Romans 11:11-24

Rom 11:11 Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But He wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

It seems odd to me that we were allowed to become Christians just to entice the Jews back into the fold.  By now, meaning 2016, the number of gentile Christians far outnumber the messianic Jews. Life Application New Testament Commentary: “‘their fall is not fatal. Israel’s stumbling means that salvation has come to the Gentiles. Israel’s rejection of Christ was a part of God’s plan all along,”

On the other hand, if they had not been rebellious would gentiles be Christians.

Rom 11:12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. Rom 11:13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, Rom 11:14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.

Rom 11:15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! Rom 11:16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. Rom 11:17 But some of these branches from Abraham's tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree.

Life Application New Testament Commentary:

11:15 Israel’s rejection by God meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world. God had always planned to include the Gentiles, even if that meant a temporary setting aside of the Jews. When the chosen people, who were designated as the vehicles of God’s blessing to the world, actually blocked that message from getting through, God made sure that the message arrived anyway. When Jews come to Christ and God accepts them back, there will be great rejoicing, as if dead people had come back to life.

Though we may not grasp all the nuances of Paul extensive argument, his purpose is unmistakable. He wants to give Gentiles every reason possible to welcome their Jewish brothers and sisters in the faith with open arms. At the same time, he wants to help his Jewish brethren reciprocate that welcome. Neither group is to claim supremacy in the church. The message is: God has made room in his family for both of you, so you must get along together.

11:16 Paul believes that Israel’s refusal to accept Christ is temporary and that one day the nation will be brought back to God. He explains this in an illustration. The roots, obviously, are the first part of a tree, and form the “character” of the branches. Abraham’s faith was like the root of a productive tree, and the Jewish people are the tree’s natural branches. As a result of God’s choice and Abraham’s response, the nation that descended from him was holy.

Paul extends the principle to cover the fate of his people. If the remnant of Jews who had lived by faith were called holy by God, then there is still hope for the whole, proving that God has not rejected them. If the root, the tree of justification by faith, is holy, then any branch attached to and nourished by that root will also be holy.

11:17 God did not tear down the entire tree, but some of the branches were broken off because of sin and unbelief. These branches are Jews who failed to respond in faith to God’s mercy. In their place, the Gentile believers are likened to branches from a wild olive tree that have been grafted in. Grafting involves inserting a bud or shoot of one plant into a slit in the stem or trunk of another plant. The shoot shares in the nourishment from the main stem or trunk (here pictured as God’s rich nourishment) and grows, receiving the same blessings that the natural branches had.

Rom 11:18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. Rom 11:19 "Well," you may say, "those branches were broken off to make room for me." Rom 11:20Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. Rom 11:21  For if God did not spare the original branches, He won't spare you either.

I have never heard anyone brag about being Christian because God trimmed their branch. There are so many years between now and when Paul was speaking that I think those kind of thoughts are long gone. Most “Born again” Christians think that it is a privilege to serve a God that is so magnificent.

Rom 11:22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in His kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. Rom 11:23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. Rom 11:24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into His cultivated tree, He will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

Would God be willing to take back all the Jews? As Paul said “of course he would”. God wants to see all saved but unfortunately that won’t happen. There are people that do not or will not believe in Christ. I know that Christianity is hard to believe in. There are so many people working to discredit our beliefs. That is why be believe in faith.