Romans 11:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.

NIV: And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

NASB: And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.

CSB: And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again.

NLT: And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree.

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

NKJV: And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Paul has already implied that one day Israel will return to her special relationship with God as her people come to faith in Christ. Paul seems confident that is Israel's future. Now, for the first time, he adds that being pruned from God's olive tree, as an unproductive branch is broken off, is not necessarily the end of the story for these Israelites. The reason they were taken off the main trunk was a refusal to believe in Christ as the Messiah and an insistence on proving their righteousness to God by following the law.

Paul now writes, though, that these discarded branches can be grafted back onto the tree if they don't continue to reject Christ in their unbelief. Paul is clear: God has the power to do this. He can grant His people Israel their rightful place on the olive tree when and if they trust in Christ. This ability to be grafted back in, after being "cut off" is further evidence that Paul's discussion here is not about eternal salvation, but about fellowship with God.

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.

Accessed 4/30/2024 5:06:41 PM