Romans 11:1-36
Paul continues to teach how people from the Israeli and people from the
Gentile backgrounds can become members of God’s family during the
present time as we await Christ’s coming to gather all holy-people (true
Christians, those who receive the spirit of Christ within them during
their lifetime) together with him.
Romans 11:1 and 2(a):
11:1Therefore I say, God did not thrust-away His
people from-Himself, did He? –
(no) – may it not become! – for I also am an Israelite,
out-from (the) seed of Abraham, of (the) tribe of
Benjamin – .2(a)God did not thrust-away His people from
Himself whom He knew-beforehand.
Following-on logically from what is written previously (in chapter 10) I
say…
- God
did not push-away (repel, repulse, reject) His people from Himself (the
word “people” here is a singular noun
laos meaning: a mass or group
of people collectively as one unit, one united assembly, referring to
those who are descended from Israel [some Greek texts have the word
“inheritance” instead of “people” and include “which He
knew-beforehand”; refer to Psalm 94:14]),
- did
He?
- The
answer: No! The Greek construction of this question indicates that the
expected answer is "no." Then Paul confirms the negative answer by
writing: may it not become! May that not come to pass! May that not
happen! The thought of such a thing being so repulsive to Paul is
conveyed in his expression of may it not become or come into being that
such a thing would occur at any time! –
- in
truth, emphatically I also am an Israelite (in Greek there is a definite
word for “I” plus the verb meaning “I am” giving emphasis – I myself am
a descendant of the man who was named Israel),
- originating from Abraham’s seed (his offspring physically, his posterity
genealogically),
- of
the tribe (clan) of Benjamin (one of the twelve tribes of Israel) –
…God did not thrust-away His people from Himself whom He knew before the
day of Pentecost (whom He had a truly active and relative knowing of in
advance, whom He was personally knowledgeable of prior to time recorded
in Acts chapter 2 when the gift of holy spirit was first made available
to mankind by means of the Lord Jesus Christ).
The name Israel was given by God via one of His angels to Jacob, the
biological father of the twelve men forming the twelve tribes of Israel.
“Jacob” means: supplanter,
contender, organizer, the one who strives or wrestles to get goals
accomplished via the natural realm. “Israel” means: the one who is
strong with God, the one who strives or wrestles to receive God’s
blessings, and who accomplishes God’s goals by doing God’s intention,
allowing God to be his guide via God’s spirit realm – God
commands, rules, and has authority over Israel. Refer to Genesis 32:27,
28, 35:10, and Hosea 12:3 and 4. The title “Israelites” (referring to
the physical descendants of Jacob/Israel) may also include those who
call themselves “Judeans.” The record in I Kings chapter 12 details the
division of the nation of Israel into the 10 northern tribes (then
referred to as Israel) and the 2 southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin
(then referred to as Judah).
God made a covenant with Abraham and part of that covenant was regarding
his seed, and that he would be the father of many nations (Genesis
15:3-6 and 17:3-6), and ultimately that the Christ would be his seed
(Galatians 3:16). Paul was both physically/naturally and spiritually
Abraham's seed. Today all the believers are holy-people
(true Christians) and we are the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:5, 6, 13
and 14) because we have the spirit of Christ in us, Christ being the
true seed of Abraham. We are part of the fulfillment of the covenant
that God made with Abraham. We have received the token of the new
covenant of spirit!
[Reference: Genesis 32:28; 35:9-29; Deuteronomy 33:12; I Samuel 12:22;
Psalm 94:14; Jeremiah 32:36-40; Acts 2:1-4, and 22:3; Romans 1:16; II
Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:5.]
Verses 2(b)-4:
.2(b)Or, you knew2 what the writing
says in Elijah as-that he intercedes with God against Israel, don't
you? – (yes) – .3"Lord,
they killed Your prophets, they dug-down Your
sacrificial-altars, and I only am left-behind (under
concealment), and they seek-after my soul." .4But
what does the business-instruction say to him? "I left-down to
Myself seven-thousand adult-males, the-people-who did not bend a
knee to Baal."
You knew and continue to know (you see to the end of
perceiving and knowing with your minds) what was previously recorded in
the old covenant writing regarding Elijah as to the fact that he
intercedes (meets and talks) with/to God directed downward against or
contrary-to Israel, don't you? The Greek construction of this question
indicates that the expected answer is: Yes, we know that it says…
- "Lord (referring to the only true God in His covenant-relationship to
that-which He created),
- they
killed Your prophets (the people of Israel killed those whom you sent to
speak Your words to them concerning the past, present and/or future),
- they
dug-down Your sacrificial-altars (they tore down by digging, hollowed
out, undermined the altars on-which to offer sacrifices to You according
to Your instructions),
- and
emphatically I only am left-behind (in Greek there is a definite word
for “I” plus the verb meaning “I am left-behind” giving emphasis – I
myself alone am left remaining behind as being undercover so that others
can’t find me),
- and
they look for my soul (the life of my physical body because they want to
kill me also)."
But contrary to what Elijah said to God, what does God’s
business-instruction say to him (His response telling Elijah what to do
regarding this affair, the answer concerning this business)?
- "I
left down seven-thousand adult-males (grown men) remaining behind as an
inheritance to/for Myself,
- emphatically and specifically those who did not bend a knee to Baal
(curve their knees in homage and submission to Baal, which is the name
used of the devil/satan when emphasizing 'worship' being given to him;
refer to Judges 2:13; these 7,000 men did not go-after and bow-down in
worship to the devil as their god in lieu of the only true God)."
