Not An Afterthought! 4/6/2025

When reading this passage, one may wonder if they are reading the Bible or the Farmer's Almanac or possibly even the Sunset Guide to Gardening. Why is Paul talking about Grafting to people in the church? At this time in Rome, due to the expansive road system, the crops harvested by the farmers and the community were easily distributed, making the agricultural industry the most significant employer in Rome. The Romans were farmers. So, the church in Rome knew plants. It is a natural thing for Paul to explain the complexities of the gospel through understood principles. Much like I can use Legos to explain the connection to kids today.

 So, what did Paul say? Paul testifies. That the Gentile salvation wasn't a second thought, but all humanity was the original intention of God all along.” Until a full number of gentiles”. How can that be? Am I contradicting what you have been taught in the past? If we were to look at Genesis, we would see that God desired to have relationship with all humanity, not just Adam and Eve. God wanted a partnership which made His glory known.

 “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air” Gen. 1:28. The partnership described in Genesis is what God wanted all along with mankind, Israel, and with us. We were not a reaction or a response to one person's sin, but an elaborate plan of God, which displays our need for a Savior, then dispenses the grace to obtain the promise of sonship. Romans 11 is summed up in verses 25 and 26, presenting Paul's purpose, passion, and promise to the church.