More about grafted in

The Abrahamic prophecies find their greatest fulfillment only in the Messiah and the universal sweep of the Messianic Kingdom. Take a fresh look at Genesis 12:1-5 in the light of the traditional Jewish interpretation and the revelation of Messiah.

Abraham's Gospel

Were the Old Testament saints saved? Did they know the Gospel? After all, the Bible says that "Scripture ... preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham" (Galatians 3:8). This teaching, with reference to the ingrafting of the Gentiles in Romans 11, reveals the "gospel reached beforehand to Abraham" to be identical to "Paul's Gospel."

Fullness of the Gentiles

Paul wants you to understand this mystery: A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25) Let's take some time to see if we can solve the mystery with a teaching from Romans 11 focusing on the meaning of the enigmatic phrase, "the fullness of the Gentiles."

Grafted In

In Romans 11, Paul speaks of the Gentile disciples as branches from a wild olive tree, grafted in to a cultivated tree, but the symbolism leaves room for ambiguity. Who is who in the metaphor, and where does the rest of Israel fit in to the picture? Who are the broken branches, who are the roots, and how do they all fit together? This teaching examines the famous "grafted-in" passage in the context of the broader discussion of Romans 9-11 and by comparing it with a similar Talmudic teaching.