Romans 11:17-23

“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

So this morning I was drawn to this passage in Romans, and like many mornings lately I have struggled with what I have always been taught and Gods Holy Word, they don’t match,…… At All!

In verse 20 it says, “they were broken off because of UNBELIEF,” I looked up the word Unbelief in this specific instance in it’s original language of Greek, definition for Unbelief: DISOBEDIENCE. Unbelief is referring to the heart condition, a disobedient condition of the heart, In jeremiah 17 it speaks of this heart condition, sin nature/ worldliness, as “desperately sick”.

So I ask myself, “why are we not rebuked by our teachers, in love, for our disobedience to God’s word, his command?” I mean Jesus says himself in John 3:36 “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God REMAINS on him.” We are taught over and over again that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life, BUT we are not taught to obey, and the consequences for disobeying, and we are not rebuked if in disobedience, WHY? If it is true that through UNBELIEF (a disobedient heart) we are “cut off” from the Lord, why in the heck are we not told so. I mean this is life and death and all eternity, this is serious!

What we are taught is to believe, in the since of an understanding in our mind (not heart) of what was done for us, but not who in fact Jesus is, and not what it truly is to believe in him. To believe in your heart is to abandon EVERYTHING that does not aline with that in which you believe. SO do I really believe, do you really believe? In God’s Word is tells us to test by the FRUIT, what does our fruit look like?

Matthew 7:17-19
“So EVERY healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”

BUT….. Jesus goes on to tell us what happens to the diseased trees:
” EVERY tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

So how do we know again?
” Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Dude this is serious!

The lack of solid teaching, teaching the whole TRUTH, is bearing rotten fruit in our lack of fear for the Almighty God. Proof is in the pudding, if we truly believe in God, who has the power and authority to destroy both flesh and spirit, we would obey, obey Everything!

Matthew 3:8 (John the baptizer speaking)
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume 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. Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Romans 11:23
“if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in,
for God is able to graft them in again.”

So this is my heart about it all, I have a ton of people in my life right now that are hurting, that are struggling with loneliness, that are bearing heavy burdens, they are all looking for answers for a way out of their pain, my eyes are every day being opened to what that answer is and truly understanding in my heart the TRUE message of the gospel. Sin is painful, and well if we choose sin we do not choose or BELIEVE in God.

So I am pleading to all of you who read this entry, READ your bible, learn the TRUTH for yourself, Test your fruit and then let us all humbly REPENT (turn from sin and turn towards God) together of our sinful disobedience to the LORD our God, for it is said,
“REPENT for the Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand.”!
for he is willing able to graft us in, AGAIN!

Something worth thinking about!

~C