New Testament in a Year

¹⁹ “Well,” you may be saying, “those branches were broken off to make room for me, so I must be pretty good.”

²⁰ Watch out! Remember that those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn’t believe God, and you are there only because you do. Do not be proud; be humble and grateful—and careful. ²¹ For if God did not spare the branches he put there in the first place, he won’t spare you either.

²² Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is very hard on those who disobey, but very good to you if you continue to love and trust him. But if you don’t, you too will be cut off. ²³ On the other hand, if the Jews leave their unbelief behind them and come back to God, God will graft them back into the tree again. He has the power to do it.

²⁴ For if God was willing to take you who were so far away from him—being part of a wild olive tree—and graft you into his own good tree—a very unusual thing to do—don’t you see that he will be far more ready to put the Jews back again, who were there in the first place?

²⁵ I want you to know about this truth from God, dear brothers, so that you will not feel proud and start bragging. Yes, it is true that some of the Jews have set themselves against the Gospel now, but this will last only until all of you Gentiles have come to Christ—those of you who will. ²⁶ And then all Israel will be saved.

Do you remember what the prophets said about this? “There shall come out of Zion a Deliverer, and he shall turn the Jews from all ungodliness. ²⁷ At that time I will take away their sins, just as I promised.”

²⁸ Now many of the Jews are enemies of the Gospel. They hate it. But this has been a benefit to you, for it has resulted in God’s giving his gifts to you Gentiles. Yet the Jews are still beloved of God because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁹ For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn; he will never go back on his promises. ³⁰ Once you were rebels against God, but when the Jews refused his gifts God was merciful to you instead. ³¹ And now the Jews are the rebels, but some day they, too, will share in God’s mercy upon you. ³² For God has given them all up to sin^[a] so that he could have mercy upon all alike.

³³ Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! ³⁴ For who among us can know the mind of the Lord? Who knows enough to be his counselor and guide? ³⁵ And who could ever offer to the Lord enough to induce him to act? ³⁶ For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. To him be glory evermore.