Romans 11:18 – No Proud Branches
do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
Truth to Learn
We should not boast about ourselves or our position, because it is God who is responsible for who and what we are.
Behind the Words
The word translated “boast” is the Greek word katakauchaomai, which is a compound word made up of kata, meaning “against” and a form of kouchaomai which means “to boast.” Hence, this word means “to boast against.” Webster defines the word “boast” as “To brag, or vaunt one’s self; to make an ostentatious display, in speech, of one’s own worth, property, or actions.” Katakauchaomai is expressed here in the middle person (indicating action done to oneself), and the imperative mood (indicating a command). It is preceded by the word mē, a conditional negative particle. As we have pointed out previously, word order in Greek is used for emphases. The fact that mē precedes katakauchaomai indicates emphasis on mē. Therefore, we could translate this as “Stop boasting about yourself!” We could paraphrase it as, “Get out of the habit of boasting about yourself against the branches!”
“Support” is from the Greek word bastadzō, which is derived from basis, meaning “foot.” Bastadzō refers to “lifting something up and placing it on a solid footing.”
Meaning Explained
Paul is talking metaphorically about an olive tree; a tree which gets its holiness from the root. In the previous verse he talked about the natural branches being broken off and the Gentiles being grafted in. Obviously, the tree represents God’s family. It began with the Jews (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and from this tree came the Messiah, Himself.
Paul will declare in verse twenty that the branches that were broken off were broken off because of unbelief. That is, the Jews were rejected because they did not believe the Messiah when He came. And because of their unbelief, the gospel was subsequently proclaimed to the Gentiles (by the Apostles, who were Jews).
Paul now warns us Gentile believers not to boast against the Jews. What he is saying is, in effect, “Don’t consider yourselves more worthy than the Jews, who were rejected.” The reason he tells us not to boast is because we are not the ones who sustain the root (God), but it is the root that sustains and supports us. You see, we didn’t graft ourselves into the tree, God engrafted us. We were not of the original family of blessing (the Jews), and we have done nothing to make ourselves worthy of being included in their blessings.
Remember that it is God who is the author and finisher of our faith. He chose us, we did not choose Him. He is the one who declared us righteous; we did not earn our righteousness. Without God’s action we are nothing and we are destined for Hell because of our lack of righteousness. We have absolutely nothing to boast about.
Application
Let me ask you, “Have you ever met a proud Christian?” That’s a contradiction of terms, isn’t it?
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (I Peter 5:6)
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to: