Rom. 11:25. For I do not wish to leave you, brethren, in ignorance of this mystery — lest you be conceited about yourselves — that hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the time when the full number of the Gentiles shall have come in;
Rom. 11:26. And so all Israel shall be saved.
He calls a mystery here that which is unknown and hidden. What then does this mystery consist of? In that the Jews did not all disbelieve, but were hardened in part. Many of them believed, whom, as was said above, God foreknew, and many will believe afterward; for the Israelites were hardened until all the Gentiles foreknown by God are saved; then all Israel also will be saved, evidently having believed.
Rom. 11:26. As it is written: The Deliverer will come from Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
Rom. 11:27. And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.
Again he brings forth Isaiah, who exclaims that one will come from Zion who is able to save and cleanse the sins of the Israelites. But when will this be? "When I take away their sins," that is, when I deem them worthy of remission through baptism. Therefore, although they have not received the remission of sins now (for they are hardened), this will be fulfilled afterwards.
Rom. 11:28. Enemies indeed according to the gospel for your sake, but beloved according to the election for the fathers' sake.
Rom. 11:29. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Since, he says, you have submitted to the Gospel and have been accepted by God, they became more stubborn and recoiled further and became enemies; but since their ancestors were chosen by God from the beginning, God will not allow them to perish completely (for they are beloved), but will accept them if they believe.
Rom. 11:30. Just as you were once disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy through their disobedience,
Rom. 11:31. So also they have now been disobedient for your mercy, that they themselves also may obtain mercy.
You, he says, who were formerly called Gentiles, did not wish to obey: therefore the Jews were chosen and received the law. Again, when the Jews were called and did not obey Christ, you were chosen and shown mercy. But the mercy shown to you will also be their mercy: they will emulate you and believe, and thus will be deemed worthy of your mercy.
Rom. 11:32. God has confined all in disobedience, so that He might have mercy on all.
That is, He convicted them, declared them disobedient, in order to save some by the stubbornness of others. For previously, when the Gentiles were disobedient, He saved, as was said, the Jews; again, when the Jews did not obey Christ, the Gentiles were saved, and when the Gentiles are saved, the Jews too will be saved, emulating them, and thus all will be shown mercy.
Rom. 11:33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Reflecting on the dispensations of God from the beginning of the world, on how God arranges the opposite through the opposite and by means of some who are disobedient shows others to be obedient, he came to amazement, thereby confirming that He who so arranges our affairs will assuredly also arrange the future salvation of the Jews. By "riches" he means goodness, the depth of which only brings amazement, and the greatness of which is unknown: for to so enrich the Gentiles is a work of riches. Together with goodness he marvels also at "wisdom," by means of which God governs our life and made wise the ignorant Gentiles, and at "knowledge," by means of which He knows what is profitable for each person. Concerning His ways, he did not say "incomprehensible," but "unsearchable," that is, they cannot even be searched out. "His ways," that is, the methods of His dispensation, not only cannot be comprehended, but cannot even be searched out, that is, one cannot even see a trace of them.
Rom. 11:34. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?
Rom. 11:35. Or who has first given to Him, that it should be repaid to him?
He alone, he says, knows His own works, and besides Him no one else. Being all-wise, He does not borrow wisdom from counsel with another, but of Himself was and is self-sufficient. He is also the source of all good things, and whatever He gives, He gives not as one obligated to repay, like someone who has received something from another, but out of His own goodness. For "who has first given to Him," that is, to God, that it should be repaid to him? That is, so that the benefaction bestowed by God might be considered a repayment to the one who gave?
Rom. 11:36. From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things.
He Himself is the source of all things: this means "from Him." He is also the support of all things: this means "by Him." All things have their beginning from Him, and were created by Him, and all things stand and are held together, resting upon Him as upon a certain foundation.
Rom. 11:36. To Him be glory forever, amen.
It is Paul's custom to end his discourse with thanksgiving when he speaks of something important. He does the same now as well. Since he was filled with amazement at the goodness, wisdom, knowledge, and ways of God's economy, he finally glorifies God, thereby teaching us also to thank God for His great blessings and to glorify Him in word and in life.