17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
V16 said that if God set apart the first fruits or the root (Abraham and the patriarchs), He will also set apart Israel as a whole. In other words, as MacArthur says.... The final restoration then, listen, of Israel is guaranteed by the consecrating love of God for Abraham.
Paul then warns us, Gentile believers, not to consider ourselves the root as if we were the source of our own blessing. No, the root is the spiritual heritage of the Abrahamic covenant and we have been blessed to be grafted in to this root by the grace of God.
And we are also not to consider ourselves better than the Jews. First, there is still a remnant of Jews that remain branches attached to this root. Secondly, the issue has nothing to do with who is better than the other. The issue is faith. They chose unbelief, the Gentile believers chose belief, and that by the grace of God.
In fact, instead of boasting, we should be afraid.
if the people who were the people of the covenant who came out of the loins of Abraham who were natural to the trunk of blessing, if God didn't spare that highly privileged and beloved people, beloved above all other nations, if God didn't spare them in their unbelief, believe this, folks, He won't spare Gentiles in their unbelief either. So instead of being boastful and proud that we have been grafted in as over against apostate Jews who have been cut off, we ought to be afraid because Israel's unique privileges provided no protection for them against their unbelief, then certainly our lack of such privilege will provide no protection for us either....And we have become a people by grace but if God acted the way He did against His own natural branches, then believe me, if we as a church...and he's speaking in broad terms now..enter into unbelief, He'll cut the church off just as fast as He cut Israel off...just as fast.
God will not hesitate to cut off the unbelieving church as a whole, just like He cut off the Jews as a whole. There would still be a remnant of Gentile believers just like there is still a remnant of Jewish believers.
So there's no place for boasting, people, as if we're better than Israel. The same fate awaits the apostate church that awaited apostate Israel. Gentiles are going to get the same thing Jews got. And the only people who maintain their place in the trunk of blessing are the faithful Jew and Gentile, the physical and the spiritual seed of Abraham.
But thankfully, the destiny of Israel can be reversed. They can choose to believe and God will graft them back in. In fact, it`s not just possible, it`s promised.
Zechariah says they will. "They'll look on Him whom they've pierced and mourn for Him as an only son and a fountain of salvation will be open to Israel." The day is coming, I believe it's in the Tribulation time, when they will believe. And in the Tribulation is when the apostate church will be cut off and Israel will be grafted back in and they will again become the people of blessing....When God has all His redeemed in the church collected together, He'll gather them to Himself in the Rapture, I believe, destroy the apostate church on earth and graft back Israel in the Tribulation and then comes the millennial Kingdom and the world blessing....
What is the issue here? The issue is one simple thing. Faith, isn't it? Jew or Gentile, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're grafted in to the place of blessing where the life of God flows through and produces fruit.
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Romans 11:25-29
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