Romans 11:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“Well said.” He praised what was said, and then again frightens him, saying: “They were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith.” Here again is new praise for the Gentiles and a new accusation against the Jews. But the Apostle again casts down the pride of the former by adding, “Do not be high-minded, but fear.” This is not a matter of nature, but of faith and unbelief. In appearance he again stops the mouth of the Gentile, but in reality he teaches the Jew not to pay attention to natural kinship. Therefore he adds, “Do not be high-minded.” He did not say, “Be humble,” but “Fear,” because arrogance produces contempt and negligence.

You, the Gentile, will say that the branches were broken off so that you might be grafted in. Yes, they were broken off, but by their own unbelief, not because God owed you that honor. For you stand by faith, having been grafted into the root. Therefore fear, because grafting is not a matter of nature, but of faith.

Good: because of their unbelief they were broken off, but you have been established by faith. Do not be proud, for this was not accomplished by your works, but by grace. Moreover, this possibility of conversion and receiving grace has not yet been taken away from the people of Israel themselves. Therefore fear sin.

You must thank God for His gift in Christ and not insult the Jews. Rather, since their wickedness led you to salvation, pray that they too may return to the source. Then you will please God, Who showed you mercy. For He called you so that they too, being stirred to jealousy, might return to grace.

Unbelief made the Jews strangers to the root, while faith joined you to the root and made you a partaker of its richness. Therefore one must not be high-minded, but fear and tremble. Fear what?

With regard to chapter 4, verse 5, we have already explained that when the Apostle speaks of justification by faith without works, he means the justification given in baptism.

He does not mean the justification that will be given at Christ's judgment, which will be final. For this final justification, both faith and works are equally necessary.

The necessity of distinguishing these two kinds of justification is especially clear from what is said below in chapter 11.

The Apostle says that the Israelites, except for the remnant preserved "by grace, and not by works" in verse 6, "were hardened" in verse 7. They "fell and were diminished" in verse 12, were "rejected" in verse 15, and were "broken off" in verse 17.

Having spoken of the future great destiny of the Hebrews who were rejected for a time, the Apostle exhorts the Gentiles not to boast before them at all.

For they too can fall away from their gracious state if they weaken in faith and virtue, while the Hebrews may turn and be saved.

"If the firstfruits," for example from the harvest or the dough, "are holy, so also is the whole," that is, the whole harvest and all the dough; see Num 15:17-21.

"And if the root is holy," meaning the patriarchs and forefathers of the Hebrews, "so also are the branches" (Rom 11:16). That is, the Hebrew people in its fullness may still be recognized as sacred and holy (Chrysostom).

Of them he said, "they were broken off." But to this one he does not say, you were grafted in, but, "you stand." By this he wishes to express that he has been firmly established on the root.

Therefore he may be confident, provided, of course, that he does not lose the strength by which he was grafted in and now stands. For here "everything is not a matter of nature, but of faith and unbelief" (St. Chrysostom).

Since the passage from unbelief to faith, and from faith to unbelief, is easy and can occur in an instant, the Apostle adds: "Do not be high-minded, but fear."

Do not attribute anything to yourself, and do not think highly of yourself after being counted worthy of great spiritual blessings by grace. For here everything is from God, and faith itself is from Him.