Restored in Grace
God's plan of salvation carries abundant grace and mercy as well as mystery. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are greater than our thoughts. His plan is not always obvious at our first glance. However, Paul does answer one question on the mind of the church: "What now becomes of Israel?" Has God rejected His people? Have they fallen so far into disobedience that God has replaced them with the Gentiles? Paul's answer is a resounding "No." It is not God's plan merely to now save the Gentiles just as it was never His plan merely to save Israel. Yes, some branches of Israel were indeed cut off. Yes, many Gentiles have been grafted in. But Israel's branches can be brought back! God did not allow them to disobey and fall away forever, but gave them up to disobedience so that all the nations could be shown mercy, including them.