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From a message by Jon Alsdorf
Romans 11 raises one of the most misunderstood questions in all of Scripture: Has God rejected the Jewish people? The answer, according to the Apostle Paul, is a resounding no. But understanding why requires us to look carefully at what the Bible actually says about Israel, salvation, and the mercy of God toward all people. What Is Romans 11 Actually About? The book of Romans builds toward one central idea found in Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Everything Paul writes flows from that single truth. Chapters 9, 10, and 11 zoom in specifically on Israel. Chapter 9 covers Israel's past. Chapter 10 addresses their present. Chapter 11 looks at their future. And the future, it turns out, is far more hopeful than many people realize. Why Were People Confused About Israel's Place in God's Plan? In the first century, the early church was largely Jewish. But most Jewish people were rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. This created a real identity crisis. People were asking hard questions: Are the Jewish people still God's chosen people? Does their rejection of Jesus cancel God's promises to them? Is the gospel only for Gentiles now? These are not small questions. They cut to the heart of how we understand God's faithfulness and the nature of salvation itself. Has God Rejected the Jewish People? Paul answers this directly in Romans 11:1: "I ask, then, has God rejected His people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin." His point is simple but powerful. If God had rejected the Jewish people entirely, Paul Himself could not be saved. And yet he is. Every one of Jesus's disciples was Jewish. The early church was led by Jewish believers. God had not rejected His people. His people had rejected His Messiah. Those are two very different things. What Is Replacement Theology and Why Does It Fall Short? There is a theological position called replacement theology, still held in many denominations today, which teaches that God is finished with Israel and that the church has now replaced Israel in God's plan. The problem with this view is straightforward: it contradicts what Paul writes plainly in Romans 11. God did not abandon His promises to Israel. His purposes for the Jewish people have not been cancelled. Believing otherwise requires us to ignore large portions of Scripture and to misread the very passage Paul is writing. Have There Always Been Believing and Unbelieving Jews? Yes, and Paul makes this clear by pointing back to the prophet Elijah. Elijah believed he was the last faithful person left in all of Israel. God corrected Him: "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal" (Romans 11:4). Even in Israel's darkest moments of rebellion, God preserved a remnant of faithful people. This has always been true. There have always been believing and unbelieving Jews, just as there have always been believing and unbelieving Gentiles. The existence of unbelief in a group does not mean God has abandoned that group. Are Jewish People Coming to Faith in Jesus Today? Absolutely. Romans 11:5 says, "So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace." This is not just ancient history. Today, there are more Messianic congregations in the city of Jerusalem than at any other point in human history. There are more Jewish believers in Jesus alive today than ever before. God is still at work among His people. What Does It Mean That Gentiles Were Grafted In? Paul uses the image of an olive tree to explain the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers. The Jewish people are the cultivated tree with deep, ancient roots. Gentile believers are wild olive branches that have been grafted in. The branches do not support the root. The root supports the branches. This is a call to humility for Gentile Christians. We did not replace Israel. We were invited in. The Old Testament is not irrelevant. It is the very foundation we stand on. Treating it as unimportant is not just a theological mistake. It is a failure to honor the root that holds us. Does Rejecting Jesus Have Consequences? Romans 11:25 describes "a partial hardening" that has come upon Israel "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." Rejecting Jesus results in spiritual hardening and blindness. This is not unique to Jewish people. It is a pattern throughout Scripture that applies to anyone who persistently turns away from God. Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem and said in Matthew 23:37-39: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing. See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" That final phrase is significant. Jesus is pointing to a future moment when Israel will recognize and welcome Him as Messiah. Will Jewish People Ultimately Turn to Jesus? Scripture points toward a widespread turning of Jewish hearts to Jesus as Messiah. Romans 11:26 says, "And in this way all Israel will be saved." This does not mean every Jewish person who ever lived will be automatically saved. Paul has been clear throughout Romans that salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not through ethnic identity. What it does mean is that there is coming a time when so many Jewish people will turn to Jesus that it will be as if all Israel is being saved. The prophets spoke of this. Jesus spoke of this. And the growing number of Jewish believers today may be the beginning of that movement. What Is the Only Way to Be Saved, for Jews and Gentiles Alike? This is where Paul brings everything back to the beginning. Romans 11:32 says, "For God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all." Both Jews and Gentiles have been disobedient. Both are in need of mercy. And God, in His extraordinary grace, offers that mercy to both through Jesus Christ. There is one salvation. There is one Messiah. There is one gospel. Acts 4:12 makes it plain: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Before Jesus came, people placed their faith in God's promise to send a Messiah. After Jesus came, we place our faith in the Messiah who has been revealed. It is the same salvation, the same God, the same grace. The door is open to all who believe. How Should Christians Think About the Jewish People Today? Two errors need to be avoided. The first is blind political support for everything the nation of Israel does simply because they are Jewish. Calling evil good is always offensive to God, regardless of who is doing it. Truth must be applied evenly. The second error is anti-Semitism, the idea that Jewish people are cursed or rejected by God and therefore deserve contempt. This has no place in the body of Christ. None. God has not rejected the Jewish people, and neither should we. The right posture is one of love, prayer, and a genuine desire to see Jewish people come to know their Messiah, the same desire Paul carried throughout his entire ministry. Life Application Paul closes Romans 11 with an outburst of worship: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Romans 11:33). The right response to understanding God's faithfulness is not pride or confusion. It is awe. This week, take one concrete step to reflect that awe in how you live. Pray specifically for Jewish people to come to know Jesus as their Messiah. If you have never seriously engaged with the Old Testament, begin reading it with fresh eyes, recognizing it as the root that holds everything you believe. Ask yourself these questions as you go:
God's faithfulness to Israel is a mirror of His faithfulness to you. He has not given up on His people, and He has not given up on you. The gospel door is still open. The question is what we will do with that.
