Romans 11:23-24 - The Miracle of Restoration

Romans 11:23-24 - ²³ And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

Message: Being Grafted in, Again, Restored

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying: 


The Set Up
Paul continues to be on this theme or explanation of the grafting in of Gentiles. But it really seems to be talking about how God grafts in Gentiles and Jews. He does it based upon his gracious choice (11:5). 

From yesterday, verse 22 was kind of a challenging verse, that I'm not sure if I understood the complete meaning of it: Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

The phrase "if you continue in His kindness" mesmerized me. According to the Table Talk guide they felt like this wasn't referring to someone losing their salvation, but instead was speaking to the entire Gentile nation, in the same way previously where verses had spoken of the entire Jewish nation. I guess in the context of this particular chapter and these verses, that would seem to make sense as the texts have been talking about corporate Jewish and Gentile nation in the verses. 

Graft in Again - 23
And so now in verse 23, Paul makes the proclamation that if the Gentiles or really anyone does not continue in their unbelief they will be grafted in again. Again, the language here, I see could be somewhat confusing, but to me it is coming from different perspectives. 

God grafts in. It is God's kindness. It is God's foreknowledge. But, it is man's belief. It is man not having pride in his belief or position. It is man not falling from the truth. SO, in some ways these verse give the non-Christian hope. God is not unshakeable. God knows the saved and chooses people, but God's choosing is not random. 

Maybe what Paul is wanting to get across to people is that God is not random because there is obviously potential to think this about God based upon his choosing. But, I definitely do see that he does not choose empty vessels. He doesn't go out and choose people that have no faith or state no belief or make no proclamation of God in their life. God is not random. 

God restores people from all walks of life - 24
In verse 24 mentions olive trees. It mentions a wild tree, a cultivated tree, and then an "own" tree. The final tree being one that people are now a part of, for it is the own tree. Could it be that Paul is simply describing trees of all different sorts or different backgrounds where God restores people to himself? There are wild trees and cultivated trees, so there are people from different backgrounds, but in the end people become part of the grafted in ones, whether they are Jews or Gentiles or whatever. 


Promise: The Lord is able to bring people back to himself, from all walks of life.