Audio commentary on this verse

Note 1 at Rom. 11:1: Paul's message of grace and his announcement that Gentiles could now become a part of the true Israel of God through the new birth without becoming Jews, was a startling revelation. Paul had systematically dealt with objections that a legalistic Jew would have to such a message. Now, he answers the criticism that this would mean God has forsaken the Jewish nation.

Basically Paul is saying that Jews are not excluded, they just aren't favored over the Gentiles. He cites himself as an example of a believing Jew and compares the status of Israel to that of the Jewish nation in the days of Elijah. In the same way that there were 7,000 true worshipers of God left in Israel in Elijah's day (1 Ki. 19:18), so there was a remnant of believing Jews in Paul's day.

The rest of this chapter is Paul's explanation of Israel's current relationship to God during the church era.