Paul said that his "heart's desire" was for his fellow Israelites to believe the "good news" that Jesus Christ was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. But ultimately, many Jews of the First Century rejected Jesus and refused to accept that God would extend His salvation to Gentiles (non-Jews) even though this -- and their rejection of the Messiah -- was clearly predicted in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Although religiously zealous, Paul stated that his fellow Israelites failed to submit to God's righteousness in their hearts and accept Christ as the culmination of the Hebrew covenants and Mosaic laws. The path to salvation is not impossible and not based on lineage, but rather "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved!"