“For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:”
Romans 11:30, KJV
“For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,”
Romans 11:30, ESV
Table of Contents
Romans 11:30 Meaning – yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief
It has been already stated how the heathens obtained mercy by the unbelief of the Jews; namely, God, who was angry with the Jews on account of their unbelief, turned aside his kindness to the gentiles.
Calvin, John – Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans tr. Francis Sibson (1834)
Argument 17. It is every way to be believed, that God will manifest as much grace to the Jews, by occasion of that mercy shewed to you Gentiles, as he hath shewed to you Gentiles heretofore disobedient, by occasion of the stubbornness and unbelief of the Jews. Therefore the Jews are not to be despised, as altogether cast off, but their conversion is rather to be endeavoured.
Dickson, David – An Exposition of All St. Paul’s Epistles (1659)
In conclusion, the apostle states, that in the manner in which God had successively treated the Gentiles and Jews, which had been strikingly analogous. His design with regard to both these great divisions of mankind was to make them partakers of a common salvation; and that, in the way of bringing both into possession of this, He had so arranged matters as to make it evident that the whole was the result, not of human merit, but of sovereign, Divine mercy.
As the Gentiles, after a long course of ignorance, unbelief, and disobedience, were, by the occasion of the unbelief and consequent rejection of the Jews, brought to the faith of the Gospel, and the enjoyment of the blessings of the Christian salvation — all the result of sovereign mercy — so the Jews, who were permitted, through their own perversity taking occasion from the liberal character of the new dispensation, to fall into a state of unbelief and disobedience, and, in consequence, of rejection and punishment, — shall also, after continuing in that state for a course of ages, become the objects of Divine free mercy, by being led to embrace the Gospel.
And thus God, by successively allowing the depravity of human nature to develop itself in the idolatries of the Gentiles and the apostacy of the Jews, will make it evident, when He brings both these component parts of mankind into the enjoyment of saving blessings, that He acts towards them on the principle of sovereign kindness. This is the substance of what is stated in the 30th, 31st, and 32d verses.
“For,” in the beginning of this sentence, is either merely connective, or it intimates that the general unbelief of the Jews at that time, was no sufficient reason to doubt of their ultimate conversion.
Gentiles, who were formerly disobedient, were now obedient; and Jews, who were now disobedient, would, at the appointed season, become obedient also.
The Gentiles in past time “had not believed,” or obeyed, “God.” The reference is here to the state of the Gentile nations previously to the coming of Christ. They had received a revelation of the truth respecting the Divine character and will — the revelation possessed by and made to Noah — and many of them at least had had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with some later revelations. They had had much truth on these subjects presented to their minds by the frame of nature, and the dispensations of the Divine government, both physical and moral. But they did not improve these advantages. They did not believe the intimations made to them respecting the character of God; they did not obey the intimations made to them respecting their own duties: they became in the highest degree impious and immoral.
The best commentary on the words, “Ye in time past have not believed God,” is to be found in the closing paragraph of the first chapter of this epistle. On reading it, the thought naturally rises — Surely these men will be made monuments of Divine justice, by having adequate punishment executed on them: surely these men cannot find mercy.
But “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts — His ways, not our ways.” “Ye have now,” says the apostle, “obtained mercy.” To “obtain mercy,” is to be delivered from deserved punishment, and to be put in possession of undeserved blessings: it is to be “saved by grace.” This idea is often implied in the phrase; e.g., “God be merciful to me a sinner;” “But I obtained mercy;” “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, hath He saved us.”
By sending the Gospel to them when they were thinking of nothing less, and rendering it through the operation of His Spirit successful. He had manifested “the riches of His grace,” in making many of the disobedient Gentiles partakers of the blessings of His salvation.
This important and undeserved benefit came to them “through the unbelief, or disobedience, of the Jews.” “Ye have now obtained mercy through their unbelief.” We have already showed at length how the unbelief of the Jews had been rendered subservient to the conversion and salvation of the Gentiles, as it had led to a speedier and more extensive preaching of the Gospel than would otherwise have taken place, and removed powerful obstacles out of the way of their embracing it. Such had been God’s dispensations to the Gentile world.
They had been long “suffered to walk in their own ways.” They had been for many ages allowed to continue in a state of unbelief and disobedience; and were at last, in the exercise of sovereign mercy, brought to the faith and obedience of the Gospel, through means of the unbelief and disobedience of the Jews.
Brown, John – Analytical exposition of the epistle of Paul the apostle to the Romans (1857)
