Rom 11:16-24 | KingComments | STEP | . The rejection of Israel meant the offer of atonement could go out to the world – to the nations, to the Gentiles. In 2 Corinthians 5 it says: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” ( ). This does not say the whole world was reconciled to God; it is only true for those who acknowledge the necessity of Christ’s work of atonement for themselves. There is no such thing as a universal reconciliation – that everyone, even the devil, will be saved. This idea is often justified by saying that God is a God of love, but don’t let yourself be fooled by this. The Bible speaks clearly enough of an everlasting judgment ( ). This verse in Romans 11 is about the place before God of both Israel and the world. At the moment, God is not publicly dealing with Israel as a nation. When Israel will be again accepted, this will be “life from the dead”. A description of this is found in Ezekiel 37 ( ). . God desires to have a people on earth to give testimony of Him and proclaim His virtues – these are all His outstanding features. In the past, Israel failed to give a testimony of the only true God, and even today they don’t do so. At the present time, this testimony should be given by Christians. But is professing Christianity doing a better job? The portion from Romans 11:16 onward, is important. It teaches you to understand something of God’s dealing with professing Christianity. Both from Israel and from Christianity, God expected a testimony to be given of Him in this world. Through the picture of the olive tree and its branches, Paul shows what came of that. In we first read about the “first piece” or “first fruit” and the “lump”. The first fruit are the first fruits collected from the harvest. They are holy , which means separated to the Lord. From these first fruits, for example the first grains of wheat, dough is made. This dough would automatically be holy as well. This thought holds as well for a tree’s roots and branches. These two examples of the ‘first fruit’ and ‘lump’ and the ‘root’ and ‘branches’ speak of the fact that where the origin is holy, anything springing from this origin is also holy. . Next we see a wild olive tree of which branches are broken off to be grafted into the good, cultivated olive tree in . In this way the branches of the wild olive tree could partake of the root and the fatness of the good olive tree. In addition, from the good olive tree, branches have been broken off. This was done to make room for the branches that had been broken off from the wild olive tree. By how Paul speaks of the branches, it is clear this is figurative language speaking of people. Let’s go back now to . The root represents the origin from which something grows and becomes visible on earth. In the following picture then arises: 1. Some branches (= the unbelieving part of the people of Israel) are broken off (= being put aside by God). 2. Other branches remain (= the faithful remnant). 3. In the place of the branches that are broken off, branches of the wild olive tree (= the believers from among the Gentiles) have been grafted in. 4. As a result these Gentiles – who used to have no right to anything – could partake of the root and the fatness of the olive tree (= could partake of the promises and blessing that belonged to Abraham and his posterity). It is important to realize that the subject here is God’s testimony on earth and how God judges it. Both Israel and Christianity are responsible for the testimony they show of God. God couldn’t maintain Israel as His witness. Christianity has replaced Israel as God’s witness on earth. But do Christians perform their task any better than Israel? This is what we will see in the next section. Now read Romans 11:15-17 again. Reflection: In which way can you proclaim God’s virtues (see ).

‏ Romans 11:16-24

God’s Testimony on Earth

Rom 11:15. The rejection of Israel meant the offer of atonement could go out to the world – to the nations, to the Gentiles. In 2 Corinthians 5 it says: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2Cor 5:19). This does not say the whole world was reconciled to God; it is only true for those who acknowledge the necessity of Christ’s work of atonement for themselves.

There is no such thing as a universal reconciliation – that everyone, even the devil, will be saved. This idea is often justified by saying that God is a God of love, but don’t let yourself be fooled by this. The Bible speaks clearly enough of an everlasting judgment (Rev 20:11-15).

This verse in Romans 11 is about the place before God of both Israel and the world. At the moment, God is not publicly dealing with Israel as a nation. When Israel will be again accepted, this will be “life from the dead”. A description of this is found in Ezekiel 37 (Eze 37:1-14).

Rom 11:16. God desires to have a people on earth to give testimony of Him and proclaim His virtues – these are all His outstanding features. In the past, Israel failed to give a testimony of the only true God, and even today they don’t do so. At the present time, this testimony should be given by Christians. But is professing Christianity doing a better job?

The portion from Romans 11:16 onward, is important. It teaches you to understand something of God’s dealing with professing Christianity. Both from Israel and from Christianity, God expected a testimony to be given of Him in this world.

Through the picture of the olive tree and its branches, Paul shows what came of that. In Rom 11:16 we first read about the “first piece” or “first fruit” and the “lump”. The first fruit are the first fruits collected from the harvest. They are holy, which means separated to the Lord. From these first fruits, for example the first grains of wheat, dough is made. This dough would automatically be holy as well. This thought holds as well for a tree’s roots and branches. These two examples of the ‘first fruit’ and ‘lump’ and the ‘root’ and ‘branches’ speak of the fact that where the origin is holy, anything springing from this origin is also holy.

Rom 11:17. Next we see a wild olive tree of which branches are broken off to be grafted into the good, cultivated olive tree in Rom 11:24. In this way the branches of the wild olive tree could partake of the root and the fatness of the good olive tree. In addition, from the good olive tree, branches have been broken off. This was done to make room for the branches that had been broken off from the wild olive tree. By how Paul speaks of the branches, it is clear this is figurative language speaking of people.

Let’s go back now to Rom 11:16. The root represents the origin from which something grows and becomes visible on earth. In Rom 11:17 the following picture then arises:

1. Some branches (= the unbelieving part of the people of Israel) are broken off (= being put aside by God).

2. Other branches remain (= the faithful remnant).

3. In the place of the branches that are broken off, branches of the wild olive tree (= the believers from among the Gentiles) have been grafted in.

4. As a result these Gentiles – who used to have no right to anything – could partake of the root and the fatness of the olive tree (= could partake of the promises and blessing that belonged to Abraham and his posterity).

It is important to realize that the subject here is God’s testimony on earth and how God judges it. Both Israel and Christianity are responsible for the testimony they show of God. God couldn’t maintain Israel as His witness. Christianity has replaced Israel as God’s witness on earth. But do Christians perform their task any better than Israel? This is what we will see in the next section.

Now read Romans 11:15-17 again.

Reflection: In which way can you proclaim God’s virtues (see 1Pet 2:9).

Pride Goes Before Destruction

Rom 11:18. We Christians are now the bearers of the testimony that God gives of Himself in this world. Israel has been put aside. There is a danger for us Christians to boast in the place God has given us. It is easy to feel we are better than Israel. Well, if you have some idea of the testimony that Christians give in the world, it wouldn’t even enter your mind to boast. Just think of countries where civil wars were and are fought between militant groups under outwardly-Christian religious names.

God in His grace gave this testimony to us instead of Israel. It’s only in this way that we have acquired the blessings which God wanted to give to His people. We, heathen by nature, had no right to anything. Remember, we don’t support the root, but the root is supporting us. God put unbelieving Israel aside and we have come in its place.

Rom 11:19-20. But remember why Israel was put aside. They lost this place on earth because of their unbelief. They rejected God and His Son. It’s not because we are better that we have taken their place. Yet, to be able to keep this place, we must remain standing in the truth of faith. Here faith is not our personal trust of faith. Here it’s not that we believe, but what we believe. To be maintained by God as His testimony on earth, Christianity must have an undiminished adherence to the Bible because therein is the truth of faith.

Rom 11:21-22. Now comes Paul’s warning for us not to be proud. Christianity as a whole shouldn’t think that God will maintain it. If they don’t fear Him, they will share in Israel’s fate. From other portions of Scripture, it is clear that professing Christianity as a whole also will become unfaithful and God will have to cut it off. This increasing unfaithfulness is already visible. In many denominations, doctrines are proclaimed about the work and Person of the Lord Jesus that are not scriptural.

More and more, Christendom is presented as a religion that is equal to other world religions. This hides the great difference between all other religions and Christendom. Christendom is the only religion to offer the solution for a lost man to become clean before God. This can only come through the Lord Jesus Who said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (Jn 14:6). This excludes every other possibility. The Lord Jesus is not merely one possibility among others. Christianity also is used to further political causes. The testimony of Who God is and Who the Lord Jesus is has been obscured by all this.

