John Calvin Commentary Romans 11:29

"For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of." — Romans 11:29 (ASV)

The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. He has mentioned gifts and calling, which are to be understood, according to a figure of speech, as meaning the gift of calling. This is not to be taken for just any sort of calling, but specifically for that by which God had adopted the descendants of Abraham into covenant. This is especially the subject here, as he has previously, by the word "election," designated the secret purpose of God, by which he had formerly made a distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles.

For we must keep this in mind: he is not now speaking of the election of individuals, but of the common adoption of the whole nation. This adoption might seem for a time, according to outward appearances, to have failed. However, it had not been cut up by the roots.

Since the Jews had fallen from their privilege and the salvation promised them, Paul maintains—so that some hope might remain for the remnant—that God's purpose stands firm and immovable. By this purpose, he had once deigned to choose them for himself as a special nation.

Therefore, since it cannot possibly be that the Lord will depart from the covenant he made with Abraham, I will be the God of your seed (Genesis 17:7), it is evident that he has not entirely turned away his kindness from the Jewish nation.

He does not oppose the gospel to election, as though they were contrary to each other, for those whom God has chosen, he calls.

But since the gospel had been proclaimed to the Gentiles beyond the world's expectation, he justly compares this favor with the ancient election of the Jews, which had been manifested many ages before. Thus, election derives its name from antiquity, for God had in past ages chosen one people for himself.

When he says, On account of the Fathers, it is not because they gave any cause for love, but because God’s favor had descended from them to their descendants, according to the terms of the covenant, Your God and the God of your seed.

How the Gentiles had obtained mercy through the unbelief of the Jews has been stated before: namely, that God, being angry with the Jews for their unbelief, turned his kindness to the Gentiles.

What immediately follows—that they became unbelievers through the mercy shown to the Gentiles—seems rather strange. Yet there is nothing unreasonable in it, for Paul does not assign the cause of their blindness. He only declares that what God transferred to the Gentiles had been taken away from the Jews.

But so that what they had lost through unbelief would not be thought by the Gentiles to have been gained by them through the merit of faith, only mercy is mentioned. Essentially, then, what is said is this: that as God purposed to show mercy to the Gentiles, the Jews were for this reason deprived of the light of faith.