11:17-24 How are we to understand what Paul says here?

Paul uses the analogy here of the branches of a wild olive tree being engrafted to a cultured olive tree which has had some of its branches broken off, to illustrate how apostate Israel has been temporarily set aside by God, and the gospel given to the Gentiles. The Gentiles are represented by the branches of the wild olive tree that have been grafted to the cultured olive tree (CP Eph 3:3-6 with 1Cor 12:12-13 and Ga 3:28-29).

Apostate Israel is represented by the branches of the cultured olive tree that have been broken off (CP Jer 11:16-17). In Ro 11:18-22 Paul warns the Gentiles against believing they are superior to the Jews because the gospel has been taken from the Jews and given to them.

This is a solemn warning for Gentiles against being contemptuous of Jews. The Gentiles were not preferred over the Jews, but were given the gospel because they received it by faith. Israel lost it because of unbelief (CP Ac 13:44-47; Ro 9:30-33; 10:1-4). But the fact that the Jews no longer have the gospel does not entitle the Gentiles to brag about it, because the life-source of the Gentiles is rooted in the covenant blessings God bestowed upon Abraham and his descendants (CP Ro 11:13-14; 26-29; Ga 3:13-29).

It is the Gentiles who share in the blessings of the Jews, not the Jews who share in the blessings of the Gentiles (CP Isa 2:3; Lu 2:30-32; 24:47; Jn 4:21-22; Ro 3:1-2; 9:4-5). This teaching is also set forth for us under the figure of "the root of the fatness of the olive tree" in Ro 11:17 (CP V17-18).

Every Christian, Jews and Gentiles alike, draw their life from the common root, which represents the Jews, and it is only in the realm of grace that this grafting process could succeed, because as V24 teaches, it is contrary to nature to graft wild olive tree branches into a cultured olive tree, causing the branches to flourish and bring forth fruit unto everlasting life. Only God could do it, and Gentiles must never credit themselves with doing it, otherwise God will take the gospel from them and restore it to the Jews (CP V23-25).

The "fullness of the Gentiles" in V25 does not mean that every Gentile will be saved, but that in due course God's purpose will have been fulfilled in the Gentiles and He will then restore Israel as a nation to fellowship with Himself under Christ as Messiah, at Christ's second coming (CP 11:1-2, 12, 23, 26-29 with 1Sam 12:22; Psa 14:7; 94:14; Isa 10:20-27; 11:11-16; 27:12-13; 29:22-24; 59:20-21; Jer 23:3-8; 31:7, 31-34; Eze 6:8-10; 37:11-14; Joel 2:32; Mic 2:12-13; 4:6-8; 5:3-8; Zeph 2:7-9; 3:11-13; Zech 8:6-12; 12:8 - 13:1; Mt 24:30-31).

Paul's assertion in Ro 11:26 that all Israel will be saved also does not mean that every Jew who ever lived will be saved. Only those living at that time who accept Christ as their Saviour will be saved. In the analogy of the olive tree in Ro 11 Paul brings to a close the theme of grace and faith which he has been teaching throughout Romans from chapter 1

(see also comments on Ro 9:30-33, 10:4, 10:6-11, 10:12-13, 10:18-21, 11:1-10, 11:2, 11:4, 11:7-10, 11:16, 11:29, 11:32, 11:33-36; Rev 12:1-5, and 12:6 and author's studies The Old Covenant - Fulfilled in Christ and Completely Abolished in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), and Israel in God's eternal Purpose in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).

"Romans"