Romans 11:17
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“And if some of the branches be broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were graffed in among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree.”
Who are the “olive trees” mentioned here?
Realize that Romans is written to a congregation of Gentiles. Gentiles are the “olive tree” that is “wild by nature” (Rom 11:24). Israel is the natural “branches…broken off” (Rom 11:17 and latter half of Rom 11:24). The context is that God can call Gentiles, even to the exclusion of Israelites who received the promises directly. But Rom 11:20 explains that Gentiles should be humble, or they can also be broken off (Rom 11:21). The “mystery” here is explained in Rom 11:25. Israel has largely been blinded in this age (God has called any number of physical Israelites), while God brings the initial number of Gentile callings to its “fullness.”
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