Romans 11:12-15 Commentary

Romans 11:12-15 Commentary
Commentary Updated July 19, 2014

Romans 11:13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch * then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

To you who are Gentiles - While Paul was directly addressing the Gentile believers in Rome, the truths in this section are applicable to Gentile believers in our day.

Gentiles (nation, nations) (1484)(ethnos gives us our word "ethnic") in general refers to a multitude (especially persons) associated with one another, living together, united in kinship, culture or traditions and summed up by the words nation, Gentiles (especially when ethnos is plural), people (much like "people groups" in our modern missionary vernacular). In somewhat of a negative sense ethnos conveys the meaning of godless (generally idol worshipping) pagans (heathens, cp Eph 4:17, Mt 6:32), foreign nations not worshipping the true God (Mt 4:15). Often ethnos stands in clear contradistinction to Jew (Ioudaios) (Gal 2:14). Ethnos sometimes refers to Gentile Christians (Ro 11:13, Ro 15:27, 16:4, Gal 2:12). Ethnos is used in the singular of the Jewish Nation (Lk 7:5; 23:2; Jn 11:48, 50-53; Jn 18:35; Acts 10:22; 24:2, 10; Acts 26:4; 28:19). Plato used ethnos of a special class of men, a caste, tribe. In the Septuagint ethnos was used for nation, people Ge 10:5; non-Jews, Gentiles Ps 2:1.

Related Resources:

Nations - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Gentiles - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Gentiles - Holman Bible Dictionary

Gentiles - Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Gentiles (2) - Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

INASMUCH THEN AS I AM AN APOSTLE OF GENTILES I MAGNIFY MY MINISTRY: eph hoson men oun eimi (1SPAI) ego ethnon apostolos eph hoson men oun eimi (1SPAI) ego ethnon apostolos, ten diakonian mou doxazo (1SPAI): (Romans 15:16-19; Acts 13:2; Galatians 1:16; 2Timothy 1:11,12)

Apostle (652) apostolos from apo = from + stello = send forth) (Click discussion of apostle) means one sent forth from by another, often with a special commission to represent another and to accomplish his work. It can be a delegate, commissioner, ambassador sent out on a mission or orders or commission and with the authority of the one who sent him. Apostolos referred to someone who was officially commissioned to a position or task, such as an envoy. Cargo ships were sometimes called apostolic, because they were dispatched with a specific shipment for a specific destination. In secular Greek apostolos was used of an admiral of a fleet sent out by the king on special assignment. In the ancient world a apostle was the personal representatives of the king, functioning as an ambassador with the king’s authority and provided with credentials to prove he was the king's envoy.

Apostle of Gentiles - Jesus explained to the somewhat fearful Ananias so that he would be encouraged to go to Saul (Paul) and help him…

(On the Road to Damascus Jesus described Paul's "marching orders" to Ananias) Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake. (Acts 9:15-16)

Paul a Jew repeatedly emphasized his ministry to the Gentiles…

(In his Defense before the Jews he testified) and He (the risen Christ) said to me, 'Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" (Acts 22:21)

15 "And I said, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 'But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.' (Acts 26:15-18)

(Paul before the Jewish Council at Jerusalem testified that) "And it was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain… I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised 8 (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), 9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. (Gal 2:2,7-9)

“the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8-note).

And for this (the fact that there was one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus) I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.(1Timothy 2:7)

Paul understood the sovereignty of God in salvation. He understood that whom God foreknew He predestined and called (Ro 8:28-30) and yet here we see he approaches this issue of salvation with a sense of his responsibility of delivering the gospel to all men for he does not know who the elect are.

We see a similar thought in his last known letter, 2 Timothy, in which he explained that it was because of the gospel that …

I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things (man's responsibility) for the sake of those who are chosen (elect - God's sovereignty), that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. (2Ti 2:9-10 -notes)

Note that when Paul first came to a city, he invariably would go first to the synagogue or search out individual Jews if they were too few to have a synagogue. Some of those hearers would believe, but, for the most part, they resisted and rejected the gospel that was “spoken against everywhere” (Acts 28:22). At that point, Paul would turn his focus to the Gentiles.

Magnify (1392)(doxazo (see word study) from doxa = glory) has a secular meaning of to think, suppose, be of opinion, (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Xenophon, Plato, Thucydides). The simple definition of glorify is to give a correct opinion, a correct estimate of Who God is. How? By the way you behave (your "fruit" Jn 15:8, cp Mt 5:16-note) and in the present context, by what you do (or better yet "don't do") with your physical body.

Ministry (1248)(diakonia (see word study) is probably derived from dioko = to pursue, "to be a follower of a person, to attach one's self to him:" - note on origin is from Vincent.) means the rendering or assistance or help by performing certain duties, often of a humble or menial nature serve, including such mundane activities as waiting on tables or caring for household needs—activities without apparent dignity. Diakonia is related to diakonos, a servant, not in his relation (like doulos) but more in regard to his activity. The term covers both slaves and hired servants. MacArthur "The basic idea in both words always had to do with humble, submissive, personal service, not simply with an office or a particular function."

