Furthermore, it should be clear to every Calvinist who has tried to defend a doctrine of particular redemption against a universal atonement that “all” oftentimes means something less than “all inclusive.” In the context of Romans 9–11, especially when viewed against the background of Jewish sources and the Old Testament, “all Israel” has a corporate “significance, referring to the nation as a whole and not to every single individual who is a part of the nation.”[64] “All Israel,” therefore, means something like the vast majority or a great number. Once the fullness of the Gentiles comes in,
...more
