PEOPLE IN
THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
ARE NOT SAVED THE SAME WAY
EXPLANATION:
There has been a lot of ‘hullabaloo’ (a Webster’s
Dictionary term for
uproar, hubbub, confusion, loud noise and clamour) about Old Testament
(OT)
salvation vs New Testament (NT) salvation. Are they the same? Did men
in the OT
get saved the same way as they do in the NT? Did men in the Old
Testament get
saved by looking forward to the cross? Was the
righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to OT
saints? Did Abraham see Jesus shedding his blood on a Roman cross
and see his
resurrection?
Instead of debating off the top of our heads or sprouting
tradition, let
us resort to the scriptures and let them speak for themselves. I’m
sure, that
at the end of asking eight simple questions, we shall be in no doubt.
In
addition, we’ll look at what scripture means when it says that Abraham “saw”
Christ’s “day” (John
8:56).
Q1 DID SAINTS IN THE OT HAVE THEIR SINS TAKEN
AWAY?
No. Scripture makes it crystal clear that the blood of
bulls and goats
couldn’t take away sins (Heb
10:4). Quite simply, OT blood was not God’s blood that
purchased his church
(Acts 20:28). They
had to make do with animal blood which was sufficient to temporarily
atone for
their sins.
David said that OT saints only has their sins “covered”
but not
washed away (Rom
4:7) But now, Scripture says that Jesus has “washed us
from our sins in
his own blood” (Rev
1:5).
Q2 DID SAINTS IN THE OT HAVE CLEAR
CONSCIENCES?
No. As their sins weren’t washed away, God never allowed
them to have a
clear conscience. The conscience of their sins still remained with
them. Even
though the high priest would show the animal blood to God, their sins
were
atoned for and forgiven, but not taken away. The guilt of their past
sins was
ever present with them. They would go to the altar with animal blood,
but this
wasn’t good enough to “purge” their “conscience” (Heb
9:14).
As a NT saint, you may have memories of sins, however the
guilt, the
shame, the pain, the hurt and the responsibilities of past sins have
all been
laid on Jesus. The Christian’s conscience should be free and clean as
all the
hurt and pain has been washed away by the blood of Jesus.
Q3 DID SAINTS IN THE OT BECOME MEMBERS OF
CHRIST’S BODY?
No. They became members of Abraham’s body as Lazarus did (Luk
16:23). However, scripture says NT saints “… are
members of his body, of his flesh, and of
his bones.” (Eph
5:30). Abraham’s bosom, was the closest thing that an OT
saint could get
into anyone’s body.
Q4 DID SAINTS IN THE OT BECOME BORN AGAIN?
No. Nicodemus as a ruler of the Jews, would have been
exceedingly well
versed in the scriptures, yet he hadn’t heard of this term. Nicodemus
epitomized Jewish ignorance by saying to Jesus “How can a man be born
when he
is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be
born?” (John
3:4). There is no new birth in the OT. No-one was put into
the death of
Jesus Christ. No-one could get a second chance by getting spiritually
born
again.
Q5 DID SAINTS IN THE OT GET SPIRITUALLY
CIRCUMCISED?
No. Scripture says “In whom also ye are circumcised
with the
circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of
the
flesh by the circumcision of Christ:” (Col
2:11).
Spiritual circumcision means to have your sins removed
from your soul.
That’s why when a Christian dies, he goes straight to heaven. OT saints
couldn’t go straight to heaven, as their sins were still attached to
their
soul.
Q6 DID SAINTS IN THE OT GO TO THE THIRD
HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIED?
No. They went to Abraham’s bosom (Luk
16:23). Their souls would still have their sins attached to
them until Jesus
would come and take them up to heaven by taking “captivity
captive” (Eph
4:8). The best that the OT saint could get was to be put
into Abraham as a
sort of temporary resting place, until Jesus descended into hell to
take them
out.
Q7 DID SAINTS IN THE OT GET REDEEMED?
No. Scripture says “And for this cause he is the mediator
of the new
testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions
that were under the first testament, they which are called might
receive
the promise of eternal inheritance.” (Heb
9:15)
The OT saint had his sins forgiven but the guilt wasn’t
taken away.
Furthermore, scripture says that God has “…mercy for thousands,
forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear
the
guilty…” (Ex
34:7). No, the
OT saint was still guilty even though forgiven.
This makes sense when you realize that the blood of bulls
and goats
couldn’t even be compared to that of the blood of God himself (Act
20:28 ).
