Romans 11:19-24

You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

Paul has taught us that grace produces humility. Now he teaches us that grace produces faith. An understanding of how God has saved us in His grace will produce the response of faith. And Paul gets to this point by his typical response to a hypothetical argument. Perhaps a Gentile believer in his audience who wasn’t convinced that he should be humble and compassionate would arrogantly say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” In other words, “God chose me and not them. Why should I care about Israel, since it has been broken off so that I could be included?” And Paul concurs with the fact, but he dissents regarding the attitude. He adds that Israel was broken off due to unbelief, and that can happen to any branch (natural or wild) if the branch withers in unbelief. Basically, Paul is rejecting nominal Christianity. He is saying that grace produces a humble trusting in Christ for everything, and not an “I’m more deserving than thou” type of religion. There’s no such thing as a non-humble Christian. Not that we don’t experience proud moments and even struggle with pride daily, but again, perpetual pride and Christianity are mutually exclusive according to Paul.

Paul has taught that grace produces genuine humility and genuine faith. Finally, he teaches that grace always promotes the largest view of God. In other words, if you have the right view of God, the God of grace, that is in and of itself a product of God’s grace. And having tasted of God’s grace, you now realize both the justice and mercy of God to the exclusion of neither. That’s what Paul shows in v22. He’s saying to the Gentile Christians, “In the salvation of God and in the judgment of God, you see two aspects or attributes of the character of God. You see both His love and His justice served to the full. Seeing His love and His justice ought to make you tremble, because He is a living and active, righteous and just, powerful and holy God. He will be stern with those who fail to believe, but kind to those who persevere in faith.” Often times, the kindness (or mercy) and the sternness (or severity or wrath) of God are displayed simultaneously in the same event. Our perspective makes the difference. For example, when a grandmother dies after a short battle with cancer, we might be angry or upset and consider that to be God’s sternness; or we might be glad in the sense that she didn’t have to suffer any longer, and thereby consider it God’s kindness. Furthermore, always noticing both attributes of God’s character will drive us to “continue in His kindness.” It is a delight to fear the Lord. (See Nehemiah 1:11; Isaiah 11:3) Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” 1 John 5:4-5 “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

V23-24 – Paul makes a very simple argument here. If God, in the salvation of the Gentiles, made those who were not His people become His people, and grafted those who were not part of His olive tree into His olive tree, then how much more can God graft branches that originally came from His olive tree back into that olive tree. If God can do this amazing thing in bringing Gentiles into the Kingdom, it’s certainly not beyond God to bring His own ancient people back into the Kingdom. Paul is asserting here that all Jewish people who embrace Christ by faith will be grafted into the body of Christ. He’s hoping for Israel, and he’s talking about God’s ability to save.

And as has been typical of Paul throughout this 3 chapter span of Romans 9-11, he emphasizes God’s sovereignty in salvation without downplaying human responsibility to come to Christ and persevere in faith. V23 shows both truths: “If they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” Paul emphasizes God’s ability to actually save the lost and the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ. He’s not saying that since God is able to save, maybe He’s going to save in some other way than faith in Jesus Christ. No, God saves by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That’s it.

And in v24, Paul offers one more argument to the doubting Gentile Christians. Picture them saying that the Jews are too far gone, they are beyond saving, there’s no hope for them now, it’s too late. Paul says essentially that it will be easier for God to graft the Jewish people into their own olive tree than it was to bring the Gentiles and graft them into the cultivated olive tree from which they did not spring. The Westminster Confession of Faith, written long ago by our reformation-era brothers in faith, has this to say from chapter 25 section 1: “The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof, and is the spouse and body and fullness of Him that fill us all and all.” That’s exactly what Paul is emphasizing here, the spiritual unity of the people of God.

In closing, take 3 truths from the last 2 verses alone: First, God is sovereign in salvation and we are responsible to believe. Second, faith is the way of salvation and God’s sovereignty is not an argument against the fact that we must believe the Gospel with saving faith. Third, when God saves us, He brings us into spiritual unity, one family, one body, one tree, one church. That’s His plan.