For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
If the first portion set apart is holy, all that shares in it is holy, and if the root is holy, the branches that draw life from it are holy as well. The holy root is Christ Jesus the true stock in whom the Jews stand as the natural branches belonging by origin, and the holy first portion is also the faithful remnant within Israel who received Him, so that the nation shares in the holiness of the fathers and can be restored. Some of the natural branches were broken off through unbelief, yet if they do not remain in unbelief God will graft them into their own olive tree again to share its life, while Gentiles as wild branches have been grafted in to partake of its nourishment and stand only by faith, borne by the root and not bearing it. Gentile believers must therefore not boast against or despise the Jews, but be humble and fear rather than high-minded, continuing in God's goodness while beholding both His goodness toward those who continue and His severity toward those who fell. The fall of the Jews brought riches and reconciling to the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy, so their fullness will be greater riches to the world and their receiving again will be as life from the dead, when mighty men among them receive present truth and proclaim it with power.
Firstfruit, Root and Branches
If the first portion set apart is holy, the whole mass that shares it is holy, and if the root is holy, the branches that share it are holy. The holiness of the firstfruit carries over to the lump, and the holiness of the root carries over to the branches. This is a principle of shared holiness between origin and what grows from it.
The holy root is Christ Jesus, the true stock. The Jews are the natural branches who by origin belong in Him. The seed of Israel may be grafted into Him when they accept Christ, to share His life and nourishment.
The holy firstfruit and root are the faithful remnant within Israel who accepted Jesus, so the verse speaks of that remnant and not of Israel's failure as a nation. Israel shares in the holiness of the fathers and can be restored to God. Though Israel failed as a nation, a holy remnant among them remained to be saved. They were the faithful men and women at the Saviour's advent who received the message of John with gladness, were led to study anew the prophecies concerning the Messiah, recognized Jesus of Nazareth as the One for whose advent they had been longing, and composed the early Christian church when it was founded.
Jews, Gentiles and Restoration
Some natural branches were broken off through unbelief, yet if they do not remain in unbelief God will graft them into their own olive tree again to share its life and nourishment. Their receiving again will be life from the dead and their fulness will be riches to the world, for Israel shares in the holiness of the fathers and can be restored to God. Branches separated through unbelief can thus be grafted back into the true stock when they no longer persist in unbelief.
Gentiles were grafted in as wild branches to partake of the root and fatness, and they stand only by faith. They bear not the root but are borne by it. The olive-tree picture teaches that branches grafted in share the root's nourishment.
Gentile believers must therefore not boast against or despise the Jews but be humble, not high-minded but fear, and continue in God's goodness. They are to behold both His goodness toward those who continue and His severity toward those who fell, knowing that God who spared not the natural branches will not spare them either if they fail and will cut them off too if they do not continue. The warning that branches may be broken off for unbelief and that grafted-in believers stand by faith teaches humility and caution.
The fall of the Jews brought riches and reconciling to the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy. So their fulness will be riches to the world and their receiving again will be life from the dead.
The Lord still has mighty men among the Jews who will receive the light of present truth and proclaim the truth and the immutability of God's law with wonderful power. Their holiness is connected with the holy root and firstfruit.
There is a special work outlined in this chapter for the Jews that must not be ignored but must be carried out with special wisdom and righteousness. The wisdom of God must come to His people to clear the King's highway in all wisdom and righteousness and to give the Jews every opportunity of coming to the light. Patient labor is to be given for the seed of Israel to come to Christ, with refuge, home, shelter and training provided for converted Jews cut off from their own people when they accept Christ, where they are sheltered and taught how to labor for their own people.
Holy Root, Holy Life
The verse stands at the close of Romans 11 where the argument breaks into praise of the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God and of His unsearchable judgments and ways, and that doxology leads directly into the duty set out in Romans 12 to present the body a living sacrifice, to be transformed by the renewing of the mind instead of being conformed to the world, and to think soberly according to the measure of faith. In that connection every member of the church is to do his own fitted class of work, with the varied parts blending into a complete whole.
Applied to the church, the principle that holiness of firstfruit and root extends to lump and branches, joined to the olive-tree warning that follows, forbids disparaging the agencies God has placed in it even though tares are among the wheat and evils are seen among Sabbath-keepers. Branches grafted in share the root's nourishment and have no reason to boast against branches broken off through unbelief, since they stand only by faith and bear not the root but are borne by it. They must therefore not be high-minded but fear, continuing in God's goodness and beholding both His goodness toward those who continue and His severity toward those who fell, knowing that God who spared not the natural branches will not spare them either if they fail and they too can be cut off. The church is not to be demerited because evils remain among its members; instead its leaders are to undertake its purification, and the warning teaches humility and caution rather than boasting against what God has appointed.
Acceptable fruit depends on a holy root, for only a holy root produces sound, healthful fruit acceptable to God. Talents and even the most splendid service, including business service, are rejected unless self is surrendered as a living, consuming sacrifice with a converted and consecrated heart and right motives. The root is the inner life made holy by deep, earnest heart work and consecration through surrender of the soul to God, and the fruit is service in unselfish use of ability to build up Christ's kingdom. Men must therefore first give themselves to God, and only then can they be workers for Him.
The root is the person's own heart and life made holy, with the soul-temple cleansed and piety, virtue and godliness revealed in the home life, and the fruit is the works growing from it, including training children and acts of benevolence and liberality. No service is accepted without entire consecration, and the value of good works lies in first giving the self to the Lord. Parents must first control themselves and prepare for the present and future life, since even the most splendid service is rejected without that full surrender. What comes from a root reflects the root's holiness, so applied to speech this means that unless the inner source is holy a person's words will not be sound or pleasing to God.
