Chapter # 11 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
January 20, 2019
Humble, Texas

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1769 Translation:
15 For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches.

1901 ASV Translation:
15 For if the casting away of them [is] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead?
16 And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

• I. This Text Is A Restatement of Paul's Earlier Claim That God's Reaction To Israel Led to Salvation Being Extended into the Nations.
  • A. In 11:11 Paul raised the already-discussed question of Israel's future once again.
    • 1. In 11:1 Paul raised the question of whether God's reaction to Israel's persistent disbelief and argumentative spirit was "to cast away His people".
      • a. Key to his meaning is the term translated "cast away".
      • b. Also key to his meaning is his emphatic denial that, whatever "cast away" does mean, it is not a legitimate description of God's response to Israel's persistent rejection of Him.
    • 2. In 11:2 Paul identifies those whom God did not cast away: "His people".
      • a. This group is further characterized as "His people whom He foreknew".
      • b. Then Paul goes further to posit his "remnant" theology: a group existing within the larger group known as "Israelites". This theology was more fully addressed earlier in Romans 9. There is confusion here in the understanding of many, but it can be handled by realizing the various uses by Paul of "Israel/Israelite".
      • c. By this Paul acknowledges that God did, indeed, "cast off" some who were known as "Israelites", but not all because of the existence of "the remnant" who were also known as "Israelites".
  • B. Thus, when Paul explained that God's dealings with national Israel resulted in "salvation to the nations", he was returning to the earlier texts of Romans 9 and 11:1 and following.
• II. Then Paul expanded his "salvation to the nations" thesis by addressing "salvation" and "the nations" in greater particularity.
  • A. First, "salvation" is expanded into his "riches" thesis with two declarations.
    • 1. "Riches" in regard to "the world".
    • 2. "Riches" in regard to "the nations".
  • B. Second, as clear from the immediately above expanded "riches" thesis, he expanded his "nations" thesis by referring to "the world" and then "the nations".
  • C. And these "expansions" included an expansion of "Israel's" transgression issues.
    • 1. First, there is the use of "transgression" leading to "riches" to the world.
    • 2. Then, there is the use of "failure to obtain" leading to "riches" to the nations.
  • D. He climaxed this argument by pointing to a future "fulness" of "Israel" and what it will mean to the "world" and the "nations".
• III. Now, in This Current Text, We Are Given a Further Expansion.
  • A. In this further expansion, Paul argues that God did, indeed, have a negative reaction to the wickedness of Israel, The Hardened.
    • 1. This "reaction" is confused by the Authorized Version by again using "cast away" as if Paul repeated himself from 11:1, where we also read "cast away" but have an emphatic denial attached. The NASB follows the same error, translating the verb that describes God's reaction as "rejected" and, then, in our current text translating that reaction again as "rejection". The fact is that Paul used an entirely different word in 11:15 than he used in 11:1. There is emphatic denial attached to 11:1 and frank acknowledgment of the reality in 11:15.
    • 2. We have, therefore, a need to understand both terms in their sentences.
  • B. Also in this further expansion, Paul puts forth another of God's actual reactions: reconciliation in the face of "casting away".
  • C. Then he points again to the future of Israel in terms of "the receiving of them" and points to God's response for the "world". He calls it "life from the dead".
• IV. Then Paul Argues Again That God Did Not Permanently Forsake "National" Israel.
  • A. If the "firstfruit" (the early stages of National Israel) is "holy", then the final crop is also.
  • B. If the "root" (the early stages of National Israel) is "holy", then so are the final branches.

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This is article #103.
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