What is the trespass of the Jews?

Explanation:

Paul explains in Romans 11:11 that the Jews did not stumble in order to fall. In fact, through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles. We know from the book of Acts that the trespass that brings salvation to the Gentiles is the fact that the Jews reject the gospel.³ For example, in Acts 13:44–47 we read that Paul preached the gospel in the synagogue in Antioch where the whole city had gathered to hear him. The Jews become jealous of the crowd and contradict Paul, so Paul boldly explains that the message of the gospel goes to the Jews first, but since they reject it, they turn to the Gentiles.

Likewise, in Acts 18:4–7 we read that Paul brought the gospel to Macedonia, where the Jews opposed him. Because of this Paul shakes off his garment and tells them that they will go to the Gentiles instead. And there are other examples of the same (Acts 14:1–3; Acts 19:8–10; Acts 28:23–28).

So Paul brought the gospel to the Jews and they rejected it, which motivated him to bring it to the Gentiles. Clearly, this is the trespass Paul speaks about in Romans 11:11 that resulted in the gospel coming to the Jews.⁴

Counterargument:

The problem here is that the term παράπτωμα (translated as trespass) has already been used by Paul to denote something like willful sin. Paul made this clear in Romans 5:1–21 when he explained that death reigned over those who sinned even though their sin was not like the trespass of Adam. Of course, the trespass of Adam was willful disobedience, which is worse than sins of ignorance. Of course, in Romans 10:3–4 Paul explains that Israelite rejection of the gospel was due to ignorance. Specifically, he says that they were ignorant of God’s righteousness, which is found in Christ, and instead tried to establish their own. Ignorance is not the same as transgression, which is willful. So arguably the Jewish rejection of the gospel is qualified as sins of ignorance, not sins of transgression. But then the trespass that brought the gospel to the Gentiles cannot be rejecting the gospel.

Response to counterargument:

Unfortunately, this counterargument overlooks the strong signals for Acts that show that the trespass is Jewish rejection of the gospel. For example, in Acts 28:23–28 we read that Paul expounds the Scriptures to the Jews, but some were unconvinced. He then explains that the Holy Spirit was right to say through Isaiah that the Jews would harden their hearts. He then says, Let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. Now, this section of Acts is strikingly similar to what Paul writes in Romans 11:8–11. There he uses Scripture to show that the Israelites hearts would be hard against the gospel, before explaining that through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles. This is precisely what Paul says to the Jews in Acts. Clearly, the rejection of the gospel by the Jews is the trespass that leads salvation to the Gentiles.

Explanation:

Paul’s line of thinking from Romans 9:1–33 onward suggests that the trespass of Israel is the rejection of the gospel. First, Paul explains that there is a contrast between Israel and the Gentiles. In Romans 9:30–33 he explains that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained it, while the Jews who did pursue it failed. That’s because the Jews stumbled over the stumbling stone, which is Christ’s work in the gospel. Then in Romans 9:30–33 he explains that God held out his hand to Israel by preaching the gospel to them, but they are a disobedient people. So there is a contrast between the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews reject the gospel while the Gentiles accept it. Now in Romans 11:7 Paul reflects on this fact but adds a new insight, which is that Jews rejecting the gospel serves a purpose. In particular, it means that salvation would go to the Gentiles, which would in turn make Israel jealous, leading to repentance.⁵

Counterargument:

If we follow Paul’s line of thinking from Romans 9:1–33 onward, the trespass of the Israelites is not their rejection of the gospel. Rather, it is their attempt to be justified by works of the law. Paul’s point throughout Romans 9:1–33 is that election is based on God’s sovereign choice, not on human effort, so God can offer salvation to the Gentiles if he pleases. The problem with Israel is that God had elected them to be his people, but they thought this meant keeping the works of the law. So their trespass is their misunderstanding that election is based on faith, not works of the law. If fact, it is this more basic failure of Israel that leads them to reject the gospel.⁶

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument will not do because Paul explicitly connects Israel’s failure with their rejection of the gospel. In Romans 9:30–33 Paul explains that the Gentiles received what Israel pursued, because Israel stumbled over the stumbling stone, which is Christ. Also, in Romans 10:3–4 Paul writes that Israel was ignorant of God’s righteousness, before stating that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. So Israel’s trespass is not simply that they misunderstood the fact that they were elect by grace, not works of the law. Rather, their trespass is the fact that Christ is the end of the law, but they rejected him.

Given the passages from Acts that support this view, it is hard to see what the weakness of this view might be.

Explanation:

Paul writes that because of their trespass, salvation has gone to the Jews. For Paul, salvation is directly tied to the cross. We know this because Paul writes in Romans 5:9–10 that we are justified by the blood of Christ and saved from God’s wrath. Also, in 1 Corinthians 1:18 he writes that the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but the power of God to those who are saved.⁷ So the cross is central to salvation. Now in Romans 11:7 he says that the trespass of the Jews brought salvation to the Gentiles. Of course, we know that the Jews handed Jesus over to Pilate who crucified him. So the Jews’ trespass is the fact that they handed Jesus over to Pilate for crucifixion, and the crucifixion resulted in salvation to the Gentiles.

Counterargument:

Unfortunately, this argument falls short when we read beyond Romans 11:15. For Paul goes on to contrast their trespass, which is their failure that led to the inclusion of the Gentiles, with their eventual acceptance (Romans 11:15). So their trespass is their failure, the opposite of which is their acceptance. Now, if we take their trespass to refer to handing Christ over for crucifixion, then the opposite of this would be their not handing Christ over for crucifixion. But of course, this is not possible because the event of the crucifixion has already occurred. So it does not make sense for Paul to contrast their trespass with their acceptance if their acceptance is not possible. But Paul does contrast their trespass with their acceptance. So, their trespass cannot refer to the crucifixion.

It was a trespass for the Jews to hand Jesus over to Pilate for crucifixion, but the immediate context strongly supports the notion that the trespass is the Jews’ rejection of the gospel. For Paul has spent enormous effort reflecting on how the Jews could reject the gospel given that they were God’s people, and now he is explaining that their rejection meant Gentile inclusion.