Even though Elijah felt badly because of the things which were going on
at that time, God encouraged him as recorded in I Kings chapter 19.
[Reference: I Kings 19:10-19; Acts 7:52, 15:16.]
Verses 5 and 6:
.5Therefore thus also in the present time
there became2 a remnant according to selection of grace –
.6and if with grace (it is) not from works since
(then) grace becomes no longer grace!
Following-on logically from the previous verses, in this manner also now
during the present time-period (the current occasion, the specific
season that we live in today while we await the coming of Christ to
gather all holy-people together with him)…
- there became and continues to be a remnant (there came to pass to be a
relatively small collection of Israelites left remaining to/for God)
- in
accordance with selection of grace (in conformity and proportion to/with
God’s gracious election, His picking or choosing them out from among the
other descendants of Israel by bestowing His unmerited favor towards
them) –
…and if/since the selection is made with/in/by grace, this means that it
is not from works (it does not originate from deeds, things wrought,
effected, or produced by the people’s actions expending their energy, it
is not because of any merit due for works done by them) since if that
were the case it would mean that grace comes-to-pass to no longer be
grace!
Grace is
what is freely bestowed without any merit on the recipient's part; it
includes reference to the attitude and quality of the one giving
something favorable to another. Grace is not bestowed because somebody
deserves a wage that is owed for something they said or did, nor because
they begged so hard, nor because they forced the giver to give! Grace is
bestowed because the giver wants to give by his own freedom of will to
the recipient – it is completely unmerited favor from the giver to the
recipient.
God does not randomly or arbitrarily choose some people and not choose
other people – but God issues His Word so that people have the choice to
believe it or not, and those who believe what God says are selected. The
descendants of Israel cannot become part of this remnant as a reward for
doing their own works. They cannot receive God's salvation and
righteousness as a merited wage – because if they did then grace would
no longer be grace. God has already done the required works, etc, by
means of the Lord Jesus Christ – now it is each individual’s
responsibility to believe the belief that God has issued as recorded in
Romans 10:1-10.
[Reference: Romans 3:20-26, 4:4, 5:17-21, 9:6-13 and 27; Galatians 2:16,
and 3:18; Ephesians 2:4-9; I Thessalonians 1:4 and 5; II Timothy 1:9.]
Verses 7-10:
.7Therefore what? That-which Israel
earnestly-seeks-after – this it did not attain, but the selection
attained, but the remaining-people were-hardened .8according
as it was written2, "God gave to them a spirit of
drowsiness, eyes not to observe and ears not to hear, until the
today day"; .9and David says, "Their table
must be caused-to-become into a trap, and into a hunting, and into
an offense, and into a repayment to them; .10their eyes
must be darkened not to observe; and You must bend-together
their back continually."
Following-on logically from the previous verses (including verse 2 which
states that God did not thrust Israel away from Himself during this
time), how are we to understand all of what has happened concerning
Israel?
- That-which Israel (all the descendants of Israel as one unit) intensely
looks for –
- this
it did not attain (hit-the-mark to which it intended to reach, Israel
did not achieve its goal),
…but the selection attained (the selected, chosen, picked-out people from
among Israel hit-the-mark to which God intended them to reach, they
achieved God’s goal, as verse 5 above)…
- but
the remaining-people (those who are left who continue to refuse to
believe what God says, the rest of the descendants of Israel who are not
the believing remnant)
- were
hardened (caused to become hard like a stone against God, petrified as a
callus, as being covered with a thick skin rejecting what God is
offering to them via the Christ, not allowing it to penetrate inside of
them)
- according as (just as, according to how, in comparison to the way that)
it was written and continues written (refer to Isaiah 29:10-13 for this
prophecy),
- "God
gave to them a spirit of drowsiness (torpor, as if they were in a daze,
as having been pierced in the heart but instead of asking for healing
they reacted by not being sensitive anymore to anything from God,
they refused to be affected by what He offered to them),
- eyes
not to observe (their sense of sight, their eyes do not see, look-at or
mentally-envision what God has done for them or is offering to them now)
- and
ears not to hear (their sense of hearing, their ears do not listen to
what God is saying to be heard by them and requesting them to believe
and obey),
- continuing up until the today day (for as long a time to this very day,
specifically today, the present time-period)."
By using the Hebrew idiom (where the active form of the verb is used to
indicate that the subject of that verb permitted or allowed the thing to
take-place), this passage from Isaiah 29 emphasizes that God allowed the
people to exercise their freedom of will. However, they drew near to God
with their mouth, and with their lips they honored Him, saying all the
things that sounded so religious and pious – BUT they had removed their
heart (the very center of their beings) far from God, and their fear of
God was based on man-made precepts and not on the way that God had asked
people to behave.
They became influenced by the devil and his evil spirits to such a
degree that their quality of living of everyday life and their
perception of the only true God’s spiritual things became dull as being
asleep, not alert or ready for the action requested of them by God.
