Articles
God’s Family Tree Text: Romans 11:16–36 Series: God’s Good Plan
Ancestry.com: Olive Edition
Have you ever taken one of those DNA tests to discover your heritage? You send off your spit sample, wait a few weeks, and find out you’re 3% Viking, 2% Neanderthal, and—somehow—8% “genetically inclined to enjoy cilantro.” You hoped to be royalty, only to discover your great-great-grandpa was a potato farmer with a unibrow and a gift for accordion playing.
Family trees can surprise you. They can humble you. And sometimes, they connect you to people you never expected.
In Romans 11, Paul describes a different kind of family tree—one not based on DNA, but on faith. Using the image of an olive tree, Paul helps us understand how God is bringing both Jews and Gentiles together into one family—His own.
1. God’s Plan Isn’t Derailed by Unbelief
Romans 11:16–18
Paul wrestles with a heavy question: “Why don’t most of the Jews believe in Jesus?” His answer? Their unbelief hasn’t ruined God’s plan—it’s part of it.
God’s people are like a cultivated olive tree. The roots (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are holy. But some branches (unbelieving Israelites) have been broken off, and others (Gentile believers) have been grafted in.
🔍 Application: You may not come from a “Christian family tree,” but that doesn’t matter. You’re not saved by ancestry—you’re saved by faith. God doesn’t need perfect roots. He needs living branches connected to His grace.
2. Gentiles Are Grafted In by Grace
Romans 11:17–20
Paul explains that Gentiles—non-Jews—are like wild olive branches grafted into God’s tree. That’s not something to boast about; it’s something to be amazed by.
🪴 Application: We didn’t earn our spot on the tree. We were brought in by grace. So let’s stand in awe, not arrogance. “Do not become proud, but stand in awe.” (Romans 11:20)
3. Don’t Get Cocky—God Cuts Off the Proud
Romans 11:21–22
Here comes the warning: “If God didn’t spare the natural branches, He won’t spare you either.”
God is both kind and severe. He offers mercy—but He also expects reverence.
🚲 Application: Grace isn’t a free pass to pride. Think of your Christian life like riding a tandem bike with Jesus. He’s steering, He’s pedaling—your job is just to stay seated and let Him lead.
4. God Isn’t Finished with the Jews
Romans 11:23–27
Paul offers a beautiful promise: God can graft them back in. If Gentiles were added in “against nature,” how much more easily can the natural branches (Jews) be re-grafted when they return in faith?
📖 Application: Don’t give up on people. God hasn’t. Whether it’s a skeptical friend or a rebellious child, trust that God is still working. He’s the Master Gardener—He knows how to graft anyone back in.
5. God’s Plan: Mercy for All
Romans 11:28–32
Zooming out, Paul gives us the big picture: God used Israel’s rejection of the gospel to bring mercy to the Gentiles—and now, the Gentiles’ mercy will stir Israel back to God.
God’s plan may seem zigzagged to us, but every turn leads back to mercy.
🧵 Application: God doesn’t waste detours. What feels like delay or confusion may be the very route He’s using to show someone His mercy.
6. Doxology: Praise the Planner
Romans 11:33–36
Overwhelmed by the depth of God’s wisdom, Paul erupts in praise:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”
Sometimes, worship is the only appropriate response to a plan that’s bigger than we can comprehend.
🎵 Application: You may not understand all of God’s plan—but you can trust the One who does. Let awe lead you to worship. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
Conclusion: Rooted, Grafted, Growing
Romans 11 invites us to see our place in God’s story—not as spectators, but as living branches in His family tree.
✅ Be humble—You didn’t grow yourself.
✅ Be grateful—God made room for you.
✅ Be hopeful—He’s not done grafting people in.
✅ Be faithful—Stay connected to the root of grace.
✅ Be praising—Because God’s plan is brilliant, merciful, and sure.
You might not find this family on a DNA test, but if you are in Christ—you are part of God’s Family Tree. And that tree is still growing.
Let’s live like we’re part of it. Let’s bear fruit. And let’s give glory to the Master Gardener.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
