Rom. 11:23 Continuing in unbelief will cause a person to remain
“broken off’ from the riches of the olive tree. This means that faith is the only =
way to
fully enjoy all that God has accomplished.=
Believing is not a human accomplishment of some sort. It is not to do anything at all. Believing simply means receiving t=
he
free gift of God’s salvation in Christ and then staying there in that
receiving.
However,
the main emphasis of Paul in chapter 11 is actually a group of people and n=
ot
individuals. As a chosen grou=
p, Israel
continued in disbelief and was broken off and dried up, like a pile of dead
branches. However, in faith, =
God
will graft them in again. It =
is a
certainty, since “All Israel will be saved” (11:26-27).
Rom.
11:24 If the Gentiles are from a “wild,=
221;
stock (having no divine limitations of their life) yet can be grafted into =
the
cultivated olive tree; surely the natural branches (=
Israel) can as well. Israel is from cultivates sto=
ck
(having limitations on life and living from the law and the prophets).
Rom.
11:25, 28-29 This is the mystery of God’s operation: that Israel
would be hardened against Christ, so Christ would go to the gentiles; then =
when
all the Gentiles respond to Him, all Israel will come. So, their rejection of the gospel =
was
for our sake, but they cannot cease to be God’s beloved for the sake =
of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob since God’s selection is irrevocable.
=
Rom. 11:30-36 Through Israel’s
disobedience, we were shown mercy, and through the mercy shown to us, Israel
will be shown mercy. No one c=
an say
that they were able to do anything of their own accord. This all demonstrates the depth of
God’s riches, wisdom, knowledge, and ways.