In this way Paul would "magnify" his "ministry" or as Phillips paraphrases it…

I should like you to know that I make as much as I can of my ministry as "God's messenger to the Gentiles"

Romans 11:14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.

Greek: ei pos parazeloso (1SFAI) mou ten sarka kai soso (1SFAI) tinas ex auton.

Amplified: In the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous [in order to stir them up to imitate, copy, and appropriate], and thus managing to save some of them.

ESV: in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.

ICB: I hope I can make my own people jealous. That way, maybe I can help some of them to be saved.

NIV: in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.

NKJV: if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

NLT: for I want to find a way to make the Jews want what you Gentiles have, and in that way I might save some of them.

Phillips: so as to make my kinsfolk jealous and thus save some of them.

Wuest: if by any means, possibly, I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and save some of them.

Young's Literal: if by any means I shall arouse to jealousy mine own flesh, and shall save some of them,

In the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous [in order to stir them up to imitate, copy, and appropriate], and thus managing to save some of them. (Amplified)

If somehow. Elsewhere Paul stated it this was…

And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. (1Cor 9:20-22)

Jealous (3863) (parazeloo from pará = to the point of, unto, implying movement toward a certain point + zeloo = to desire, be zealous) means to stimulate alongside and thus to excite to rivalry or to provoke to emulation and so to make jealous. The idea is that then the Jews would be jealous and want it for themselves. Parazeloo is a Greek infinitive with a preposition (eis = unto, toward) and carries the idea of purpose.

AND SAVE SOME OF THEM: kai soso (1SFAI) tinas ex auton: (1Corinthians 7:16; 1Timothy 4:16; James 5:20)

Save (4982) (sozo) means basically to rescue from peril, to protect, to keep alive - the word involves preservation of life, physical or spiritual, in this context clearly referring to spiritual life associated with regeneration or the new birth brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-5) and the Gospel (Ro 1:16-note).

See discussion of physical and spiritual renewal of Israel beginning in Ezekiel 37:14-see notes)

Romans 11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead ?

For if their rejection and exclusion from the benefits of salvation were [overruled] for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance and admission mean? [It will be nothing short of] life from the dead! (Amplified)

For - always pause and ponder this term of explanation.

The word “if” which Paul uses throughout his argument here is not ean the “if” of a hypothetical condition, but ei the “if” of a fulfilled condition. Paul is not arguing upon the basis of an hypothesis, but upon the basis of facts. The translation should read, “since,” or “in view of the fact.”

Rejection (580) (apobole from apó = from + bállo = cast as casting away a garment) describes literally a casting off and thus a rejection.

Reconciliation (2643) (katallage from katallasso = change mutually; reconcile in turn from katá = an intensifying preposition + allásso = to make otherwise, to change the form or nature of a thing) means a change or reconciliation from a state of enmity between persons to one of friendship. In the NT, this word describes restoration to divine favor by bringing about a change in man, i.e., a conversion, the means or occasion of reconciling the world to God. Reconciliation is the removal of enmity that stands between people and God. Reconciliation is the basis of restored fellowship between people and God

The Greek verb katallasso basically means “change” or “exchange.” In the context of relationships between people, the term implies a change in attitude on the part of both individuals, a change from enmity to friendship. When used to describe the relationship existing between God and a person, the term implies the change of attitude on the part of both a person and God. The need to change the sinful ways of a human being is obvious. It should be noted that some argue that no change is needed on the part of God. On the other hand, inherent in the doctrine of justification is the changed attitude of God toward the sinner. God declares a person who was formerly His enemy to be righteous before Him.

World (2889) kosmos (see word study) here refers to the world in general, not the "world system" opposed to God.

WHAT WILL THEIR ACCEPTANCE BE BUT LIFE FROM THE DEAD: tis e proslempsis ei me zoe ek nekron: (Ezekiel 37:1-14; Revelation 11:11; 20:4-6)

Acceptance (4356) (proslepsis from proslambano = to receive unto oneself, to take in addition, to receive besides) means a taking to oneself and thus describes an acceptance.

The reconciling of Israel back to God is, indeed, associated with the "resurrection" of Israel as a nation (See Ezekiel 37:1-14-notes) and also with the bodily resurrection of all who have died in faith, Isaiah prophesying to Israel that…

Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits. (Isaiah 26:19, compare Hosea 6:1-3 Rev 20:4-6-note)

The receiving of Israel refers to that wonderful moment when, as the Messiah returns to the Mt. of Olives (Zechariah 14) all Israel shall be saved (Ro 11:26-note). This will be “life from among the dead” in that the nation will be saved by the sovereign grace of God out from a spiritually dead state and from among those who remain spiritually dead. (See related discussion beginning in Ezekiel 37:14-see notes)

In speaking of life from the dead, Paul was not referring to bodily resurrection. Regarding individual Jews, he was speaking of receiving spiritual life as a gracious gift to displace spiritual death, the wage of unbelief. Regarding Israel, he was speaking of its rebirth and the rebirth of the whole world in the glorified millennial kingdom of God (Isa11:1-9-note; Rev 20). In that glorious day, even “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Ro 8:21-note).