ANNOUNCER: When Romans 11:22 talks about being cut off, is this about eternal salvation? What does this mean? Grace in Focus is a podcast and radio broadcast ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. You can find out more about Free Grace theology and about the Grace Evangelical Society at our website, faithalone.org. And please be mindful that for the fall semester, our online seminary, the time for application and registration is now; application deadline coming soon. So if you want to study with us this fall, get your application in. If you’re already a student, go ahead and register for classes. You’ll find everything you need at faithalone.org/seminary. 

Now, our question and answer of the day with Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates. 

BOB: Okay, I’ve got a question here for Nate. And Nate says he holds to once saved always saved, but he has some questions about Romans 11:19-24. Now, evidently I wrote an article, I don’t remember all the articles I wrote, but evidently I wrote one and I said, or someone said anyway, if we assume Romans 11:22 is a warning that a believer who falls away goes to the lake of fire, then we understand Paul to be teaching justification by faith plus works. That would be a direct denial of justification by faith alone. And so Nate goes on to say, that’s fine, but I still don’t understand what this passage is talking about, especially 11:22. So why don’t you read Romans 11:22 and then we can talk about it a bit. 

KEN: Well, I think it’s a great question because I remember years ago wondering about this as well, thinking, well, this seems to indicate you can lose your salvation. Paul writes in Romans 11:22, “Therefore, consider the goodness,” and he’s talking to Gentiles here, “Therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity, but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.” And the “you” there, I think part of the question is, is singular, You will be cut off. So is Paul saying, if we just take this verse by itself, is Paul saying, God will cut you off if you do not continue in the faith. 

BOB: Yeah. And notice who are those who fell? 

KEN: Those who fell here are the Jews, the Jewish nation as a whole. 

BOB: Right. Romans 9-11 is all about that. Paul is saying in this section that there’s a remnant, but the vast majority of Israel is not believing. And Paul anticipates, I think, what the Lord said, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. He anticipates the Jewish war. And he anticipates what Jesus said, not one stone would be, of the temple, would be left undisturbed, so that the temple was going to be destroyed, and that the people would be exiled from the Promised Land. And he anticipates all of that, I think, here when he talks about the fact that no longer are they under God’s blessing, because they’ve fallen. But it’s interesting he uses “you.” How does he say it at the end of verse 20, “you also will be cut off?” 

KEN: You will be cut off. The issue here is Paul in Romans 9-11 is obviously talking about collectively, groups, the Church versus the Jewish people, the Jewish nation. So he’s saying they have fallen. In fact, he on those who fell, you know, that’s a plural, but why you, you will be cut off. 

BOB: Okay, and you’ve got natural branches, and you’ve got branches that are grafted in. The natural branches are Israel, the branches that are grafted in are Gentiles. 

KEN: Right. Who now believe, who are part of the Church. 

BOB: Right. And the question is, what is this tree that they’re grafted into? Is this salvation or is this blessing? In other words, what’s he talking about? But secondarily, what is the “you” being cut off? I would suggest that this is the place of blessing and that they being cut off is, there can be a time, and will be soon when the time of the Gentiles will end. I believe it’s Luke 21:24, talks about the time of the Gentiles ending. Zane Hodges thought that was 1967 when Israel took control of Jerusalem. And the Temple Mount in particular. I think it’ll be the end of the Tribulation because the Gentiles are going to continue to trample Israel during the Tribulation, but that will cease at the end of the Tribulation when Messiah comes and saves Israel. And delivers Israel from all the armies that are surrounding Jerusalem. 

And so in any regard, when he says you also will be cut off, it is a singular. How does Zane Hodges explain that in his commentary on Romans? Doesn’t he have a, I think he goes back to verse 19, because verse 19 is introducing an objector. You will then say, and so you’ve got some imaginary Gentile objector who’s making some sort of a statement. 

KEN: Yeah. If we could summarize what’s going on here, as Bob has explained this, is Paul is talking about the group, Gentiles as a group, and then now Jews as a group, they have fallen. And now you’ve got Gentiles who are being grafted into these blessings, or we could say that God is now using Gentile believers to accomplish his purposes on earth. He’s working through the Church. But why does Paul say “you” will be cut off? And as Bob mentioned, I think Zane has a great discussion on this in his commentary when he talks about verse 19. 

In verse 19, we see an objector. And the objector is, well, I got a problem with what you’re saying, Paul. You know, it’s a rhetorical device. It’s a diatribe, what this objector is saying. Well, wait a second. And this objector is a representative Gentile. And you can see this in verse 19 when it says, “you will say then.” And the “you” there is a singular person. 