Also King David says (regarding what was happening to Israel, as recorded
in Psalm 69:19-23 where part of it is prophecy that includes foretelling
how Israel would treat the promised-seed, the coming redeemer, God's
son, the Lord Jesus Christ)…
- "Their table (referring to that-which they would put on their table
designed to be for their blessing, such as food, abundance, money,
material-wealth, items being sold and bought at the market, etc) must
come into being in the following state to/for them:
- into
a trap (a snare, that-which holds them fast so that they are entangled
in it),
- and
into a hunting (a chase in progress whereby they will be destroyed when
caught, a preparation and means of/for their ruin),
- and
into an offense (a stumbling, a trap-stick, as when bait is fastened to
a stick whereby if it is struck/hit against the trap is sprung, a cause
for stumbling, an offense if a person does not take heed to it),
- and
into a repayment (whereby they are given back something in return for
what was received from them, payback for something, a requital);
- their eyes must be darkened (deprived of light, not receiving the light
emanating from God Who is Light, the source of true light)
- not
to observe (refer to verse 8 above);
- and
You (God) must bend-together their back continually (curve their back,
bow it together, bring them low in submission, as a humiliating
servitude carrying heavy burdens or loads to/for an enemy which has
conquered them in punishment for their guilt, all the time)."
It is interesting to read the whole of this Psalm 69 because David
continues regarding the true remnant from among Israel who would be
humble towards God, and that these people will be made righteous.
[Reference: Deuteronomy 29:1-4; Psalm 69:19-23; Isaiah 6:8-10, and
chapter 29; Matthew 13:10-17ff; Mark 3:5; Romans 9:30-33, 10:1-4 and
8-10; I Corinthians 1:23; II Corinthians 3:14-18.]
Verses 11 and 12:
.11Therefore I say, they did not
stumblingly-fall in order that they may fall, did they? – may it not
become! – but by their falling-aside the salvation (has
come) to the Gentiles with-a-view to cause them to-be-jealous;
.12and since their falling-aside (is) wealth of
(the) world and their inferiority (is) wealth of (the)
Gentiles, how-much rather their fullness!
Following-on logically from the previous verses I say…
- the
people of Israel did not stumblingly-fall (trip, mess-up in their
behavior, their conduct relative to God and the things of God)
- for
the purpose and result that they would fall (from a high level of
accepting God’s salvation downwards into a fallen position, a low level
of rejecting God’s Word, and remain in this fallen state),
- The
answer: No! The Greek construction of this question indicates that the
expected answer is "no." Then Paul confirms the negative answer by
writing: may it not become! May that not come to pass! May that not
happen! The thought of such a thing being so repulsive to Paul is
conveyed in his expression of may it not become or come into being that
such a thing would occur at any time! –
…but on the contrary…
- by
their falling-aside (the people of Israel’s going aside from what God
said, from what is right, from what they should have done to/with/for
God)
- the
salvation (safety, the standing and state of being saved, made-safe to
God from sins and their consequences, from destruction) is now available
- to/for the Gentiles (the people of nations other-than Israel/Judah,
different ethnic groups)
- for
the purpose of causing the people of Israel to be jealous (provoke them
to jealousy so as for them to return to the only true God and become
saved);
…and if/since it is a fact that…
- their falling-aside (from what God said to them, from what is right,
from what they should have done)
- is
wealth of the world (richness being made available now to all the
inhabitants of the ordered-arrangement that God created, the universe,
including Israel)
- and
their inferiority (being lower in number, position, and state than what
they were in previously relative-to God)
- is
wealth of the Gentiles (richness being made available the people of
nations other-than Israel/Judah, different ethnic groups – Gentiles now
have the same level of opportunity as Israelites to believe what God
says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and become
holy-people),
- how-much rather their fullness (it is a lot more-so, more and more
wealth will result from the result of the action of filling, their
filling, the fulfillment of them, when their full-contents comes to pass
– referring to the time when the people of Israel will have their full
quality and quantity, when they are saved and brought into the position
and state to-which God intended for them – His people)!
The fullness of Israel will come to pass when all those who will have
believed what God says during their lives (either before the day of
Pentecost, or during the present time by becoming
holy-people/Christians, or after the gathering-together of all
holy-people) will be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Reference: Acts chapter 2, 10:1 – 11:18, 15:7-9, 28:25-28; Romans 1:16,
10:1, 8-12 and 19. For details on future events, you may refer to my
studies on I Corinthians chapter 15, I
Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, and the
Chart.]
Verses 13-15:
.13But I say to you, the Gentiles, therefore on
as-much-as indeed I am an apostle of Gentiles, I will glorify
my ministry .14if by-some-manner I will cause my flesh
to-be-jealous and I will save some-people out-from them, .15for
since the throwing-away of them (is) reconciliation of
(the) world, what (will) the reception (of them be)
except life out-from dead-people.
But I say to you, the Gentiles (people of the Gentile background, nations
other-than Israel/Judah, different ethnic groups, you who are not of the
Israeli/Judean background), following-on logically from the previous
verses…
- on
as-much-as indeed emphatically I am (in Greek there is a definite word
for “I” plus the verb meaning “I am” giving emphasis – on the grounds
that, and for as long a time as indeed I myself am)
- an
apostle of Gentiles (I have been sent forth/away on a specific
assignment from the Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles),
- I
will glorify my ministry (give importance, splendor, renown to my
day-to-day ministerial duties or functions of serving others to benefit
them, not 'being-subject' to them but doing work to bring profit [some
Greek texts have the verb “glorify” in the present tense])
- if
by any means (somehow) I will provoke my kinsmen in the flesh category
who are Israelites to jealousy
- and
I will cause some of the people from among the descendants of Israel to
be saved (made-safe to God from sins and their consequences, from
destruction, when they would believe the good-message that I preach
regarding the Lord Jesus Christ and so they become holy-people),
- for
if/since it is a fact that the throwing-away of them (the casting away
of the people of Israel from God, not being His selected or chosen
people during the present time)
- is
reconciliation of the world (brought the availability of change on the
part of all of the people who inhabit the world towards God induced by
an action on God's part),
- what
will the reception of them be (what effect will God taking the people of
Israel towards Himself be, what will His acceptance of them bring)
- except life out-from dead-people (the reception of Israel as a whole
will occur at the time when all who will have believed from the Israeli
background will be together with God and the Lord Jesus Christ following
the resurrections, and this will include people who believe of the
Gentile background; as verse 12 above).
