Much can be learned about Old Testament (OT) salvation by examining the recipients of that salvation with a Biblical evaluation of how they got it.

Table of Contents

Old Testament Salvation 1

Cain and Able, Noah and Job and OT Salvation 2

Abraham and Sarah, Melchizedec and Lot, 4

Moses and Balaam, Saul and David, 7

Ahab and Hezikiah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, 8

Were Ezekiel and Daniel Saved? 9

Conclusion 10

Appendix An Examination of OT vs NT Syntax 11

NOTES 13

BIBLIOGRAPHY 14

Old Testament Salvation

Three key ingredients of salvation can readily be found in the “so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”¹ These are the 1) declarative justification of God, the 2) saving faith of conversion, and the 3) amazing grace of God and they can be found in character examinations of OT characters. New Testament salvation always includes this justification, faith and grace; being wholly justified, by faith alone, through undeserved grace². What's more, the 'new birth' salvation of the New Testament includes conversion, justification, quickening, indwelling and positional baptism into Christ. Although one can find these elements distributed throughout OT characters, finding them all in one character, in the Testament that was given for ones learning, is impossible. Before the completion of 'so great salvation' on the cross of Calvary, there was no such completion in a soul's salvation. New Testament salvation has names and descriptions, like new-birth, redemption, born-again, saved, or washed, and these too can be compared and found with terminology of the Old Testament Scriptures. Old Testament salvation will fall short of what was fully completed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; it will not measure up to the justification by grace through faith that is available to 'whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord;' but it can still be examined through its OT recipients. Cain and Able, Noah and Job, Abraham and Sarah, Melchisedec and Lot, Moses and Balaam, Saul and David, Ahab and Hezikiah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, in their time, and in their way had access to 'so great salvation.' In the examination it is found that there is only one salvation available to man and it is by faith through grace to attain complete judicial justification. One also finds,“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Heb 2:3-4)

Cain and Able, Noah and Job and OT Salvation

“If strict justice had been executed, the race would have been cut off at the first sin. That man lives after sinning is due wholly to the Cross. There is a pretermission, or 'passing over' of the sins done afore time, in the forbearance of God, (Rom 3:25) the justification of which is found only in the sacrifice of Calvary. This 'passing over', however, is limited in its duration: see Acts 17:30,31- ”the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.³ ”

If the sins of Cain or Able got under the blood of the cross, there had to be a means of their getting there. In Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh” one sees that Abel was righteous and had, thus, obtained salvation. When one is declared righteous it is an imputed righteousness implying salvation. In contrast the first born man, Cain, became guilty of first degree murder, and there is no evidence that his sin was ever under the blood of the cross, nor that Cain was forgiven, nor that he was made righteous. In Hebrews, then, the 'conversion' of Able and not Cain seems to be directly related to their bringing an acceptable sacrificial offering. This is a portrayal of God's requirement that there be a perfect sacrifice made; a slip-shod, or blood lacking sacrifice will not do. Able was declared righteous for obedience in bringing an accepted offering. Cain missed the righteousness of God by disobedience; this is a truth for today as well as a portrayal of God's exactness when it comes to a sacrifice For there is only one salvation, and that is with a perfect sacrifice.

The Bible says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ... Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Here is the first Bible occurrence of God's grace. Grace is undeserved merit and here, following hard after the description of man's wickedness one sees God's emphasis on His free gift, undeserved merit, in the salvation of Noah. He was described as a just man and perfect, a preacher of righteousness (2Pet 2:5), a man moved with fear (Heb 11:7) and one who walked with God, and yet it took God's grace to bring about his salvation. Abel's salvation emphasizes the necessary sacrifice; Noah's, God's necessary grace. All the attributes of a NT salvation are not found in any OT saint. Only a prophetic emphasis on a single attribute is found in each revelation.

The tremendous discourse undertaken by Job, of the land of Uz, “who was perfect and upright and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” focuses an emphasis on man's need for a redeemer, an advocate, a daysman in man's salvation by grace through faith. Job, already declared perfect, said of God “For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgement. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.” (Job 9:32-33) The abbreviated gist of 18 chapters of profound Hebrew poetry is that all men will face a judgment of their sins and man cannot answer a just and holy God without an advocate who is both a daysman and a redeemer. This redeemer was yet to come into this world, but Job's great faith shows through in this profound sentence, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27)

The book of Job gives insight to no few areas of theology, but concerning salvation he shows the necessity of a redeemer and the ability to look forward in time to one who is coming, just as one today looks back in time to the one who came. Other attributes of ones NT salvation are lacking in Job, but the necessity of this 'daysman' is a primary emphasis.

