Saving Faith in the Old Testament
What must a person believe in order to be 'saved'? Since we believe in the progressive unfolding of God's revelation in the scriptures, is the answer the same at different times to those to whom the revelation was given? For instance, could we assume that Abel, with his better sacrifice than Cain, believed in essentially the same as Paul? Was it essential in the Old Testament period that a person saw in the types and ceremonies God becoming a man, a perfect and final high priest and sacrifice for sin, or was less required? Though we may not come to a final answer, we may find some observations helpful. Of particular interest is the question: what did people believe before the full revelation of Christ?
Faith looks to future grace or blessing. Abraham's promise can be summarized in this way. He looked forward to a land and a multitude of descendants (from every nation) although his body was as good as dead, and similarly the womb of Sarah. He not only believed this to be a reality after the grave for his descendants in the flesh, but also one in which he would live to see. Abraham died in faith looking forward to the promises afar off, not in melancholy, sentimental hope for a future generation, but embraced the future grace as a living reality for himself. How can this be? He regarded himself a stranger and pilgrim in the land. How could the promises of being heir of the world, father of a multitude of descendants (from every nation!) unless he believed in a resurrection from the dead (for himself and his descendants in the faith) and the reality of a heavenly country. (Rom. 4:3, 13-25; Heb. 11:13-19) We might tentatively conclude that the promise to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) had a limited earthly fulfillment but a full and final spiritual fulfillment.
The generation of Israel that witnessed God's mercy and power to deliver from slavery to Egypt were the same who failed to enter into Canaan, God's promise land. The turning point came when the 12 spies returned from spying out the land, God's promise of future blessing. All but a remnant rebelled, wishing to return to Egypt with a leader of their choosing. And God's response: "Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs, which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it." (Num 14:22,23) They saw His works, they heard His voice, before them was the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, yet their unbelief brought judgment by the forfeiture of faith's very reward -- a promised rest.
"So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest." (Heb 3:11, cf. 4:3,5) We may understand the comparative passage in Hebrews 3 and 4 that this grace for Israel, that 'rest',was not something offered once in the wilderness, but to us in the present. The rest promised to Abraham, to Moses, given in an earthly sense through Joshua, was not merely a rest of entering the promised land, but arguing from the statement, "Today, if you hear his voice...", is a present spiritual reality, fulfilled in Christ. "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God." (Heb 4:6-11)
In passing, consider the confidence of Job. "And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth, even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God." (Job 19:25, 26)
Faith in future blessing implies a present deliverance. In general we see this through the whole of Hebrews chapter 11. Noah, divinely warned of judgment of a magnitude beyond imagination, moved in godly fear and obedience over a long period of time and found deliverance from the flood. David and Jonathan, and all who followed and came before in their example, trusted in the Lord of hosts for deliverance in battle. Jacob, returning from Paddan-aram with his family and livestock to the land of his father, pursued by Laban from behind, being approached by Esau and an apparent army in the land of Seir, wrestled with God all night, trusted and found deliverance. Moses, memorialized in the Passover, trusted in God for deliverance from Egypt.
We might assume that in every case of earthly deliverance, whether impending cataclysm, impossible odds in battle, or overwhelming power of a strong nation holding the weaker in bondage, those who believed may also have recognized the greatest enemy of man, sin and death, and that the same Lord was able to likewise deliver. Is this far reaching? If Job, Abraham and other is in the Old Testament believed in a resurrection from the dead and a future state of blessing, then they must have known that somewhere on the road from here to there there was required a personal deliverance from sin.