Also, it should be noted that during the present time when any individual
of the Israeli background believes God’s words, he/she is brought back
to life instead of being dead from God’s viewpoint existing without holy
spirit-life; he/she is saved becoming a son of the living God by
receiving the spirit of Christ within him/her.
[Reference: Acts 9:15, 10:34-43, 13:47, 20:24, 21:19, 22:21, 26:12-18;
Romans 1:5, 5:9-11, 6:4 and 13, 9:3-5, 15:16; I Corinthians 10:33,
15:20-28 and 50-58; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 1:15 and 16, and
2:7 and 8; Ephesians 2:11-18, 3:8; I Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:3; I Timothy
1:12, 2:7; Revelation chapter 20-22.]
Verses 16-18:
.16But if the first-fruits-offering (is)
holy, the lump also (is holy); and (if) the root
(is) holy, the branches also (are holy) – .17but
if some of the branches were broken-off, and you being a
wild-olive (branch) were grafted-in among them, and you became a
sharer-in-common-together of the fatness of the olive-tree, .18you
must not boast-against the branches, but if you boast –
you do not lift-up the root but the root you!
Paul now teaches by using illustrations and then he expands in detail
figuratively to help us to fully understand why it is now available for
both the Judeans (Israelites) and the Gentiles (other nations) to become
members of the same body of people with the same holy spirit-life in
each one during the present time, and that in the future the descendants
of Israel will again be given the opportunity to become branches of the
tree of God's righteous people. In many of the following verses in this
chapter, Paul emphasizes to whom he is referring by including definite
pronouns in Greek plus the verbs which also indicate the person(s)
referred to. He continues:
- But
if the offering of first-fruits (the first part of the whole, the
beginning-portion taken from a mass or lump of something such as
dough/bread – if the first-fruits offering consecrated or dedicated to
the only true God)
- is
holy (sanctified, set-apart from the state of being common, defiled or
unclean against God, corresponding to the essence of God),
- the
lump also (the rest of that same lump from which the first part
originally came)
- is
holy (it receives the quality of the offering of first-fruits);
- and
if the root of a tree
- is
holy,
- the
branches also (the shoots or young-slips being parts of the same tree
getting their nourishment/life via that root)
- are
holy (they receive the quality of the root) –
…but if some of the branches (some of the descendants of Israel) were
broken off from the tree (detached from God's people)…
- and
emphatically you being a wild olive branch (you singular, individual,
taken from a wild olive tree, from a different nation, a Gentile in
background who now believes what God says)
- were
grafted in among the branches (among the descendants of Israel who are
still attached to the tree, to God's people),
- and
you became a sharer in-common together (a joint partaker of/with/in the
same-thing, a co-sharer, having participation, communion, partnership
sharing together with what is common to both parties, which in this case
is in conjunction with the other branches [some Greek texts include
“of/with the root”])
- of
the fatness (literally: of/with the sap, nourishment; figuratively:
of/with the life and sustenance)
- of
the olive-tree (God's righteous people),
- you
must not boast-against the branches (don’t be exulting yourself over,
speaking loudly as though it is a justifiable claim against those
descendants of Israel who did not believe what God says and thus were
broken-off out-from among God's people),
…but if emphatically you boast (speak justifiably loudly) – boast this:
- emphatically you do not lift-up the root (bear, carry, support the root,
figuratively referring to the Christ who supplies the nourishment to all
the branches on the tree of God’s people)
- but
on the contrary, the root lifts you up!
God revealed His great promises down through the ages to men and women so
that they would love and believe and hope in Him. God has and continues
to carry-out His promises. God's son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the
promised seed, the savior, the Messiah, the one by whom God is able to
give His blessings to mankind. God will continue to give His life and
sustenance by means of the Lord Jesus Christ to those who will love and
believe and hope in Him, as the earth gives the sustenance which
sustains the life of a tree passing by means of the root and upwards
into its branches.
[Reference: Numbers 15:17-21; Psalm 92:14; Jeremiah 11:1-17; Ezekiel
44:30; Romans 15:12; I Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 2:11 – 3:12;
Revelation 22:16.]
Verses 19-21:
.19Therefore you will say, "Branches
were broken-off in order that I may be grafted-in." .20Beautifully
(spoken) – they
were broken-off with unbelief but you stood2 with
belief. You must not think high-things but you
must be fearful, .21for if God did not spare the branches
according to nature (you must fear) lest-somehow He will
neither spare you.
Following-on logically from the previous verses, you (individual of the
Gentile background) will say (mindfully tell others)…
- "Branches were broken-off (the descendants of Israel who refused to
believe what God says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, were detached from the tree of God’s people)
- for
the purpose and result that emphatically I may be grafted-in (I, being a
Gentile in background, would be grafted into the tree of God’s people
instead of them when I believe what God says)."
