Romans 11

²⁸ In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers; ²⁹ for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

I maintain this passage is teaching that God is faithful to his promises regarding salvation. While with special focus on those made to Israel this still carries over to the gentiles. Here Dr. Thomas Schreiner said:

The χαρίσματα (charismata, gifts) most likely refer to the list found in Rom. 9: 4– 5: Israel’s adoption, glory, covenants, law, service, and promises. The emphasis here lies on the promise of salvation, as noted in the exegesis of those verses. As usual in Paul (cf. 8: 28, 30; 9: 12), κλῆσις (klēsis, calling) and its cognates denote God’s effective call to salvation, and here Paul reflects on the call of Abraham and Israel (Gen. 12: 1– 3; Deut. 7: 6– 7; Ps. 135: 4; Isa. 41: 8– 10; Ezek. 20: 5). The word ἀμεταμέλητα (ametamelēta, irrevocable) is a legal term (cf. 2 Cor. 7: 10) indicating the unbreakable nature of God’s gifts and calling (Munck 1967: 138– 39). Discerning the connection between verses 28 and 29 helps us understand what the phrase “beloved because of the fathers” means. We can rule out the idea that they were beloved because of the fathers’ merits, since verse 29 grounds God’s love for the fathers in his gifts and gracious call. 5 God did not summon the fathers because of their virtue but because of the glorious freedom of his grace. Nor is the appeal to his past promises a constraint that binds God contrary to his freedom, since God freely made the promises from the beginning, and the fulfillment of the promises represents the constancy of his word. The salvation of Israel at the end of history, then, fulfills the covenant promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God will not forsake his people but has pledged, in accordance with his covenant love, to graft them again onto the olive tree. Israel’s ancestry does not amount to a claim on God. God freely pledged to bestow his grace on Israel as an expression of his loving-kindness.

Schreiner, Thomas R.. Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (p. 919). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

There are several points to be seen here:

The gifts of God are irrevocable and this carries over to other passages. In the very same book, we see the gift of grace that results in the justification of believers (contrary to that of those in Adam), Rom. 5:15.  The gift brings justification as stated in  “but the free gift brought justification”, seen here:

¹⁶ Nor can the free gift be compared to what came through the man who sinned. For the sentence that followed one man’s offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift brought justification, even after many offenses

 ^6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah Jesus our Lord.

Justification is itself a part of the salvific promises of God. We see this through John’s gospel where God promises eternal life to those that place their faith in Christ. Eternal life is eschatological life. A similar point is that God offers us an eschatological pardon. That is what it means to be justified by faith. It means God promises to pardon you from the wrath of the lamb in the last days. This promise is irrevocable because God made the promise.

We also notice that God’s calling is irrevocable. That being his salvific call found in such passages like Rom. 8:28-30. Those that received this “calling” end up justified in the sight of God.

³⁰ And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

The implication seems to be that these promises have been made and can never be forsaken. The eternal destiny to those that the promises were made to is secure in them. The argument here is that given the nature of these promises seem to imply that one cannot lose their salvation. That if you were justified once then you are always justified or the promises of God are revocable.

There is a response to this reasoning. One might suppose that God has negotiated that it is continual faith that ascertains such a promise. I suppose this is a good response, but the problem is that these promises are given to those that currently believe at the very moment they believe. This isn’t a gift for later, but rather it is given immediately and later fulfilled.