Romans 11:24

‘For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?'

Indeed, Paul points out, in the realm of the spirit the natural branches will ‘take' better than the branches which were wild, and therefore not so well adapted to the olive tree. While this may not be good horticulture, it is certainly true in the realm of spiritual things. The Jews had at that time the built in advantage of having a greater familiarity with the Scriptures which could only be an aid to them in coming to the Messiah. How easily then would they adapt, as their changed attitude towards their Messiah resulted in the Scriptures that they knew, and that they were brought up on, coming alive to them.

We must once again underline here that if the olive tree in any way represents Israel, and it is difficult to see how it does not in one way or another, then by Paul's illustration believing Gentiles are seen as becoming a part of Israel. They  become  Israel just as prior to Christ's coming Gentile proselytes were seen as becoming a part of Israel. This also ties in with the idea that Jesus is revealed as the representative Who embodied Israel in Himself, in which case Gentiles who become ‘in Christ' are necessarily made part of Israel in Him. See further on the question of whether the Gentile converts become Israel, the excursus at the end of this chapter.

God's Final Purpose.

Paul now emphasises that God's final purpose is that ‘the full number of the Gentiles will be gathered in, in this way all Israel will be saved'. We have seen in context that the elect of Israel at the time have become acceptable to God, i.e. have been saved (Romans 11:5), (and we can therefore assume that that applies to all the elect of Israel through the ages) and that Paul is hopeful for the conversion of ‘some' more (Romans 11:14), and that salvation has also come to the elect Gentiles (Romans 11:11). Taken together in line with the illustration of the olive tree this would indicate that all ‘elect Israel including elect Gentiles' have been saved.