Ask Dr. Couch (#431)

Dr. Couch, in Romans 11:13-25, is the church, the Gentiles, being placed into the natural branches, Israel? I hear confusing things about this passage.

ANSWER:  Of course not! And that is dumb, de dumb, dumb! It is the sorry view of the covenant guys who do not have the ability to read! Remember, they want what they want, when they wants it! They have a theological agenda, and they do not allow the Bible to speak for itself!

   From the root or trunk of blessing, the Jews who were the natural branches, were broken off, and the Gentiles, who were the wild olive branches were grafted into the place of blessing (vv. 19-20). The natural branches were broken off because of unbelief. The wild olive branches, the Gentiles, were grafted in to the place of blessing, the root.

   But someday, the wild olive branches will be broken off from the place of blessing. "For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you (Gentiles), or leave you in the place of blessing" (v. 21). The Jews, the natural branches, will also "if they do not continue in their unbelief, be grafted back in (to the root of blessing); for God is able to graft them in again" (v. 23). 

   The Gentiles who come from a wild olive tree, "were grafted in contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these (Jews) who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?" (v. 24). You Gentiles, "do not be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in" (v. 25).

   The root or the natural tree trunk represents a place of blessing. It does not represent Israel. It is not Israel being a natural branch "of Israel." That does not make sense. Israel, the Jews, were by nature part of the natural olive tree, but were cut out because of unbelief, and, the wild olive branch, the Gentiles, were grafted into their place to receive the sap of blessing, whereby they received for a time salvation. The Jews will someday be put back in their rightful place, and the Gentiles, the church, will lose its place of blessing.

   I do not know how much more clear this can be! But the covenant guys want the church to somehow be Israel. That won't work! They need to learn how to read!

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch