|
THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 36, OCTOBER 6, 2002 ROMANS
11, CAN A CHRISTIAN FALL?
There are so many passages to which we could go that clearly teach that
it is possible for a Christian to so sin as to lose his or her salvation.
I want to look at just one of them in this article.
We will be considering Romans 11:17 – 29.
The eleventh chapter of Romans begins with Paul using himself as an
example to show that the rejection of the Jewish nation as the chosen people of
God had nothing to do with the salvation of individual Jews.
Bear in mind that the epistle to the Romans was written primarily to
Gentiles. In verses 13 – 15, Paul
wrote, “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles.
Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if
somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.
For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will
their acceptance be but life from the dead?”
It was Paul’s hope that as he fulfilled his mission as the Apostle to
the Gentiles, that some of his fellow Jews would be moved to jealousy by his
work and investigate the testimony concerning Jesus as the Christ and become
believers even as Paul. It is
important to note that salvation is an individual thing.
The fact that the Jewish nation had been cast away did not bring about
the reconciliation of the whole world and the fact that some of them would be
accepted would not mean that all Jews would be restored to God’s favor.
Reconciliation was offered to the whole world and all Jews have the
opportunity to be saved. Anyone, Jew
or Gentile, who is outside of the body of Christ is dead in their sins.
The conversion of any sinner to Christ is “life from the dead.”
Verses 17 – 21 tell us, “But if some of the branches were broken
off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became
partakers with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant
toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who
supports the root, but the root supports you.
You will say then, Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted
in. Quite right, they were broken
off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith.
Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural
branches, neither will He spare you.” In discussion of this passage, we must be careful not to stretch the illustration beyond what it was intended to teach. Those Jews who did not accept Christ, even though it was through the Jewish nation that He came, were broken off. Gentiles, depicted in the illustration as the wild olive tree, were grafted in due to their belief and obedience to Christ. But this was no cause for boasting on the part of the Gentile Christians. Yes, the rejection of the Jews for unbelief had hastened the preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, and the Gentiles who believed were grafted in because of their belief. However, if they stopped believing, and that includes obeying, then they too would be cut off just like the unbelieving Jews. If God did not close His eyes to the unbelief of the Jews, even though they had been the people chosen of God through whom the Messiah came, how could the Gentiles think that God would close His eyes to their unbelief?
Verses 22 – 29 say, “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.
And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted
in; for God is able to graft them in again.
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
shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest
you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to
Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will
be saved; just as it is written, The deliverer will come from Zion, He will
remove ungodliness from Jacob. And
this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.
From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but
from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the
fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Saving some through faith and cutting off others because of their lack of
faith demonstrates the goodness and the severity of God.
Because of unbelief the Jews had been cut off.
Because of their faith, the believing Gentiles had been grafted in.
Whether a person is cut off or grafted in, Jew or Gentile, depends upon
their faith or their lack of faith. If
a Jew turned back to God through faith in Christ, he or she would be grafted
back in. If a believing Gentile
stopped believing, he or she would
be cut off.
It is important that we do not misunderstand verse 26,
where Paul writes, “and thus all One more point was made by Paul. God had selected Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the line through whom the Messiah would come. He had not repented of that selection. As the Gentiles had received mercy and become believers, so too could the unbelieving Jews.
|