This statement is beautifully spoken (the contents of what is said have a
manifested decorous, harmonious and acceptable goodness) – and further
explanation on this is that…
- they
were broken-off
- with
unbelief (with/in/by lack of belief, faithless, without belief, being
with/in the state of faithlessness, disbelief, not trusting what God
told them regarding their promised redeemer, the savior – Jesus Christ)
- but
emphatically you stood and continue to stand (in the position of being a
member of God’s people having become a holy-person)
- with
belief (with/in/by faith, trust relative to God and the things of God
including the Lord Jesus Christ; belief is the information that God
makes known to you to have
confidence-in with assured certainty and surety).
You must not think high-things (have your mind’s thoughts on things that
are elevated in a haughty manner, exalted in arrogance regarding your
position of now being a member of God’s people) – but on the contrary,
you must be fearful (have fright, be afraid at the consequences of the
performance of any wrong behavior and so you should be manifesting the
awe and respect that is rightfully due and ought to be shown towards
God)…
- for
if God did not spare the branches according to nature (God did not
abstain from using or doing something to/with the natural branches of
God’s tree, referring to the people of Israel because they refused to
believe what God told them regarding His son, Jesus Christ)
- you
must fear lest in some manner He will neither spare you (so that in no
way God will not abstain from using or doing something to/with you, a
Gentile in background).
Right now, between the day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts 2:1-4) and the
coming of Christ to gather the church of holy-people/Christians together
(recorded in I Thessalonians 4:13-18), it is available for Gentiles to
become children of God, just as it is now available for
Judeans/Israelites to become children of God, receiving the gift of holy
spirit – if they believe what God has given them to believe (Romans
10:8-10). Once any person becomes a son of God he/she receives every
spiritual blessing that God has made available by means of the Lord
Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3), and he/she has the hope of Christ's coming
with glory to look forward to. This holy-person can never now be
separated or severed away from God or from the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans
chapter 8).
However, the behavior of those who are Gentile in background and have
become holy-people and therefore have become members of God’s tree of
people, will affect the availability of the remaining Gentiles to become
members of God’s tree of people.
[Reference: Romans 4:20, 5:2, 12:16; II Corinthians 1:24; I Peter 1:17,
2:17.]
Verses 22-24:
.22Therefore you must see (the)
benevolence and cutting-away of God: indeed on the (people)
having fallen – cutting-away, but on you – (the)
benevolence of God, if-ever you may remain-on with the
benevolence, since (if you do not) you also will be
cut-off, .23but those-people-also, if-ever they may not
remain-on with unbelief they will be grafted-in, for God is able to
graft them in again; .24for if you, (being)
from the wild-olive-tree according to nature, were cut-off (from
it) and, against nature, you were grafted-in into a
beautiful-olive-tree – how-much rather these-people, the (people)
according to nature, will be grafted-in to (their) own
olive-tree!
Following-on logically from the previous verses, you must see (you
individual of the Gentile background must perceive with your eyes and
understand the object-of-sight in your mind's thoughts)…
- the
benevolence (kindness, supplying what is appropriately needed for use in
specific situations)
- and
cutting-away (severing, abruptness, in a manner that cuts, the
severability; metaphorically: the severity)
…indeed, on the one hand…
- down
on the people having fallen (the descendants of Israel who have actively
fallen from the height of believing what God says and being God's
people, down to the lower place of not believing what God says; as verse
11 above) –
- cutting-away (from God’s tree),
…but, on the other hand…
- down
on you (a person of the Gentile background who believes what God says) –
- the
benevolence of God (God’s kindness, which is making salvation available
to all people of the Gentile background during the present time by means
of the Lord Jesus Christ and so you can become part of the tree of God’s
people),
- if
it should ever happen that you would remain-on with the benevolence
(God’s kindness is available to anyone of the Gentile background if
he/she would persist, continue staying on with/by/in it),
- since if you do not remain-on with the benevolence emphatically you also
will be cut-off (struck out, cut by a blow, a striking or beating
out-from the tree of God's people – it will no longer be available for
people of the Gentile background to become part of the tree of God's
people in the same manner as it is today during the present time),
- but
those people also (referring to people of the Israeli/Judean background,
the descendants of Israel/Jacob who have been broken-off from being
God's people because they refused to believe what God told them
regarding the Lord Jesus Christ),
- if
it should ever happen that they would not remain-on with unbelief
(persist, continue staying on with/by/in lack of belief, faithless,
without belief, being with/in the state of faithlessness, disbelief, not
trusting what God told them regarding their promised redeemer, the
savior – Jesus Christ)
- they
will be grafted-in (to the tree of God’s people),
- for
God is able (He has the able-power, ability, capability) to graft them
in again;
…for if emphatically you, being naturally from the wild olive tree (the
nation which was not part of God's people)…
- were
cut off (struck out, cut by a blow, a striking or beating)
- from
that wild olive tree,
- and,
contrary to nature, you were grafted-in
- into
a beautiful olive tree (an olive tree of beauty, referring to the tree
of God's people) –
…how-much rather (it is a lot more-so, more and more) these-people,
emphatically and specifically the people according to nature (referring
to the descendants of Israel as being naturally from the beautiful olive
tree)…
- will
be grafted-in
- to
their own olive-tree (the tree that they originally came from)!
There is no written response because it should be clearly known that this
is where God intended Israel to be – members of the tree of God’s people
together with all the other members.
