Will the Jews Go to Heaven?

Dear Phil,

If the Jews are God’s chosen people, then why do they not believe in Jesus? Will they go to Heaven?

Thanks,
Aaron

Dear Aaron,

Paul answers this question in Romans. In Romans 9:1–5 Paul says that he has great sorrow and anguish in his heart for his fellow Jews. He was even willing to be damned if that would result in the salvation of the people God had chosen and blessed so much. In Romans 10:1–4 Paul tells us why the Jews have not believed. Rather than accepting the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus, they have attempted to make themselves righteous before God by keeping the law. But no one can ever justify himself before God by keeping the law (Gal 3:11). Doing good never cancels out sin.

However, there is still hope for the Jews. In Romans 11:17–24, Paul uses the imagery of an olive tree to explain the condition of the Jews. They are “branches” that have been broken out of the olive tree because of their unbelief (Rom 11:20). Gentiles (that includes you and me) are grafted into the olive tree through faith in Christ (Rom 11:17–20). If a Jew will turn to Christ and believe that God has provided an atonement for his sins through Christ, he will be grafted back into the olive tree (Rom 11:23–24). At the same time, Paul warns the Gentiles that if they do not continue in faith, they can be cut out just like the Jews were (Rom 11:21–22).

You may be wondering what the “olive tree” is. The olive tree is the line of believers that began with Abraham, the spiritual father of all believers (Rom 4:16) and the physical father of all Jews. Romans 9:6ff is Paul’s explanation of why all the descendants of Abraham are not automatically saved: only those who believe in Christ (Rom 9:33) are considered part of Abraham’s spiritual descendants. The good news that Jesus died and rose again so that we might be saved is still the power of God to save men, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile (Rom 1:17).

Blessings,
Phil