Q8 DID SAINTS IN THE OT GET ADOPTED AS SONS
OF GOD?
No. Scripture says “For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage
again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry,
Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that
we are
the children of God:” (Rom
8:15 Rom
8:16). And
again, “For ye
are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal
3:26)
Q9 DID THE OT SAINTS EVER RECEIVE THE PROMISE
OF THE SPIRIT?
No. Scripture says “That the blessing of Abraham might
come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the
Spirit
through faith.” (Gal
3:14)
The OT saint was “Abraham’s
seed” (physical seed) (Joh
8:33). The NT saint is also “Abraham’s
seed”
(spiritual seed) “…that he
might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not
circumcised…” (Rom
4:11 ). Abraham was a good ‘go-between’ between the OT
saint and the NT
saint, with each having something in common ie that of Abraham as their
father.
Q10 BUT DIDN’T ABRAHAM GET SAVED BY FAITH?
No, Abraham “…believed in the LORD; and he counted it
to him for
righteousness.” (Gen
15:6). This
had nothing to do with his getting saved because he believed God. We
have
already seen, that typical of OT saints, Abraham …
1. His sins were not washed away or taken Heb
10:4 vs Rev 1:5 away in
any shape or form
2. His sins were not paid for only covered. He was not redeemed Heb
9:15
3. He was not put into the body of Christ as a member 1Cor
12:13
4. He was not spiritually circumcised (his sins were still
attached to
him) Col 2:11
5. When he died he went to Abraham’s bosom not heaven. Then
Jesus went
there after the cross and got him out of there.
6. He was not adopted into God’s family
7. He was not regenerated
8. He was not born again and
9. His conscience was not purged
Q11 WHAT ABOUT THE VERSE THAT SAYS ABRAHAM “SAW”
CHRIST’S “DAY”?
This scripture has been badly bent out of shape. Some
well meaning preacher
earlier last century, put the following spin on it and it has stuck
ever since
- “Abraham saw Jesus Christ go to the cross, die and then get
resurrected.”
No. Abraham saw Christ’s day, in that he looked forward
to the
resurrection of his own son after he was going to slay him. Without
even having
a clue about Jesus Christ, Abraham “saw” Christ’s “day” in that
he performed and lived out something that would take place 1850 years
into the
future.
He was enacting a type and foreshadow of things to come
whereby God
would provide “himself” (Gen
22:8) as the lamb to be put to death and resurrected. What
obedient Abraham “saw”, was
that Isaac would let himself be killed and then God would resurrect him
to
life. This was seeing Christ’s day.
Your
father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. John
8:56
WHAT OBEDIENT ABRAHAM “SAW”, WAS THAT ISAAC WOULD LET HIMSELF BE KILLED AND
THEN GOD WOULD RESURRECT HIM TO LIFE. THIS WAS SEEING CHRIST’S DAY.
This scripture has been badly bent out of shape. Some
well meaning
preacher earlier last century, put the following spin on it and it has
stuck
ever since - “Abraham saw Jesus Christ go to the cross, die and then
get
resurrected.”
No. Abraham saw Christ’s day, in that he looked forward
to
1. Abraham’s son perfectly obeyed him
2. Abraham’s son let his father kill him
3. Abraham’s son rose again after being killed.
Abraham didn’t see Jesus, didn’t see a cross (Assyria
about 950 years
later, was the first nation to crucify people), didn’t see Jesus rise
form the
dead and so on.
Without even having a clue about Jesus Christ, Abraham “saw”
Christ’s “day” in that he performed and lived out something
that would
take place 1850 years into the future.
He was enacting a type and foreshadow of things to come
whereby God
would provide “himself” (Gen
22:8) as the lamb to be put to death and resurrected.
“ABRAHAM IN SEEING THE RESURRECTION OF HIS
OWN SON, HE SAW THE DAY WHEN GOD WOULD RESURRECT HIS OWN SON”
He didn’t know about God resurrecting Christ. But he saw
“the day”.
Abraham’s experience was a type and a foreshadow of the real thing to
come.
CONCLUSION
No,
dear
reader, we have seen, the belief that OT salvation is the same as NT,
is just
heresy. Truly, we are “approved unto God” when we “study” by “rightly
dividing the word of truth” (2Ti
2:15)
Harley
Hitchcock
This
website’s front page is:
www.
www.AustralianBibleMinistries.com