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Romans 11:31 – Give Away the Treasure

Posted on by Will

so these also now have not believed, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

Truth to Learn

We can hoard the truth and be poor, or we can give it away and enjoy spiritual riches together with all who will receive it.

 

Meaning Explained

Since this verse and the preceding one are tied together, let’s look at them together:

For as you previously did not believe in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, so these also now have not believed, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

That is to say, we as Gentiles were not believers while the Israelites had possession of God’s Word and God’s blessing. But now, as a result of their rejection of the Messiah, we have been given the gospel message and can now obtain God’s mercy through belief in the Savior. In the same manner these Jews are not believing now. They are still rejecting the Messiah, the Christ, who came to save them. But now, because of the mercy that we have received from the Jews’ rejection of the Messiah, we are to be the instrument of God’s mercy to them by proclaiming the truth of the gospel: namely, that Jesus, whom they crucified, is in fact the Messiah for whom they have been looking all these many years. But now they can receive salvation through belief in His sacrificial death on the cross.

That’s still pretty complicated, though, isn’t it? Let me say it more simply. Because of the disbelief of the Jews, we Gentiles have found God’s mercy, and because of that, they will also receive God’s mercy through our belief and our witness to them. And, to put it even more simply, “We now have it because they rejected it, and some day they will have it again because we received it and gave it back to them.”

God originally chose the Jews, through Abraham, so that the Gentiles might also be saved. Here’s God’s original promise to Abraham:

Now the LORD said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3)

The tragedy is that Israel became exclusive in their thinking and failed to share the truth with the Gentiles. They thought that the Gentiles had to become Jews in order to be saved. Now we have the truth and an obligation to “provoke them to jealousy,” as Paul has stated several times in this letter.

The underlying principle is that God has had a plan throughout the ages for mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, and nothing is a surprise to Him. Not only does God have a plan, but all is going, and will continue to go, exactly according to that plan.

 

Application

We have a treasure of truth contained in the Scripture: the truth about Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus is the one promised to the Jews as their Redeemer, but He is also promised to us as our Redeemer. Let’s not squander this treasure, let’s give it away freely to everyone. The rest is up to God. And He will get the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:30 – Believe It or Not

Posted on by Will

For as you previously did not believe in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief,

Truth to Learn

We can obtain mercy from God when we believe Him.

 

Behind the Words

The grammatical construction that ties this verse with the following one is the use of the Greek word kai in both these verses. This word is most often translated as “and” or “also.” But in the case of these two verses, the use of kai in both verses represents a construction called “correlative conjunction.” That means that the ideas in the two verses are tied together. This is sometimes translated as “both … and …” Paul is going to show us that our ability to believe is a direct result of the Jews’ lack of belief.

The word translated “did not believe” is apeitheō, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and the verb peithō, meaning “to persuade.” So, literally, this word means “not to persuade.” When used in the passive voice, as it is in this verse, it means “not willing to be persuaded, not willing to believe, or unbelieving.” This really gives a different meaning to this verse. It could be translated as:

For as you were once unbelieving in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unwillingness to believe.

“Mercy” is translated from eleeō, meaning “to have compassion” or “to show mercy.” This word is also expressed in the passive voice, so it means “to be shown compassion or mercy.”

 

Meaning Explained

In this verse and the next, Paul is going to show that the Jews who are now alienated from God will one day be restored. And, in a similar manner, we Gentiles were once alienated from God and are now under God’s blessing through the gospel message.

Let’s look at what the correlation is between these two verses. Paul says “For as you previously did not believe in God.” This refers to a time when the truths about God were delivered to and held by the Jews, and we Gentiles did not have the truth. And, since we didn’t have the truth, we didn’t believe in it. In the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas expressed it in these words,

(God) who in past generations allowed all nations to go their own ways, (Acts 14:16)

In other words, there was a time when we Gentiles did not believe in the one true God, therefore we walked in our own ways instead of God’s ways. The second half of the current verse goes on to say, “yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief,” that is, we who previously did not believe in God now can believe in God and walk in His ways. And our belief is a direct result of the unbelief of the Jews who rejected the Messiah when He first came.

In the next verse we will see the conclusion of how Paul is correlating these two verses.

 

Application

God has shown His mercy to us because the Jewish people did not believe the Messiah when He came. Now that He has come and paid for your sins with His blood, do you believe in Him? If so, does your lifestyle demonstrate it to others?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:29 – Irrevocable Gifts

Posted on by Will

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Truth to Learn

God’s choosing is final and unchangeable.

