Romans (Written)

Friday, 18 October 2013

You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Romans 11:19

Paul just told the audience not to boast against the branches and he gave the reason for it – because they are supported by the same root that the broken off branches were supported by. But in the typical way of not clearly thinking an issue through, they may propose that they are somehow better, or more favored, than the branches which had been broken off. And so Paul preempts such thinking, “You will say then…”

His introduction of this statement shows that he understands and anticipates this type of dialogue. He was trained in rabbinical studies which would have included the study in argumentation for and against a matter. One method would be to introduce a thought prior to the opponent and then to dismantle it. This would leave the thought harder to defend. Politicians are often good at such pre-emptive strikes. This is Paul’s approach here.

The argument: “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” In essence, “I have replaced that which was removed from the support of the root; therefore, they must not be worthy of that support, but I am.” This type of thinking hasn’t looked at the entire scenario. God is working in and through humanity and only He sees the end from the beginning. With the Bible complete, we have the overall plan, but we still don’t see the details. As time unfolds, the details come with it and we can more clearly see what is actually happening.

Paul, however, has been trained by the Lord (Galatians 1:15-17) and knows much of the plan in advance. Therefore, he can rightly argue against faulty views and he can instruct the church more appropriately in matters related to faith.

Life application: We have the general overview of what God intends in redemptive history, but the details are often lacking. As history reveals these details, we may need to reconsider our viewpoint. This is something that is very hard to do for several reasons, but pride of opinion is generally the root of each of them. When history caught up with the plans of the Bible and Israel was restored to her land, the thinking of the church should have changed to accommodate what had occurred, but for many there is an unwillingness to see the truth of the matter. What is coming does include Israel and therefore we need to not fight against God in the process.

O Wonderful Lord! Here comes the sun to start another day for us. There are so many possibilities ahead. Help me to live rightly in the hours to come and to set my eyes, my heart, and my focus on the eternal. Today could be my last… so let me not waste it in vain pursuit, but rather let it be used to Your glory. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, 17 October 2013

…do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Romans 11:18

It’s common for us to actually rejoice over the fall of others, especially when we have enmity towards them for whatever reason. When our political party wins, we often take as much pleasure in the loss of the other party or candidate as we do in the win we participate in. Seeing a rival sports team get smacked is a pleasure to many, even if that team is playing someone other than the team they support. It is a perverse side of humanity to revel in the downfall of others, but it is a common occurrence.

Paul had a concern that the gentiles would “boast against the branches” which were the Jews who had fallen; the branches that were “broken off” in the previous verse. They may feel justified because it was the Jews who had rejected their Lord and participated in His crucifixion. The question “How could they be so stupid?” must have been a common sentiment at the time. “We figured it out and we don’t even have your law or heritage!”

But Paul has already shown that “through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.” How could one boast over such a thing? Rather, they should have remorse and work to evangelize the very people who were now out of favor. Even more, such boasting was something that showed a complete lack of thought concerning the state of those broken off Jews as well as their own personal state. To demonstrate this, Paul reminded them that, “if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”

The root is the spiritual heritage which established both the Jews as well as the gentiles. There is one continuous tree by which salvation is derived. The gentiles have been grafted in to this tree while the Jews were derived directly from it. Understanding this, and the fact that salvation is dependent on the spiritual heritage found in the tree, he will make the point in the coming verse that boasting is not a well thought through approach to the situation. In fact, it is contrary to sound reason.

Life application: In the church, we may feel that we are superior to the Jews who sit in their synagogues and ignore the Lord who came from them and who is the fulfillment of their Scriptures. We aren’t superior. Rather, we recognized what they missed and we received it by grace through faith. We may have access to the truth, but we are no better than they are. Instead of sitting smugly and boasting over the lost, we need to evangelize them in hopes of opening their eyes. In the case of the Jews, we should make a double effort. As the natural branches of the olive tree, their conversion to Christ can have a most important impact on the continuance of the spreading of the gospel.

Glorious Lord God, in my struggle to be a pleasing child to You, I take comfort that I am still beloved because of Jesus – even when I fail to adhere to the expectations You have laid out in Your word for me. I know that nothing can separate us again and that You will carry me through to Your heavenly throne. Forgive me when I trip or stray, and please restore me to a proper walk on the right path when I do. Amen.

Wednesday, 16 October 2013

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,… Romans 11:17

From the symbolism of this verse, if from nothing else, it should be evident that the church has not replaced Israel. The tree is symbolizing the faith of Abraham and the spiritual covenant blessings associated with that. If individual branches are individual believers but which represent the whole, as must be the case here, then these spiritual blessings can be given to different types of branches on the same tree.

