How Were People Saved in the Old Testament?

Soteriology The Doctrine of Salvation

How are we Saved?
The FAITH “Key Question” . . .
“In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven?”

Possible Answers:
Faith
Works
Unclear
No opinion

The “Faith” Answer
“The only way we may be saved from the penalty of our sin is to believe in the One True God who made Himself known to us by coming to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the one who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave. We must repent and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and receive Him as our own Personal Lord and Savior. There is no other way we may be saved.”

Now, imagine your friend asks you these questions . . .

But what about those who lived before Jesus came?
What about those who lived before the cross?
What about those who lived in the “BC” part of the time-line?
They can’t receive Christ as Lord and Savior because Jesus Christ has not yet come, right?. . .

How would you respond?

“ Salvation in the Old Testament” Israel My Glory (December 1994 / January 1995)

The Seed
The foundation upon which redemption would rest was God’s promise of a coming seed . In addressing Satan in the immediate aftermath of the fall, the Lord said . . .
Genesis 3:15 . . .
“ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The line of the promised seed was announced in Genesis 12:2-3 . . .
“ . . . and in you (Abraham) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The identity of the line of the seed to be blessed was particularized in Genesis 17:19 :
“ and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”

The Son
And so, through the seed of Abraham grew the promise. The line of the promised seed flourished until it produced its final fruit in the Son .
Galatians 3:16 . . .
“ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed ,’ who is Christ .”

The Sinner
The window to salvation, from the manward side, is opened in a phrase associated with Abraham’s acceptance of God’s promise of an heir—His promised seed: “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness ” (Genesis 15:6).

Romans 4:1-5 verifies that Abraham’s faith was not placed in a righteousness-reward relationship.
Saving faith would not be forged by observing laws, traditions, or even the repetitious sacrifices that would be the evidence , but not the means , of faith.
Point of Romans 4:1-5 : Abraham was justified (declared righteous before God) by faith , not by works .

Today justification (to be declared righteous) is also by faith, but with this important difference:
Whereas Abraham believed God would give him a son . . . we believe God has given us His Son, and that by faith in Him we are saved . . .

Therefore, the basis of saving faith, Old Testament or New, is always in the Son .
The question is only whether one is looking forward to His coming, or back to the Redeemer who has come . . .

Time Before Christ (OT believers looked forward) Time Since Christ (NT believers look back) 1000BC. . . 500 BC... 100 BC…..0 …100 AD…500 AD…2003 AD

Salvation in the Old Testament
Therefore, salvation in the Old Testament occurs the same way as in the New Testament.
We are “saved by grace through faith . . . not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

How Were People Saved in the Old Testament?

by fbchenderson on Dec 08, 2006

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 10

Statistics

How Were People Saved in the Old Testament? Presentation Transcript