 

Behind the Words

“Gifts” is from charisma, which means “a gift of grace” or “an undeserved benefit.” In the New Testament it is used only of such a gift or undeserved benefit received from God.

The word translated “irrevocable” is the Greek word ametamelētos, which is made up of a, meaning “without,” meta, indicating “a change of place or condition,” and a form of melō, meaning “to be concerned.” When we put this all together we see that ametamelētos means “without changing one’s position of concern,” or “without changing one’s mind regarding an action taken.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse serves as an addendum to the previous verse where Paul said, “With regard to the gospel they are enemies, but with regard to the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” We mentioned the word “election” in the previous verse as coming from the Greek eklogen, which means “the act of choosing.” Paul has used various forms of this word several times in this letter to the Jewish Christians in Rome. In each case he is referring to “election unto salvation” whereby God chose who would receive His free gift of grace.

Paul is now expanding on the concept of the “election.” He says, “For the gifts …” that is, those gifts of grace whereby sinners are chosen to believe the gospel and to be forgiven of their sins. Paul then couples those free gifts with God’s calling, just as he did back in Romans 8:28, 29 where he said:

And we know that to the ones loving God all things work together for good, to those who are the called ones according to His purpose. Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

He now tells us something about this election and its associated calling. They are irrevocable. God does not regret having chosen anyone, and He will not change His mind regarding His selection and calling. So you see Paul is actually saying that this free gift of Grace and the associated irresistible calling of sinners to Himself are done by God without regret and without changing His mind. In other words, once God chooses a sinner to be saved He does not change His mind and revoke that calling unto salvation.

Think about this. Since your salvation is God’s choice and wholly dependent on His actions apart from any action on your part, and since God does not change His mind regarding this choosing, if you are genuinely saved then you cannot become unsaved. It simply can’t happen! You can do nothing to change God’s mind, nothing!

 

Application

Now, instead of focusing so much of your time and effort on trying not to lose your salvation, you can focus all that time and effort on submitting to God and serving Him. You don’t have to worry about losing your salvation. It can’t happen! Let’s take a moment to thank God and give Him praise.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:28 – Not Your Enemies

Posted on by Will

With regard to the gospel they are enemies, but with regard to the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

Truth to Learn

The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are God’s beloved people whom He will rescue one day.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated, “concerning” is the Greek word kata, which primarily means “down.” However, this word has many nuances that imply position or relation. As it is used in this sentence it expresses “the relation in which one thing stands towards another.” So, we could translate it as “with respect to” or “as it relates to.”

“Enemies” is translated from the Greek word, echthros, which is based on the verb echthō, meaning “to hate.” Thus, echthros means “one who is hateful or odious, an enemy.” In this verse it refers to those who are odious in the sight of God. God is not saying that the Jews are His enemies, but that they are enemies of the gospel message.

The word translated “election” is eklogen, based on the verb eklegō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and legō, meaning “to choose.” Thus, eklogen refers to the act of choosing or the selecting a select few out of a larger collection.

“Beloved” is from the Greek word agapētos, which is based on the verb agapaō, meaning “to love in a social or moral sense.” It means to be ultimately concerned for the welfare of the one who is loved. Agapētos refers to the one who is loved.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been explaining that it was the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews that occasioned the gospel (good news) to be proclaimed to the Gentiles. Remember, also, that Paul is talking in generalities about groups of people, not specific individuals. He starts off the current verse with, “With regard to the gospel, they are enemies.” He is not saying that the Jews are the enemies of Christians. He is saying that the Jews are enemies of the gospel message; they are hateful of the message regarding Jesus being the Messiah and that salvation and the righteousness of God is obtained by believing that Jesus died to pay for the sins of all mankind.

But, Paul goes on to say, with respect to God’s selecting who are righteous and who aren’t, they are beloved because of God’s covenant with the patriarchs. This may be a reference to a passage in Deuteronomy which says,

The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 10:15)

The point is that God choose the Israelites as His special people and though they rejected their Messiah, God will one day turn back to them and restore their position of blessedness because of the covenant (the one sided contract) that He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

Application

We should not hate the Jewish people even though they are hateful of the gospel message. Instead, we should recognize that they, as a nation, are loved by God. Sometime in the future He will remove Christians from the earth and once again bless the Jewish people when their Messiah comes as their conquering king.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:27 – God’s Covenant

Posted on by Will

For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

Truth to Learn

If God has graciously taken away your sins, you should be humbly producing fruit with thanksgiving.

