Not Ignorant of the Mystery of the Gentiles Romans 11:25

Paul the apostle asked the people in Rome, “if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” In chapter eleven and verse twenty-five of Romans, Paul told the people in Rome about how he, “would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery” where we read:

For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

The verse begins, “For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits;” Paul began with the word, “for” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “I would not” or “Paul did not desire”, “that you should be ignorant” which means “that the Gentile believers in Rome would not know, understand, err, sin through mistake or be wrong” “of this mystery” which means “pertaining to the hidden thing, secret, purpose or counsel”, “lest” or “in order that” “you should be wise” which means “so the believing readers in Rome would be intelligent, prudent or mindful of one's interests ” “in your own conceits” which refers to “within the believing people in Rome's own selves”. Paul did not want the believing people in Rome to be “mistaken” about God's “hidden secret” concerning them, otherwise they might be “haughty and proud”.

The verse goes on to say, “that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”. Paul added the words, “that blindness” or “so the covering with a callus, obtrusiveness of mental discernment and dulled perception” “in part” which refers to “a constituent portion of the whole” “is happened” or “became or came into existence” “to Israel” which means “toward the family or descendants of he nation of Israel whose name means he shall be a prince of God”, “until the fullness” or “unto or till the fulfilling and abundance” “of the Gentiles” which refers to “pertaining to a company, troop, swarm, tribe, nation or people group which is not of the nation of Israel” “be come in” or “entered, arisen and began to be”. Paul certified that the “portion” of the “dulled perception” of Israel was until the “fulfilling” of the time of the “Gentiles” is complete.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how God's “mystery” was that Israel would be “cut off” for a time to allow for “Gentile” nations to receive Jesus Christ as their “Savior and Lord”. There is a certain point when the “fullness” of the “Gentile's” shall be finished, and God's plan of “salvation” will have been extended to everyone. God desires for every person to accept His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, and whether they are Jew or Gentile, He wants everyone to be “saved”. There is a time for the “Gentiles” to receive Jesus, and that time is now, and those who are wise shall receive Him before the “fullness of the Gentiles be come in”.

Next time Paul shares with his believing readers in Rome, “out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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