God's Kindness Can Be Rejected

Friends, Romans is full of encouraging words to those who obey Christ. It is filled with wonderful news. We should read it often. 

Countless preachers are tickling the ears of this generation. Many teach primarily teachings that are pleasant to the old nature. Many others teach false doctrines. Some are are wolves in sheep’s clothing. As a result, many who call themselves Christians are deceived.

I seek to bring to our attention the forgotten warnings of Jesus and his disciples. They challenge much of what we have been taught. Men even write books to refute the scriptures that warn us. I have chosen to believe them. I am not surprised I cannot fit them neatly into scriptures that appear to differ. I seek to serve the Lord and hide his warnings in my heart that I might not sin against him.   

Romans 11: ISV

Here we find Paul speaking of God’s moving his attention away from the Jews to the gentiles. God will move his attention back to the Jews in the future. Paul so wanted his fellow Jews to have salvation.

11And so I ask, “They have not stumbled so as to fall, have they?” Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to the gentiles to make the Jews jealous. 12Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their fall means riches for the gentiles, how much more will their full participation mean!

13I am speaking to you gentiles. Because I am an apostle to the gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in the hope that I can make my people jealous and save some of them. 15For if their rejection results in reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance bring but life from the dead? 16If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch. If the root is holy, so are the branches.

Paul is now comparing the Jews and gentiles as branches in a holy tree (God). In this picture, the Jews had been broken off as a result of not recognizing Jesus was the Messiah, while gentiles were believing and being grafted in. Jesus used this same warning in the garden.

17Now if some of the branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, 18do not boast about being better than the other branches. If you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 

·         19Then you will say, “Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted in.”

·         20That’s right! They were broken off because of their unbelief,

·         but you remain only because of faith.

·         Do not be arrogant, but be afraid! 

·         21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly will not spare you, either.

22Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God:

·         his severity toward those who fell,

·         but God’s kindness toward you—if you continue receiving his kindness.

Otherwise, you too will be cut off. 23If the Jewsn do not persist in their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, because God is able to graft them in. 24After all, if you were cut off from what is naturally a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier it will be for these natural branches to be grafted back into their own olive tree!

I believe these warnings are given to individual believers. I also believe they may be foreseeing this generation of believers who fill apostate churches. Multitudes are accepting doctrines of demons..They have raised up teachers to tickle their ears.