealings with Jews and Gentiles.  And of course this is re-emphasized in verse 5: “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” (Romans 11:5, ESV).  We can also show that verses 11-16 are reflective of present circumstances.

The second presupposition is gathered from these important verses (30-32).  Paul has been emphasizing that both Jews and Greeks are the same in sin and the same in mercy. The disobedience of one leads to the merciful intervention of the other.  The mercies of God to the latter leads to the merciful grace to the former.  If Paul uses the word "all" to mean every single individual, one would have to presume that if God intended to save "all" ethnic Jews, he also intends to save "all" ethnic non-Jews.  That is untenable.

This is supported further when Paul writes “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.” (Romans 11:13–14, ESV) [Emphasis mine]

So back to verse 12 where we read, “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean, I am convinced that a suitable paraphrase of verse 12 would go something like this: "If Israel’s failure resulted in some Gentiles coming into the kingdom, how much more is the glory of this relationship evidenced as some Jews come into the kingdom?"

Now with that as the basis, Paul is now going to expound on that relationship.

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Previous Blogs on this topic:

1	God Will Never Reject Those He Has Chosen	Romans 11:1-6
2	The Cooperation of God in the Choice to Reject Him	Romans 11:7-10
3	Proof That Israel is Not Condemned	Romans 11:11
4	When Fullness Doesn't Mean Full and All Doesn't Mean All	Romans 11:12

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^[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2176). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[2] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Ro 11:12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[3] ". . . As that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ." - Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.^[3]

^[4] Moo, D. J. (2002). Encountering the book of Romans : a theological survey (p. 168). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.