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Sermon #3292

Conversion of the Jews

A Sermon on Romans 11:28-32

Originally preached April 30, 1965

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Scripture

Romans 11:28-32 ESV KJV
As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because …

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Sermon Description

In this sermon on Romans 11:28–32 titled “Conversion of the Jews,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides insightful teaching regarding Israel and how to interpret certain genres of Scripture, such as prophecy. The true Israel, he says, is a spiritual Israel. While this true Israel has sometimes been a remnant, there will come a time when this will no longer be the case, as Paul writes in this section in Romans. But when will this be? How is one to analyze passages of Scripture that have a prophetic aspect to them? First, one cannot read prophecy and expect to be provided with incredible detail every time. Jesus told this in Acts about the future date of His second coming, saying that it was not for the disciples to concern themselves with figuring out the precise timing of His arrival. Sometimes just a general prophecy is provided and the specific details are not given. Secondly, Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that the greatest danger is reading things into the text that simply are not there. Those in Christian circles have probably seen examples of this as some claim that certain prophecies are being fulfilled when, in fact, the passage doesn’t address that. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by reminding of the ultimate message and purpose behind this section of Paul’s writing and what it was not intended to communicate.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is dealing with the case of the Jews as a whole and as a nation in Romans 11.
  2. Paul confirms this by quoting Old Testament prophecies in verses 26 and 27.
  3. Paul expands on this topic in verses 28 to 32. He says the Jews are enemies of the gospel but still beloved by God.
  4. The only remaining objection to this view is that it seems to contradict what Paul said earlier in Romans 9.
  5. However, Paul's argument progresses throughout these chapters. Romans 9 establishes that God's promises still stand even if only a remnant of Jews believe. Romans 11 reveals God will save all Israel in the future.
  6. Prophecy should not be viewed as proleptic history, giving precise details of the future like history gives of the past. Prophecy reveals major events but details are only known as they unfold.
  7. The danger in interpreting prophecy is reading details into the text that aren't actually there.
  8. Paul does not mention the millennium, second coming, restoration of Jews to Palestine, or a unique position of exaltation for Israel in this passage. These ideas are often wrongly read into the text.
  9. Paul says Jews and Gentiles are saved in the same way. There is no distinction between them in the church.
  10. We are not told precisely when the conversion of Israel will happen, only that it will be after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
  11. Some argue it will happen at the second coming, but Paul does not mention Christ's return here and his descriptions seem to preclude that possibility. The second coming is said to happen during a time of little faith, unlike the revival Paul describes here.
  12. What Paul reveals here must happen before Christ's return, during a time of great belief and revival in the church.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About the Future of Israel? Exploring Romans 11

What does "blindness in part is happened to Israel" mean according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the phrase "blindness in part is happened to Israel" (Romans 11:25) refers to a temporary spiritual condition affecting the nation of Israel as a whole. He emphasizes that this blindness is both partial and temporary - it affects most but not all of Israel (a remnant believes), and it will last only "until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Lloyd-Jones stresses that this is a divinely ordained period during which most Jews have been set aside from their privileged position while the gospel spreads to the Gentile world. This blindness is not permanent, as God has promised that Israel will eventually be restored to faith.

What does "all Israel shall be saved" mean according to Lloyd-Jones's interpretation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones interprets "all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26) to mean that Israel as a nation and as a whole will be converted to Christianity in the future. He is careful to clarify that this does not mean every single individual Jew who has ever lived or will live, but rather the bulk of the Jewish people living at a particular time in the future. Lloyd-Jones states: "the prophecy is to the effect that at some time in the future that God is going to do this marvelous thing, that he is going to restore the Jews whom he has temporarily cast aside." They will come to believe in Jesus as their Messiah and will be added to the Christian church.

How does Lloyd-Jones respond to alternative interpretations of "all Israel shall be saved"?

Lloyd-Jones rejects two main alternative interpretations of "all Israel shall be saved":

  1. The view that "all Israel" means all elect Jews and Gentiles (the entire church)
  2. The view that it means the aggregate of individual Jews who become Christians throughout church history

He argues these interpretations contradict the context of Romans 11, where Paul consistently treats Israel as a distinct entity from Gentile believers. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Paul has been addressing the specific problem of Israel's national rejection of the gospel throughout chapters 9-11, so the natural reading is that "all Israel" refers to the Jewish people as a national entity who will collectively come to faith in Christ at a future time.

What does Lloyd-Jones teach about Israel's future relationship to the land of Palestine?

Lloyd-Jones explicitly warns against reading into the text what isn't there regarding Israel's relationship to the land. He states: "Where do you find any reference whatsoever to the land of Palestine or of Israel in this section? Where is there any mention of the restoration of the Jews to the land?" He criticizes Bible teachers like Scofield who add this element to their interpretations without textual support.

Lloyd-Jones insists that Paul's prophecy only tells us that Israel as a nation will be converted, not that they will be restored to their ancestral land or have special territorial privileges. He warns against the danger of "reading in to the text things that are not there" to support preconceived theories.

Will converted Israel have a special status separate from the church according to Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the idea that converted Israel will have a unique or separate position of exaltation in God's kingdom. He states: "There's nothing special. It's the same thing. He makes it perfectly clear that what is going to happen to the Jews is that they are going to be converted in exactly the same way as any Gentile has ever been converted. And when they are converted, they will be added to the church. They won't have any special place."

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this teaching contradicts Paul's repeated emphasis on the unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, barbarian nor scythian, bond nor free. Here is the people of God consisting of Jews and Gentile in the one and only olive tree." Israel's conversion means their inclusion in the existing church, not a separate status.

When will the conversion of Israel happen according to Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones acknowledges that we aren't told precisely when Israel's conversion will happen. He states: "All we are told is that it is after the fullness of the Gentiles become in." However, he argues this event is not directly connected to Christ's Second Coming.

He provides several reasons why Israel's conversion likely happens before (not during) Christ's return: 1. When discussing the Second Coming elsewhere, Paul is always explicit, not indirect 2. Christ's return is described as sudden and unexpected, while this conversion seems more gradual 3. Romans 11:12,15 emphasizes Israel's conversion as the center of attention, while at Christ's return, all focus will be on Christ himself 4. Luke 18:8 suggests Christ will find little faith on earth at His return, contradicting the picture of widespread belief described in Romans 11

Lloyd-Jones concludes this conversion will happen "before, well before our Lord's second coming," followed by a period of spiritual decline before Christ returns.

What principles for interpreting prophecy does Lloyd-Jones outline?

Lloyd-Jones offers several key principles for interpreting prophecy:

  1. "Prophecy is not proleptic history" - Prophecy gives us general information about major future events, not detailed historical accounts with all specifics included.

  2. "Our greatest danger in the interpretation of Prophecy always is to read in to the text things that are not there" - People often import their theological systems into prophetic texts.

  3. We must not add to or take away from Scripture - "Listen to the scriptures and don't go beyond them. Don't detract, don't add. Both are equally wrong."

  4. Let Scripture speak for itself - Avoid the tendency to find support for preconceived theories by forcing interpretations.

  5. Be willing to admit what we don't know - "Give us grace, we pray thee to be ever ready to admit that we don't know, that we cannot tell."

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.