Romans 11:32—“… that he might have mercy upon all”

  

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. (Rom. 11:32)

 

ARMINIAN / WELL-MEANT OFFER ARGUMENT:

This text is interpreted by some as saying that God desires to have mercy upon either “all men head for head” (as if the context supports that!) or that He desires such for “the Jews as a whole” (excluding none of them)---those for whom He desires to have mercy are those for whom He hath concluded in unbelief ... He is favourably/mercifully disposed towards “all” (bar none, for “all means all,” as the saying goes!).

 

(I)

Prof. David J. Engelsma

Concerning Romans 11:32, specifically concerning the “all” in the text … Let us agree that the reference is to Israel, or Jewish descendants of Abraham, which is the subject of the chapter. 

The text is teaching, then, that God has mercy on all Jewish persons who make up “all Israel.”

The question is, “Who are all Jewish persons who constitute ‘all Israel’?” 

The assumption of those who [appeal to this text in support of the well-meant offer] is that “all” making up Israel, whom God wills to save, are all Jews without exception.

The error is that those [who interpret the passage in this way] do not allow the Bible to answer the question, as to who this “all” are.  They do not let the Bible answer this question, in the very section of the book of Romans (9–11) of which Romans 11:32 is a part.  Romans 9:6 corrects the error of supposing that “Israel” is all (natural, physical) Jews without exception.  “Israel” is not all the Jews without exception.  For “they are not all Israel which are of Israel.”  The following verses in Romans 9 identify Israel, or the true seed of Abraham, as “the children of the promise” (v. 8), who are those Jews whom God has elected unto salvation (v. 11). 

The text in Romans 11:32 speaks of God’s having mercy on “all.”  Romans 9 identifies the “all” upon whom God has mercy as the elect Jews: “Therefore hath he mercy [not on every Jew without exception, but] on whom he will have mercy,” that is, upon the elect Jews.  On the other hand, “whom he will he hardeneth.” 

This truth, namely, that the true members of Israel are the elect Jews among the nation is taught in the opening verses of Romans 11 itself.  The apostle teaches that God has “not cast away His people [of Israel]” (v. 2).  The explanation of this saving of His people of Israel is not, however, that He saves, or wants to save, every Jew.  Rather, the explanation is that He reserves a small number of Jews, that is, 7,000 (v. 4).  The true people of Israel are the “remnant according to the election of grace” (v. 5). 

Romans 9:6ff. and Romans 11:1-10, which teach the election of some Jews and the reprobation of the majority of Jews, identify the “all” upon whom God has mercy as all the elect Jews who are the true people of Israel. 

I call attention also to the fact that Romans 11:32 teaches that God has mercy upon the “all” ...  If they are every Jew without exception, every Jew without exception will be saved.  Whomever God has mercy upon is saved by this mercy.  But many Jews are not saved.  Besides, Romans 9 teaches that God has mercy only upon some descendants of Abraham.  And they are those whom God wills to have mercy on, that is, those whom He has elected.

Often in the Bible, “all” does not refer to every individual of a group.  The reference must be determined from the context.  For example, Romans 5:18 teaches that “all men” are justified.  No one except an outright universalist explains this as referring to every single human who has lived, lives now, or will live.  The reference is to all those who believe among all nations.  “All” simply does not always refer to every human.  The reference must be determined from the context. In Romans 11:32, “all” is determined from the complete context in Romans 9–11, as I have shown to be all the elect Jews who make up the true Israel of God.

(DJE, 02/04/2021)

 

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(II)

John Calvin (1509-1564)

(a)

[Source: Calvin’s Calvinism (RFPA, 2009), p. 78] 

The next Scripture which he tacks on to his argument is that of Paul, who declares (he says) that God “included all under sin, that He might have mercy upon all” (Romans 11:32). As if Paul in this passage were disputing about the number of them! Whereas he is abstractedly lauding the grace of God toward all of us who attain unto salvation. Most certainly nothing was less in the mind of the apostle than an extension of the mercy of God to all men. His sole object was to prostrate all glorying of the flesh, that we may clearly understand that no man will ever be saved but he whom God saved by grace alone.

(b)

[Institutes, 3.24.16]

For if they should tenaciously insist on the statement that he wills to have mercy on all [cf. Rom. 11:32], I give by way of exception what is written elsewhere: “Our God is in heaven, where he does whatever he pleases” [Ps. 115:3]. So, then, this word is to be explained as to agree with the other: “I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will pity those whom I pity” [Ex. 33:19]. He who chooses those upon whom he is bound to show mercy does not bestow it upon all. But since it clearly appears that he is there concerned with classes of men, not men as individuals, away with further discussion!

 

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(III)

 More to come! (DV)