There is an old popular but unbiblical belief within Evangelical circles that all modern Israelites will be saved before our Lord’s return. Ask anyone who holds this view and you will likely hear a quotation of Romans 11:26 “And so all Israel shall be saved…” (KJV)
I have asked a few who hold the view I am countering ‘so will modern Israelites get a special way to God’s salvation without accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour?’ They fumble and stutter a bit eventually admitting ignorance of how this will happen but still maintain the view that it will happen.
If they knew and took seriously my R.O.A.D principles of interpretation and in particular the R principle which deals with reading in context plus the D principle, going deeper by knowledge of Greek they would get clarity on the verse in the context and language of Paul’s argument in chapter 11.
In Romans 11:11-19 Paul checks the temptation on the part of Gentiles to boast, spiritually, by reminding Gentiles that we were simply grafted in albeit by means of the deliberate act of God in breaking off some of the branches of the olive tree.
Pay close attention to the idea from v. 20 onwards. The crucial concepts are the opposites unbelief/faith. V. 20 “they were broken off because of unbelief, you stand (=are in place, positionally) by faith.”
The line of argument continues and peaks, in a sense, in v.23 “and if they do not continue in unbelief they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”
Verses 24 and 25 are best read as a summary of the main argument advanced re the cruciality of faith as the means of being right with God whether one is a Jew or a Gentile.
Then comes v.26 which has been terribly handled because folks do not pause to explore the Greek text. Perhaps, because of the time expression in 25 “…until the full number…” many think the first words of v. 26 “and so” are terms suggesting time. But they are not!
The troublesome word in the English is ‘so’ which in the Greek is houtōs (sound = who toes). This word is an adverb of manner (= how) meaning ‘in this way/manner’, not an adverb of time (=when).
V. 26 should read “And in this manner, [that is, by faith] all Israel will be saved.”
So then, there will be no special salvation of any Jew or Israelite except by faith in the finished work of Jesus at Calvary.