Salvation of the Old Testament Saints
Hebrews 11 gives us the key to understanding the salvation of Old Testament saints. Therein you will find that it is by faith that "the elders obtained a good report," and that "without faith it is impossible to please [God]." The writer goes on to commend many OT saints for their faith, among them Moses, Samuel, and David, who were Torah-observant. However, these men were righteous before God not because they kept the laws but because of their faith.
Although it may not be explicit in passages discussing the OT saints, I think their faith was more than a general faith in Yahweh. A crucial component of their faith was trust in one of God's oldest promises to humankind: that of redemption from the consequences of Adamic sin. As far back as the refugees from the garden, there were OT saints looking for the promised "seed of the woman" who would tread upon serpent, and yet also be bruised by him: Eve even thought her first son Cain might be that redeemer (consider again Gen. 4:1). In this regard, Jesus specifically tells us that Abraham "saw" his day and was glad. I think this could be said of all of these heroes of faith: they all "saw" the
day of Messiah.
I have been meditating recently on something Peter wrote in this regard. "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven... [1 Pet. 1:10-12]
An implication of this passage is that OT saints knew much more about the atoning death of the Messiah than we sometimes give them credit. I cannot answer to a doctrinal certainty the question of whether they were "born-again" or had "changed natures," or had "personal relationships" with the pre-incarnate Christ. But I cannot say that any of those descriptions fit the thief on the cross either, yet I believe he was saved by some measure of faith in Jesus as Messiah. The same was apparently the case with the OT saints.
Although it may not be explicit in passages discussing the OT saints, I think their faith was more than a general faith in Yahweh. A crucial component of their faith was trust in one of God's oldest promises to humankind: that of redemption from the consequences of Adamic sin. As far back as the refugees from the garden, there were OT saints looking for the promised "seed of the woman" who would tread upon serpent, and yet also be bruised by him: Eve even thought her first son Cain might be that redeemer (consider again Gen. 4:1). In this regard, Jesus specifically tells us that Abraham "saw" his day and was glad. I think this could be said of all of these heroes of faith: they all "saw" the
day of Messiah.
I have been meditating recently on something Peter wrote in this regard. "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven... [1 Pet. 1:10-12]
An implication of this passage is that OT saints knew much more about the atoning death of the Messiah than we sometimes give them credit. I cannot answer to a doctrinal certainty the question of whether they were "born-again" or had "changed natures," or had "personal relationships" with the pre-incarnate Christ. But I cannot say that any of those descriptions fit the thief on the cross either, yet I believe he was saved by some measure of faith in Jesus as Messiah. The same was apparently the case with the OT saints.
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