Romans 11:23

23 Yea, and they shall be set in, if they dwell not in unbelief. For God is mighty, to set them in again. [But, and they shall be inset, if they shall not dwell in unbelief. Forsooth God is mighty, again to inset them.]

Romans 11:23 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 11:23

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief
The apostle suggests that the Jews also might be recovered and brought into a Gospel church state, provided they did not continue in infidelity; but inasmuch as they seem to lie under invincible ignorance, obstinacy, and unbelief, and were such bitter enemies to the Gospel, and abhorrers of Gospel ordinances, and a Gospel church state; yea, that they must and will abide in unbelief, unless the Spirit of God convinces them of it, and it is given to them to believe in Christ, and they are powerfully drawn by the Father to come to the Son, there is no possibility or likelihood that they

shall be grafted in,
or taken into a Gospel church state; to which the apostle answers, and argues for their ingrafting, and the possibility of it from the power of God:

for God is able to graft them in again;
as many of them were in the times of the apostles, and some since, for nothing is impossible with God; he can remove their unbelief, knock off the shackles and fetters in which they are held, and bring, them out of the prison of infidelity, in which they are shut up; he is able to take away the blindness of their minds, and the hardness of their hearts, the veil that is over them, and turn them to the Lord; he can by his mighty power work faith in them, and cause them to look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn in an evangelical manner; he can bring them to Christ, and into his churches, and among his people, and fold them with the rest of his sheep; so that there one fold of Jew and Gentile, under one shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Romans 11:23 In-Context

21 for if God spared not the natural branches, [see thou] lest peradventure he spare not thee.
22 Therefore see the goodness, and the fierceness of God; yea, the fierceness into them that fell down, but the goodness of God into thee, if thou dwellest in goodness [if thou shalt dwell in goodness], else also thou shalt be cut down.
23 Yea, and they shall be set in, if they dwell not in unbelief. For God is mighty, to set them in again. [But, and they shall be inset, if they shall not dwell in unbelief. Forsooth God is mighty, again to inset them.]
24 For if thou art cut down of the natural wild olive tree, and against kind art set into a good olive tree, how much more they that be by kind, shall be set in their olive tree? [+For if thou wert cut down of the natural wild olive tree, and against kind wert inset into a good olive tree, how much more they that be by kind, shall be inset into their olive tree?]
25 But, brethren, I will not that ye not know this mystery, that ye be not wise to yourselves; for blindness hath fallen a part in Israel, till that the plenty of heathen men entered, [Forsooth, brethren, I will not that ye unknow this mystery, that ye be not wise to yourselves; for blindness hath felled of part in Israel, till the plenty of heathen men entered,]
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.