"Who are the natural branches in 11:24?"
They are the children of the Spirit of God and the faith of Abraham, not the biology of Abraham! If you believe that Paul was talking of the "biological" aspect of Israel rather than the spiritual faith of Abraham, then you HAVE MISUDERSTOOD THE ENTIRE BOOK OF ROMANS and the central aspect of the Gospel. (with all due respect)
The reason you fall into this error is because you have neglected to read the scriptures in context and in the order given to us by the Holy Spirit. Being open to the Holy Spirit includes being open to the order and context of His revelations. You attempt to read the book of Romans by isolating and beginning with Romans 11:26, "And so all Israel shall be saved". In addition, you bring a a preconceived idea of what this verse really means. Your understanding of this verse is not shaped by the earlier chapters of Romans as it should be, but by the many ideas, suggestions and images about modern Israel imposed upon your mind by the politics of Christians Zionism.
To understand Romans 11:26 in the context given by the Holy Spirit, you must first read the first 10 chapters of Roamans spirit of humility and openness to the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes our own fleshly zeal and ideas interfere with the guidance of the Spirit.
St. Paul had been a Pharisee and was very much in tune with the "biological" interpretation of the old covenant that modern talmudic rabbis follow today. Pharisees imposed man made traditions upon the Law and then followed the letter of this combination of law and tradition--a deadly concoction that produces arrogance and pride and alienates from God. The revelations in Roman that Paul received from God were meant to free the New Covenant Israel (the Church) from the deadly "biological" and carnal interpretation of the New Covenant and Gospel.
Paul begins in the first chapter of Romans by showing that Christ "was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" BUT "declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness". It was not the flesh of David that made Christ divine and acceptable to God but rather the divine and eternal spirit of the Son that lived in the flesh of David. The divine Spirit of Jesus sanctified the Davidic flesh and the man-Jewsu became fully divine. It is the divine Spirit of God in man that sanctifies and NOT the "biology" of David.
Paul then takes this central theme and uses it to distinguish between "biological Israel" and Isael of the spirit. Romans 2 28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
Then in Chapter three Paul applies the distinction between the old covenant Jews of the flesh and the New Covenant Jew of the Spirit to contrast the righteouness given by Christ through faith and the unattainable righteouness by the works of the work. Paul says in verse 20: "therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified..",
and completes the New Covenant idea by saying "But now the righteouness of God without the law is manifested...even the righteouness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ".
He concludes by saying in verse 28: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith WITHOUT the deeds of the law."
The "righteouness by the Law" and "biology" were the Pharisaical ideas of non-believers, but the true beievers under the old covenant always held to Abraham's righteouness throuh faith. ("ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUNESS")
In Galatians 3, the Holy Spirit clarifies God's promises and covenant with Abraham. The promises to Abraham were NOT made to the biological seeds of the descendants of Abraham but to the SEED singular, which was Christ and His Body.
""16": Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
"17": And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect."
Then in Romans 9, the Holy Spirit clarifies your confusion between the Israel of the flesh (biology) and the Israel of the Spirit.(Faith):
6: Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8: That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
The Holy Spirit tells us that the TRUE childen of Abraham are NOT the children of the flesh but the children of FAITH.
Abraham had several biological sons, but on the son of Isaac, the son of FAITH, inherited the promises. Ismael and the children of Keturah did not inherit the promises.
Isaac also had two biological sons, Jacob and Esau, but only Jacob, the son of FAITH, inherited the promises. The Spirit gives this as an analogy to help Christians understand that the children of God are "ISAELITES OF THE SPIRIT" Not of circumcision.
The Spirit confirms this revelation in Galatians 4 as a response to Jewish Chrsitians who wanted to return to the Law and "biology" of righteouness.
"21: Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22: For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23: But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24: Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25: For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26: But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27: For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28: Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29: But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30: Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
31: So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Then we arrive at the famous verse taken out of context by Christian Zionists: And so all Israel shall be saved"
Christians Zionists would have this verse mean that ALL BIOLOGICAL ISRAEL WOULD BE SAVED. If this were the interpretation, then the Scripture would have failed because tens of millions of Jews have died in the last 2000 years without receiving Christ. It cannot possibly mean that every BIOLOGICAL JEW from the point that Paul wrote this verse would be saved.
It means that ALL Israel THAT HAS THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM will be saved.
The Holy Spirit has alread explained in Ramans 9
6: Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8: That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." |