 

Behind the Words

The word “covenant” is from the Greek word diathēkē, which is based on the verb diatithēmi, meaning “to set out in order” or “to dispose or disperse in a certain order” as someone would do in their last will and testament. In classical Greek, diathēkē always meant “the disposition which a person makes of his property in prospect of death.” It is a binding contract made by one party on behalf of others. Hence, this covenant is God’s contract of what He will do for the Jews in the future.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul quoted Isaiah 59:20, and in this verse he quotes the first part of Isaiah 59:21, “For this is My covenant with them.” The remainder of this verse, however, is not from Isaiah at all, rather it appears to be taken from, or abridged from, Jeremiah 31:33, 34 which says:

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, and a man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” because they all will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.

It appears that Paul is expressing the general sense of these promises which were, and are, well known among the Jews. It is clear that God has promised the Jews that at some future time He will gather the remnant of Israel to Himself and they will all believe at that time. Paul does not state when that time will be because even he did not know exactly when it would happen (and neither do we).

The point he is making, remember, is that we Gentiles should not become arrogant about the gospel having been delivered to us as a result of the unbelief of the Jewish people. If God was able to graft us into the good olive tree, we who were not of the good olive tree but of a wild olive tree, then he can certainly graft in branches from the good olive tree again.

As we’ve discussed in the preceding verses, this is precisely what God will do. At some time in the future the Messiah will return and will gather the remnant of the Jews to Himself, and they will all believe just as He has promised them. He will take away their sins just as he has taken away the sins of all who have believed on Him in the Church age.

Since God has a future plan for the ones who are responsible for our having heard the gospel message, we need to give them special heed and treat them dearly. There is no room for pride in those who are submitted to and humbled before God.

 

Application

How about you, my Christian friend? Are you grateful to God for the way He has orchestrated history? Are you thankful that the Jews rejected their Messiah when He first came? Are you humbly grateful for the person or persons who delivered the gospel message to you? In response, will you produce fruit, or will you be a withering branch enjoying what the world has to offer you? Show your gratefulness by your works!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:26 – Our God, Our Deliverer

Posted on by Will

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

Truth to Learn

Our God and Savior is deserving of all praise and glory.

 

Behind the Words

“Saved” is translated from sōdzō, meaning “to deliver from danger or harm” or “to save.” The word Savior is from soterios, which is derived from this verb sōdzō.

The word “Deliverer” is from rhuomai, which is from the verb rhuō, meaning “to draw or drag along the ground.” Thus we see the word rhuomai means “to draw or snatch from danger, to rescue, or to deliver.”

 

Meaning Explained

The opening part of this verse has been debated for centuries. There are some who claim that Paul is asserting that all Jews of all time will be saved. This is clearly as absurd as saying that all of mankind will be saved. What Paul is referring to is a point in time in the future when all who are Jews will recognize the Messiah and will accept Him as their savior.

Paul then quotes a passage from Isaiah 59:20 which says,

The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says Jehovah.

As you can clearly see, Paul’s quotation and our translation of Isaiah 59:20 don’t agree. That’s because Paul is quoting from the Septuagint, with which it does agree. And it is also agreeable with the Chaldean paraphrase of the Hebrew Bible, called the Targum, which says,

the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and to turn the rebellious ones of the house of Jacob to the law.

It is this Targum which is commonly read by Jews in their Synagogues today. Since this agrees quite well with Paul’s quotation, we can assume that it is an accurate translation.

So the question is, “When will all of Israel be saved?” And the answer is, “When the Messiah returns.” This return will occur at the end of the seven year Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week) described by the Apostle John in the book of The Revelation. This coming of the conquering Messiah at the final battle of the Tribulation, commonly referred to as Armageddon, is described in the 19th chapter of The Revelation. Immediately after this battle the sheep and goat judgment will take place in which unbelievers will be cast into Hades and the believers will be ushered into the thousand year reign of Christ upon this earth, commonly called The Millennium.

The first verse of this 19th chapter reads:

After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!

 

Application

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you too will be among those in heaven proclaiming Halleluiahs to our God, giving Him all the glory and all the honor for what He has done. Let’s start practicing now by shouting Halleluiah and by giving Him all the credit and all the glory for what He is doing now in our lives. Then spread the word!

And all of God’s people said — “Amen!”

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:25 – The Wondrous Mystery

Posted on by Will

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should think yourselves to be wise, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Truth to Learn

God has secrets (mysteries) and He reveals them to whomever He wishes at a time of His own choosing. We who know the secret of the gospel message need to share it freely with others.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “ignorant” is the Greek word agnoein. It is a compound word made up of a, meaning “not” or “without” and the infinitive form of noeō, meaning “to perceive, to understand, or to know.” So agnoein refers to a lack of knowledge or understanding.

