Romans 11:11-36

The gentiles grafted in:

v11-16

• So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. v11
  • "It is a matter for profound regret that just as Israel refused to accept this salvation when it was offered to them, so the Gentiles have all too often refused to make Israel envious. Instead of showing to God's ancient people the attractiveness of the Christian way, Christians have characteristically treated the Jews with hatred, prejudice, persecution, malice, and all uncharitableness. Christians should not take this passage calmly." (Morris)
• Discussion Questions:
  • Why did Paul want the Gentiles to make Israel jealous? Isn't jealousy bad?
    • Paul is merely expressing his desire for the Jews to be attracted to the Christian way through the Gentiles. He wanted the Gentiles to show the benefits of knowing Christ, ultimately showing how beautiful Christ is. We are supposed to be lights to a dark world. What's wrong with our world today? There's big issues like racism, poverty, slavery, and injustice. There's individual issues like insecurity, broken families, abuse, the need for acceptance, the search for life meaning. But Christians are at peace and they are have a sure hope. How? We have the cure, we have the hope: Jesus Christ. In Christ, we have new life and through Christ, God will restore everything back to the way it was. Isn't that amazing?
  • Reflection question: Are you "living radically" for Jesus Christ so as to make others "jealous"?
  • How do you practically live radically for Jesus Christ in such a way to make others jealous?
    • This can be done in many ways. For example, being able to love others without expecting anything in return. That can only truly be done by reflecting on the gospel. In the gospel, we see God loving us when we couldn't give Him back anything in return. Now we can extend that to our friends. And since we find joy and peace from God alone, we don't have to turn to our friends for it. We can truly love them unselfishly. This would make them want to know more about who this Jesus is that causes you to love them like this.
    • But if we really want to live a radical life that would draw people to Jesus, we need to draw to Jesus ourselves. When I was your age, I would hear passages like this and I would want to make my friends think Christianity was cool. It's good to care about what people think about Christianity, but your job isn't to make it cool. Your job is grow in your relationship with God and then share about Him with others. Trying to make Christianity cool, when you're not really following Christ is like making people think guitar playing is cool, but you don't really play. People only get jealous of your guitar skills if you had been playing a lot. And when you've been playing at that level, you don't play because you want people to think guitar playing is cool, rather you play because you genuinely love playing guitar. And so focus on your relationship with God. Be in the Word everyday. Pray everyday. Keep a journal. As you grow in your relationship with God, it will just come one day when people are interested in knowing more about this Jesus that you are so in love with (but of course you still have to preach the gospel with words as well!).
  • Application point:
    • We should be sharing the gospel to everyone. If you have a Jewish friend, like Paul, you should desire for them to accept Christ. Sometimes you guys tell me that you won't evangelize to a friend of yours because he or she is Jewish. Why do you guys say that? Christianity isn't like a sport or a club. It's not a side thing or an extracurricular activity that you do. Like you go to your church on Sundays and your friends go to their synagogues. and that's their religion and Christianity is yours. No.

v17-24

• Do not be arrogant toward the branches. v18
• For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. v21
• And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. v23
• Discussion Questions:
  • Say you are in class and the teacher starts talking about an exam you and your classmates took a week before. In it, there was an essay section and the teacher starts talking about how terrible the class did and how disappointed she is in the quality of writing she saw. Then she says, "but there was one student who gave a good answer. Let me read their essay" and then she starts reading your essay. How would you feel at that moment? What would you think of your classmates?
    • you would feel proud right? You might even look down on them. Why? Because you're better than them. But see this is why the gospel is so humbling. Because we are not saved or accepted based on our works. We have no right to be arrogant toward others. It is because of God and what He has done that we are where we are. Even the knowledge that you have about God is given to you by His grace. So this is what is so beautiful about the gospel. You have the teacher's affirmation, acceptance, and praise, but you are still humble because you know that it wasn't because of you that you have the teacher's affirmation and acceptance, and praise. But rather it is in fact because of the teacher's initiative that you are affirmed and accepted and praised. and who is that teacher I am referring to? Jesus Christ. And He's not only our teacher, but our, Lord and Master. Our king, our prophet, our priest. That is something no other person or worldview can offer you.
  • This passage seems to suggest that if we disobey God, we will be cut off. But wasn't our acceptance based upon what Christ has done and not what we have done? How do we reconcile these two ideas?
    • Our acceptance is based upon what Christ has done and not what we have done. When we are a new creation, we are a new creation. There's no going back to the old creation. I think this passage has in mind cases where people seem to be Christians, but then later on down the road, they "stop believing". What do we say about such people? We say 1) maybe the person was never a believer in the first place. Maybe they were never a new creation, a child of God in the first place. or 2) maybe the person is still a child of God, but is just in temporary rebellion and will come back eventually. But ultimately, we don't know and will never know until their life is over (But even then we won't really know because we can't read someone's heart). The key here is that we won't know until their life is over. Notice how Paul says things like "provided you continue in His kindness" and "if they do not continue in their unbelief". So he's saying you were grafted in, you know the truth. But don't be arrogant, but rather fear, because maybe in the future you will be disobedient and so prove that you were not really a child of God.

The mystery of Israel's salvation:
v25-32

• a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved. v25-26
• For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. v30-32

v33-36

• Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! v33

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Bibliography

• Enduring Word Media by David Guzik