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From a message by Jon Alsdorf
Romans chapter 10 cuts through centuries of religious confusion and gets to the heart of one of the most important questions anyone can ask: how is a person actually saved? The answer is clearer than most people think, and it has never changed. What Is the Main Message of the Book of Romans? The entire book of Romans is built around one thesis statement found in Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Every chapter circles back to this single idea. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Not by following the law. Not by doing enough good things. Salvation is received as a gift, based on Jesus' performance, not ours. Who Was Paul Writing To in Romans 10? Paul was writing primarily to Jewish Christians who were wrestling with deep questions about their identity and heritage. If salvation comes through faith in Jesus, what does that mean for the law of Moses? Do Gentiles have to become Jewish first? Do Jewish believers have to abandon their heritage? Paul's answer to both questions is no. You do not have to become Jewish to follow Jesus, and you do not have to stop being Jewish to follow Jesus. These were not small questions. They were grief-inducing struggles for real people trying to understand what God was doing. What Are the Only Two Ways to Be Saved According to Scripture? Paul lays out two and only two options in Romans 10.
Because Jesus fulfilled the law completely, His righteousness can be credited to those who place their faith in Him. That is the gospel. What Does "Confess with Your Mouth and Believe in Your Heart" Really Mean? "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9 This is not a two-step checklist. It is one thing happening. Jesus Himself made the connection clear: what comes out of our mouths flows from what is in our hearts. When someone genuinely confesses that Jesus is Lord, it is not a performance. It is the overflow of what is already happening inside them. Faith expressed outwardly through confession is faith made real. It is how an internal reality becomes visible. Where Does Faith Come From? "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:17 Paul walks through a chain of logic using rhetorical questions. How can someone call on Jesus if they have not believed? How can they believe if they have never heard? How can they hear without someone preaching? How can someone preach unless they are sent? The answer to every question is: they cannot. Faith is not manufactured from within. It comes through hearing the word of Christ, which is why the gospel being proclaimed matters so much. The gospel itself is the power of God for salvation. Why Do Some People Hear the Gospel and Still Not Believe? This is one of the most honest and important questions in the passage. Paul does not soften the answer. He identifies four real barriers that keep people from responding to the gospel in faith.
It is not confusion. It is not a lack of information. People build high walls against the work of God, even in their own lives. Paul quotes Moses and Isaiah to show that this pattern is not new. God predicted it centuries before it happened. "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." - Isaiah 65:1 (quoted in Romans 10:20) This should reshape how we pray for people in our lives who have not yet believed. The barrier is rarely intellectual. It is almost always something deeper. How Does God Respond to Disobedience and Opposition? This may be the most important question in the entire passage. When people reject Him, when they oppose Him, when they are disobedient, what does God do? "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." - Romans 10:21 He holds out His hands. All day long. To everyone. To neighbors, family members, enemies, the frustrated and the frustrating. There is no category of person to whom God has stopped extending His grace. Scripture does warn us not to take that kindness for granted. Every day eventually ends. But the posture of God toward people who have not yet come to Him is not rejection. It is an open invitation, patient and persistent. What Does This Mean for Israel, Then and Now? Paul is clear that the Jewish people are not in a different category when it comes to salvation. "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:12-13 The same Lord who is God over Israel is God over all people. There is one source of salvation, and it has always been the same. Even before Jesus came, faithful Jewish people were trusting in God's promise of a coming Messiah. That was saving faith, even without knowing His name. But when Jesus came and did not fit the expected model, many chose to oppose rather than trust. The lesson for all of us is the same: when we do not understand what God is doing, the wisest response is to trust His word rather than try to help Him fix what we perceive as a problem. God does not need our help keeping His promises. Life Application This week, identify one person in your life who has heard the gospel but has not responded in faith. Instead of assuming they simply need more information or a better argument, pray specifically against the real barriers Paul names: jealousy, anger, disobedience, and opposition. Ask God to soften what is hardened and to open what has been closed. Then look for one natural opportunity to share the gospel with them, not to win a debate, but to hold out the same open hands that God holds out all day long. Ask yourself these questions as you reflect this week:
From a message by Jon Alsdorf
Romans 9 is one of the most wrestled-over chapters in all of Scripture. Theologians have debated it for centuries, and for good reason. It raises big questions about God's choices, human responsibility, and what it truly means to be saved. Here is a clear look at what this passage teaches and why it still matters deeply today. Why Is Paul So Brokenhearted at the Start of Romans 9? Paul opens the chapter with raw emotion. He says he has "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" in his heart for his fellow Israelites. He even says he could wish himself cut off from Christ for their sake. This is not dramatic language for effect. Paul genuinely loves his people and grieves that so many have missed the Messiah they were waiting for. He then lists everything that belonged to Israel: the adoption as God's people, the glory, the covenants, the law, the worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and ultimately the lineage through which Christ Himself came. These were real, God-given privileges. And yet, something had gone wrong. Three False Assumptions the Jewish People Were Making To understand Romans 9, it helps to understand the assumptions that many Jewish people held at the time. Paul spends much of this letter addressing them directly.
