Romans 11:16-27
Wednesday Evening Bible Study
June 2, 1999
Introduction
Paul has been talking about how salvation comes to those who believe (Rom.10:9-11).
We’ve been looking at the question, "Is God finished with the Jews then?"
Paul has talked about how there is for now a small "remnant" of Jews who have chosen to believe in Jesus as their Messiah. The rest of the Jews are for now "blinded" (vs.7). He has talked about how the "trespass" of the Jews in not believing in Jesus has actually benefited the world in that salvation has now been offered to the rest of the world because of their rejection of Jesus. And if their "trespass" has been so great for the world, think of what will happen when they come to the Lord?
(Rom 11:15 KJV) For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
God is not finished with the Jews.
:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
firstfruit – aparche – to offer firstlings or firstfruits; to take away the firstfruits of the productions of the earth which was offered to God. The first portion of the dough, from which sacred loaves were to be prepared. Hence term used of persons consecrated to God for all time.
lump – phurama – any substance mixed with water and kneaded; a mass, a lump; of dough, clay
The picture Paul is giving goes back to the "Feast of Firstfruits", or, Pentecost.
(Num 15:18-21 KJV) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, {19} Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD. {20} Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. {21} Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.
The "first fruit" would be Abraham.
The argument is that if Abraham is holy, then the rest of the lump that he comes from, Israel, is holy too.
The point Paul is trying to make is not that Israel is saved because they’re descendants from Abraham, but that there’s a special relationship they have with God because of Abraham.
:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
broken off – ekklao – to break off, to cut off. Aorist indicative.
wild olive – agrielaios – of or belonging to the oleaster or wild olive
grafted in – egkentrizo – to cut into for the sake of inserting a scion; to inoculate, ingraft, graft in
with them partakest – sugkoinonos – participant with others in anything, joint partner
fatness – all the benefits, all the best stuff.
The olive tree was a picture of the nation of Israel (Jer. 11:16-17; Hos. 14:4-6).
(Jer 11:16-17 KJV) The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. {17} For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
The Jews who did not believe were the ones who have been broken off. The Gentiles are pictured as branches from a wild olive tree, which have been grafted into the proper tree.
As wild olive branches, the Gentiles have benefited of the life, the sap, of the main tree.
Lesson
Read the Old Testament.
Our whole relationship with the Lord is based on the richness and fulness of the relationship that God had established with Israel. Our relationship with God is not somehow disconnected or unrelated to the things in the Old Testament. We understand our relationship with God and the things in the New Testament because of what God has said and done in the Old Testament.
I had a brother share with me on Sunday that he just had a hard time reading the Old Testament. I understand. But we need to read it. We need to feed on it. We need to draw from its richness.
:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
The Gentile branches shouldn’t be boasting against the other branches. They are being fed by the root and are dependent on the tree.
It could be that some of the Gentile believers might have gotten the idea that they are now the ones supporting these Jewish branches. Not the case.
:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
Kind of in a proud tone.
:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
highminded – hupselophroneo – to be high minded, proud
Lesson
Spiritual pride.
Pride is a dangerous thing.
Illustration
A group of chess enthusiasts had checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?", they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."
I think there are two kinds of spiritual pride that are dangerous:
1) When we think we’re better than other Christians.
Sometimes it’s because we think we go to a "superior" church. Or it could be because we think that we have a more "mature" walk in the Lord.
2) When we think we’re better than non-Christians.
We can cop an attitude because we were "smart enough" to believe in Jesus.
The Bible says:
(1 Cor 10:12 KJV) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
(Prov 16:18 KJV) Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Spiritual pride is a dangerous thing. Watch out.
It was the spiritual leaders of the day, the scribes and Pharisees that just couldn’t get through their pride to accept Jesus as their Messiah. What? An uneducated carpenter?
(Prov 13:10 NIV) Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
When we’re witnessing to friends, if we come off with a haughty attitude, we only end up arguing with them. Listen. Be humble. Are you teachable? Even from an unbeliever or a backslidden Christian?
Don’t misunderstand. Humility doesn’t mean that we tell people we must be wrong, and that we apologize for being a believer. But humility means that you take the time to listen to people. You can be teachable in that you learn about new aspects of life from them, but in reality you are the one who understands what spiritual truth is, and you stick to the truth.
:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
spared – pheidomai – to spare; to abstain
It seems that Paul is hinting that if the natural branches could be broken off, then the grafted ones could be too.
