If You Continue...

February 27th, 2025
by Dr. Lance Waldie

Romans 11:19-22 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Having warned the Gentile believers in Rome to refrain from an arrogant attitude toward the unbelieving Jews, Paul anticipated the Gentile response in v. 19 which might tend to reflect the false notion that Jewish unbelievers were broken off to simply to make room for Gentile believers. But the real reason they were broken off was because of their unbelief. And the real reason Gentiles were grafted in was because of their belief, or faith. This should have brought fear to Gentiles, for if God was willing to discipline the physical descendants of Abraham in this way, then Gentile believers ought not be too smug about their salvation, especially in light of the fact that many of them had indeed become arrogant, even anti-Semitic. After all, it was Jewish arrogance, based upon the false notion that being physical descendants of Abraham made them loved by God, that proved to be their downfall. Gentiles Christians were warned by Paul in v. 20 to not make the same mistake but rather to “fear”—to respect God, not disdain Israel.

The truth of the matter is that Christians “stand by… faith.” Some have defined what being a Christian is in colorful ways, but the bottom line is faith. It is no different for the Jew, for salvation has nothing to do with one’s nationality, education, or socio-economic status. Faith is a gift given by God to His elect, those whom He draws to Jesus (John 6:44). So there is no room for arrogance. Those who display arrogance likely have no saving faith. Paul warned the Corinthians in a similar way: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Similarly, Paul told the Ephesians: “Remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:11-12). If God was willing to cut off the unbelievers in Israel, then false believers within the Church should certainly fear the same.

It is vital to note that this passage is not warning Christians that they can actually lose their salvation or that they should pray every day to be forgiven in case they did that day. The local church today is largely Gentile, and it is filled with heretics and apostates who deny, among other things, the authority, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Scriptures. Many even reject the full deity and humanity of Christ and yet call themselves Christians. It seems clear that Christ’s warnings to the churches in Revelation 2-3 reveal that there are all kinds of unbelievers in churches today. Some are feigning belief while others will indeed apostatize from the faith.

In v. 22 Paul admonishes all to note God’s “kindness” (Gr. chrēstotēs) and “severity” (Gr. apotomia). The former is revealed in God’s willingness to bring Gentiles into the Israelite family through faith; the latter in His willingness to break off any branch that does not stand by faith. Those who have saving faith persevere and fear—evidence of genuine, sincere saving faith.

Food For Thought
In ancient Israel there were many Jews who did not have Abraham’s faith, but they still enjoyed the blessings given to the believing remnant in Israel. The same is true in the Church today where unbelievers within our churches taste the blessings of God. Yet they only have a limited time to believe. If they fall away after a time, there can be no restoration (cf. Heb. 6:4-8).