Abraham and Sarah, Melchizedec and Lot,

The primary NT example and illustration of saving faith is found in Abraham. Used first by James writing to predominately Jewish believers of his scattered flock, the illustration shows faith must be demonstratively justified by works as he declares that “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23) Later Paul, writing to predominately Gentile believers in Rome, illustrates God's declarative justification to the Romans with . “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3) Many shallow arguments have been made that these two illustrations are at odds, but they simply fail to consider that there are two distinct uses of the word justification; first in demonstration of ones faith, then in God's declarative act of justification. God declares us just-as-if we had never sinned, and he does so without any of ones works, only the work of Christ. When one is truly justified in this way, their faith is justified by their works, as James clarifies. The power of both these illustrations is in Abraham's faith. “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Heb 11:8-10)

Abraham's faith and belief got him an imputed righteousness. Examine two things about this justification or declared righteousness. First, it obviously occurred at a point in time when Abraham exhibited faith and obedience. In NT Salvation one calls this 'conversion'; which is “testifying ... repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21) In his commentary on Romans, John Calvin (1509-1564) is forced by his theology, to move this declarative justification or imputation of righteousness, out ahead of ones conversion, up to the point of one's 'calling'⁴ Obviously, in the Bible, Abraham was not justified at his calling, but at his believing.

Secondly this justification or imputed righteousness, which Abraham received was irrevocable. When he was afraid to believe and lied about his wife being his sister, his imputed righteousness remained with him. When he failed to believe and tried to assist God by taking the Egyptian maid to wife, his imputed righteousness was not taken from him. James Harmensen (Latin Arminius) (1560-1609) wrote with certain unclarity to refute John Calvin⁵, that “true converts may, and sometimes do, fall away totally and finally from the state of grace and salvation; their perseverance therein depending not on efficacious grace, but on their own free will to continue in the gospel duties.⁶” Abraham's declared righteousness was irrevocable, as in ours under the new covenant.

Obviously the OT salvation experience as given for ones learning can guard against the false teachings propagated by both John Calvin and James Harmensen. The emphasis made in the accounting of OT salvation for Abraham is on His justification by faith and Abraham's justification of his faith by his obedience.

If Abraham had righteousness imputed to him by his faith, what of Sarah, his wife? “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” (Heb 11:11) Abraham's faith believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness; Sarah's faith believed God and it was counted unto her for a promised seed. First Timothy 2:14-15 says: “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” Here the context of 'saved' is not soul salvation, for this cannot imply that Sarah, for her faith, received any less salvation than Abraham, nor that there is a difference in justifying faith for women than for men. Paul clarifies that in Christ “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28) This clarification shows Sarah's salvation exemplifying her great faith. Abraham and Sarah both are OT saints who exemplify a faith aspect of Biblical salvation.

Melchisedec was not chosen nor elect, but he was, just the same, “the priest of the most high God” (Gen 14:18) and the king of Salem (soon to be Jerusalem.) Abraham was the chosen and the elect for seed purposes, and he tithed to this righteous priest. Melchisedec will be in glory with Abraham, but he was not in the lineage of Israel. Melchisedec walks onto one page of the OT Scripture and then disappears until Christ reveals his purpose in the book to the Hebrews.

But for two verses in the NT one would consider worldly, compromising Lot with the lost, not with the OT Saints. II Peter 2:7-8 calls him 'just' and 'righteous.' He is contrasted with Abraham, the 'father of faith', as a worldly man who chose him all the plain of Jordan, while his Uncle, under the same circumstances, 'looked for a city ... whose builder and maker is God.' Just the same Lot, who cannot be called a man of faith, or works, or integrity, was declared righteous and was thus 'saved'.

Moses and Balaam, Saul and David,

It was Moses' faith that got his name written in Hebrews 11, but it is Moses' service that is emphasized for this OT Saint. Moses, “when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,” was righteous because of his faith. It is his faith, not his service, that will land Moses on 'Streets of Gold.' His failed obedience kept him from the promises land but his faith gets him to the promised home.

Although Jude calls out the 'error' of Balaam, (Jude 1:11) Peter decries the 'way' of Balaam, “who loved the ways of unrighteousness,” (2Pet 2:15) and Jesus himself condemns the 'doctrine' of Balaam, Balaam himself says “I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD (Jehovah) my God.” (Num 22:18) It is interesting that the OT paints Lot black and the NT redeems him, and the NT paints Balaam black, and the OT redeems him, albeit only somewhat. Balaam, outside of the 12 tribes of Israel which Moses lead, was a prophet of the LORD God, who spoke to God and heard from God (Num 22) Many write Balaam off as a false teacher, a naturalistic compromiser and worldly failure, but where Balak, the son of Zippor, first found Balaam he was a prophet of Jehovah God. Would such a prophet of God be cast away because of his failure? Balaam, from the outside of Israel, 'knew God and God knew him' that generally describes a saved man.

