Romans 11:20 – Faith and Fear
Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
Truth to Learn
Salvation should not produce pride, but reverential fear.
Behind the Words
“Well said” is translated from the Greek word kalōs, meaning “well, justly, or aptly.” It is as if Paul is agreeing with this objection. We could paraphrase this as “Very well then.”
The words translated “unbelief” and “faith” in this verse are closely related. The word translated “unbelief” is apistia, which is a compound word made up of a, meaning “not or without” and a form of pistis, meaning “faith or belief.” It is based on the verb peithō, meaning “to persuade or to win over.” Hence, pistis is the condition of having been convinced of a truth so that the person now believes the truth. The word translated “faith” is pistis. So you see Paul is making a contrast between the apistia (lack of faith) and pistis (having faith).
“Stand” is from histēmi, meaning “to stand upright, to stand in place, or to stand firm.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, which indicates a past completed action with an ongoing effect, but the emphasis is on the ongoing effect. In other words, in the past we stood because of faith and, as a result, we are in an ongoing condition of standing because of faith.
The word translated “haughty” is the Greek word, hupsēlophronō, which is a compound word made up of hupselos, meaning “high, in place or character” and a form of phroneō, meaning “to think” or “to be of a certain mind.” “Haughty” would literally be translated as “high minded.” In today’s English it means “haughty, arrogant, or puffed up.”
Meaning Explained
Paul starts off this verse with “Well said.” It is as if Paul is agreeing with the objection expressed in the previous verse. Now he goes on to state the part that he does agree with, and then he will give a word of caution about this type of thinking.
Paul agrees that the Jews were rejected for not believing and that we stand because we believe. But he then gives this warning, “Do not be haughty, but fear.” His warning is that we should not become arrogant, thinking that we are something special because God chose to graft us into the olive tree; instead, we should be filled with reverential fear. Paul will explain why in the next verse.
Because we believe that we are sinners and that Jesus Christ gave his perfect, sinless life on our behalf, God has declared us to be as righteous as Christ. Through this righteousness we are seen by God as sinless, He has adopted us as His sons and daughters, and we are guaranteed eternal life instead of eternal damnation in hell, which is what we deserve because of our sinfulness. We would not have believed these truths and we would not be partakers of His holiness had the Jews accepted Jesus as the Messiah when He offered Himself to them.
Because of our sin nature, we are prone to believe ourselves something special because of God’s free gift of salvation. And, because others rejected God’s truth, we are prone to believe that they are less than we are.
Application
Let us once again take stock of our own unworthiness and the blessing of God’s grace. Let our gratefulness be shown in giving all we have to and for Him. Let us humble ourselves before our Lord and Master, for He is worthy!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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