Grafted into Israel?

A common claim is that Paul teaches in Romans 11 that believers from the nations have been grafted into Israel. But anyone who reads the text carefully will discover that this interpretation reads something into the passage that simply is not there. Paul speaks of grafting branches into an olive tree. Not of grafting them into Israel.

The connection with Israel is not without basis, however. After all, Israel is compared to an olive tree in Scripture (Jer. 11:16), and Paul speaks of the natural branches that belong to their own olive tree (Rom. 11:24). But that does not mean the grafted branches have now become Israel. The olive tree represents God’s people, planted by Him to bear fruit. The olive produces oil used to spread light. A beautiful picture of light and life!

No Automatic Membership by Ethnicity

It is precisely in Romans 9 through 11 that Paul makes clear that belonging to God’s people is not automatically determined by ethnicity. “not all those out of Israel, these are Israel” (Rom. 9:6). Most of Israel remains in unbelief and is therefore portrayed as branches that have been broken off. They remain Israelites, but are no longer part of the olive tree. Conversely, branches from the nations have been grafted in. But that does not make them Israelites. Grafting in or breaking off does not change the identity of the branches, but their position in relation to God’s olive tree.

Not My People

That Israel is not automatically God’s people is also evident from Hosea. There, God explicitly calls Israel Lo-Ammi: “not My people” (Hos. 1:9). Hosea 3 illustrates this vividly. The prophet purchases a woman but then keeps her apart. She belongs to him, but marital relations are not resumed. Likewise, Israel remains God’s chosen people, without God acknowledging them as His people in their unbelief. The bond has not been permanently broken, but the relationship has been suspended. Only when Israel returns and seeks YAHWEH will it be restored (Hos. 3:5).

This also explains why Paul can say that God has not rejected His people (Rom. 11:1, 2). His choice and promises remain in force. Israel is beloved as to choice because of the fathers (Rom. 11:28). But that does not mean unbelieving Israel currently functions as God’s people. That is precisely why Paul speaks of broken-off branches that will be grafted in again when they believe (Rom. 11:23).

God’s People!

Meanwhile, God has called those who were once “not My people” His “My people” (Rom. 9:25, 26). Moses had already announced that God would provoke Israel to jealousy through “those not a nation,” through “an unintelligent nation” (Deut. 32:21; Rom. 10:19). That is exactly what is happening now. Salvation has come to the nations, who were not originally familiar with the words of God. In an ethnic sense, they do not even constitute a single people. And it is precisely they who now share in the privileges that Israel misses out on because of unbelief!

The olive tree in Romans 11, then, is not a representation of Israel as an ethnic people, but of God’s people. That is why an Israelite can be broken off as a natural branch without ceasing to be an Israelite. And that is why someone from the nations can be grafted in as a wild branch without becoming an Israelite. What changes is not their ethnic identity, but their position in relation to God’s people. Believers from the nations do not become Israelites: through faith, they share in the privileges that unbelieving Israel misses out on.

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