This could certainly be a hint at the end times apostate church. There will be a "church" in the end times that will have fallen away from the Lord. They will be "cut off".
(1 Tim 4:1-2 KJV) Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; {2} Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Could this mean that an individual person might lose their salvation?
I’m not too sure I want to jump up and say it doesn’t mean that.
: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.
goodness – chrestotes – moral goodness, integrity; benignity, kindness
severity – apotomia – severity, roughness, rigour
which fell – pipto – to descend from a higher place to a lower; to fall (either from or upon). The same word that was used in verse 11. The branches that chose not to believe find God to be "severe".
but toward thee – towards the believing Gentiles who are reading this.
continue – epimeno – to stay at or with, to tarry still, still to abide, to continue, remain
cut off – ekkopto – to cut out, cut off. It’s used in verses like:
Matthew 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Lesson
Hang in there.
We call this the doctrine of the "perseverance of the saints". It means that truly saved people will continue to cling to Jesus.
There are two ways of looking at this, but it’s all really basically the same. One view says that if you are truly saved, then you will continue to cling to Jesus as a natural result. The other view says that to continue to be saved, you must continue to cling to Jesus.
The bottom line is that we must continue to cling to Jesus.
John 15:4-6
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. {5} I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. {6} If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.Heb 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. {13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. {14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Is it possible for a truly saved person to lose their salvation?
Why take any chances? Stay close to Jesus.
:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
If the Jews don’t stay in a condition of unbelief, God can graft them back in. Their state of being "broken off" doesn’t have to be a permanent one.
:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
If God was able to graft wild olive branches to the tree, it certainly won’t be any problem to graft the original branches back onto the tree.
:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
mystery – musterion – hidden thing, secret, mystery; a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding. It hasn’t been an overly obvious thing that the Jews’ blindness to the gospel was a temporary thing.
wise – phronimos – intelligent, wise; prudent, i.e. mindful of one's interests
conceits – better, "lest you seem wise to yourself"
blindness – porosis – the covering with a callus; obtrusiveness of mental discernment, dulled perception. Paul picks up the same word he used in verse 7, that the unbelieving Jews were "blinded", or "callused".
But now we see it’s just "in part". It’s just a temporary blindness.
:25 until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
fulness – pleroma – that which is (has been) filled; used of a ship inasmuch as it is filled (i.e. manned) with sailors, rowers, and soldiers; that which fills or with which a thing is filled; fulness, abundance
be come in – aorist active subjunctive. When the point of time comes in which the "fulness of the Gentiles" comes to pass.
Let’s look at how this concept of "fulness" is used in Scripture:
The fulness of the Amorite iniquity.
God has used this concept in describing when Israel would be brought out of Egypt and back into their Promised Land.
(Gen 15:13-16 KJV) And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; {14} And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. {15} And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. {16} But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
The idea is that of some kind of measuring vessel, like a pot, being filled with the sins of the Amorites. When the pot is filled, then the time will come for Israel to come into the Promised Land.
We’ve seen that Israel’s taking of the Promised Land wasn’t just for the sake of giving them a place to live, but also was done as a way of bringing judgment on the wickedness of the Amorites.
(Deu 9:4-5 KJV) Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. {5} Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Fulness as an expression of salvation.
Paul has already used this term (in this chapter) to describe the Jews coming to trust in Jesus:
(Rom 11:12 KJV) Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
(Rom 11:12 NLT) Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the Jews turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when the Jews finally accept it.
The filled wedding supper.
Luke 14:16-24 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: {17} And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. {18} And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. {19} And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. {20} And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. {21} So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. {22} And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. {23} And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. {24} For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Jesus was hinting at this very thing in this parable. The original guests who were invited to the wedding feast for the Son refers to the Jews. When the invited guests wouldn’t come, the invitation went out to everyone, to "fill" the house.
When Jesus says that those bidden wouldn’t taste of the supper, He doesn’t mean that all Jews for all time won’t be in heaven, but that those who were invited and declined wouldn’t be at the supper.
Paul is now showing us that when the "fulness" of the Gentiles comes, God will once again turn back to Israel.
Summary:
God has a special number of Gentiles in mind that He wants to be saved. When His "pot" of Gentiles is full, then God will once again turn His attention to the nation of Israel and remove the blindness that is temporarily upon their eyes.
:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
shall be saved – future indicative. It’s not a "possible" sort of thing ("might be saved" or "should be saved"). It’s definitely going to happen.
Paul is quoting from Isaiah 59:20; 27:9.
:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
take away – aphaireo – to take from, take away, remove, carry off
Paul is quoting from Jer. 31:31-34, known as God’s "New Covenant" with Israel.
God’s timetable
I think two other passages hint at God’s timetable with the nation of Israel:
Daniel 9
(Dan 9:24-27 KJV) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The term "weeks" simply means "sevens". This is talking about a period of seventy times seven time periods, which we believe to be years (490 years). The purpose of these "seventy weeks" is for Daniel’s people, Israel and their holy city, Jerusalem. It will bring an end to their transgression, end sin, pay for their iniquities, etc. Some of these have happened (such as Jesus paying for our sins), but some have not (sins haven’t stopped yet).
{25} Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
The seventy weeks are broken into sections, the first two sections totally 69 weeks, or 483 years. They would begin at the command to rebuild Jerusalem, which was given by King Artaxerxes on March 14, 445 BC (Neh. 2:5).
You need to keep in mind that Daniel is writing and living in Babylon, and so it’s important to view these as Babylonian years, which contained 360 day years. Translate those years into days (483 x 360) and you get 173,880 days. Starting from Artaxerxes decree, you will end up at April 6, 32 AD, the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Luke 19:41-42 AV And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
{26} And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel says the Messiah would be cut off, but not for Himself. Jesus died on a cross, but not because He was a criminal, He died for the sins of the world.
It’s at this point, where the Messiah is cut off, that I believe God’s time clock on Israel came to a halt. There will be a 2000 year pause. I believe this "pause" is for the sake of us Gentiles, that we might be given a chance to receive God’s salvation.
Of the seventy weeks, the first 69 are completed. There is yet one week to go. One seven year period. We call this period the "Great Tribulation".
The "prince that shall come" is a reference to the antichrist (vs.27), and his "people" were the Romans, who came and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70.
{27} And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
It would seem that at this point, God’s time clock has started again. God will once again be dealing with the nation of Israel. I believe this is to coincide with the "fulness of the Gentiles" being over, and God once again dealing with Israel.
Note: Who is God’s focus for the "Great Tribulation"? It’s Israel (Dan. 9:24). The tribulation starts when God has finished with His dealings with the Gentile church. This is one of the many reasons why I believe that the church will be "raptured" before the Tribulation. The focus of the Tribulation is NOT the church, it’s Israel. The "fulness" of the Gentiles will be complete.
The "he" mentioned here is the "prince that shall come", the antichrist. The antichrist will make some kind of a covenant, perhaps a peace treaty, with Israel for "one week", or, seven years. In the middle of the week (after 3 ½ years), he will reveal his true intentions and cause what we call the "abomination of desolation". This means that he will do something in the temple that is so horrible, that God will call His holy Temple "unholy", declaring it "desolate".
We believe this action will be the declaration that he, the antichrist, is God, and worthy to be worshipped.
(2 Th 2:4 KJV) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
It’s at this time, that Jesus has advised the Jews to flee to the wilderness, which perhaps will be Petra or Bozrah (Is. 16, 63).
(Mat 24:15-16 KJV) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) {16} Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Ezekiel 38-39
These chapters describe an invasion of Israel from a group of nations, led by a nation in the north known as "Gog". We believe this may be a reference either to Russia, or the southern Islamic republics which will join with other nations to invade Israel. God will do a miraculous work, and Israel will be delivered. After this event occurs, God says:
(Ezek 39:21-22 KJV) And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. {22} So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
(Ezek 39:28-29 KJV) Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. {29} Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
I believe that this pouring out of God’s Spirit upon Israel ties in with both the ending of the times of the Gentiles, as well as God starting His timeclock once again with Israel.
Lesson
Evangelize.
(2 Pet 3:9-12 NASB) The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. {10} But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. {11} Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, {12} looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
Some wonder why Jesus hasn’t come back yet.
He’s waiting for His "full" number.
God’s desire is that we "hasten" things along a little. Could it be that there’s just a few more "tickets" left? Just a few more "invitations" left? I have to admit that each year, as the Harvest Crusade approaches, this is one of the things on my mind as thousands are drawn to Jesus. But what if there’s just a few more spots open right now? What if God wished to use you to tell your friend about Jesus?