The NT is silent concerning the righteousness of King Saul. Weighing in his election for service, his filling with the Spirit of God, and his exemplary introduction, one would consider Saul a saved man. Indeed if salvation, OT or NT, is 'by grace through faith and that not of yourselves', Saul's rebellion, disobedience and evil spirit, cannot undo the imputation of righteousness that God did in King Saul. OT salvation will bring Saul to those 'Streets of Gold.'

David's salvation and righteousness will not be discussed here except to point to his confession in Psalm 51 and to declare King David saved. Countless expositions on OT salvation reference this saint, God's choice, his sin, his confessions, his Psalms and his security. It is without doubt a revealing discourse but beyond the scope of this small paper.

Ahab and Hezikiah, Isaiah and Jeremiah,

Ahab, one of the most evil men to walk across a page of God's Bible, (1Kings 16:30) was in the crowd that saw the fire of God and cried out with unison, “The LORD, his is God; the LORD, he is God.” (1Kings 18:39) Ahab's stand against the gods of his wife Jezebel did not last till night fall in the same chapter. If the seed which falls on stony ground, seed which does not 'have root in itself' but withers away at tribulation, represents a shallow fruitless belief that perishes, Ahab also perished. God used Ahab, even blessed Ahab on occasion, (1Kings 20) but Ahab's belief remained sternly in false gods and Rev 21:8 says “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Ahab was judged physically for his evil deeds and failed leadership. He will be judged eternally for his relentlessly grasp onto idolatry, if it was indeed relentless.

Hezekiah has the remarkable epitaph that “he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.” (2Kings 18:3) Did Hezekiah do right because the LORD was in his heart, or was the LORD in his heart because Hezekiah did right? James clarifies that ones faith is justified by ones works. This verse, 2Kings 18:3, makes Hezekiah as saved as David was. This OT salvation is still not by works, it is by grace through faith that one is saved.

Isaiah's calling to be a prophet of God exemplifies volunteerism. His glimpse of God's holiness in chapter 6 culminates in his statement “here am I; send me.” (Isa 6:8) His bold confession of faith comes in the year that King Uzziah died; recall that Uzziah (Azariah, alternate spelling) died a leper for his disobedience to the God he served for 52 years! (II Kings 15:1-6) Isaiah was a saved saint.

As Isaiah's prophecy exemplifies volunteerism, Jeremiah's exemplifies a “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jer1:5) ... selection. Both are present; neither should be denied. Not that God did not choose Jeremiah for salvation, he chose him for service, as his prophet. Much should be said about this distinction (God only 'elects' or 'chooses' one for service, never for salvation!) but it must suffice here to say that Jeremiah came to faith in God, by God's grace. Perhaps an only Bible example of 'irresistible grace' is found in Jeremiah, but to avoid over exposing John Calvin's gross error it shall not be consider that here. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah reveals God's plan to redeem Israel with a redeemer, but this exposure of that messiah as their own personal redeemer and sacrifice for their sin can only be discovered by conjecture. They were saints, they were saved, but more so for their purposes of preaching than for the individual 'God so loved me' and 'whosoever cometh unto me' salvation renderings that one is used to in this age of grace.

Were Ezekiel and Daniel Saved?

Ezekiel introduces his call to prophecy to Judah in the captivity with this explanation: “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” (Ezek 1:1) Again, the presumed conversion and salvation experience of Ezekiel does not fulfill the decrees of Jesus who said “Except ye be (born again) ye cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3) and “Except ye be converted ... ye cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” (Matt 18) Ezekiel apparently did neither but entered the Kingdom of God as a prophet to His remnant in captivity. OT salvation required faith, grace and justification, but the means of its imputation are not readily discerned for many, including Ezekiel.

The faith, grace, and justification of a young Judean captive named Daniel is revealed in Daniel 1. Young Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not “defile himself with the portion of the kings meat, nor with the wine which he drank;” (Daniel 1:8) As in all salvation experiences it is Daniel's resolve (i.e. belief, faith etc.) that brings his favor with God, not his act of purity in food and wine. Why God revealed to us Daniels 'conversion' and concealed from us the 'conversion' of other prophets is God's business. Through an older Daniel came great detailed revelations of the last days and the first clear glimpse of the 'abomination of desolations.' The resolve and trials of a young Daniel display why this prophet was so precious and so used of God. In doing so his 'conversion' by grace through faith is aptly portrayed.

