For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Paul speaks directly to Gentile believers as the apostle of the Gentiles, deliberately honoring and magnifying that ministry. He does this to provoke his fellow Jews to jealousy and emulation so that some of them might be saved, for Israel has stumbled and fallen but not beyond recovery, since God has not cast away His people and they can return from unbelief and be restored. Through their fall and diminishing salvation has come to the Gentiles, becoming riches for the world and the reconciling of the world, and their fullness and receiving will bring far greater riches, even life from the dead. Gentile believers are wild olive branches grafted in among the natural branches to partake of the root only by faith, while some natural branches were broken off through unbelief but will be grafted back into their own tree when they do not remain in unbelief, so Gentiles must not boast or be highminded but fear and continue in God's goodness or they also will be cut off. This calls for a great work to be done for the Jewish people with special wisdom, giving them every opportunity to come to the light and providing refuge and training for those who accept Christ, for Gentile inclusion does not exclude the Jews and many will be converted, and among them God has mighty men who will proclaim the truth with wonderful power.
Paul Speaks to Gentiles
Paul turns his speech directly to Gentile believers, declaring himself the apostle of the Gentiles and deliberately honoring and magnifying that ministry. To magnify his office means to honor the appointment by fully doing its work. He magnifies his Gentile ministry with his fellow Jews in view, to provoke his flesh and kinsmen to jealousy and emulation. His aim in stirring them in this way is that by that means some of them might be saved.
Israel has stumbled and fallen, but not so as to fall beyond recovery. God has not cast away His people, and their failure was not final. Those who do not remain in unbelief can return and be restored. Through Israel's fall and diminishing, salvation has come to the Gentiles. That fall became riches for the world and riches for the Gentiles, and their casting away became the reconciling of the world.
If their fall and diminishing brought such riches, their fullness and receiving will bring far greater riches. Their receiving will be as life from the dead. In that restoration they will share fully in the riches and life that come through their reception.
Grafting Jews and Gentiles
Gentile believers are as branches of a wild olive tree grafted in among the natural branches, made partakers of the root and fatness of the good olive, and they partake only by faith. Some of the natural branches were broken off because of unbelief, yet the seed of Israel need not remain in unbelief but may be grafted back again into their own olive tree. That re-grafting is into the true stock, which is Christ Jesus. Those who accept Christ after being cut off from their people are to be sheltered, taught, and trained to work for their own people, with Gentile believers helping to provide that refuge.
Those who stand do so by faith, and therefore must not boast against the branches, must not be highminded and must not despise the Jews, but must fear and continue in God's goodness, for if they fail to continue they also shall be cut off. Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, and so all Israel shall be saved, because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. It was God's purpose that His grace should be revealed among the Gentiles as well as among the Israelites, as plainly outlined in Old Testament prophecies.
The rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles belongs to the deep things of God and the deep mysteries and doctrines that finite beings comprehend little and that few try to ascertain. It requires deep thought to understand, and understanding grows as God's Word is opened to the understanding, for the Bible is progressive in its communication of intelligence. The Bible presents beautiful truths that all may understand, yet it also contains such deep mysteries, and nothing in it is to be misinterpreted, misapplied, or weakened as only lightly inspired, for God's Word is fully inspired and God does nothing by halves. The teaching rises to praise of the depth of the riches of God's wisdom and knowledge, and of the unsearchableness of His judgments and His ways past finding out.
Work for Jewish People
Romans 11 belongs to careful study because it lays out a great work to be done for the Jewish people. That work must not be ignored, but must be carried out with special wisdom and righteousness. God's people are to receive divine wisdom for it, to clear the King's highway in all wisdom and righteousness. The aim is to give the Jews every opportunity of coming to the light.
This work includes providing a refuge for Jews who accept Christ and are cut off from their own people. There they are to be sheltered and taught. They are then to be trained to labor for their own people.
The inclusion of the Gentiles does not exclude the Jews, and the Jews must not be despised. Many Jews will be converted. Among them God has mighty men who will come to the light and proclaim the truth and the immutability of His law with wonderful power.
The line of teaching in the chapter rises toward consecrated religious duty. Believers are to present the body a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice. They are to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that they may prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. They are to think soberly according to the measure of faith given to every man, with each member doing the distinct work fitted to his capability so that all blend in a complete whole.
To magnify an office is to honor an appointed office by fully doing its work. So a superintendent magnifies his office by taking responsibility for the needs of the institution under his charge. He sees that those needs are presented and met.