Man has been placed on earth to serve God. In the Bible the Christian has been given principles to know how to do this. It’s only by faith in the Lord Jesus and His completed work that he is able to do this. But faith is more and more evolving into something hollowed out. Professing Christianity has already given up the greater part of the truth of faith and will continue to do so until the complete giving up of the Christian faith will be the eventual result. Professing Christianity will not keep standing in the faith. This is what God’s Word teaches us.

So is it going wrong with you and me after all? In case this disturbs you, I will say something about it in the next section.

Now read Romans 11:18-22 again.

Reflection: What is the meaning of: ‘Be not haughty, but fear’ in Rom 11:20?

All Israel Will Be Saved

I concluded the previous section by asking if it is going wrong with you and me after all. Can we conclude this from Rom 11:22, even though we believe in the Lord Jesus? The Lord Jesus gives the answer in John 10: “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand” (Jn 10:28-29). One who is a child of God will remain so forever. Unfortunately, you may on occasions behave unlike a child of God. This has to do with your personal responsibility. If you sin as a child of God, you must confess it.

In this current portion we see the responsibility of the Christian testimony that has taken Israel’s place. If this testimony as a whole becomes unfaithful, God cannot maintain it anymore than He could maintain Israel’s. With Israel some Israelites had a personal relationship with God, but in general Israel consisted of people who didn’t want God.

The same is true for professing Christianity. Some who call themselves Christians have a relationship with God on the basis of a personal faith, but in general in professing Christianity, emphasis is increasingly being placed on what man wants rather than true faith. God’s thoughts are not sought after. The Bible is left unread. As a result God can no longer recognize Christianity as His testimony on earth, so He will have to judge it. So you have to distinguish between one’s proper, personal responsibility before God and what God expects from Christianity as a whole. I hope this has helped to make the distinction clearer.

Rom 11:23-25. Now on to Rom 11:23. In this verse Paul says that Israel will again take the place of God’s testimony on earth. This is what he calls a “mystery” (Rom 11:25). A mystery in the Bible is something that was unknown in the Old Testament, but is now made known. This mystery concerns the rejection and acceptance of Israel, including the current time when God has accepted another people for His name. In the Old Testament this wasn’t known.

To avoid being wise in your own opinion, you must realize the hardening or blinding that has come over Israel has not come over all Israel, but only over part of it – the mass of unbelieving Israelites – which leaves room for a remnant.

Rom 11:26. This remnant eventually will be all of Israel because all the ungodly and unbelieving Israelites will perish by God’s judgment during the tribulation. What remains will be “all Israel”. God will go on with this new Israel after the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). This last expression means that the Christian testimony on earth will have completed the time of its testimony and reached its end. God will cut it off because it didn’t abide in God’s kindness (see Rom 11:22). After this, Israel will again be the object of His love.

The Redeemer or Deliverer will come out of Zion to deliver His people from the enemies who want to destroy them. Many Old Testament prophecies tell how this will happen.

Rom 11:27. They also will receive the assurance that God will fulfill the covenant He made with His people by taking away their sins from them. It is necessary to be free from the burden of sins to really enjoy God’s blessings. The huge burden weighing on the people will be their rejection of the Lord Jesus. They will confess Him as Lord, and God will forgive them. Zechariah 12-14 tells how all this will take place.

Rom 11:28-29. God will execute His plans with respect to His earthly people. He will do what He has promised; He will not revoke it. Israel now behaves with hostility toward the preaching of the gospel, but as to election God loves them because they are descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were the ones to whom God gave His promises. As a result of the people’s unfaithfulness, the fulfillment of the promises had to be put off. But with God, delays are no problem. He doesn’t revoke His promises. He doesn’t change His mind regarding what He has promised to His people and to which He has called them.

Now read Romans 11:23-29 again.

Reflection: What is a mystery?