Salvation Before Christ

[Bono]

I have a question that I'm nearly sure will come up in a debate I'll be having in a while, so I need to be prepared.
Did anybody got saved before CHrist's atonement? IF so, what were the mechanics of that? If not, why not, and what happend to Enoch and Elijah?
Hope you can help me, and be well.

 

[heymikey80]

I have a question that I'm nearly sure will come up in a debate I'll be having in a while, so I need to be prepared.
Did anybody got saved before CHrist's atonement? IF so, what were the mechanics of that? If not, why not, and what happend to Enoch and Elijah?
Hope you can help me, and be well.

Let's narrow the definition a little here. Salvation is a broad term. You're talking about inheriting eternal life, doubtless. There're still nuances to answer that question -- though from the Reformed camp generally, salvation is from our God in all ages.

Faith in God -- truly relying on Him by the Holy Spirit, calling on His name -- that's the indicator of someone who is saved. As an OT prophet wrote (Habakkuk, not Paul or John the Baptist), "The just shall live by faith." Abraham had this faith and on that basis he was declared justified by God. His place in the afterlife is actually a synonym for heaven in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

OT believers were thus declared justified by God as well (according to Romans 4).

I'm not absolutely convinced what the "completeness" is, but the OT believers were not given the entire "completeness" of everything that goes with salvation (Heb 11:39-40).

I would say that in any age, a rejection of God as He has revealed Himself to that point is a ... rejection of God, though. And that's the basic problem when revelation is progressively delivered to us: if our convictions about God are contrary to how He reveals Himself, then we've got a problem. We can't reject Him, and yet receive as if He were who we thought He was.

Ignorance, God is very patient with. Even stubbornness. But "if we deny Him , He will deny us."

 

[erin74]

Romans 4 - that has been mentioned.

Hebrews 11 is a good one for faith.

All who are saved were atoned by Christ - both pre-christ and after. The faith they had in the sacrifices was actually in the hope of one who's sacrifice was worthy, Christ.

I think the passages starts with "In his (wisdom?) God left the sins of the forefathers unpunished.... words to that effect.

 

[hlaltimus]

They were saved, prior to Christ's atonement, by the typological atonement, but not "saved" in the same sense that we are here and now. Christ's personal atonement was efficacious unto an actual pardon, while the pardon of the Old Testament sacrifices was only a promisory pardon which value rested entirely upon a future, true payment for redemption. The benefit of the typological atonement of the Old Testament was not in it's power to actually, really and truly propitiate for sins before the Eternal Father in heaven, but in it's value to prevent execution of sentence from being performed against the persons of God's people who knew no other atonement than that of a lamb, bullock, etc.

 

[Bono]

Thank you for all your answers. THis leads me to ask one more thing regarding this(but more can add to what has been said, please do).
In Acts 17:30, when it is said
" 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"
Does thius mean that God overlooked the ignorance and let people into Heaven, or that he overlooked and let them go to Hell without making an offer of salvation to them. I think it's the second, but I've seen it argued the first.

 

[heymikey80]

Thank you for all your answers. THis leads me to ask one more thing regarding this(but more can add to what has been said, please do).
In Acts 17:30, when it is said
" 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"
Does thius mean that God overlooked the ignorance and let people into Heaven, or that he overlooked and let them go to Hell without making an offer of salvation to them. I think it's the second, but I've seen it argued the first.

Look at Paul's audience for what Paul means to tell them. Did they have heaven and hell in their sights about this stuff? Not really.

I'd say Paul means God overlooked the judgement of pagan idolators who defied Him through unbelief, right here on earth. cf. Rom 1:18-eoc. This is the ignorance God overlooked.

 

[arunma]

My understanding is that people before Christ and people after Christ were both saved by faith in Christ. After all, the Son of God was revealed to the first humans (whether you take the creation account literally or figuratively).

 

[theApostateFreewiller]

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

We were saved and called before time began.
The appearance of the Lord was merely the revelation to those meant to receive of that salvation.

Do I believe that the OT saints were saved the same way as us. Yes. These were saved by grace through faith. They believed God. We are saved by grace through faith. We believe.

Nevertheless, I believe that their perfection waited for us. They all died in faith having received a good testimony, but were not made perfect apart from us in that God had provided something better. (Hebrews 11:39-40)