Romans 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
We noted yesterday that the branches of the root were to be holy. The root was holy, and the branches were to be the same. However, Israel was not holy. Some of the branches were broken off. Every good fruit tree needs to be pruned. The unwanted branches need to be taken out of the way so that the root can produce good fruit.
In verse 17 Paul stated that the Gentiles (the wild olive tree) were graffed into the good root. In the church, Jews and Gentiles are made one body in Christ. As we noted He is the root. He provided the land and the doctrine by which Abraham was to live. In Genesis 15:6 we read:
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Abraham was not declared righteous because of what he did. He was declared righteous because he believed in the LORD. However, his descendants did not all believe in the LORD. In fact, it was few of the Jews who believed in the LORD. In the church, which Jesus Christ is also the Head and Foundation of, Gentiles and Jews who are saved are brought together. As we noted in a previous devotional, Jesus started the first church at Jerusalem and from there other churches were established. All the true churches have the same Foundation and the same Head. Those who are saved are privileged to partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree. That olive tree is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a special olive oil that was used to light the lamps in the temple. The lamps and the oil were a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to get the oil from the olives, the olives must be bruised. Jesus Christ was bruised on the cross and He provided the way of salvation for all including Abraham.
In verse 18 we see that the saved Gentiles have nothing to boast about. It was not because they were better than the rebellious Jews, that they were saved. It was by the grace of God that they were saved. The saved did not bear the root. It is the root that provides for the branches. The branches are to produce fruit for the root.
In verse 19 we are reminded that some of the branches were broken off and others were graffed in. In verse 20 we see that the broken branches were removed because of their unbelief. Those who were graffed in were done so because they believed in the root. Their faith was in the gift of God, salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus we see in verse 21 that the Gentiles needed to be careful how they acted toward the unbelieving Jews. Those Gentiles who wanted to play religion with God would face the same fate as the unbelieving Jews. This is again a reminder of the danger of pretending to be saved, when you are not. The person who is genuinely saved will produce fruit. This is another warning to those who claim salvation, but are not changed.
No one should assume they can pull a fast one on God. God knows the heart of each person. He provides true salvation and He knows what the root will produce. He does not need to guess or experiment. He knows that His salvation is powerful and it will produce good fruit. He will see to that.
In verse 22 we are reminded of the goodness of God, but also the severity of God. The same God that loved the world and provided salvation through the blood of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the same God that judges the wicked and casts them into the lake of fire.
Those who reject the true God have no hope. He will not have mercy upon them. They sealed their doom by rejecting the true God. Those who humble themselves and are saved, are saved by God’s grace. His goodness is what saves them. Notice there again that those who have received God’s goodness must continue to live in His goodness. There is no root rot or any cutworms that cut off the stock at the base of the plant. The root is good and no evil can affect it.
There is much false religion today and there are many perversions of God’s Word. Any person who will stop and think a little bit will know that if two books claim to be the Word of God and yet they differ in what they say, they cannot both be the Word of God. There are over 100 perversions of God’s Word in the English language alone. They differ with one another and they come from a corrupt source that has been reworked many times and does not agree within itself. Can you smell the rat?
In verse 23 God offers hope to the Jews who will repent and be saved. He has not cut off Israel. He is punishing them, and those who continue to reject Him will be cast into the lake of fire along with the unsaved Gentiles. Every person must choose for themselves whether they will believe the truth or not.
In verse 24 we see that little word “if”. That is the question. Have you been graffed into that good olive tree? If you have, then you were cut out of the wild olive tree and graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree. That is again the picture of God’s salvation. God’s salvation takes a bad branch and makes it good. Only God can do that. It is contrary to nature.
Our government does not know how to stop people from using illicit drugs. They are trying to make “safe injection sites” where they hope to monitor the drug use and “save” lives. The fact is that they are creating more problems and solving none. A few cities are waking up to that reality and they are fighting back against the foolish government plans.
Jeremiah was directed to ask the question:
Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
God’s salvation is an unusual and unnatural work of God. It is only possible by God. Rather than protect false professions, those who are saved need to believe the truth and promote the truth. We need to be much in prayer for wisdom and boldness to proclaim the truth and trust God to do that which only He can do; save the lost sinner.
In verse 24 Paul continued to point out that God can and He will graffed the natural branches into their own olive tree. This is not talking of taking a dead Jew and raising him up and giving him a second chance at salvation. No person would ever graff a dead branch into a living root. There are many lost Jews today who need to be saved. Some will be saved, and at the end of the Tribulation, the nation of Israel that is alive at that time will be saved. They will have faced enough tribulation that they will finally realize the wickedness of their hearts and they will humble themselves and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Saviour. He will also be their King.
Yes, God is good. He provides the only means of salvation man can know. The key is to know Him. That is what is required for all people. Those who are saved have no right to assume they are better than others. They need to have that love of God in their heart that dictates their actions toward the lost. We need to hate the sin and love the sinner. If we love the sinner, we will tell him the truth. We will not withhold that which is needful.
That is what Paul was doing and that is what God has done even prior to the fall of man. He has always spoken the truth. The wise person will submit to the truth and be forgiven and saved. Then he will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bartel
