Romans 11:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore he used a very expressive word, one that portrays both grace from above and their own effort.

He said, "obtained," not in order to deny free will, but to indicate the greatness of the blessings. He also meant that the greater part, though not all, belonged to grace.

Among us, too, it is customary to say of someone who has gained a great benefit, "He obtained it," or, "He found it."

For the greater part is acquired not by human labors, but by the gift of God.

"But the rest were blinded." Notice when the Apostle dared to call the rejection of the rest by its own name.

He had spoken of this before, but presented the prophets as the accusers. Now he himself comes forward as the accuser.

Again the Apostle very prudently anticipates this and says: "What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks. But the elect have obtained it, and the rest were hardened."

For Israel sought justification from the law. Yet how could it be justified, says the Apostle, if the law brought nothing to completion?

Therefore, although Israel sought justification through the type, it did not attain it. Yet those set apart by election through obedience did attain it, for they were justified through faith.

The rest are hardened, that is, disobedient and stubborn.

They were "rejected" in verse 15 and "broken off" in verse 17. Through this, the Gentiles received "salvation" in verse 11, "riches" in verse 12, and "reconciliation" in verse 15.

They were "grafted in" and became "partakers of the root and fatness of the olive tree" in verse 17.

By this the Apostle makes it clear enough that this reconciliation and enrichment are not final. For he adds this exhortation to the Christian from the Gentiles: "Do not be arrogant," but "fear.

Behold the goodness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but goodness toward you, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off" (vv. 20-22).

Therefore, although initial reconciliation with God is given by faith alone in the merits of Christ, who suffered for us, final reconciliation and justification are given to the one who follows in His steps.

It is given to the one who, in the words of the Apostle Paul in Rom 12:1, presents his body "as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God." In short, he shows faith by works.

Of course, our life is so sinful that we never hope to be justified by our own works. We continually implore God not to enter into judgment with us.

But this does not mean that we are not obliged to care for works, or that they are not required of us.

He speaks as if saying: "There are three thousand with me, five thousand, and a great multitude of Israelites foreknown by God."

Indeed, referring to the example of the prophet Elijah, the Apostle goes on to say: "Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel, saying: Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars.

I alone am left, and they seek my life" (3 Kgs 19:14). "But what does the divine answer say to him? I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal" (Rom 11:2-4).

"Even so then, at this present time," the Apostle adds, "there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom 11:5). That is, some of the Jews received justification by faith in Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile the rest were hardened and did not receive salvation, as the prophets had foretold (Rom 11:6-10).

Concerning the Apostle's example from Elijah the prophet, St. Chrysostom observes: "If the Apostle had wanted to prove only that few make up the people properly belonging to God, he would merely have said that seven thousand remained in Elijah's time.

But lest the Jews say, 'We killed Christ as a deceiver and persecute the Apostles as seducers,' the Apostle brings forward the whole testimony.

It says: 'Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars.' This meant that, just as then they killed not false but true prophets, so now they killed not a false but the true Savior.

And they persecute not seducers, but true preachers."

The deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery is the final type of our deliverance from slavery to sin and the devil.

But then, according to the testimony of the prophet Moses, the Lord did not give the Hebrews a heart to understand, eyes to see, and ears to hear, even to that day.

So also now, seeing the multitude of saving works and divine miracles of Jesus Christ, the Hebrews related to them as men struck with blindness.

They were like those in a state of stupor, or sweetly intoxicated by their own unbelief. In the Apostle's expression, they were in a spirit of compunction.

Concerning this last expression, St. John Chrysostom says: "By compunction the Apostle here means a habit of soul toward the worse that is incurable.

As one who is moved to compunction in piety does not quickly depart from that state, so one moved to compunction in evil can change only with difficulty."

As for the words, "God gave," he observes: "The Apostle accuses nothing else but their stubborn will.

They had eyes to see miracles and received ears to hear wondrous teaching. Yet they did not use either as they ought.

Therefore by the word 'gave' understand here not action, but permission."

Pausing further over the fulfillment of the punishments foretold by the prophet David for those who do not believe in the Savior, St. John Chrysostom says: "When were the Jews ever so easily captured and overcome?

When were they subjected to such slavery? Most important of all, these calamities will have no end, as the prophet noted.

For he did not simply say, 'Bow down their back,' but added, 'always.' If you, Jew, claim that the calamities will end, then judge the present by the past.

Now everything has gone differently with you. What is especially astonishing is that the former vices are not visible, yet the punishment increases, and there is no hope of any change in your condition.

All this has overtaken you when you do not serve idols and do none of the things you once dared to do. What is the reason?

It is that the type has been replaced by the truth, and the law has been excluded by grace."

By these labors and efforts alone he hoped to receive what he sought. He forgot that this reception, for all that, is the work of grace, received by faith, and not something coming by right.

From this it came about that, when grace appeared and the word of faith was offered to him as the condition for receiving what was sought, he became stubborn.

He insisted on the conviction which he himself had hammered into his mind and heart. Since this was contrary to God's ordinances, God deprived him for this stubbornness of what he expected.

He lost what would have become his possession, had he not stubbornly resisted faith. On the contrary, the few who are God's remnant also faithfully kept the Law.

Yet they placed the hope of receiving what was sought in God's grace alone. Therefore, when grace appeared and the word of faith was proclaimed, they accepted it with all their heart and cleaved to the One preached.

For this they received more than they expected, or even could have expected. The former were blinded by their wrong prejudice. The latter, admitting no prejudice, always kept their eyes open toward God.

Thus they easily beheld the grace sent down from Him, which also chose them. Blessed Theodoret writes: "By 'election' the Apostle means those from among the Jews who believed.

"He is saying this: Israel, having attached himself to the Law, did not reach the goal. This is because now he keeps the Law unlawfully and reaps from it no righteousness.

"But those Israelites who believed received it. 'The rest were blinded,' that is, unbelief hardened their heart."

Therefore Saint Chrysostom rightly sees in the present passage "not only a question, but also an accusation. The Apostle says that the Jew contradicts himself, seeks justification, and does not wish to receive it.

"He presents the Jews as inexcusable, proving their wrongness by the fact that some obtained it. 'The election,' he says, 'obtained it.' The chosen will condemn the Jews.

"So also Christ the Lord said: 'If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges' (Luke 11:19).

"So that no one might dare to refer the matter to the nature of the thing itself, but everyone might blame the will of the Jews, the Apostle mentions those who obtained.

"Therefore he uses an expressive word that depicts both grace from above and their own effort. For by the word 'obtained' he does not destroy free will, but expresses the greatness of the blessings.

"He also expresses that the greater part, though not all, was the work of grace. Among us too it is customary to say of a man who gains great profit: he obtained it, he found it.

"This is because the greater part is acquired not by human labors, but by the gift of God. 'The rest were blinded.' Notice when the Apostle dared to call the rejection of the rest by its own name.

"Although he had spoken of it before, he presented the Prophets as accusers. Now he himself appears as accuser. Yet even here he is not content with his own opinion.

"He again has the prophet Isaiah as witness. For after saying, 'they were blinded,' he added:"