Romans 11: Part 6: Election and Restoration; The Unfathomable Riches of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God:

Remembering that Romans 11 deals with the restoration of the Nation of Israel and the salvation of Gentile Nations we continue where we left off in the last study at Romans 11:2121 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

: “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” This has nothing to do with the individual believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38 - 3938 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

, it has to do with the Gentile Nations vis-à-vis the Nation of Israel. The “natural branches” refer to the Nation of Israel and the warning to heed lest “God also spare not thee” is directed to the Gentile Nations. The Nation of Israel was set aside almost 2000 years ago when they rejected the offer of the Kingdom by Peter and the 12 as documented in the first part of Acts. Since then, it has been the “times of the Gentiles,” but that period will run its course at the Tribulation, which will end when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to rule over Israel and the Nations, Luke 21:24 - 2824 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

. Only then will God’s promises to Israel be finally and eternally fulfilled.

The next two verses are quoted with an explanation of the original Greek in parenthesis and italics, as Paul explains verse 21: “Behold therefore the goodness (G5444, moral excellence/ integrity) and severity (G663, found only in this verse, meaning decisiveness/ rigor/ roughness/ cutting off) of God: on (G1909) them (Israel) which fell, severity (G663); but toward (“on” G1909, same Greek as “on them”) thee (Gentile Nations), goodness (G5444), if thou continue in his goodness (G5444): otherwise, thou (Gentile Nations) also shalt be cut off. And they (Israel) also, if they (Israel) abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed (grafted) in: for God is able to graff (graft) them (Israel) in again.” Romans 11:22 - 2322 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

. God is the personification of good, but He cannot abide sin. Unbelief is sin and His character requires He deal with it with decisiveness/ rigor/ severely. A case in point is that He dealt with sin in a most severe way when He sent His own Son to die the terrible death of the cross for the sin/s of mankind.

“For if thou (Gentile Nations) wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed (grafted) contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these (Israel), which be the natural branches, be graffed (grafted) into their own olive tree?” Romans 11:2424 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

. The olive tree is named 3 times in this verse, but each is translated from a different form of Greek. The first, the wild by nature is from the Greek “agrielaios” (G65), found only here and in Romans 11:1717 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

; it is the oleaster olive tree that bears no fruit and refers to the Gentile nations. The second, the good olive tree is translated from the Greek “kalielaios,” (G2565) found only here in the NT; it is the domesticated olive tree that bears good fruit. The 3rd olive tree is a translation of the Greek word “elaia” (G1636) found 15 times in the NT where it is usually translated “olive.” As you can see, “elaia” is a part of the other two Greek words but the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use these forms of the Greek to differentiate between the Nation of Israel and the Gentile Nations. “For if thou (Gentile Nations) wert cut out of the olive tree (agrielaio - G65), which is wild by nature, and wert graffed (grafted) contrary to nature into a good olive tree (kalielaios - G2565): how much more shall these (Israel), which be the natural branches, be graffed (grafted) into their own olive tree (elaia - G1636)?” Romans 11:24.

When God first called out the Nation of Israel from other nations, He said: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou (Moses) shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:5 - 65 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

. God blessed them immeasurably, Romans 9:4 - 54 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

. They were, in type, chosen to be a good olive tree producing good fruit for the benefit and nourishment of all mankind. However, they failed, simply because they were unable to keep God’s commandments by their own works. Jeremiah’s prophesy about Israel’s judgement for their sins during his time also foretells what would happen to them many years later when they rejected their Messiah and the offer of the Kingdom by Peter and the 12: “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult, he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.” Jeremiah 11:14 - 1614 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

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God will someday in the future fulfil His promises and purpose for Israel: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Romans 11:2525 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

- 2725 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

. Verse 27 is a combined quote from 2 verses in Isaiah: “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.” Isiah 59:20 - 21. The Nation of Israel will be what God promised only when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and they are filled with His Spirit, as prophesied by Hosea: “I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.” Hosea 14:5 - 65 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

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“As concerning the gospel (the good news preached by Paul), they (Israel) are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election (chosen ones), they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.” Romans 11:28 - 3128 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

. Prior to the mystery or secret revealed to the Apostle Paul, Romans 16:2525 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

; Ephesians 3:1 - 41 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

, all Gentiles were without God in the world, Ephesians 2:1 - 51 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

, alienated from God, Colossians 1:2121 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

. After Israel was set aside, Gentiles were saved by the Gospel Paul preached, 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 41 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

. The Nation Israel was an enemy of Paul’s Gospel, they didn’t believe, but just as God’s mercy was bestowed on the Gentiles by the Gospel so will God’s mercy be bestowed on Israel because they were elected/chosen. “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” Romans 11:3232 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

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God chose (elected) Israel to be His people but because of sin they failed miserably to meet His standards. The 9th, 10th and 11th chapters of Romans are rife with quotations from the Old Testament documenting the promised restoration of Israel. Ezekiel 37:3 - 143 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

prophesied that God will breathe His life-giving Spirit into Israel, but nothing is mentioned how He would be justified in doing this, considering His inability to condone sin. So, the question; how could God justify restoring Israel to the position He promised them after what they have done? A committee of the smartest men and women on earth would not be able to figure this out, yea, neither Satan nor the angels could conceive of such a plan. The answer to this was not revealed; it was a mystery or secret until God revealed it to the Apostle Paul, Romans 11:25, Romans 16:25, Ephesians 3:1 - 4, etc. God made it possible to restore the Nation of Israel by sending His own son to suffer and die for their sin/s (as well as the sin/s of both individual Jews and Gentiles during the last almost 2000 years), Romans 3:21 - 3121 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

. Thus, the Apostle climaxes the revelation of God’s plan: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:33 - 3633 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

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