We ought to note that since the day of Pentecost the gift of holy spirit
is available to people of the Judean/Israelite and Gentile/other-nation
backgrounds – anyone who receives this holy spirit-life will never lose
it. They will from the day that they receive holy spirit-life always be
a son of God in the holy spirit category, and this standing as a son of
God cannot change. However, a person's close-fellowship relationship
with God may fluctuate depending on his walk with and for God his Father
during the everyday living of this life.
During the present time, the only people who are members of God’s tree
are holy-people (true Christians with the spirit of Christ within us).
All holy-people await the time when the Lord Jesus Christ will gather
together all of us and we will all receive spiritual bodies and we will
forever be with our Lord Jesus Christ, and also with our Father Who is
the only true God.
[Reference: Romans 2:4, 10:8-17; II Corinthians 13:10; Ephesians 2:7 and
11-22, 3:6; Titus 1:13, 3:4-7. For details on the tree of God’s people,
you may refer to the Chart.]
Verses 25-27:
.25For I do not intend you to not-know,
brothers, (concerning) this mystery, in order that you may
not be thoughtful with yourselves, that a process-of-hardening
in-part came-to-pass2 to Israel continuously-until where
the fullness of the Gentiles may come-into (being), .26and
thus all Israel will be saved according as it was written2,
"The (one) rescuing will have-come out-from Sion, he will
turn-away lacks-of-reverence from Jacob, .27and this
(is) the covenant from Me to them – whenever I may take-away
their sins."
In these verses, Paul does not refer to the individual "you" Gentile in
background, but he addresses all the Godly-loved people in Rome, the
holy-people who believe what God says regarding Himself and His son, the
Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:8-10). He again addresses them as
"brothers" – reminding them that they all had received the same holy
spirit-life from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ which made them
all children of God, including Paul and those with him; refer to Romans
1:13, 7:1 and 4, 8:12, and 10:1. Paul continues:
For I do not intend (will) you to not-know (to be un-knowing, unaware),
brothers…
- about this mystery (the word “mystery” throughout Paul’s letters means
“secret”; a mystery contains the details that are known and can be
understood by those involved in it and by those to whom it has been
revealed; it is not inexplicable to those involved in it),
- in
order that you would not be thoughtful with/for yourselves (people who
have thoughts in your minds for your own worth, thinking intellectually
based on your opinions of yourselves, esteeming yourselves to be the
only people who will ever belong to God’s tree of people, to the
exclusion of those who will have believed what God says from among the
Gentiles/other-nations or the Israelites/Judeans during their lives
either prior-to or after the present time),
- that
a process of hardening in-part (to some degree, partly, as one part
hardening away-from the other part – not wholly, not everybody, but as
verses 7-10 above)
- happened and continues to become this way to/for Israel
- for
the duration of time to where the fullness of the Gentiles may come-into
being (the time when the result of the action of filling, the filling,
the full contents, the fulfillment of the people from nations other-than
Israel would arrive – the time when they will have their full quality
and quantity, when they are saved and brought into the position and
state to-which God intended for them, when those who believe will become
members of God’s tree of people),
- and
in this manner all Israel will be saved (every one of the Israelites who
believe what God says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, will be caused to come into safety, the standing and state of
being saved, made-safe to God from sins and their consequences, from
destruction)
- according as (just as, according to how, in comparison to the way that)
it was written and continues written (this truth has not changed since
it was prophesied and recorded in Isaiah 27:9 and 29:20 and 21 –
regarding the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to/for Israel),
- "The
one rescuing will have-come out-from Sion (the one delivering,
snatching, drawing the descendants of Israel to himself will be in the
state of having come, he will at a future time definitely have arrived
from Sion/Zion, the place where God dwells and proclaims His salvation
and pronounces His judgment; on earth this literally refers to the city
of
David, Jerusalem, part of which contains the
mount/hill called Sion/Zion, but in this context it includes the meaning
of the Lord Jesus Christ coming out from heaven),
- he
will turn-away lacks-of-reverence from Jacob (the word translated
"lacks-of-reverence" is plural emphasizing the rebellious behavior of
the descendants of Jacob in thoughts, words, and actions; notice the
name “Jacob” is used instead of “Israel” – the physical, biological,
genealogical lineage of Jacob are not being reverential towards God, not
being respectful in service towards/for Him),
- and
this is the covenant from Me to them (God will be the source from Whom
this binding agreement will proceed to/for the descendants of Jacob,
this is what God will do for them bringing His covenant to pass) –
- at
whatever time I would take-away their sins (remove their sins with their
consequences from them, deprive them of and thus free them from their
state of swerving, missing the mark of the truth of God’s words to
them)."
God continues to be righteous (just); He is doing what is right
for/with/towards the people of the Judean/Israeli background and the
people of the Gentile/other-nation background. The fullness of Israel
and the fullness of the Gentiles will come to pass when all those who
will have believed what God says during their lives (either before the
day of Pentecost, or during the present time by becoming
holy-people/Christians, or after the gathering-together of all
holy-people) will be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word translated "process-of-hardening" literally refers to the
process by which the ends of fractured bones are reunited which is by a
callus. A callus is a mass or lump of spread-out and connective tissue
that forms around the break in a bone, and it is converted into bone in
the healing of that break. When we consider the context and the nature
of a callus, we can understand this passage of Scripture and see the
beauty of it. The genealogical descendants of Israel/Jacob today are
scattered all over the earth – some of them are hardening becoming like
a stone against God, but others of them who believe what God says
regarding the Lord Jesus Christ are being healed back into being part of
the tree of God's people. Those who believe are the remnant, and this
remnant connects the descendants of Israel who believed before the day
of Pentecost to the descendants of Israel who will believe after Christ
gathers the church together.