The Bible makes it clear that there is now no distinction between Jew and gentile when in Christ. This is speaking of the benefit of being in Christ, not the individual who is in Christ. In other words, the terms “Jew” and “gentile” indicate a difference in individual. Likewise, different types of branches indicate a difference in nature.

Paul uses this symbolism to show us that “some of the branches were broken off.” From the surrounding context, this is certainly speaking of the disbelieving Jews. They failed to accept the work of God in Christ, and they were cast off as rejected branches. This has opened space for the gentiles. Paul, speaking to the gentiles in this portion of his letter, says “you.” This is only speaking of gentiles who, “being a wild olive tree” are not the same as the Jew (in individual nature, not spiritual benefit – as will be seen).

The gentile converts are not a part of the holy tree by nature. They are distinct and separate from it. However, nature when combined with wisdom in gardening allows something to occur apart from the natural order of things. Wild branches can be grafted into cultivated trees. The reason for grafting, as was discovered many millennia ago, is that certain trees are hardier than other trees. They can withstand harsher climates, defend against bugs, produce a variety of tastes within the same fruit type, etc.

The hardy spiritual tree – that of the spiritual blessings which came through Abraham, has “natural branches” from the line of promise: Isaac, Jacob, and the sons of Israel. However, at select times prior to Christ’s coming, such as the Moabite Ruth, and more especially since Christ’s advent, something unusual and wonderful has happened. Wild branches have been “grafted in among them.”

Any believing gentiles, by faith in the promises of Christ, “became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree.” So there, on the one tree of spiritual nourishment, are branches of different types and which will produce a variety of traits while being sustained by the same life-giving sap. Again, as noted above, this doesn’t show a “replacement” but an “addition.” The gentiles are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel’s spiritual blessings because these blessings flow from the holy root, not because the gentiles have replaced Israel.

Life application: Through faith in God’s provision, all are one in the Messiah. Let us thank God for the immense blessing and honor of eternal life, granted because of the work of our Lord Jesus.

Lord God, I know what mercy truly is when I think about the conduct of my life. How many times have I fallen short of Your holy standard? But despite my ways, you haven’t just snuffed me out. Instead, you have allowed me to continue… waiting patiently for me to turn and call on You. And since the day I did, I’ve continued to err in what You would expect of an obedient child. Thank You for Your patient mercy on me. Amen.

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. Romans 11:16

Firstfruit… lump… root… branches? Paul was just talking about Israel’s being cast away and then returned to favor. What is the connection?

“For” – This is a different conjunction than verse 15. It is actually two words which carry the idea of “if moreover.” He is adding to his previous thought and expanding on it. The imagery he will use is meant to show, with all certainty, that even though Israel was cast away, their return is assured; they are not utterly rejected.

And so, in order to substantiate this in a metaphorical way, Paul goes directly to the law which established Israel in the first place and he pulls out examples which actually verify that this is how God works. First he says, “if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy.” The concept of the “firstfruit” is a portion of something, such as grain or fruit, being offered to God. This portion then represents the whole. In the case of “the lump” a portion of the first dough which was made into bread after the harvest was cut off and offered to God. This is found in Numbers 15:18-21 –

“When you come into the land to which I bring you, then it will be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall offer up a heave offering to the Lord. You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up. Of the first of your ground meal you shall give to the Lord a heave offering throughout your generations.”

This “heave offering” is comparable to the “firstfruits.” If a portion of the lump is cut off and offered to God, which is then accepted as “holy,” then the whole offering becomes sanctified and is holy as well; the sacred portion makes the whole sacred. Bread is bread, but when a portion of a lump is deemed holy, then the whole lump is holy.

The second thought from Paul is that “if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Again, he has gone to the law to use a real precept to make a connection in how things work in spiritual matters. In Leviticus 19:23-25, the following is found –

“When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God.”

A sapling may be planted anytime by anybody and in any location and it is just a sapling like any other. But in the land of Israel, a sapling is made holy when it is dedicated to God. If it is holy in its roots, which receive the water and nutrients from God’s land and His provision, then it is holy in its trunk, in its branches, in its sap, and in its fruit. The holiness permeates the plant.

In these two examples, which follow directly after his note concerning Israel, the intent is to tell us that the Jewish people, as a whole, have been set apart to God. If a portion of them has been sanctified as holy, then the whole is holy. This does not in any way imply that they are all saved, as he will note in the coming verses, but that the people, as a whole, are used for God’s purposes.

In support of this, Paul will use Jeremiah 11:6 as a basis for verses 16-24 –

“The Lord called your name, Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are broken.”

