See Then the Goodness and Severity of God

This passage deals with the apostle Paul explaining the history of salvation for Israel and the Gentiles through the parable of the olive tree, and with how God's goodness and severity work. God raised Israel, his chosen people, with deep love, but when they relied on works rather than faith and defied his will, he cut off the branches without holding back. This is not simply punishment; it is the farmer's decisive act of love, so that true fruit may be borne by way of the branches that bore none.

If our wealth or power, or even our position in the church, is not connected to spiritual fruit, God may take them away. God wants not our efforts or pretended devotion, but sincere love and faith. When we show pride and lose our gratitude, God is a strict judge who can cut off even the natural branches he cherishes, without sparing them.

We can escape God's severity only by continuing in his goodness, but if we take that grace for granted and become proud, we will be cut off. Do we realize how weighty and precious God's love is, and become people who lay down our own righteousness and stand humbly by faith?