Paul speaks directly to Gentile believers as the apostle of the Gentiles, deliberately honoring and magnifying that ministry. He does this to provoke his fellow Jews to jealousy and emulation so that some of them might be saved, for Israel has stumbled and fallen but not beyond recovery, since God has not cast away His people and they can return from unbelief and be restored. Through their fall and diminishing salvation has come to the Gentiles, becoming riches for the world and the reconciling of the world, and their fullness and receiving will bring far greater riches, even life from the dead. Gentile believers are wild olive branches grafted in among the natural branches to partake of the root only by faith, while some natural branches were broken off through unbelief but will be grafted back into their own tree when they do not remain in unbelief, so Gentiles must not boast or be highminded but fear and continue in God's goodness or they also will be cut off. This calls for a great work to be done for the Jewish people with special wisdom, giving them every opportunity to come to the light and providing refuge and training for those who accept Christ, for Gentile inclusion does not exclude the Jews and many will be converted, and among them God has mighty men who will proclaim the truth with wonderful power.
Paul Speaks to Gentiles
Paul turns his speech directly to Gentile believers, declaring himself the apostle of the Gentiles and deliberately honoring and magnifying that ministry. To magnify his office means to honor the appointment by fully doing its work. He magnifies his Gentile ministry with his fellow Jews in view, to provoke his flesh and kinsmen to jealousy and emulation. His aim in stirring them in this way is that by that means some of them might be saved.
Israel has stumbled and fallen, but not so as to fall beyond recovery. God has not cast away His people, and their failure was not final. Those who do not remain in unbelief can return and be restored. Through Israel's fall and diminishing, salvation has come to the Gentiles. That fall became riches for the world and riches for the Gentiles, and their casting away became the reconciling of the world.
If their fall and diminishing brought such riches, their fullness and receiving will bring far greater riches. Their receiving will be as life from the dead. In that restoration they will share fully in the riches and life that come through their reception.
Grafting Jews and Gentiles
Gentile believers are as branches of a wild olive tree grafted in among the natural branches, made partakers of the root and fatness of the good olive, and they partake only by faith. Some of the natural branches were broken off because of unbelief, yet the seed of Israel need not remain in unbelief but may be grafted back again into their own olive tree. That re-grafting is into the true stock, which is Christ Jesus. Those who accept Christ after being cut off from their people are to be sheltered, taught, and trained to work for their own people, with Gentile believers helping to provide that refuge.
Those who stand do so by faith, and therefore must not boast against the branches, must not be highminded and must not despise the Jews, but must fear and continue in God's goodness, for if they fail to continue they also shall be cut off. Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, and so all Israel shall be saved, because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. It was God's purpose that His grace should be revealed among the Gentiles as well as among the Israelites, as plainly outlined in Old Testament prophecies.
The rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles belongs to the deep things of God and the deep mysteries and doctrines that finite beings comprehend little and that few try to ascertain. It requires deep thought to understand, and understanding grows as God's Word is opened to the understanding, for the Bible is progressive in its communication of intelligence. The Bible presents beautiful truths that all may understand, yet it also contains such deep mysteries, and nothing in it is to be misinterpreted, misapplied, or weakened as only lightly inspired, for God's Word is fully inspired and God does nothing by halves. The teaching rises to praise of the depth of the riches of God's wisdom and knowledge, and of the unsearchableness of His judgments and His ways past finding out.
Work for Jewish People
Romans 11 belongs to careful study because it lays out a great work to be done for the Jewish people. That work must not be ignored, but must be carried out with special wisdom and righteousness. God's people are to receive divine wisdom for it, to clear the King's highway in all wisdom and righteousness. The aim is to give the Jews every opportunity of coming to the light.
This work includes providing a refuge for Jews who accept Christ and are cut off from their own people. There they are to be sheltered and taught. They are then to be trained to labor for their own people.
The inclusion of the Gentiles does not exclude the Jews, and the Jews must not be despised. Many Jews will be converted. Among them God has mighty men who will come to the light and proclaim the truth and the immutability of His law with wonderful power.
The line of teaching in the chapter rises toward consecrated religious duty. Believers are to present the body a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice. They are to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that they may prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. They are to think soberly according to the measure of faith given to every man, with each member doing the distinct work fitted to his capability so that all blend in a complete whole.
To magnify an office is to honor an appointed office by fully doing its work. So a superintendent magnifies his office by taking responsibility for the needs of the institution under his charge. He sees that those needs are presented and met.