Presently, God gives the descendants of Israel the same opportunity as He
gives to the Gentiles – to become part of God's people by believing what
God has given to be believed regarding Himself and His son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, and then God graciously gives them the gift of holy spirit
by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. All those who have received holy
spirit-life await the gathering-together of all the holy-people by the
Lord Jesus Christ; all are part of the same tree or body of people
whether of a Judean/Israeli background or of a Gentile/other-nation
background, and consequently enjoy the benefits and the blessing which
God has promised by means of the promised seed of Genesis 3:15 – the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s reference from the Book of Isaiah (Septuagint translation) is
regarding the first coming of the redeemer/savior plus the still-future
time of the day of vengeance (without reference to this present time
between the day of Pentecost and the day of the Lord which will begin
with Christ gathering the church of holy-people together with him taking
them away-from the earth):
Isaiah 27:9, 59:1-3, 15(b), and 17-21:
Has the hand of the Lord no power to save? Or has he
made his ear heavy, so that he should not hear?
Nay, your iniquities separate between you and God,
and because of your sins has he turned away his face from
you, so as not to have mercy upon you.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your
fingers with sins; your lips also have spoken iniquity, and your
tongue meditates unrighteousness.
...
And the Lord saw it, and it pleased him not that
there was no judgment.
...
And he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and
placed the helmet of salvation on his head; and he clothed himself
with the garment of vengeance, and with his cloak, as one about to
render a recompense, even reproach to his adversaries.
So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord,
and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious
name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it
shall come with fury.
And the deliverer shall come for Sion's sake, and
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
And this shall be my covenant with them, said the
Lord; My Spirit which is upon thee, and the words which I have put
in thy mouth, shall never fail from thy mouth, nor from the mouth of
thy seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever.
Isaiah 27:9:
Therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be taken away;
and this is his blessing, when I shall have taken away his sins;
when they shall have broken to pieces all the stones of the altars
as fine dust, and their trees shall not remain, and their idols
shall be cut off, as a thicket afar off.
[Reference: Psalm 14:7; Proverbs 3:7; Isaiah 27:9, 59:1-3, 15(b), and
17-21, chapters 61 and 62; Jeremiah 31:31-40; Matthew chapters 24 and
25, 26:28; Luke 4:16-21; John 10:16; Acts 3:19-26, and 15:13-18; Romans
1:18, 9:13, 12:16; I Corinthians 11:25, 15:50-58; II Corinthians 3:6 and
13-16; Galatians 4:24-26; Ephesians 1:10; I Thessalonians 4:13-18, and
5:1-10; II Thessalonians chapters 1 and 2; Hebrews 7:22, 8:6-12, 9:15,
10:9-18, 12:22-24; Revelation chapter 7, 14:1-3, 17:14, 19:11-21, and
chapters 20-22. For details regarding Sion/Zion, you may refer to II
Samuel 5:7; Psalm 69:35, 78:68; Isaiah 1:27, 35:10, 59:20 and 21,
62:1-5; Zechariah 8:3; Matthew 21:5; Romans 9:33, 11:26; Hebrews 12:22;
I Peter 2:6; Revelation 14:1, 19:11-21 and chapters 20-22.]
Returning to Romans chapter 11:
Romans 11:28-32:
.28Indeed according to the good-message
(they are) enemies because-of you, but according to the
selection (they are) loved-people1 because-of the
fathers, .29for the gracious-gifts and the calling of God
(are) unrepentable – .30for wholly-as you
at-some-time were un-persuaded by God but now you have been
shown-mercy by the un-persuasion of these-people, .31thus
also these-people now were un-persuaded by your mercy in
order that also they may be shown-mercy, .32for
God shut-together all-people into un-persuasion in order that He may
be merciful-towards all-people.
Indeed, on the one hand…
- in
accordance with the good-message (in conformity and proportion to/with
the gospel, the evangel which contains the belief detailed in Romans
10:8-10)
- they
are enemies (the descendants of Israel who continue to reject their
Messiah are those who oppose and exhibit enmity and hostility
towards/against the only true God and the Lord Jesus Christ, they are
the object of enmity during the present time)
- because-of you (on account of you who believe what God says, you
holy-people who are now members of God’s tree of people from both the
Judean/Israeli background and the Gentile/other-nation background),
…but, on the other hand…
- in
accordance with the selection (in conformity and proportion to/with the
God’s election, His picking or choosing them out from among other
nations)
- they
are loved-people1 (this word comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love – the descendants of Israel are
beloved, they are loved by God Himself)
- because-of the fathers (on account of the patriarchs, the forefathers
such as Abraham and Isaac and Jacob who received and believed what God
said and promised to them, including that He would be the God of their
seed, that is: of all those who would believe Him as they did),
…in truth, this is the way it remains for the descendants of Israel
during the present time…
- the
gracious-gifts (the things that are freely-given with/by grace,
unmerited or undeserved on the recipient’s part because they are not
given as a wage or a corresponding-reward for something he/she had or
had-not done; these are the result, product, or effect of the actions of
graciously giving so that the recipient may utilize them appropriately –
the gracious gifts)
- and
the calling (the invitation issued to salvation in Christ)
…are unrepentable (without repentance; the gracious-gifts and the calling
of/from God will not change relative-to their concern, purpose, and
consequences; they are un-regrettable; God will not change His mind's
purpose pertaining to them and He does not regret the consequences of
His actions, and these cannot be changed by any other, not even by
Israel) –
- for
entirely as during a past time emphatically you were un-persuaded by God
(not persuaded, actively unwilling to be convinced with regard to what
God says)
- but
at the present time you have been shown-mercy (now you have been given
active relief whereby merited judgment or punishment was withheld by God
from you)
- by
the un-persuasion of these-people (in consequence of Israel’s lack of
persuasion, their unwillingness to be convinced of what God says
regarding Jesus Christ),
- it
is in the same manner also at the present time these-people (the
descendants of Israel) were un-persuaded (not persuaded, actively
unwilling to be convinced with regard to what God says)
- by
your mercy (in consequence of emphatically your mercy, the mercy now
belonging to you, the active relief that you holy-people have received
from God whereby He withheld merited judgment or punishment from you)
- for
the purpose and result that also emphatically they may be shown-mercy,
…in truth, God shut-together all-people into un-persuasion (He shut-up,
enclosed, concluded, closed or hemmed everybody in together, all people
from both backgrounds into being inside the state of lacking persuasion,
unwilling to be convinced) for the purpose and result that He may be
merciful-towards all-people (not only one particular group of people).
