“26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, the Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. 28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage, but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs, 29 since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.”
By Israel’s rejection of Jesus, God has brought the gospel of salvation to the Gentiles. In doing so, Israel has been made to be jealous of the Gentile’s relationship with God. It is through this process that God will cause Israel to repent and turn back to Himself, and in that time, He will save even more. God will bring Israel back because of His love for the patriarchs and His faithfulness to His Word. God, despite the unfaithfulness of most, will keep His covenant made with the forefathers of Israel, because He is a faithful and merciful God, even when His people are not faithful to Him. God’s mercy and faithfulness toward Israel is not because of anything Israel has done.
“The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” — Deuteronomy 7:7-8
Even though this statement was spoken for Israel, it applies to every sinner saved by God, Jew or Gentile. None of us are chosen by God because of our obedience, faithfulness, status, or anything else. We are chosen by God because He loves us and He is a merciful God.
“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” — 2 Timothy 1:9
It is clear, then, that our election and salvation are not dependent on our obedience. It is important to note, however, that we should respond to God’s great faithfulness and mercy by obeying His Word and living in obedience! We do this, not because it gains us anything, but because we love and serve the One who has saved us!
“Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands. But he directly pays back and destroys those who hate him. He will not hesitate to pay back directly the one who hates him. So keep the command — the statutes and ordinances — that I am giving you to follow today.” — Deuteronomy 7:9-11
“In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good and your work produced by faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” — 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12