The dough and the tree are that which is holy. Each received its holiness from God. When a portion was deemed holy, the whole became holy. Psalm 105:6-15 shows this process. Abraham was selected and set apart by God. From him, that line went through Isaac and then to Jacob. From Jacob, all twelve sons received the sanctification; a collective group of people set apart by God for His service. As Christ is the fulfillment of the promises through this line, then those who are brought into Christ by faith are thus sanctified and made holy also.

Life application: 1 Corinthians 6:11 says that, in Christ you were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. If you are thus made holy, it is incumbent on you to act in a manner worthy of this sacred calling and state.

Heavenly Father, I cherish Your word because it is the gift You have given to instruct me on who You are and what You have done for us. Without it, I would be a ship tossed about on scary waters, but with it I know that I have a sure foundation in my knowledge of and obedience to Your wondrous Son. As Your child, I desire to be pleasing to You and so I’ll keep my nose in Your word and my eyes on Jesus. Amen.

Monday, 14 October 2013

For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Romans 11:15

The introductory conjunction “for” is given to tie verse 15 back to verses 11 and 12 which spoke of the fall and then the fullness of the Jewish people. Verses 13 and 14 were related to Paul’s ministry to the gentiles which carries with it the secondary purpose of provoking Israel to jealousy. When this is effected, there will be great things in store for the world.

Paul says, “if their being cast away…” this is their “fall.” The nation of Israel failed to believe in Christ’s work and so they rejected Him. Because they rejected Him, God rejected them. Their fall though is what meant “reconciling of the world.” This ties directly back to verse 12 – “their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles.” Paul is restating these things, after the explanation of the purpose and intent of his ministry (that dual-purpose noted above) to demonstrate that something even greater is anticipated in the future.

Here is the thought –

1) Israel was cast away for disobedience; a tragic occurrence.

2) Because of Israel’s fall, the greater good would be served by bringing reconciliation between the gentile world and God. The word “reconciling” is the Greek word katallege. This word in Romans 5:11 it is translated as “atonement” by many translators. The atonement of Christ’s shed blood was made possible because the Jews rejected Him. If they had accepted Him, the obvious result would have been the immediate initiation of the Kingdom Age. The Church Age would never have occurred.

3) Therefore, if the fall was tragic, but it led to something wonderful, how much more wonderful will it be when they are restored! What is offered as a question by Paul in some translations is meant as an exclamation.

When Israel finally accepts their long-rejected Messiah, there will be life from the dead. This is taken in two ways by scholars. The first is that it is speaking of the spiritual revitalization of national Israel. They are already once again a people, but they are spiritually dead to the things of God found in Christ. However, a time is prophesied (in numerous Old Testament passages) that they will again be quickened to this spiritual vigor. One key passage is found in Ezekiel 37:11-14 –

“Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”

Based on the surrounding context in this passage from Ezekiel, this is certainly speaking of a spiritual awakening, not a literal resurrection. The banner of all spiritual matters will be passed back to them from the church which had carried it during their time of rejection. However, this is certainly not the only “life from the dead” that Paul is speaking of. Paul’s letter is being written to “spiritually alive” people. They are sealed with the Holy Spirit and have the assurance (the guarantee – Ephesians 1:13, 14) of eternal life. If this is true, then Paul’s words must have more than just a “national Israel” fulfillment or they would be worded differently.

The truth is that there is a point in prophetic history which will bring about “life from the dead” in a literal sense. It isn’t just one single moment, but rather an epoch of time. At first there will be the rapture of the church. This is explained, in detail, by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. This is physical life from dead bodies; a resurrection.

At some point, probably due to the rapture, Israel will wake up from their slumber and realize who Jesus really is. This will bring about their spiritual revival – life from the dead. After this, at the ending of the seven-year tribulation, there will be another resurrection from the dead. This is noted in several Old Testament passages and in Revelation. Daniel 12:1-3 speaks of it –

“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.”

Isaiah 26:19 hints at this time as well –

“Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.”

And in the New Testament, John writes of it in Revelation 20:4-6 –

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

This amazing epoch of time is coming, and probably soon. The graves of Ezekiel 37 have been opened and there is a great standing army in Israel. The ancient prophets noted that only after that happened would they be given the Spirit. It could never have happened before, and it hasn’t happened yet, so we are at the cusp of amazing events in world history.

Life application: Though the rapture of the church is dismissed by many theologians, it is explicitly taught in Scripture. One must over-spiritualize much of the Bible to reject what is so carefully recorded for our learning. Israel is back in the land and so these amazing events are coming… may they be soon.

Glorious God Almighty! Your word says that Israel’s acceptance of the gospel will initiate a time of wonder on earth – the Kingdom Age. Around that same time, other great and marvelous events are prophesied. Israel is back in the land and the times are coming to their fulfillment. I am grateful to live in such a wondrous age of hope… Christ is coming again! Amen.