Albert Barnes Commentary Romans 11:15

"For if the casting away of them [is] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead?" — Romans 11:15 (ASV)

For if the casting away of them. This refers to their rejection as the peculiar people of God—their exclusion from their national privileges, on account of their unbelief. It is the same as the fall of them (Romans 11:12).

Be the reconciling of the world. The word reconciliation (katallagh) commonly denotes a pacification of contending parties, a removing of the occasion of difference so as to be united again. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:11: Let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband.

It is commonly applied to the reconciliation, or pacification, produced between man and God by the gospel. Through the intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ, people are brought to union, friendship, and peace (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18–19: God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself). Hence, the ministry is called the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

This word is also used to express the atonement, as in Romans 5:11: By whom we have now received the atonement (the reconciliation). In this context, it means that many of the Gentiles—the world—had become reconciled to God as the result of the casting off of the Jews. Through their unbelief, the way had been opened to preach the gospel to the Gentiles; it was the occasion by which God sent it to the nations of the earth .

The receiving of them. This is the same as what was denoted by their fulness (Romans 11:12). If their casting off—an event so little likely, apparently, to produce any good effect—was nevertheless overruled to produce important benefits in the spread of the gospel, how much more may we expect will be accomplished by their conversion and return? This latter event is fitted in itself to produce an important influence on mankind.

One would have supposed that their rejection of the Messiah would have been an important obstacle to the gospel. It was overruled, however, to promote its increase. Their return will have a direct tendency to spread it. How much more, therefore, may we expect to be accomplished by that?

But life from the dead. This phrase exemplifies the apostle Paul's peculiar, glowing, and vigorous manner. His mind seizes upon the thought of what may be produced by the recovery of the Jews, and no ordinary language could convey his idea. He had already exhausted the usual forms of speech by saying that even their rejection had reconciled the world and that it was the riches of the Gentiles.

To say that their recovery—a striking and momentous event, so much better fitted to produce important results—would be attended by the conversion of the world, would be insipid and tame. Therefore, he uses a most bold and striking figure. The resurrection of the dead served as an image of the most vast and wonderful event that could take place.

This image, therefore, in the apostle's mind, was a striking illustration of the great change and reformation that should take place when the Jews are restored, and the effect is felt in the conversion of the Gentile world as well. Some have supposed that the apostle here refers to a literal resurrection of the dead accompanying the conversion of the Jews.

However, there is not the slightest evidence of this. Paul refers to the recovery of the nations from the death of sin, which will take place when the Jews shall be converted to the Christian faith. The prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1–14) also used the same image of the resurrection of the dead to denote a great moral change among a people.

It is clear here that the apostle fixed his gaze on a future conversion of the Jews to the gospel, expecting that their conversion would precede the universal conversion of the Gentiles to the Christian faith. No event could make such an immediate and decided an impression on the pagan world as the conversion of the Jews. They are scattered everywhere, have access to all people, and understand all languages; their conversion would be like kindling thousands of lights at once in the darkness of the pagan world.