February 24, 2022
If You Are Kept, It Is Because He Kept You
Romans 11
Jessica Bishop
Central Truth
God takes all the glory in your salvation. You brought nothing to the table, and you are able to keep your salvation because Christ kept you. This truth should drive you both to rest deeply in His merciful love and to resist any sense of superiority in your walk with Him.
Key Verse | Romans 11:17-18
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
Romans 11
The Remnant of Israel
1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, 1 11:1 Or one of the offspring of Abraham a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10
let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
Gentiles Grafted In
11 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. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion 2 11:12 Greek their fullness mean!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root 3 11:17 Greek root of richness; some manuscripts richness of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 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. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
The Mystery of Israel's Salvation
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: 4 11:25 Or brothers and sisters a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27
“and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now 5 11:31 Some manuscripts omit now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34
“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Romans 11
In Romans 11, Paul is addressing both Jews and Gentiles in the church of Rome and packs so much into these 36 verses. We will be focusing on a miracle working prophet, an olive tree, and a sovereign God with a plan that cannot be thwarted.
In Romans 9-10, we saw Paul address God's previous election of Israel and their present rejection and unbelief. In this chapter, Paul begins by reminding Israel that God has not forgotten them. He emphasizes this point by reminding them of his own Jewish heritage and present salvation.
Paul strengthens his argument by reminding them of Elijah, a prophet, and his doubt for Israel. Elijah performed some pretty powerful miracles in 1 Kings, including a showdown in 1 Kings 18 with 450 prophets of Baal, a Canaanite god, to see whose god could rain down fire to produce a burnt offering. Yahweh, the God of Israel, rained fire and showed Himself to be the one, true God. But right after this, Elijah is pursued and runs for his life. Out of fear, he feels alone and begins to wonder if God had given up on Israel after they abandoned their covenant to Him. God responds with the words Paul quotes in Romans 11:4, "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." He will preserve a remnant of believers in Israel.
In Romans 11:11-24, we see Paul shift his focus to the Gentiles and his warnings against arrogance. Paul uses the illustration of an olive tree. The natural olive branches portray Israel and the wild olive shoot grafted in represents Gentile believers. The root is the one sustaining life for ALL branches. The Gentiles grafted in were once pagans worshiping false gods, and the Jews had abandoned God's covenant.
We all once rebelled against God as well. And yet, God poured out His grace and opened our blind eyes to see. We deserve nothing, and yet we have been given everything to live an abundant life with Him here on earth and forever in eternity!
Discussion Questions
1. We all rebelled against God, and we were once blind to our sin. What did God call you out of? Where is He calling you now to go and use your story of grace?
2. Elijah saw God perform an incredible miracle by raining down fire and proclaiming His glory to all people. Shortly after this, Elijah fears for Israel's future, and God responds. This humanizes Elijah and reminds us how quickly we forget who God is. When have you seen God move in a miraculous way in your life or the life of someone else that you can recall today to remind you of His faithfulness?
3. In Romans 11:34, Paul says, "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" To me, God's sovereignty stood out throughout this passage. What character trait about God stood out to you in this chapter?