Fullness of the Gentiles:)

In Romans 11 

Paul makes a compelling observation--

an

affirmation he refers to as a mystery--

that a

partial hardening has happened until

“the fullness of the Gentiles has


come in

(Romans 11:25, ESV)


The context helps us understand

the meaning of the partial hardening and what is the


Fullness of the Gentiles


In the first eleven chapters of Romans,

Paul catalogs the Mercies of God

in


God’s Provision of Righteousness


Through

the

Gospel


First, in Romans 1:1—3:20 Paul considers the

Universal Human Need for God’s Rightness,

as

All are Unrighteous and Separated from God.

Then in Romans 3:21—4:25 


Paul lays out How God Applied

Righteousness Through

Faith 

to All who Believe in Jesus,

outlining

Three different and significant types

of descendants of Abraham:


1) ethnic Israel (Romans 4:1),


2) believing Gentiles (Romans 4:11),

and

3) believing Jews (Romans 4:12)


These three sets of descendants of Abraham
are
especially important for understanding
the
partial hardening and the fullness of the Gentiles
that
Paul talks about in Romans 11.

Romans 5—8 discusses the implications of that righteousness applied in

Freeing believers from the

Penalty and Bondage of Sin

(Romans 5—7)


and assuring them of a present and future

of

Reconciliation and Peace 

with God

(Romans 8)

At the end of Romans 8 is a powerful affirmation of
the believer’s eternal security—God will
keep His promises to those who have believed in Jesus Christ,
and they will never be separated from

The 

Love of Christ

(Romans 8:35).

While discussing these


Mercies of God,


Paul seems to anticipate that his readers

might wonder why,

if God is so faithful to

restore those who believe in Jesus,


God’s promises of restoration to Israel


do not seem to be fulfilled yet


Simply put, if 


God is faithful,

And if His Promises to Believers are

Trustworthy,

then why is

He Not keeping His promises to Israel?


It is to answer this concern that Paul writes Romans 9—11, as
he introduces the ideas of a partial hardening of Israel and


The

Fullness of the Gentiles

(Romans 11:25).


In Romans 9 

Paul expresses

His love for his Jewish brethren

(Romans 9:1–5)

and recognizes that the covenant promises are 

to be fulfilled

to a specific group of Abraham’s descendants.

Paul shows the distinct groups by highlighting God’s choosing of

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

and affirms that God’s blessing would be for those descendants

who believe in the Messiah

(Romans 9:33)

Salvation would not only be for believing Jews,

though, as Gentiles could also

call upon the name of the Lord for salvation

(Romans 10:12–13)

While there are believing Jews and Gentiles,

Paul explains that the

Nation of Israel as a whole has not yet

Received her Messiah

(Romans 10:18—11:10),

But they will one day be

Saved through believing in their Messiah

(Romans 11:26).

In the meantime, Paul explains that there is a

partial hardening of the nation—that

​many will refuse the Messiah--

until the fullness of the Gentiles occurs.

Israel’s hardening will continue
until
​
the divinely set number 
of

Gentiles are saved:

“Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts,

but this will last only


Until the full number of

Gentiles comes to Christ”

(Romans 11:25, NLT)
​
Paul recognized that Israel’s failure to

Accept the Messiah
when

He came offering the kingdom

represented blessing for the Gentiles because,

instead of

setting up that kingdom on earth

at that time,

Christ died to pay for the

sins of all

In so doing,

Christ fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham

that in Abraham’s seed

all the peoples of the earth

will be blessed

(Genesis 12:3b)


That partial hardening of Israel also represented a

shift in focus

to the announcement of salvation to the

Gentiles


Paul acknowledged himself as
​an

Apostle to the Gentiles

(Romans 11:13)

And sought that

Many  Gentiles

would come to know Christ so those

Promises 

Could be Fulfilled 

and then the Jewish people might

Return to their Messiah

(Romans 11:14–15)
Paul alluded to this in 2 Timothy 4:17 when he

Expressed gratitude for God’s Sustaining Him
so that Paul might

Fulfill his Ministry and that


All the Gentiles might Hear

Even though God’s promises to save the nation of Israel

are not presently being fulfilled,

Paul recognizes that God will keep those promises

after the

Fullness of the Gentiles

Paul seems to be building on the foundation of 

Daniel 9, in which is revealed a

490-year prophetic timeline after which

God will Accomplish 

His covenant blessings for Israel

After the first 483 years of the timeline, the Messiah was cut off
(Daniel 9:26a),

signaling a shift in the focus

away from Israel

as Gentiles (Rome) would dominate,
and
there would be wars and desolation

But one day in the future, the ruler who would

be known as the Antichrist 

would make a seven-year agreement with Israel

That last seven years of the timeline would
begin to

return the focus back to Israel

and would conclude the times of the Gentiles of which

Jesus spoke in Luke 21:24.

The fullness of the Gentiles

in Romans 11:25 reminds us of



God’s Global Focus 
with the

Universal Proclamation 
of the
​

Gospel  of  Salvation 

and

chronology

with the

Times of the Gentiles 

not yet complete



One day, the fullness of the Gentiles

will be complete,

and

God will deliver the nation of Israel


Anyone who might have doubts about


God’s faithfulness

in

keeping His promises

can consider these passages as important reminders that


God has a detailed


Plan that ​He is fulfilling
​

patiently and carefully
​