Branches Of The Olive Tree

Continuing on from my last post, All Israel Will Be Saved, there was much said by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans about the natural and unnatural, newly grafted-in branches of the olive tree. The natural branches represent the nation of Israel while the unnatural branches symbolise the Gentiles grafted into the people of God :

Romans 11:17-24 (NASB) 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, 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. 19 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. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

I can’t help thinking of John the Baptist’s words when I read what Paul is saying:

Luke 3:7-9 (ESV) 7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

A branch that bears fruit translates to human beings having a faith in God that results in evidence of that faith – fruit. John the Baptist is seen warning off hypocrites, a problem he could already see in many of his fellow-Israelites including Israel’s religious leaders. He is saying the same things as Paul is in his various letters. Now, tying this in with the last post on Israel being cut off from the olive tree and the Gentiles being grafted in as unnatural branches, Paul is saying that Israel lost its faith in God, something the OT prophets constantly were sent to draw them back to – that is, back to faith in God. Their lack of faith was evidenced in various ways including following their surrounding nations’ idolatrous, wicked, pagan, man-made inventions which had absolutely nothing to do with the true and only God of Israel. This was sheer apostasy.

Paganism and secularism are just as bad and harmful as each other. I call everyone who does not believe in the God of the Bible pagan, whether those in the occult and false religions or secularists, because there is only one God and He is the revealed God of both the Old and New Testaments. Secularists have as their god the belief in materialism or naturalism being the only permissible options for rational or scientific discussion. What Westerners generally know of as pagans are those who believe in false, misleading, man-invented deities. Both beliefs, paganism and secularism, are as bad and harmful as each other. Both result in defection from the God who calls them to repentance, faith and eternal life. God does the grafting of the branches into the olive tree. What humans do is repent and believe because God has called the whole world to Himself through the atoning work of Christ who died for all. So the grafting God does is a supernatural act that brings people of faith into the olive tree, His people, whether Jew or Gentile.