Romans 11.20a-Branches (Jews) Were Broken Off (Olive Tree-Israel) Because Of Their Unbelief But Gentile Christians Stand By Their Faith
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday July 23, 2009
Romans: Romans 11:20a-Branches (Jews) Were Broken Off (Olive Tree-Israel) Because Of Their Unbelief But Gentile Christians Stand By Their Faith
Lesson # 372
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 11:1.
Tuesday evening we studied Romans 11:19, in which Paul once again employs a diatribe style by presenting an argument of a hypothetical Gentile Christian who seeks to justify assuming arrogant superiority over both saved and unsaved Jews.
This evening we will study Romans 11:20, in which Paul answers the argument of his hypothetical Gentile Christian by first acknowledging the fact that unsaved Jews were rejected by God for their unbelief in His Son Jesus Christ.
However, he then reminds his hypothetical Gentile Christian that he stands by his faith in Christ.
On Sunday we will complete our study of this passage by noting Paul’s prohibition to those Gentile Christians who might think they are superior to the Jews to stop thinking arrogantly about themselves but to have reverence for God.
Then, in Romans 11:21 he gives the reason why Gentile Christian should never be conceited but fear God, namely if God did not spare the natural branches, unsaved Jews and he didn’t because of their unbelief, then He will not spare unsaved Gentiles either for their unbelief.
Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
Romans 11:2, “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?”
Romans 11:3, “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.”
Romans 11:4, “But what is the divine response to him? ‘I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.’”
Romans 11:5, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.”
Romans 11:6, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”
Romans 11:7, “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.”
Romans 11:8, “Just as it is written, ‘GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.’”
Romans 11:9, “And David says, ‘LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM.’”
Romans 11:10, “LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER.’”
Romans 11:11, “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”
Romans 11:12, “Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!”
Romans 11:13, “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry.”
Romans 11:14, “If somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.”
Romans 11:15, “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”
Romans 11:16, “If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.”
Romans 11:17, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree.”
Romans 11:18, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.”
Romans 11:19, “You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’”
Romans 11:20, “Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear.”
“Quite right” is the affirmative adverb kalos (kalw$) (kal-oce), which is used to affirm the statement by Paul’s hypothetical Gentile Christian in Romans 11:19 that “branches were broken off,” which refers to God’s rejection of those Jews who rejected His Son Jesus Christ as Savior.
The word is used like an interjection, thus Paul is saying with this word “Absolutely! Branches were broken off…because of their unbelief!”
Notice that in Romans 11:20 Paul does not affirm that these branches were broken off in order to graft Gentile Christians in but only that branches were broken off.
This implies that Paul’s hypothetical Gentile Christian was correct in saying that branches were broken off because this is an historical fact but they were incorrect and arrogant to say that they were broken off in order to graft them in.
Paul corrects them in verse 20 by stating that they were broken off “because of their unbelief” and not in order to graft Gentiles in.
In fact, he reminds his Gentile Christian readers who might hold this presumptuous and erroneous viewpoint that they stand by their faith not because they merited their salvation.
They stand by their faith in the sense that they are accepted by God based on the merits of His Son Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.
Paul taught in Romans 1:18-32 that Gentiles have no merit with God and in Romans 2 he makes clear that Jews don’t as well.
In Romans 3:10-19, Paul summarizes his teaching in these verses by stating that the entire human race has absolutely no merit with God and all stand in need of the righteousness of God and are thus qualified for grace.
Romans 11:20, “Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear.”
“They were broken off” is the third person plural aorist passive indicative form of the verb ekklao (e)kklavw) (ek-klah-o), which is used as it was in Romans 11:17 in a figurative sense to describe God’s rejection of those Jews who rejected His Son Jesus Christ as their Savior by not exercising faith in Him.
“For their unbelief” indicates that the nation of Israel was rejected by God because of unbelief or in other words failure to accept by faith Jesus Christ as their Savior.
“But” is the “adversative” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which presents a contrast between the Jews rejection by God because of their unbelief and the Gentiles’ acceptance by God because of their faith in Christ.
“You” is the personal pronoun su (suv), which refers to Gentile Christians in a collective or corporate sense.
This is indicated in that Paul is addressing his statements in Romans 11:18-20 to those he describes in Romans 11:17 as, “being a wild olive (tree) were grafted in among them and became a partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree.”
As we noted in our study of Romans 11:17, the wild olive grafted in among the branches is a reference to Gentile believers in Christ.
“Stand” is the second person singular perfect active indicative form of the verb histemi (i%sthmi) (his-tay-mee), which is used in an intransitive and metaphorical or figurative sense and is used as part of a wild-olive/olive tree metaphor and thus means “to insert.”
Gentile Christians are described by Paul as wild shoots from the wild olive tree, which have been engrafted onto the olive tree.
The verb histemi in Romans 11:20 views the engrafting of the Gentile Christian from the perspective that they have been “inserted” or “placed” onto the olive tree as a result of their faith.
So the verb is speaking in a figurative sense of their being justified through faith alone in Christ alone and thus receiving eternal salvation.
“By faith” indicates that Gentile Christians were accepted by God because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, up to this point in our study of Romans 11:20, we see that Paul is prohibiting Gentile Christians who might be thinking arrogantly that they are superior to the Jews and reminds them that they are accepted by God into His family by their faith in Christ.
Their faith in Christ is non-meritorious, thus they have no business thinking themselves better than the Jews.