What Does "Election" Actually Mean in the Bible? The word election simply means to choose. In Scripture, election refers to God exercising His divine prerogative to act and to choose. That is not a complicated idea. We see God making choices and taking action throughout all of Scripture. That is largely what the Bible documents. But here is the critical balance: God exercising His divine prerogative to act and choose does not erase our ability to act and choose. Just because God can choose does not mean we cannot. Human beings are held accountable throughout Scripture for their own decisions. That accountability only makes sense if real choice exists. Does Being Born Jewish Guarantee Salvation? Paul makes this point clearly. "Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." Genetic descent from Abraham was never the promise. Abraham had eight sons total, but God said the covenant would continue through Isaac, the son of promise. This was God's choice, not a matter of birth order or bloodline. The same principle applies today. You are not saved because your grandmother was devout. You are not saved because you grew up in a Christian home or attended church your whole life. Salvation has always been by faith, not by family. What Does "Jacob I Loved, But Esau I Hated" Really Mean? This verse tends to stop people cold. But context matters enormously here. In covenantal language, the words "loved" and "hated" often function as terms of selection and non-selection, not emotional hatred in the way we use the word today. God was not condemning Esau to hell. In Genesis, God poured out tremendous blessing on Esau and made nations from His line. What God was saying is that He chose to continue His covenant purposes through Jacob, not Esau. It was a choice about lineage and purpose, not a declaration of eternal rejection. Can God Show Mercy Without Miscarrying Justice? Yes, and here is why. God can show mercy to whomever He chooses because Jesus satisfied the demands of justice completely. The penalty for sin was paid in full. That frees God to extend grace without compromising His righteousness. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 God's plan was never improvised. From before the foundations of the world, the cross was always the answer. Mercy and justice are not in conflict when Jesus stands between them. Did God Really "Harden" Pharaoh's Heart? This is one of the most misunderstood passages in all of Romans. The Greek word translated "harden" means stubborn. And when you look at the Hebrew word used in Exodus, it carries meanings like strengthen, encourage, take courage, and prevail. It is not the idea of God locking someone into a decision against their will. What actually happened with Pharaoh is this: Pharaoh wanted to defy God. He wanted to keep Israel enslaved. He wanted to win. But standing against an almighty God takes a kind of courage no human being can sustain on their own. So God strengthened Pharaoh's resolve, not to force Him to do something against His will, but so that Pharaoh could carry out what Pharaoh Himself wanted to do. God kept His opponent standing. And in doing so, He displayed His power and glory to the entire world. Our ability to choose remains unhindered, even when God is at work around us. Why Did Israel Miss the Messiah They Were Waiting For? Paul says it plainly in Romans 10. The Jewish people had great zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. They were pursuing righteousness through the law rather than through faith. And when the Messiah arrived, He became a stumbling stone. "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame." - Romans 9:33 Jesus Himself said, "Blessed is anyone who does not take offense at Me." The scandal of Jesus as Messiah was predicted long before it happened. And yet, many stumbled over it anyway. Paul's response to this is not judgment. It is grief. "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." That is the posture we are called to as well. What Is the Bottom Line of Romans 9? The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, both Jew and Gentile. Every person's default condition is the same: lost and in need of grace. It does not matter your background, your family, your ethnicity, or your religious history. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation. It has always been this way, even in the Old Testament when the Messiah was promised but not yet revealed. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." - Romans 10:4 Christ does not abolish the law. He fulfills it. But He ends the idea that the law can produce righteousness or earn salvation. That work belongs to Him alone. Life Application This week, let the broken heart of Paul become your own. He did not respond to the spiritual lostness of His people with judgment or frustration. He responded with grief, prayer, and a deep desire for their salvation. Think about the people in your life who are far from Jesus. Maybe they are family members, coworkers, or neighbors. Maybe they are people who have great religious zeal but have not yet placed their faith in Christ. Your challenge this week is to pray specifically for one person by name who does not yet know Jesus. Ask God to soften your heart toward them and to open a door for a real conversation about faith. Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:
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Apply it!Next Steps is a collection of articles drawn from the sermons of Pastor Jon Alsdorf, and guest speakers, written to help you connect God's Word to real life. Each post is designed to inspire, challenge, and encourage you to live out your faith in practical, everyday ways -- because following Jesus is more than words, it's actions. Archives
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