BOB: But he represents all Gentiles. 

KEN: Exactly. You know, this representative Gentile is saying, well, God has grafted me in, God has grafted us in. You know, we Gentiles. He’s done that. 

ANNOUNCER: The Grace Evangelical Society’s recently published Old Testament Commentary, Volume One is now available. Find it at faithalone.org/store. It’s where you can also find Bob Wilkin’s latest book, The Gospel is Still Under Siege, as well as many other titles by Grace Evangelical Society authors. Please come by and have a look today. You’ll find the GES store at our website, faithalone.org. That’s faithalone.org/store. Now back to today’s topic.

KEN: So Paul is introducing this one single guy who’s representative of the whole group, who says, in verse 19, branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. And so Paul now is addressing this one objector as a representative of the whole group. It’s a conversation with one person, but he represents Gentile believers. 

BOB: And is that what Hodges says there when he’s commenting on what verse 19, 11:19? 

KEN: Yeah, here’s what Hodges says exactly. “Paul’s su, which is the Greek word for you–”

BOB: Singular. 

KEN: Singular. “is a collective personification of the Gentiles.” 

BOB: So a singular can be a collective for a group. A singular can refer to a group. And that’s the case here. And what else does he say? 

KEN: He says that intends to describe their present privileges as the product of their believing response to the Gospel. So- 

BOB: Notice, present privileges. That’s what the tree’s about. Present privileges. Now it is as a result of them believing in Christ for everlasting life. But because of that, they have certain privileges. Those privileges could be cut off. Their eternal life cannot be cut off, but they could be cut off from the privilege. And there is a time when the Gentiles will be cut off. The Rapture will occur, and basically the Rapture until the end of the Tribulation know that seven years, it’s almost like one piece. That’s all part of a Second Coming. Ultimately, a Second Coming is when he sets foot on the Mount of Olives. But for the Church, it begins with the Rapture. 

KEN: Now Hodges’ view you were saying was in the 1960s, but you’re taking it– 

BOB: 67. I take it it’ll be whenever the Tribulation ends. 

KEN: I’m going back in my mind. I thought Hodges saw that he was wrong about the 60s, but no, he held that until he died? 

BOB: Well, it’s interesting. He spoke in chapel in 1967 after this, and said, I don’t expect to be here in a year. And the next year he said, well, I proved I’m not a prophet. But he still after that, believed that the time of Gentiles had ceased. 

KEN: Now isn’t it generally true, or at least some dispensationalists take the time of the Gentiles to be the Rapture of the Church, and not the end of the Tribulation? 

BOB: I think so. But the question is, the focus shifts to Israel, certainly, during the Tribulation. The church is gone, right? But when is the time when the Gentiles cease to oppress Israel? I would say, okay, maybe you could conceivably say, it’s the beginning of the Tribulation, but again, it’s almost like one piece. So in a sense, it’s the coming of Messiah that sets them apart. 

But Hodges held view that right now when the time of the Jews, and many people argue that by the way, because they say, look, Jewish evangelism is greater than it’s ever been. More and more Jews are coming to faith in Christ today than in any time in human history. 

I don’t think that makes sense because notice what Luke 21:24 says, and they will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive in all nations. Well, that occurred in 70 AD. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The question is, is Jerusalem still being trampled by Gentiles? I would say it is. The Muslims certainly are trying to destroy Israel. They’re lobbing, you know, 

KEN: Rockets. 

BOB: What are those called, ICBMs? 

KEN: No, no, not ICBMs. Much smaller than ICBMs. 

BOB: Okay, Colonel, what are they called, those little things that are called, well anyway, whatever the rockets they send in, but I think of the Tribulation and during the Tribulation, the temple is going to be desecrated at the midpoint, and Jerusalem will be occupied by Gentiles, even though the Jews will be there, the man of sin and the false prophet are going to be controlling the temple. They’re even going to have an idol in the temple. 

KEN: So you’re taking the time of the Gentiles to be equivalent to when they are grafted out? 

BOB: Yeah, I take the time of the Gentiles ending when the Tribulation ends. In other words, I think the time of the Gentiles is broader than the time of the Church. But theoretically, it could be with the Rapture, or it could be 1967. 

KEN: And as we wait for the return of the Lord, just remember, keep grace in focus. 

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In recent church history, there have been some so-called great revivals and some churches today hold meetings called revivals. How does this concept stack up biblically? You will hear our viewpoint as you join us for the next episode of Grace in Focus.