“Mystery” is a transliteration of musterion. This word is derived either from muō, meaning “shut,” like a mouth that is shut, or it is from mueō, which means “to initiate or to learn a secret.” So, musterion refers to information that has been kept a secret, but which is now being revealed.

The word translated “blindness” is the Greek word pōrōsis, which refers to something that has become hardened or petrified. It is often used to refer to physical blindness, but here it refers to the insensitivity of perception or spiritual blindness.

“In part” is from the Greek word meros, which means “a division, a share, or a portion.”

The word “fullness” is from plērōma, which refers to “completeness or fullness.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse starts off with a classic Paul-ism; “For I do not want you to be ignorant.” What he means is, “You currently are ignorant of something and I am going to inform you so that you will no longer be ignorant.” Ignorance has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence or ability to think, it simply refers to a lack of knowledge. Invariably, when Paul uses this expression, he includes the familiar adelphoi or “brothers,” probably to soften the blow of telling them that they are ignorant.

What is it that these Roman Christians are ignorant of? It is “this mystery.” This thing previously unknown is that blindness has happened to part of Israel. So the mystery that Paul is revealing is that part of Israel (a large part) has become mentally hardened so as not to perceive the truth of the gospel until the fullness (or completion) of the Gentiles has come in.

What Paul is telling us is that the sovereign hand of God has prevented many of the Jews from believing in the Messiah during His first advent, so that the gospel message could be spread abroad to the Gentile nations. At some point in the future (very near, perhaps) all of the elect Gentiles will have been gathered in by God and He will once again turn to the Jews. This will happen during Daniel’s 70th week, the time of the Tribulation.

 

Application

Do you recall what the Great Commission says? Go into the whole world and preach the gospel. Why? We need to share the gospel message so that all of the Gentile nations will have an opportunity to hear it, to believe it, and be saved. It is our responsibility to spread the gospel. If we are not witnessing to the unsaved, we are not spreading the gospel.

Are you fulfilling your commission from God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:24 – Comfort or Zeal?

Posted on by Will

For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

Truth to Learn

Time is running out to show the fervency of our faith.

 

Behind the Words

The words “nature” and “natural” are from the Greek word phusis, which is derived from the verb phuō, meaning “to bring forth,” that is, “to give birth.” Phusis refers to the order of things which God has put in place in the natural world.

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is a summary statement of what Paul has been saying for the past seven verses. I don’t think I could express the meaning of this verse any better than Albert Barnes has in his Notes on the New Testament. Here’s what he said:

The meaning of this whole verse may be thus expressed; “If God had mercy on the Gentiles, who were outcasts from his favor, shall he not much rather on those who were so long his people, to whom had been given the promises, and the covenants, and the Law, whose ancestors had been so many of them his friends, and among whom the Messiah was born?” In some respects, there are facilities among the Jews for their conversion, which had not existed among the Gentiles. They worship one God; they admit the authority of revelation; they have the Scriptures of the Old Testament; they expect a Messiah; and they have a habit of professed reverence for the will of God.

There was a time when the fervency and passion for God among the Christian Church was as great as that of the Jewish people. However, in the past century the Christian Church has become comfortable, satisfied, and complacent. I think God’s message to the church in Laodicea written in the 3rd chapter of the book of The Revelation can be applied to many of our churches today. Here’s what He says:

And to the angel of the church of Laodicea write, “These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked’” (Revelation 3:14-17)

The day is coming, and now is, in which those who profess to be God’s people will be more concerned with earthly pleasures than with a close personal relationship with the God of all creation. We are more focused on exercising our own will than on seeking and submitting to God’s will for our lives.

 

Application

Are you comfortable in your Christian faith today? Are you satisfied with where you are in your walk with God? If so, I urge you to pray that God would light a fire of fervency in your spirit and create in you a searing zeal for serving Him in whatever manner He desires! Submit to Him and serve Him with all your heart. Please, I beg of you!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:23 – The Returning Remnant

Posted on by Will

And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Truth to Learn

The Jews will return to faith in Jehovah and His Messiah.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “continue” in both the previous verse and the current verse is epimenō. This is a compound word made up of epi, meaning “over, upon, or at” and menō, which means “to remain or to stay.” Therefore, this word means “to continue to remain at a particular place or condition.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about God’s goodness and His severity (cut-off-ness). His goodness has been shown to the Gentile nations because the gospel message has been delivered to us. His severity is shown in the cutting-off of the Jews because of their unbelief. He then warned us that if the Gentile nations don’t remain in His goodness, they will also be cut off.

