Romans 11:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.

NIV: Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.

NASB: Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;

CSB: True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware,

NLT: Yes, but remember — those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.

KJV: Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

NKJV: Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.

Paul has warned the Gentile Christians not to be arrogant toward the Jewish people. Though Israel had rejected faith in Christ as the way to be right with God, Gentile Christians are in no way superior or favored to the Jews. Paul has compared those Israelites to unproductive branches broken from a tree. Purely for the sake of this point, those people are like limbs deliberately pruned to make way for the new branches to be added: those new branches are the Gentiles.

That fact, Paul now writes, should cause a Gentile Christian to be even more humble about their place on that symbolic tree. The only difference between the broken off branches and the newly added branches is faith in Christ. Paul warns the Gentile Christians to hold tight to the branch by continuing in their faith in Christ.

Lest we lose sight of Paul's point here, this is not a suggestion that saved believers can lose their salvation. The analogy of branches and trees, so far as this specific statement goes, extends only to the idea that God has the right to add or remove branches. Since God removed Israel for their stubbornness and pride, He is more than able to do the same to Gentiles for their arrogance.

Instead of pride in their position, these non-Jewish believers should respect the consequences of drifting from the very faith that brought them to the tree in the first place (Hebrews 2:1). Instead of false confidence in themselves because of their position, the Gentile believers should fear the God who gave them that spot and took it away from the unbelieving Jewish people of their era.

Romans 11:11–24 describes why God has hardened Israel in her unbelief in Christ. It is to make room on God's figurative olive tree for the Gentile Christians. The old branches of unbelieving Jews have been broken off for now, and the new branches have been grafted in to the root. In turn, the salvation of so many Gentiles will provoke Israel to jealousy, drawing her back to God through faith in Christ when He removes the hardening of her unbelief. When that happens, after enough Gentiles have believed, the old branches of Jewish believers will be grafted back into the tree.

In Romans 11, Paul concludes his exploration of God's plan for His chosen people Israel. It's true that as a nation, Israel has rejected faith in Christ, but a remnant of Israelites has believed in Jesus. God has hardened the rest in unbelief, but will bring Israel back to faith when enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then many Israelites will trust in Christ, as well, and God will renew His covenant with His people. Paul concludes this section with a powerful poem or hymn about God's independence and how He is beyond our full comprehension.

Romans 11 concludes Paul's discussion about God's plan for the Israelites begun in Romans 9 and 10. Paul insists that, though Israel as a nation has rejected Christ, a remnant of Jewish Christians exists by God's grace. God has hardened the rest in their unbelief until enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then God will release Israel to believe in Christ and restore His covenant with her as many individual Jews come to faith in Christ, as well. Paul stands in awe of God's vast and unknowable mind and complete ownership of all things.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.