Romans 11:17-18 : But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, avast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree; glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee. An illustration must not be pressed so far as to contradict the plain teaching of other passages of the scriptures. This illustration must not be made to teach that some of the Jews were not broken off from God's favor; "for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin" (Romans 3:9). Many Jews, broken off from God's favor, had been grafted in again through their faith in Christ. The wild olive tree represented the Gentiles Gentile converts had been grafted into God's favor, and thereby had become partakers with the believing Jews "of the root of the fatness of the olive tree." The unbelieving Jews were not partakers "of the root of the fatness of the olive tree," any more than the unbelieving Gentiles; they had been broken off. They had been broken off for good reasons: they had broken the covenant, which gave them national existence; they had killed the Messiah; they had rejected the gospel, and unmercifully persecuted the Lord's church. But even so, the Gentile Christians should not glory over the broken-off branches; neither should they glory over believing Jews, for believing Jews are as acceptable to God as are believing Gentiles. In this illustration, or figure, it seems that Abraham is the root, for all Israel sprang from him. He gained God's favor by faith, and so do we. By changing the figure, Abraham is said to be "the father of all them that believe" (Romans 4:11). In the true sense now un-believing Jews are not the seed of Abraham (John 8:39).