Question
Please explain the grafting analogy of the olive tree in Romans 11:17-24
Response
Anytime God uses an illustrative analogy in His word, (or for that matter anytime when even we ourselves use one), there is always the possibility of reading too much into it by not keeping what is said strictly within the confines established by the context in which the analogy is used. And personally I think the illustrative analogy in Romans :- suffers a great deal from this. I think frequently we try to make too much out of it; make it say more than God has designed it to say; and we do this again by not sticking to the confines and dictates of the context. With this particular illustrative analogy I am persuaded that if we use it to say anything more than what is stated in the confines of verses - immediately preceding it and verses - immediately following it, then we are making it say more than God intends it to say, and as such we are misusing it and/or abusing it. e illustrative analogy is designed to do no more than illustrate the truth of verses -, and by so doing provide for establishing within our thinking the particular understanding set forth at the conclusion inverse -.
My understanding is that the immediate context of Romans :- is strictly dealing with the doctrine that God is not done with Israel in His plan and purpose, even though His program with them now is not continuing on and He has turned to us Gentiles. God has not “cast away his people,” as Paul makes clear in the opening of chapter . And neither have “they stumbled that they should fall,” as he declares in verse . But rather, as Paul goes on to teach, God has only temporarily suspended His program with Israel; He has every intention of both resuming and fulfilling His program with them; and we believing Gentiles in this present dispensation need to understand this and view things properly in accordance with it. Israel is still “holy,” or set apart unto God for His use. He hasn’t changed His mind about them, or altered His plan and purpose with them. He hasn’t made us believing Gentiles in this present dispensation to assume Israel’s purpose, or vica-versa. Rather God has just temporarily suspended His program with Israel and put the fulfillment of His program and purpose with them in abeyance while He fulfills the separate and distinct purpose He has with us now in this present dispensation. And it is the particular issue of us understanding this, and viewing things properly regarding both us and Israel in accordance with it, which is now strictly the subject matter of what God has Paul set forth in :-.
A brief synopsis of my understanding of the illustrative analogy portion of the passage is as follows: rough the use of the “good olive tree” Paul is citing the issue of the position of spiritual privilege and honor from God that belongs to Israel by nature in view of God’s plan and purpose with it. (In His program and dealings with Israel God repeatedly uses various trees to stand for particular things about Israel. For example the “vine” tree is used in connection with Israel’s nation-hood in God’s sight and issues pertaining to it, and the fig tree” in connection with their religious life and issues pertaining to it. In like manner the “olive tree” is used in connection with the spiritual privileges and honor Israel possesses in God’s sight being the object of God’s peculiar interest, care, and tending.) And Israel possesses just such a privileged position in God’s sight in view of God’s purpose with it. As such, Israel by nature is a “good olive tree” in God’s sight; cultivated by God and tended to by Him. We Gentiles, however, possessed no such privileged position before God, and hence are referred to as being “a wild olive tree”; not cultivated, being “wild,” and not specially tended to by God.
However when God suspended His program with Israel and turned to us Gentiles, He did as the analogy sets forth. He broke off some of the natural branches and graed in branches from the “wild olive tree.” He therefore removed some from the position of privilege and honor, and replaced them with others. And the others are now in the position of privilege and honor instead of the original ones. And God did things this way, as the analogy sets forth, because He is not done with Israel. God did not uproot the “good olive tree,” nor cut it down, nor do anything to it indicative of no longer dealing with it. Rather He simply broke off some of the branches in accordance with temporarily suspending dealing with them in the position of privilege and honor from Him, and He graed others into the position of privilege and honor to be partakers of it for a while. And that is the position that we believing Gentiles are in this dispensation of God’s grace. We are temporarily in the position of privilege and honor for as long as God continues to show His goodness to the Gentiles as a whole. But once God discontinues to show His goodness to the Gentiles as a whole, then we will be “cut off’ from the position of privilege and honor. And in connection with doing so God will graft back in the natural branches that were broken off so that we could be graed in, and God will resume dealing with the natural branches back in their natural position of privilege and honor before Him.
To be a bit more specific: When I read the word “thou” throughout verses -, including verse , I am persuaded that I am to understand that Paul is talking both to me and about me as the gospel-of-Christ-believing-Gentile that I am in this dispensation of grace, with the emphasis being placed particularly on me being the Gentile that I am. Since the context is dealing with the great dispensational change that God has made, and since Paul has made it clear a few verses previous that he is speaking to “you Gentiles,” I take it that in this section of Romans he wants me to be thinking about myself dispensationally as the believing Gentile that I am, (as well as Israel dispensationally), instead of thinking about my personal justification and sanctification “in Christ.” (I am personally justified and sanctified, of course, but that’s not the issue here in Romans . Again simply put the issue here now is what should my understanding be regarding Israel’s present status having fallen; what should my attitude be toward them; and what should my world-view (so to speak) be in view of this present dispensation of God’s goodness and grace to the Gentiles. As I understand the passage, all three of these issues are dealt with in verses ff and the doctrine is designed to effectually work within me to produce godly thinking in connection with all three.)
Hence with respect to verse I understand the statement “and thou standest by faith” to be the only truthful reason I can both hold and give for why I am right now grafted in among the branches of the good olive tree of spiritual privilege and honor in God’s sight, and thereby dispensationally possess a useful purpose and standing before God by partaking of the root/life and fatness of that olive tree. It’s not because I have any natural claim to it or right to be there. It’s not because the natural branches forfeited it and now it has come to me by default.
It’s not because of anything about which I can boast, or say I deserved it, merited it, had it coming to me, etc. e only truthful reason is because God suspended His program with Israel and in so doing broke off some of the branches that I might be grafted in to that privileged position. Then in His goodness and grace He turned His attention to the wild olive tree of the Gentiles to which I belonged by nature; He had the gospel of His grace in Christ preached unto me, which upon believing it He cut me out of that wild olive tree and grafted me into the good olive tree. And now from that position I can now bring forth fruit unto Him in this world being a partaker of the root and fatness of the good olive tree. However I am only in this dispensational position of privilege and honour because of faith in Christ and only for as long as God continues His goodness to the Gentiles as a whole. Hence by no means should I boast against the branches, nor be high-minded in any manner or form. Rather I should “fear” and act accordingly. For not only could God end this dispensational change at any time, but He will do so. At some time He will end it and go back to dealing with the natural branches, just as Paul goes on to make sure that I clearly understand.
This is the gist of my understanding of this illustrative analogy, for what it is worth. I therefore do not take the “good olive tree” to be representative of believing Israel, but to be as I have set forth. My understanding is that the “Israel of God” are those of Israel that God has been calling out from His nation in His program with them in accordance with that which He spake to Abraham, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” In particular when God suspended His program with Israel and brought in this dispensation of Gentile grace, the “Israel of God” were those of those of “the remnant according to the election of grace” that Paul refers to in Romans :. This included ones like Peter and the rest of Israel’s apostles, and those who believed the “gospel of the circumcision” preached by them. Hence for a time at the beginning of this present dispensation there was both “the new creature,” the church the body of Christ, and “the Israel of God” in existence. For this reason Paul cites both, for example, in Galatians :. And to me it is also evident that even though God suspended His program with Israel, the “Israel of God” in existence at that time were not to think that they had lost their distinct
hope as the “Israel of God,” or that God’s plan and purpose with them had changed or been adjusted, or anything like that. Instead they were to understand that their hope remained the same; the gis and calling of God regarding them were without repentance; and that they will realize their hope and fulfill what God had called them for when God concludes this present dispensation and resumes and fulfills His program with Israel
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
20001009 H59