Romans 11:22– When God hews

Perceive, then, the kindness and severity of God! Indeed, who are falling, severity, yet on you, God’s kindness if you should be persisting in the kindness: else you also will be hewn out.

To properly understand these verses, it is important to note that Paul is addressing “the nations” (11:13). In that character and not to the individual believer. Because every believer may know himself to be personally sealed (Eph.1:13) and will therefore never qualify to be cut off.

The warning that sounds here is that the ‘move’ to the nations will last until the nations will also be cut off. As Israel as a nation was cut off because she did not abide by “the appropriateness of God,” so shall nations fare. If they too become proud and theologize Israel away (= the replacement theology), God will make short work of that.

What still sounds like a warning here is a prediction elsewhere (2Tim.4:3). Christendom would become a caricature of what God has to say. This is church history in a nutshell. The message of “the reconciliation of the world” (11:15) was declared heresy and the preaching of “God’s kindness” gave way to “hell and damnation.” God cuts off such an anti-testimony from Him. Time for a new beginning…

Delen: