Lesson 145
Romans Chapter Eleven
The Faithfulness of God
The Lump of Dough and
the Root of the Olive Tree
Review:
The
first has to do with the first fruit and the lump of dough, the second with the
root and the branches of an olive tree.
The
point: With these illustrations Paul is reinforcing that fact that the
stumbling, the rejection of
In
both illustrations the principle is the same: what is considered first
contributes its character to what is related to it.
Need to
remember that:
1. The olive tree
is used to refer to
2. The root is
Abraham and the fathers, Isaac, Jacob, David; (the Patriarchs) those to whom
God reiterated His covenant promises to!
3. The branches =
2 kinds:
#1. the
natural branches = the progeny of Abraham Isaac and Jacob; the descendants of
promise; His chosen people.
#2. the
branches of the wild olive tree who are grafted in refer to Gentile believers
of C/A. [contrary
to nature, not normal horticultural practice, other way around,
4. Broken off
natural branches unbelieving
5. Important
principle to be maintained here; true from context of 11:16-24.
6. There also
needs to be noted, or kept in mind the threads of the timeframe implied for what is referred to in
the metaphor; so that we maintain the proper perspective.
The
Gentiles share the position of favor that had originally been given to
It
is also important to remember that the wild olive branch is not the church but
the Gentiles viewed collectively.
When
I say that the trunk of the tree refers to the line of privilege down through
the centuries, what do I mean by "line of privilege"?
The
nation of
Because
of their unbelief and rejection of the Messiah, some of these branches were
broken off and thus lost their position of "favorite son."
The
fatness of an olive tree refers to its productivity that is, to its rich crop
of olives and oil derived from them. (illustrates
prosperity that flows from the relationship with God)
But
the Gentiles Paul warns should not take a holier-than-thou attitude toward the
Jews, or boast of any superiority.
The
root of the tree is the source of life and nourishment for the branches; Rem: Abraham is the father of all who
believe; set the patter of salvation by faith; Rom 4:11-12; Gal 3:29
But
it was because of the unbelief of
The
only way in which the Gentiles stood by faith was that, comparatively speaking,
they demonstrated more faith than the Jews did.
11:21 If God did
not hesitate to cut off the natural branches from the line of privilege, those
that He had chosen, there is no reason
to believe that He would spare the wild olive branches under similar
circumstances, that is, a predominance
of unbelief.
If
God is righteous in temporarily putting aside
11:22-24. In these verses Paul summarizes his
whole discussion of God's sovereign choice in temporarily setting
Behold then the kindness and severity of God;
Point
being made is that God is continuing His goodness towards the Gentiles depends
on their continuing in His kindness.
Conversely
for the people of Israel [v.23], if they do not continue
[evpime,nw pres. act subj. 3cc indicates choice involved some will, some
won't; to continue, persevere, persist
in what?] in
unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
The Point:
At
issue is not God's ability but God's decision. God sovereignly chose to put
Obviously,
therefore, if the unbelief which caused
The
"olive tree" is not the church; it is the spiritual stock of Abraham;
a spiritual heritage "by faith".
[connection to the root]
This
passage does not teach that the national promises to
While
believing Gentiles share in the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen.
12:3b) as Abraham's spiritual children on the basis of faith (Gal. 3:8-9), they
do not permanently replace
[Gen.
12:2-3;
- Not only do you have a major difference in when the Lord
returns but also a major difference in answering the question what happened to
all the O.T. promises made to
- What is the Tie/thread that is common to both
Salvation
by faith; it is that by which Abraham is the father, the pattern for believers;
in other words all are connected to the root the same way, by faith.