Consider the Goodness and Severity of God
Thinking about Romans 11:17-24.
And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:17-24)
Paul was walking a line between two extremes.
Just because a person was of Jewish descent did not mean that they were part of God’s people. However, just because someone was a Jew didn’t mean that God no longer cared for them.
Romans 11:17-24 is Paul’s warning to the Gentile Christians to not think too highly of themselves. Yes, in Christ, they were now a part of God’s own special people, and all the blessings in Christ were theirs (Ephesians 3:1-12).
But they needed to be careful not to think of themselves as superior. They had been brought in as God’s people - and God could just as easily remove them.
To illustrate this point, Paul uses an olive tree.
The Gentiles were grafted into God’s people.
Paul said that natural branches had been broken off of the olive tree (I think representing God’s people), and the Gentiles (branches from a wild olive tree) had been grafted in.
Grafting a branch from one plant into another was well known in antiquity, and it is also done in modern times. An opening is made in the trunk of one tree; a branch from another tree is inserted and bounded by cords to the receiving tree. The purpose of the procedure, especially when a new branch is engrafted into an aged trunk, is to reinvigorate the tree. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 395
As those who had been grafted into God’s people, they enjoyed the blessings God provided through His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
Paul reminded them not to boast against the branches - after all, they were not supporting the tree, but the root was (again, I think a reference to Christ).
The Jews were broken off from God’s people.
Paul anticipated the Gentiles’ response, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”
Paul agreed - yes, the natural branches (representing Jews) had been broken off because of unbelief (Romans 10). Meanwhile, the Gentiles currently stood in Christ by faith. The Gentiles had accepted and obeyed the gospel of Christ, while many Jews had rejected and disobeyed the gospel.
In light of this fact, Paul reminds the Gentiles that the Jews were not rejected because they were inferior in any way. They were “broken off” because they rejected God’s message of salvation.
Paul cautions the Gentiles against having the same mentality because “if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.”
Consider the goodness and severity of God.
In light of everything he’s said, Paul calls upon his Gentile audience to stop and consider both God’s goodness and severity.
God’s severity upon those who fell and were broken off because of unbelief and disobedience.
God’s goodness toward those who had submitted to Him and obeyed the gospel of His Son.
If the Gentiles did not continue in God’s goodness, if they were “haughty” rather than “fearing,” - then God would cut them off as well.
And the Jewish people who had been cut off - if they turned back from their unbelief and obeyed the gospel, God was totally able to bring them back into His people again.
Paul tells them that the tables could easily be turned, and they could be outside Christ and broken off from God’s people. So, they are urged to fear God and be humble.
As a side note, this passage we’ve studied is strong evidence against the teaching that Christians can never lose their salvation.
The Gentiles Paul is addressing - were currently in Christ and enjoyed all the spiritual blessings of being in Christ. They were a part of God’s people. However, they are warned that they could be cut off if they continue in their arrogance.
Those in Christ could be cut off from Him. And outside of Him, there is no life (John 15:1-7).
Those of us who are in Christ Jesus and are a part of God’s people are cautioned not to think of ourselves as superior to those outside of Christ.
Certainly, we enjoy the blessings of being in Christ, and they do not - but the tables could just as easily be turned.
So, as Paul said to the Christians in Rome: “Do not be haughty, but fear…continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:20, 22).
Thanks Jameson, very clear and very true.
God has extremely high standards, to be righteous and perfect no less! Matt 5:48, 19:21, Luke 1:6, Rom 12:2, 1Cor 2:6, 2Cor 12:9,13:11, Eph 4:13, Phil 3:12-15, Col 1:28, 4:12, 2Tim 3:17, 2Tim 4:8, Heb 13:20-21, 2Pet 2:8, 1 John 2:1, 2:29, 3:7, 3:12, James 1:4, James 3:2, Rev 3:2.
If find that this expectation of our perfection, can be appreciated through the analogy of Christ being the “chief corner stone” in the spiritual temple of God. (Matt 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1Peter 2:6-7, Eph 2:19-22)
A corner stone is the one point in any building that all measurements are taken from, to determine if everything is square and upright in relation to each other. When you are in line with the corner stone, no matter if you are on the other side of the building, on the roof, or part of the floor, then you are following that standard set by the corner stone.
Similarly, we are all different, yet we are to follow Christ, to fill up the sufferings of Christ. (Col 1:24, Heb 11:36-40) We do this by living according to his standards, like a brick, door, or roof tile is aligned to the standards of the chief corner stone.
We, however, are a bit more complex than a brick that is placed in a building, for we can choose at any time to actually leave the building!
Throughout our life we must stay in line with Christ and continue to walk the walk that Christ showed us in his life: if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard and which was proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and (through this suffering) I fill up the things lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh (by suffering physically), on behalf of His body, which is the church; of which I became a minister, according to the administration of God given to me for you, to fulfil the Word of God; (Col 1:23-25)
Jesus fulfilled the word of God (Matt 5:17-20). We too must fulfil it in our actions, if we follow his way of life. (1John 2:3-6)
How can anything be lacking of the afflictions of Christ? Christ is not the entire building; he is the corner stone to which the building is aligned. We are all elements of the building, but we must stay aligned to Christ. Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, (part of the building of God) and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, (the apostles of the New Covenant and prophets of Old Covenant) Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom every building having been fitly framed together, (we are the rest of the building that) grows (is alive!) into a holy sanctuary in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit. (Eph 2:19-22)
Christ being the corner stone, and our being the rest of the elements of the holy building of God, is a great analogy, yet it too should not be carried to an extreme, or you could misunderstand the profound and simple concepts being taught. Christ was not a woman, or an old person. He never married or had physical children. He was never unemployed, or put up with the pollution of this modern age, nor had any sickness in his life. We are all in different circumstances from Christ, yet we are to still follow his example that he set in his life. We do this in the same way that a window is not made of the same material as the corner stone, yet it must be aligned to the corner stone, in order to be of value to the building. We say that such a window is right for the building. That is what it means to be righteous, and perfect, within the spiritual building that God is constructing.
We align ourselves to Christ’s righteousness, by the power of the Holy Spirit, then God the Father considers us as being righteous and justified to be within his building. That is all that the spiritual term “justification” means.
Once we are justified, we are then set apart, like building materials carefully stored on the building site, so that they are ready to be used in its future construction. The spiritual term for being set apart is “sanctified”: … but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1Cor 6:11) We are “set apart” as an integral element of his building by being called by God, to be granted the Holy Spirit which enables us to follow the Lord Jesus.
We are then justified as being a part of the design of his truly magnificent and grand building, by living the life of righteousness that he has set for us. We do this by living by the covenant of his blood in us, because his blood aligns us to him, and we partake of his flesh, by living as he lived. This is what it means to “eat his flesh and drink his blood”.
God expects us to be perfect: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (which is the entire Church): Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"(Eph 4:12-13)
Christ is the standard of what our perfection is measured against.
Very good ecplanation!