God has been, or is presently, or will be in the future, merciful towards
all-people who believe what He gives them to believe – nobody has been,
or is now, or will be, able to force his/her way into receiving God's
blessings by pushing God around! Since the day of Pentecost
recorded in Acts chapter 2, salvation is available to all people both of
the Judean/Israeli background and of the Gentile/other-nation
background.
[Reference: Numbers 23:16-24; Deuteronomy 7:6-10, 9:1-6, and 10:12-22;
Psalm 33:12, 47:4; Matthew 22:14, and chapters 26-28; Acts 13:17; Romans
3:9, 22 and 23, 9:3-5 and 11, 10:8-10, 15:8-13; II Corinthians 7:10;
Galatians 3:22; Ephesians chapter 2; l Timothy 2:1-6; II Peter 1:10;
Revelation 17:14.]
Verses 33-36:
.33Oh!, (the) depth of wealth and wisdom
and knowledge of God – as un-searchable (are) His judgments
and un-trackable (are) His ways! – .34for "who
knew (the) mind of (the) Lord, or who became
counselor-together with Him, .35or who gave to Him
beforehand and it will be repaid to him?" – .36because
out-from Him and by means of Him and into Him (are)
all-things; to Him (is) the glory into the ages,
with-certainty.
Following on from all that Paul has written regarding the descendants of
Israel and the Gentiles and the holy-people, he uses many figures of
speech and emphatically exclaims wondrous truths about the only true
God:
Oh!, the depth (the great measurement of deepness) of God’s…
- wealth (riches, richness)
- and
wisdom (the skillful and expert application of personal knowledge, what
to do as the most appropriate action concerning a specific situation or
circumstance even when complete knowledge of it may not be available)
- and
knowledge (personal knowledge of/about someone or something, a truly
active and relative knowing, having information concerning a specific
situation or circumstance) –
- as
to how
- un-searchable are His judgments (the decisions that He makes or
arrives-at issuing from His judging process are inscrutable; the
sentences He passes or pronounces cannot be searched, traced, or tracked
out as a child traces out a picture or drawing from a book by using
semitransparent tracing paper and a pencil)
- and
un-trackable are His ways (His manners of actions or methods of
proceeding are without footprints to follow; they cannot be traced by
going after and upon His footsteps as tracks in the snow)! –
…in truth regarding this topic (refer to the old covenant writings of Job
41:11; Isaiah 40:13 and 14)…
- "who
knew the Lord’s mind (what person or spirit had a truly active and
relative knowing of God’s mind-set; who was personally knowledgeable of
the Lord’s organ of mental perception, His mentality),
- or
who became counselor-together with Him (what person or spirit caused
himself/itself to became God's co-counselor, consultant; who joined
together with Him in deliberation giving advice to each other),
- or
who gave to Him beforehand (what person or spirit previously gave
something to God because He didn’t already have it; who paid Him in
advance)
- and
it will be repaid to him (God will give-back what is due in its place;
it will be requited by God to that person or spirit )?" –
- [There are no direct answers given to these rhetorical questions, but
Paul continues by explaining why no person or spirit did any of these
three things regarding God’s wealth, wisdom, or knowledge.]
…because regarding this topic…
- all-things (everything, all the things that God says and does) are
- out-from Him (originate from the center or interior of God outwards; He
is the source of them; they proceed or emanate from Him)
- and
by means of Him (through God; they come-to-pass by way of Him)
- and
into Him (directed to and proceeding into Him, inwards to the center or
interior of God; He is the ultimate recipient of their ending-issue);
…to Him is the glory (the glory belongs-to and is due-to God, He should
be given the ultimate importance, splendor, renown)…
- into
the ages (for all the durations of life, for eternity, forever),
- with-certainty (amen, truly, surely!).
[Reference: Deuteronomy 29:29; Job 41:11; Isaiah 40:13 and 14, 55:8-11;
Romans 16:27; I Corinthians 2:9-16; Galatians 1:5; Ephesians 3:1-11;
Philippians 4:20; I Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 13:21; I Peter 1:10. Note:
verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them
indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant
Notes" link of this study.]
