Romans 11:16-17 How can it be that if Israel has failed that Paul can expect that at some time in the future it will once again be included among God's people? This a question Paul now sets out to answer. But it is important to remember that in these verses he is addressing himself to Gentiles particularly, because he has something very important to say to Gentile believers. What does he mean by referring to Gentiles as being of a "wild olive?" Who are the ones with whom those of us who are grafted in are partaking? What is it we are partaking of? What warning does Paul give to the Gentiles regarding how they view Israel? Why is this warning necessary? Why were the "natural branches" broken off? How is it significant that Paul's use of the pronoun "you" when referring to Gentiles is always in the second person singular rather than plural? How do we know that, as severe as Paul's warning is, it does not teach that an individual believer can lose his or her salvation?
