Jesus Christ came to Earth and gave us the new covenant of God’s grace and our salvation through faith alone. Under the old covenant with God, the Israelites’ efforts to please Him were fruitless. Their unbelief condemned them because only repentance and faith in Jesus Christ would bring them salvation.

The book of Hebrews was written to the New Testament Jews. It explains to them who Christ was, what His purpose was, and how they can be saved. It also ties in the Old Testament, its covenant, and some of its laws into the new covenant. In the Hebrews portion of John Darby’s Synopsis of the New Testament, he writes, “For we have been the objects of the proclamation of glad tidings, as they were in times past. But the word addressed to them remained fruitless, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it: for we which have believed do enter into rest. The rest itself is yet to come, and it is believers who enter into it.”

In the Old Testament, the Israelites could produce fruit by being righteous. God chose them to be His people and they brought the Messiah into the world. He set them aside from the world and called the Israelites into a relationship with Him. They followed the Levitical laws and He gave them special provision and privileges, such as right standing with their Creator.

In the New Testament, God gives them and the entire world a better covenant. No longer would God only be interested in the Jews as His people. No longer would He require them to obey all of the Levitical laws to gain His favor. On the contrary, the whole world was given the opportunity to be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even the Jews had to believe in Christ or they would be rejected by God. Although true Jewish scholars understood the Messianic prophecies and knew they were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, many Jews did not understand or welcome the new covenant. They were stuck in tradition, they wanted a different type of Messiah, and they simply lived in unbelief and did not please God.

In the People’s New Testament Bible Commentary, in the section for Romans chapter ten, we read, “‘For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.’ The meaning is that the whole law pointed to Christ, and his righteousness. They were its object. Yet the Jews clung to the law, and refused to believe upon Christ, in whom the law met its fulfillment. “To every one that believeth.” As long as the Jews remained in unbelief, they were cut off from Christ. He who believes submits to God's plan of righteousness.”

Even though many Jews rejected Christ, we read in the Bible that there was to be a remnant that would eventually turn to God and get saved under the new covenant. The prophets spoke of this remnant in the Old Testament and we also read about them in the New Testament. Romans 11:1-2b and 5b reads, “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. At this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”

Even though God gave His people a new covenant, He did not abandon them. Even though many lived in unbelief, He made a way for them to be saved and even promised that a remnant would be. In so doing, God also brought salvation to the entire world.