Romans 11.22c-If Gentiles Do Not Continue To Respond To God's Kindness As Expressed By The Gospel, Then They Too Will Be Rejected By God
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday August 16, 2009
Romans: Romans 11:22c-If Gentiles Do Not Continue To Respond To God’s Kindness As Expressed By The Gospel, Then They Too Will Be Rejected By God
Lesson # 377
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 11:11.
This morning we will complete our study of Romans 11:22.
In this passage, we noted that Paul issues a command to his Gentile Christian readers in Rome to consider God’s kindness and uncompromising justice.
He issues this command in order that they might not become arrogant towards the Jews by thinking that they merit their salvation and the Jews do not.
Saved Gentiles like saved Jews stand by their faith in Christ and not on their own merits and unsaved Jews are rejected by God because of their lack of faith in Christ.
Therefore, Paul is teaching his readers that there is no reason whatsoever for you saved Gentiles to become arrogant towards either your fellow Jewish Christians or even the unsaved Jews since you experience God’s kindness because of your faith in Christ and not because you have more merit than the Jews.
In the correlative clause that appears after the command Paul teaches that unsaved Jews experienced God’s uncompromising justice in contrast to saved Gentiles who experienced God’s kindness.
This correlative clause sets up what Paul has to say in the third class condition, which we will note this morning where He warns his Gentile Christian readers that Gentiles will continue to experience God’s kindness if they continue to respond to God’s kindness.
They can only continue to experience God’s kindness as expressed in the gospel by exercising faith in Christ but if they don’t, God will reject them just as He rejected those Jews who rejected Christ.
This morning we will complete our study of Romans 11:22 by noting Paul’s use of a third class condition and a causal clause to warn his Gentile Christian readers that if the Gentiles do not continue to respond to God’s kindness as expressed by the gospel, then they too, like unsaved Jews will be rejected by God.
Romans 11:11, “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”
Romans 11:12, “Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!”
Romans 11:13, “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry.”
Romans 11:14, “If somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.”
Romans 11:15, “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”
Romans 11:16, “If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.”
Romans 11:17, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree.”
Romans 11:18, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.”
Romans 11:19, “You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’”
Romans 11:20, “Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear.”
Romans 11:21, “For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.”
Romans 11:22, “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.”
“If” is the conditional particle ean (e)avn) (eh-an), which is employed with the subjunctive mood of the verb epimeno, “you continue” in order to form the protasis of a third class condition.
The third class condition in Romans 11:22 indicates the “certain fulfillment in the future” that God’s kindness will be directed towards the Gentiles if they fulfill the condition of continuing to respond to God’s kindness by exercising faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
The protasis is “if you continue in His kindness.”
However, the apodasis is found in the expression “God’s kindness.”
So Paul is saying with this third class condition, “If you (Gentiles) continue to respond in faith to God’s kindness as expressed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then you (Gentiles) will continue to experience God’s kindness.”
“You continue” is the verb epimeno (e)pimevnw) (ep-ee-men-o), which means “to continue to respond” and is used in a figurative sense of the Gentiles persisting in an activity or state, which the context indicates is responding to God’s kindness in the sense of responding to the gospel by exercising faith in Christ.
Therefore, the word speaks of the Gentiles “continuing to respond” to God’s kindness as expressed in the gospel of Jesus Christ by exercising faith in Christ.
“In His kindness” is the articular dative feminine singular form of the noun chrestotes (xrhstovth$) (kray-sto-tace), which appears here for the third time in Romans 11:22 and once again means “kindness.”
The first time that the word appeared it referred to one of the functions of God’s holy person, namely, His kindness.
The second time it was used of saved Gentiles experiencing God’s kindness in the sense of experiencing their deliverance from Satan, his cosmic system, the sin nature, personal sins and eternal condemnation and receiving unmerited spiritual benefits because they exercised faith in Christ.
Now, the word appears in Romans 11:22 a third time and refers to the Gentiles responding to God’s kindness as expressed in the gospel of Jesus Christ
Therefore, the word is a synonym for the gospel.
Romans 11:22, “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.”
“Otherwise” is the conjunction epei (e)peiv) (ep-i), which is employed as a “causal” conjunction introducing a statement that presents an alternative result to experiencing God’s kindness if the Gentiles do not continue to respond to the gospel.
This word introduces a statement that presents the reason why Gentiles must continue to respond to the gospel by exercising faith in Christ, namely they too like the unsaved Jews will be rejected forever by God.
“You also will be cut off” indicates that if the Gentiles do not continue to respond to the gospel, then they too will be rejected by God just as He rejected those Jews who rejected the gospel.
Completed corrected translation of Romans 11:22: “Therefore, I solemnly charge you now to consider God’s kindness and uncompromising justice! On the one hand towards those who fell into complete ruin-uncompromising justice while on the other hand towards you-God’s kindness, if you continue to respond to His kindness otherwise you too will be cut off.”
Therefore, to summarize what we have learned in Romans 11:22, Paul firsts issues a command directed at his Gentile Christian readers, which is the result of an inference from his argument recorded in Romans 11:17-21.
Paul commands his Gentile Christian readers in Rome to consider God’s kindness and uncompromising justice.
In the correlative clause he contrasts unsaved Jews with saved Gentiles and teaches that those Jews who rejected Christ experience God’s uncompromising justice whereas those Gentiles who had faith in Christ experience His kindness.
In the third class condition, he also warns his Gentile readers that Gentiles will continue to experience God’s kindness if they continue to respond to God’s kindness as expressed in the gospel by exercising faith in Christ.
In the causal clause he presents the reason why they must continue to respond to the gospel by exercising faith in Christ, namely they too like the unsaved Jews will be rejected forever by God.