Let me say once again that Paul’s metaphor of the branches and the olive tree is referring to Jews as individuals and Gentiles as individuals or individual nations. If the metaphorical reference to the pruned branches referred to the Jewish nation as a whole, then he would be saying that God has rejected all Jews and none of them could be saved today. Also remember that the metaphorical comparison is between Jews and Gentiles, not Jews and Christians. Therefore, do not try to read into this that Paul is warning that we can lose our salvation if we don’t continue in God’s goodness.

In the previous verse Paul warned us Gentiles that as a people we need to remain in a condition of belief or we as a people will be cut off.  Incidentally, this is a threat which, based on current national and world conditions (not remaining in a state of belief as a people), could be realized any day now. This makes me think of:

But answering, He said to them, "When it is evening you say, fair weather, for the sky is red; and in the morning, foul weather today, for the sky is red and overcast. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2, 3)

Paul now tells us that if the Jews do not remain in a state of unbelief, that is, if Jewish people finally recognize their Messiah, they will be grafted back in to a condition of experiencing God’s goodness instead of His severity. But not all of the Jewish people will be grafted in, only a small group. This group of Jews is referred to by Isaiah as the “remnant.”

The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return; destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. (Isaiah 10:21-22)

 

Application

Let us not be like the Pharisees! Let us discern the signs of the times! There are many indications that the return of Christ is very near. In light of this knowledge, we should be diligent in faithful service to God. We should be proclaiming the gospel message to everyone around us. Is that how you’re living your life right now? Is your focus on yourself or God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:22 – Goodness and Severity

Posted on by Will

Therefore consider the kindness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, kindness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Truth to Learn

God demonstrates both His goodness and His severity!

 

Behind the Words

“Kindness” is translated from the Greek word chrēstotēs, which is based on the noun chrēstos, meaning “employed” or “useful.” Chrēstotēs refers to “goodness, kindness, usefulness, or moral excellence.” It is part of the natural character of God’s being.

In light of the metaphor that Paul has been using, that of an olive tree with branches being cut-off and others being grafted in, his use of the word “severity” here is quite intriguing. This is translated from the Greek word apotomia, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of temnō, meaning “to cut.” So, you see, even though it is commonly translated as “severity” it literally means “cut-off-ness.” This is also part of God’s character and an apt description of Him, given the metaphor of olive branch cutting and engrafting.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just issued a warning to us Gentiles not to be arrogant regarding the fact that God cut-off the Jews as a people and grafted us in. He is now showing two of the qualities of God; on the one hand, kindness, and on the other hand, severity. We all want to think of God’s kindness and the fact that “God is love,” but we tend to overlook His severity and the fact that He is holy (perfectly righteous and without sin). His holiness also means that He must judge sin and separate the sinner from Himself. That’s very severe!

Keep in mind that Paul is portraying God as the holy gardener. A good gardener knows that useless and dying branches must be cut off and other branches engrafted if the tree is going to continue to flourish. In a typical olive grove, trees are often hundreds of years old due to proper cutting (severity) and careful in-grafting (goodness).

Let me pause to clarify who Paul is talking to in these verses. Beginning back in verse seventeen, the use of the second person personal pronoun “you” is “you singular,” not “you plural.” In the King James Version you will notice the use of “thee” or “thou,” not “you.” Therefore, some might interpret this part of Romans eleven as a warning that a person can lose his or her salvation if he or she stops believing. However, notice that throughout this passage Paul is contrasting Jews and Gentiles, not believers and unbelievers. In the Bible, individual nations are often referred to in the second person singular. Therefore, these warnings are to individual Gentiles or individual Gentile nations, not individual believers.

Paul is telling us that God has shown severity (cut-off-ness) to those who have fallen (Jews, plural, who refused to believe), but He has shown kindness  to individual Gentiles or Gentile nations. This goodness is in the form of “the fatness of the root” as he told us in verse seventeen. Paul now restates his warning to the Gentile nations that if we don’t continue in His goodness, we as a people or a nation, will also be cut-off.

 

Application

There are many nations today that receive the blessing of God’s goodness, but there is coming a day when the church will be removed and the Gentile nations will receive God’s severity (cut-off-ness) because of their lack of belief. They will be cut-off, and God will once again engraft the Jewish people.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved