Romans 4:13, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
Dear reader, it doesn't get any simpler than this. Please read again Romans 4:13, “For the promise, that he [Abraham] should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” There you have it. The PROMISE of eternal life (which was given before the world began - Titus 1:2), was NOT to Abraham or his seed through THE LAW, but through THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH. People have always been saved by grace through faith in Christ. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Beware of wacky dispensationalists with their salvation by faith plus works heresy in the Old Testament. They also teach that salvation will be by faith plus works during the future Tribulation and Millennial periods. Nothing could be further from the truth of the Gospel. I say that humbly and kindly. Please carefully read Romans 4:14-15, “For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.” The Bible couldn't be any plainer. They who are of the law are not saved!
Trying to obeying the law to merit salvation voids faith and grace! I keep hearing false teachers insisting that salvation was still by grace in the Old Testament, but they had to work for it. Huh? Dear reader, they are in denial. If salvation is truly by grace, then it must be by faith alone. The same is true of the Lordship Salvation crowd today, who are in utter denial. You cannot get to Heaven by your own human efforts, nor does God require anything from you more than simple faith to receive His promise of eternal life.
The very idea of keeping the law to obtain salvation is offensive. Our best is filth to God! Isaiah 64:6-8, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” The law worketh God's wrath. That simply means that God is holy, and all humanity is unholy, and we are all guilty sinners in the hands of an angry God (2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9; Romans 5:9; John 3:36; Psalms 7:11). Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Romans 4:16a, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace;” Again and again we are taught that salvation is by faith alone. In order to be by grace, getting saved absolutely must be by faith alone. Not the least amount of human effort can be included. The ceremonial laws were duties for Old Testament Jews living in the Holy Land. Only the Jews, living in the time of the Old Testament, who lived in the region of Israel, were required to perform their ceremonies year after year, but these were NOT required to receive eternal life. The law served a purpose—“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19-20).
Jesus' Precious Blood Has Always Washed Away People's Sins
We further read in Galatians 3:19, 24-26, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. ... Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” The same law that shows us our sinfulness (Romans 7:13), is the same that showed people in the Old Testament their sinfulness, and pointed them to the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat in the holy place for forgiveness. ...
Hebrews 9:22, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
One of the most dangerous false teachers of our generation is Pastor John MacArthur. If you read his Bible commentary for Hebrews 9:12-24, you will find that MacArthur denies the blood. He errantly teaches that “blood” in Hebrews chapter 9 actually means “death,” and he says that Jesus' physical liquid blood is NOT on the Mercy Seat in Heaven. The Bible calls Mr. MacArthur a liar! Hebrews 9:12, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” How were they saved in the Old Testament? My friend, they were saved by the blood! They were saved the same as you and I—by placing childlike faith in the blood of THE LAMB.
The annual Jewish Passover feast was a continual reminder of this awesome truth. Exodus 12:13, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” It was the lamb's blood each year that the high priest sprinkled upon the mercy seat, in the presence of God between the two cherubims, that atoned (covered) for the sins of the people for another year; but only those who personally believed were saved! Just as today, salvation was strictly an individual matter in the Old Testament.
Old Testament Jews Not Saved Because of Unbelief, Not Lack of Works
Please listen dear reader. I have a lot of web visitors who are confused because of Robert Breaker, Chett Hensley, Peter S. Ruckman, Bryan Denlinger, William P. Grady and Gene Kim on salvation. My web visitors have been desensitized to the dangers of a false gospel, by thinking that it doesn't matter if a preacher is wrong on salvation past and future, just so long as he is right today (in the so-called “Church Age”). I assure you that it does matter, because one think does affect another, and another doctrinally. I want you to carefully read the following passage of Scripture, which calls all of these aforementioned preachers theological liars! Are you ready? Here goes:
Hebrews 4:1-3, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
The preceding Scripture passage is talking about the Jews who wandered in the Wilderness of Zin for 40 years, because they refused to obey God to enter into the Promised Land. They had a tabernacle, a holy place, a mercy seat, and the Ark of the Covenant, and the high priest who entered once a year into the holy of holies with the blood of a killed spotless lamb. Yet, as we just read, the reason why most of the Jews didn't get saved wasn't because they failed to do works, but because they did NOT BELIEVE the Gospel which Moses preached unto them!
The Gospel Is A Promise!
Do you see friend that the word “PROMISE” keeps appearing (Galatians 3:14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 29; Romans 13, 14, 16, 20, 21). I could cite umpteen more passages about God's “PROMISE” of eternal life. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Hebrews 4:1a, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise...” I love that precious word—PROMISE! Eternal life is a promised gift to anyone who receives it by childlike faith in the Messiah. Eternal life was promised by God before the world began. That is so wonderful.
Hebrews 4:10-11, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” The Bible is very plain that to be saved, a person must cease from their own works. This was true of Old Testament saints as well. No one has ever been saved by keeping the law, nor partially trying to keep the law, not for a day, not for a minute, not for a second. We are saved BY FAITH alone! The Sabbath Day symbolized Jesus Christ, in Whom we rest completely for salvation. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Colossians 2:14-16 teaches that there is no Sabbath Day today, it was nailed to the cross with all of the ceremonial laws and traditions. Jesus Christ is our Sabbath today!
Again, please don't miss this important truth—Hebrews 4:2 clearly teaches that the Jews who didn't get saved in the Wilderness, refused to believe the GOOD NEWS (Gospel) which Moses preached to them. That Gospel was the same PROMISE that God made to Abraham (Galatians 3:16). It was the same promise which God made before the world began (Titus 1:2). The Bible calls it a promise in Hebrews 4:1. The Gospel is a promise! God promises to save them that believe on the name of Christ. 1st Corinthians 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” The Gospel is a promise!
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