Paul and the Jews

Paul tries to convert as many people as possible. In this regard, he makes no distinction between Jews and non-Jews. He tells everyone that they will be saved by God if they believe in Jesus Christ.

Many non-Jews come to faith through Paul’s message. Most Jews, however, will not listen to Paul and reject his message.

Unlike most Jews of his day, Paul thinks that God is not just the God of the Jews, but also of non-Jews. To God, all people are equal. The gospel must therefore be preached to everyone (Romans 3:27-30).
Paul always tries to adapt to the people he has dealings with. This increases the chances that people will listen to him, he thinks. Thus, Paul does not keep the Jewish law when he is with non-Jews and preaching the gospel to them. But whenever he is with Jews, he keeps all the regulations of the Jewish law faithfully (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Many non-Jews listen to Paul and come to faith. They are glad that they will be saved by God and have eternal life. Furthermore, Paul tells them they do not have to keep the Jewish law. For instance, they do not need to be circumcised.
Most Jews, however, will not listen to Paul. They think that they are saved by God because they are the people of God and do their best to keep the Jewish law (Romans 3:21-31). So they think Paul’s message is completely wrong.

Paul is distressed that most Jews refuse to believe in Jesus Christ (Romans 9:1-3). He is, however, convinced that at some point the Jewish people will also come to faith and be saved by God (Romans 11:25-27).