If the first portion set apart is holy, all that shares in it is holy, and if the root is holy, the branches that draw life from it are holy as well. The holy root is Christ Jesus the true stock in whom the Jews stand as the natural branches belonging by origin, and the holy first portion is also the faithful remnant within Israel who received Him, so that the nation shares in the holiness of the fathers and can be restored. Some of the natural branches were broken off through unbelief, yet if they do not remain in unbelief God will graft them into their own olive tree again to share its life, while Gentiles as wild branches have been grafted in to partake of its nourishment and stand only by faith, borne by the root and not bearing it. Gentile believers must therefore not boast against or despise the Jews, but be humble and fear rather than high-minded, continuing in God's goodness while beholding both His goodness toward those who continue and His severity toward those who fell. The fall of the Jews brought riches and reconciling to the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy, so their fullness will be greater riches to the world and their receiving again will be as life from the dead, when mighty men among them receive present truth and proclaim it with power.
Firstfruit, Root and Branches
If the first portion set apart is holy, the whole mass that shares it is holy, and if the root is holy, the branches that share it are holy. The holiness of the firstfruit carries over to the lump, and the holiness of the root carries over to the branches. This is a principle of shared holiness between origin and what grows from it.
The holy root is Christ Jesus, the true stock. The Jews are the natural branches who by origin belong in Him. The seed of Israel may be grafted into Him when they accept Christ, to share His life and nourishment.
The holy firstfruit and root are the faithful remnant within Israel who accepted Jesus, so the verse speaks of that remnant and not of Israel's failure as a nation. Israel shares in the holiness of the fathers and can be restored to God. Though Israel failed as a nation, a holy remnant among them remained to be saved. They were the faithful men and women at the Saviour's advent who received the message of John with gladness, were led to study anew the prophecies concerning the Messiah, recognized Jesus of Nazareth as the One for whose advent they had been longing, and composed the early Christian church when it was founded.
Jews, Gentiles and Restoration
Some natural branches were broken off through unbelief, yet if they do not remain in unbelief God will graft them into their own olive tree again to share its life and nourishment. Their receiving again will be life from the dead and their fulness will be riches to the world, for Israel shares in the holiness of the fathers and can be restored to God. Branches separated through unbelief can thus be grafted back into the true stock when they no longer persist in unbelief.
Gentiles were grafted in as wild branches to partake of the root and fatness, and they stand only by faith. They bear not the root but are borne by it. The olive-tree picture teaches that branches grafted in share the root's nourishment.
Gentile believers must therefore not boast against or despise the Jews but be humble, not high-minded but fear, and continue in God's goodness. They are to behold both His goodness toward those who continue and His severity toward those who fell, knowing that God who spared not the natural branches will not spare them either if they fail and will cut them off too if they do not continue. The warning that branches may be broken off for unbelief and that grafted-in believers stand by faith teaches humility and caution.
The fall of the Jews brought riches and reconciling to the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy. So their fulness will be riches to the world and their receiving again will be life from the dead.
The Lord still has mighty men among the Jews who will receive the light of present truth and proclaim the truth and the immutability of God's law with wonderful power. Their holiness is connected with the holy root and firstfruit.
There is a special work outlined in this chapter for the Jews that must not be ignored but must be carried out with special wisdom and righteousness. The wisdom of God must come to His people to clear the King's highway in all wisdom and righteousness and to give the Jews every opportunity of coming to the light. Patient labor is to be given for the seed of Israel to come to Christ, with refuge, home, shelter and training provided for converted Jews cut off from their own people when they accept Christ, where they are sheltered and taught how to labor for their own people.
Holy Root, Holy Life
The verse stands at the close of Romans 11 where the argument breaks into praise of the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God and of His unsearchable judgments and ways, and that doxology leads directly into the duty set out in Romans 12 to present the body a living sacrifice, to be transformed by the renewing of the mind instead of being conformed to the world, and to think soberly according to the measure of faith. In that connection every member of the church is to do his own fitted class of work, with the varied parts blending into a complete whole.
Applied to the church, the principle that holiness of firstfruit and root extends to lump and branches, joined to the olive-tree warning that follows, forbids disparaging the agencies God has placed in it even though tares are among the wheat and evils are seen among Sabbath-keepers. Branches grafted in share the root's nourishment and have no reason to boast against branches broken off through unbelief, since they stand only by faith and bear not the root but are borne by it. They must therefore not be high-minded but fear, continuing in God's goodness and beholding both His goodness toward those who continue and His severity toward those who fell, knowing that God who spared not the natural branches will not spare them either if they fail and they too can be cut off. The church is not to be demerited because evils remain among its members; instead its leaders are to undertake its purification, and the warning teaches humility and caution rather than boasting against what God has appointed.
Acceptable fruit depends on a holy root, for only a holy root produces sound, healthful fruit acceptable to God. Talents and even the most splendid service, including business service, are rejected unless self is surrendered as a living, consuming sacrifice with a converted and consecrated heart and right motives. The root is the inner life made holy by deep, earnest heart work and consecration through surrender of the soul to God, and the fruit is service in unselfish use of ability to build up Christ's kingdom. Men must therefore first give themselves to God, and only then can they be workers for Him.
The root is the person's own heart and life made holy, with the soul-temple cleansed and piety, virtue and godliness revealed in the home life, and the fruit is the works growing from it, including training children and acts of benevolence and liberality. No service is accepted without entire consecration, and the value of good works lies in first giving the self to the Lord. Parents must first control themselves and prepare for the present and future life, since even the most splendid service is rejected without that full surrender. What comes from a root reflects the root's holiness, so applied to speech this means that unless the inner source is holy a person's words will not be sound or pleasing to God.