Saving faith believes in the need of a transformed heart. Of all that Jesus could have said to the woman at the well, He ignites her faith by bringing attention simply to her need of a changed life. "...You would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (Jn 4:10) Nicodemus, with all his education, was spoken to in a way similar to the outcast woman, he needed a regenerated heart. "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (Jn 3:3) What is remarkable about Christ's statements was that He was not trying to be clever by speaking cryptically of something that Nicodemus would have had no practical knowledge, but something that, as a teacher of Israel, he should have known. (Jn 3:7, 10) For example, he should have known such scriptures as Ezekial 36:25-27: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.", and many others. (cf Is 44:3, 4)
Finally, saving faith believes in the need of a priest and sacrificial offerings. It is interesting among tribal people, holding to pagan beliefs of spirit-ism, they believe in gods more powerful than themselves who must be appeased regularly by a blood sacrifice. This has often been a redemptive key for missionaries working with tribal groups; they link the sacrifice of the wild boar or pig for a powerful spirit with the infinitely precious blood of Christ to appease the wrath of an infinitely holy God. And so it is in the Old Testament, from the beginning the holy God is depicted as unapproachable by unholy men, yet in His mercy he allows a person of His own choosing, a priest, whether of the first born, or later of the sons of Aaron, who is sympathetic to the weaknesses of men, their ignorance and waywardness, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin, together with prayer. As a person came to approach God, he was continually confronted with his unholiness as he placed his hand upon the head of the sacrifice, an ox or a lamb, took the knife himself, pierced a major artery and watched, reflectively, as the animal dropped to his knees, then slumped to the side, blood being collected in the priest's vessel, that this innocent animal shed its blood in his place.
Could they have believed, as demonstrated above, the every earthly symbol in the promises to Abraham, or in the ceremonies of the priesthood that there was to be a final, spiritual fulfillment?
They did not see these things clearly, but note how closely the New Testament fulfillment in Christ parallels what has already been said. 1. All men are sinners, having fallen short of the objective and revealed law of God, whether manifest from scripture or that stamped upon their heart by creation. (Rom 3:10-18; Gen 1:27) 2. Because of their wretched condition, all men find they are under God's wrath. (Rom 2:5) 3. Recognizing their hopelessness to deliver themselves from this condition, they look to God for deliverance, for one to save or rescue them from God's wrath, to Jesus the Savior, the Lamb of God -- they look to God (Jesus) for deliverance from God (Rom 3:21,22). 4. Beyond deliverance from wrath, the believer enters instantly, as through a door, as being born from above, into a relationship of peace with God. He is now called a child of God, given eternal life, and becomes a joint heir with Christ (with many other blessings besides). (Jn 1:12; 3:3, 15; 10:9; Rom 5:1; 8:17)
Faith looks to future grace or blessing. Abraham's promise can be summarized in this way. He looked forward to a land and a multitude of descendants (from every nation) although his body was as good as dead, and similarly the womb of Sarah. He not only believed this to be a reality after the grave for his descendants in the flesh, but also one in which he would live to see. Abraham died in faith looking forward to the promises afar off, not in melancholy, sentimental hope for a future generation, but embraced the future grace as a living reality for himself. How can this be? He regarded himself a stranger and pilgrim in the land. How could the promises of being heir of the world, father of a multitude of descendants (from every nation!) unless he believed in a resurrection from the dead (for himself and his descendants in the faith) and the reality of a heavenly country. (Rom. 4:3, 13-25; Heb. 11:13-19) We might tentatively conclude that the promise to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) had a limited earthly fulfillment but a full and final spiritual fulfillment.
The generation of Israel that witnessed God's mercy and power to deliver from slavery to Egypt were the same who failed to enter into Canaan, God's promise land. The turning point came when the 12 spies returned from spying out the land, God's promise of future blessing. All but a remnant rebelled, wishing to return to Egypt with a leader of their choosing. And God's response: "Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs, which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it." (Num 14:22,23) They saw His works, they heard His voice, before them was the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, yet their unbelief brought judgment by the forfeiture of faith's very reward -- a promised rest.
