"
The Bible does not teach that salvation was ever possible by the works of the law. Salvation has always been by grace through faith alone. Those saved in the Old Testament dispensation were saved by grace and grace alone. They were regenerated by the Holy Spirit and had faith in the promised Messiah. They were circumcised in the heart (Deut 10:16). The moved from Abraham's natural seed to Abraham's spiritual seed by the means of the new birth. Among the natural descendants of Abraham were a few, a remnant according to election who were saved the same way Abraham was, by faith and grace, just as we are today . . . Old Testament saints were inward members of the covenant of grace, but outwardly they were still under the guardianship of the law [This was to preserve the seed until the fullness of time when Christ would come.]
. . . The ineffectual animal sacrifices were gracious in that they pointed to the efficacious substitutional atonement of the future Messiah." [1]
"
The Gospel is visible in the very writings of Moses (Luke 24:44). It was first published in the garden (Gen 3:15) and republished more clearly with Abraham (Gal 3:8). Even the very law itself pointed to Christ. As Christ explains to the Jews, '[I]n the volume of the book it is written of me (Heb 10:7), and if 'you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.' (John 5:46)." [1]
Thus Jesus could say to Nicodemus as He conveyed the necessity of the New Birth,
“. . . Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” (
John 3:10, ESV).
______________________________________________
1. Johnson, Jeffery D., The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism, Free Grace Press, 2010, Pages 127-129.
No comments:
Post a Comment