Ideas and questions to help group members and leaders prepare to study Romans 11

Romans 11 Questions

Warm up questions in pairs: Romans 11 refers to the olive tree. When you were growing up, did you have a favorite tree in your yard?  Maybe it was one you climbed, one which produced fruit, or had colorful leaves every fall. Why do you have fond memories of that tree?

Romans 11:1-10

1. To understand the context of this chapter, what happened at the end of chapter 10? Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah.
2. Since Israel rejected Jesus, what else was she rejecting? Her call to be a light to the nations. See Isaiah 49:6.
3. Is the church today also called to be a light to the nations? Yes. Like Israel, has the church always lived up to her calling? No. Is your small group Bible study called to be a light to the nations?   
4. In spite of Israel’s falling away and disobedience, did God reject them? Paul emphatically says no.
5. As a result of Israel’s apostasy, what had Elijah concluded? That he was the only one still serving God. What did God have to remind him of? That he was not alone. There were seven thousand of his prophets.
6. What was Paul’s point in mentioning Elijah? To say that “at the present time” there was still a remnant of Israel that did accept Jesus as the Messiah and understood their calling to be a light to nations.
7.  Did the Old Testament speak of the remnant of Israel? Yes. Here are a few references: Amos 9:8-10, Isaiah 1:9, I Samuel 12:22, Psalm 94:14
8. In 11:7, which Israel is Paul referring to? The first Israel in the verse is unbelieving Israel, and the elect or chosen refers to believing Israel. (From David Allen’s book Liberating Romans from Reformed Captivity.)

Romans 11:11-16

1.  What is the meaning of “stumbled so as to fall”? Their fall was not beyond recovery. It was not final.
2. What practical application do you see here? No matter how low one falls, he is not beyond getting up. A fall is not final. No one is beyond hope and recovery.  
3. What good thing came out of Israel’s falling? Salvation for Gentiles and causing Israel to be jealous.
4. Just because Paul turned to the Gentiles, did they mean he rejected his own (Jewish) people? No
5. Who is the “life from the dead” referring to?  Jews and Gentiles who would pass from death to life because of their faith in Christ, which is the only way anyone can be saved.
6. Who does “firstfruits” refer to? The remnant of Israel with the hope that the rest of Israel would follow.  The “holy root” is also the remnant from which Gentiles and the rest of Israel could be saved. 

Romans 11:17-22

1. Where did the metaphor of the olive tree come from? The Old Testament where Israel was a fruitful olive tree.
2. Who is Paul addressing in this section? The Gentiles in Rome who are referred to as the wild olive branch.
3. Unbelieving Israel were the branches broken off. Was it because of predestination or unbelief? Unbelief
4. What warning did Paul have to the Gentiles? Not to become arrogant because they were in the tree. It was only by the grace of God.

Romans 11:23-24

1. How could unbelieving Israel be grafted back into the tree? Turn from unbelief and turn to Jesus
2. What is one practical application for this principle?  When God brings new people into a church or a small group Bible study/SS class, they in essence are new wood being grafted into old wood. A church or group must do all it can to accept the new wood, which by the way can invigorate the old wood.