Conclusion

The Bible is clear and certain about 'So Great Salvation' but this amazing offering to man is a NT promise not to be fully found in the OT. This salvation “at the first began to be spoken by the Lord” (Heb 2:3), and did not, per say exist in it's NT form for the OT saints. Various aspects of this salvation were prophesied, predicted, and portrayed in the OT. Various OT saints were used to exhibit, illustrate, and reveal many of these traits, but none portrayed the whole, and none had the whole. The Bible uses a progressive revelation of all it's principles and this 'so great salvation' is no exception. The free grace of justification through faith is thus marvelously revealed progressively until it's culmination in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the new covenant and available now to every man every where.

Appendix An Examination of OT vs NT Syntax

Examining how the words of salvation are used in the OT vs the NT can be an insightful tool in understanding some differences in OT salvation. Very often, OT salvation is dealing with the life, or a nation and not so much with the eternal salvation of the soul. Even this consideration can be picked out in some general examination of how often words are used. The Table below shows some key words and their usage counts in the Bible, the OT and the Psalms. The percentage of usage is insightful for a brief examination of how these words characterize OT salvation.

Note that 81% of the usage of 'trust' is found in the OT, but 83% of the usage of 'faith' and 85% of the usage 'belief' is in the NT. These words allude to the same concept, and represent only a syntax change. Note that 'redemption', 'salvation' and 'mercy' are used 91%, 74% and 82% respectively in the OT and the latter two are preferred terms of the psalmist. These are often terms used in relation to the redemption of Israel, a ready topic of the OT. The term 'quicken' is interesting with the OT capturing just 57% of its use, and the psalmist garnering 88% of that usage. This term indeed captures a key ingredient of the individual souls salvation experience, wherein once one is dead in trespasses and sins, now they are alive, or 'quickened.'

An engineer often likes to first examine the statistics of a subject and these numbers bring together some of the scope of this examination. The use of these words by the individuals of the OT will prove the more interesting and fruitful.

NOTES

2 Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” also Romans 5:1,9 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:...: 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

4 Calvin, John, “Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans”, Compiled at Strasbourg in 1939 and distributed by Christians Classics Ethreal Library, Grand Rapisd, Michigan, www.ccel.org, LC call No. B 849. Croam Chap 8 verse 30

5 Rice, Edward G., “The Biblical Doctrine of Election s and Predestination”, www.GSBaptistChurch.com/calvinism Chapter 2 Origins of the Error, pg 9

6 Darby, Robert Lewis,”The Five Points of Calvinism”, www.spurgeon.org/hil/dabney/5points.htm, pg 4, intor, clarified quote of James Harmensen's paper, accessed 6/28/08

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Calvin, John, “Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans”, Compiled at Strasbourg in 1939 and distributed by Christians Classics Ethreal Library, Grand Rapisd, Michigan, www.ccel.org, LC call No. B 849.

Darby, Robert Lewis,”The Five Points of Calvinism”, www.spurgeon.org/hil/dabney/5points.htm, accessed 6/28/08

Rice, Edward G., “The Biblical Doctrine of Election s and Predestination”, www.GSBaptistChurch.com/calvinim, accessed 06/30/08

2Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” also Romans 5:1,9 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:...:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

4Calvin, John, “Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans”, Compiled at Strasbourg in 1939 and distributed by Christians Classics Ethreal Library, Grand Rapisd, Michigan, www.ccel.org, LC call No. B 849. Croam Chap 8 verse 30

5Rice, Edward G., “The Biblical Doctrine of Election s and Predestination”, www.GSBaptistChurch.com/calvinism Chapter 2 Origins of the Error, pg 9

6Darby, Robert Lewis,”The Five Points of Calvinism”, www.spurgeon.org/hil/dabney/5points.htm, pg 4, intor, clarified quote of James Harmensen's paper, accessed 6/28/08

Word	# in Bible	# in OT	% in OT	# in Psalms	% of OT in Psalms
Trust	188	153	81%	70	46%
Faith	341	58	17%	20	34%
Belie* (belief, believe etc.)	292	45	15%	7	16%
Redeem* (redeem, redeemption etc.)	123	112	91%	19	17%
Justif* (justify, justification etc.)	62	24	39%	2	8%
Save* (save, saved etc.)	345	227	66%	54	24%
Salvation* (salvation, salvations etc.)	167	124	74%	70	56%
Quicken* (quicken, quickeneth, quickened etc.)	28	16	57%	14	88%
Regen* (regenerated, regenerate etc.)	2	0	0%	0	-
Holy Ghost	89	0	0%	0	-
Holy Spirit	7	3	43%	1	33%
Merc* (mercy, mercies etc.)	401	328	82%	132	40%