"So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest." (Heb 3:11, cf. 4:3,5) We may understand the comparative passage in Hebrews 3 and 4 that this grace for Israel, that 'rest',was not something offered once in the wilderness, but to us in the present. The rest promised to Abraham, to Moses, given in an earthly sense through Joshua, was not merely a rest of entering the promised land, but arguing from the statement, "Today, if you hear his voice...", is a present spiritual reality, fulfilled in Christ. "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God." (Heb 4:6-11)
In passing, consider the confidence of Job. "And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth, even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God." (Job 19:25, 26)
Faith in future blessing implies a present deliverance. In general we see this through the whole of Hebrews chapter 11. Noah, divinely warned of judgment of a magnitude beyond imagination, moved in godly fear and obedience over a long period of time and found deliverance from the flood. David and Jonathan, and all who followed and came before in their example, trusted in the Lord of hosts for deliverance in battle. Jacob, returning from Paddan-aram with his family and livestock to the land of his father, pursued by Laban from behind, being approached by Esau and an apparent army in the land of Seir, wrestled with God all night, trusted and found deliverance. Moses, memorialized in the Passover, trusted in God for deliverance from Egypt.
We might assume that in every case of earthly deliverance, whether impending cataclysm, impossible odds in battle, or overwhelming power of a strong nation holding the weaker in bondage, those who believed may also have recognized the greatest enemy of man, sin and death, and that the same Lord was able to likewise deliver. Is this far reaching? If Job, Abraham and other is in the Old Testament believed in a resurrection from the dead and a future state of blessing, then they must have known that somewhere on the road from here to there there was required a personal deliverance from sin.
Saving faith believes in the need of a transformed heart. Of all that Jesus could have said to the woman at the well, He ignites her faith by bringing attention simply to her need of a changed life. "...You would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (Jn 4:10) Nicodemus, with all his education, was spoken to in a way similar to the outcast woman, he needed a regenerated heart. "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (Jn 3:3) What is remarkable about Christ's statements was that He was not trying to be clever by speaking cryptically of something that Nicodemus would have had no practical knowledge, but something that, as a teacher of Israel, he should have known. (Jn 3:7, 10) For example, he should have known such scriptures as Ezekial 36:25-27: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.", and many others. (cf Is 44:3, 4)
Finally, saving faith believes in the need of a priest and sacrificial offerings. It is interesting among tribal people, holding to pagan beliefs of spirit-ism, they believe in gods more powerful than themselves who must be appeased regularly by a blood sacrifice. This has often been a redemptive key for missionaries working with tribal groups; they link the sacrifice of the wild boar or pig for a powerful spirit with the infinitely precious blood of Christ to appease the wrath of an infinitely holy God. And so it is in the Old Testament, from the beginning the holy God is depicted as unapproachable by unholy men, yet in His mercy he allows a person of His own choosing, a priest, whether of the first born, or later of the sons of Aaron, who is sympathetic to the weaknesses of men, their ignorance and waywardness, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin, together with prayer. As a person came to approach God, he was continually confronted with his unholiness as he placed his hand upon the head of the sacrifice, an ox or a lamb, took the knife himself, pierced a major artery and watched, reflectively, as the animal dropped to his knees, then slumped to the side, blood being collected in the priest's vessel, that this innocent animal shed its blood in his place.
Could they have believed, as demonstrated above, the every earthly symbol in the promises to Abraham, or in the ceremonies of the priesthood that there was to be a final, spiritual fulfillment?
They did not see these things clearly, but note how closely the New Testament fulfillment in Christ parallels what has already been said. 1. All men are sinners, having fallen short of the objective and revealed law of God, whether manifest from scripture or that stamped upon their heart by creation. (Rom 3:10-18; Gen 1:27) 2. Because of their wretched condition, all men find they are under God's wrath. (Rom 2:5) 3. Recognizing their hopelessness to deliver themselves from this condition, they look to God for deliverance, for one to save or rescue them from God's wrath, to Jesus the Savior, the Lamb of God -- they look to God (Jesus) for deliverance from God (Rom 3:21,22). 4. Beyond deliverance from wrath, the believer enters instantly, as through a door, as being born from above, into a relationship of peace with God. He is now called a child of God, given eternal life, and becomes a joint heir with Christ (with many other blessings besides). (Jn 1:12; 3:3, 15; 10:9; Rom 5:1; 8:17)
posted by Rod McDonald at 10:41 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home