Q & A on God is…Self-Sacrificing

Certainly when we think of the cross of Jesus Christ we can see a God who sacrifices himself for his fallen creation. This thought is implicit in “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16. One text question submitted during the message asks how people who lived and died before Christ‘s sacrifice were saved. It’s a good question and I hope I can give a good answer.

Q. How was salvation achieved before Jesus died on the cross? For example, in the Old Testament and the early church.

A. If we believe in the exclusiveness of salvation in Jesus Christ, then there was no other way for a person to be saved than through him, even in the Old Testament Days. The Bible does state: “…There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

So either they were saved by faith in a Christ who had yet to die or they were not saved at all. The answer, I believe is that those who were saved in the Old Testament days were saved by a faith that was a forward looking faith based on God’s Word of the promised Messiah and Redeemer that would come. The Bible says that Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, “these all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar…” Hebrews 11:13. Later in the chapter it says that Moses, “considered the abuse suffered for the Christ (or the Messiah) greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward” Hebrews 11:26.

We have to remember that Jesus himself backed this thinking up when he told the religious leaders of the day, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad” John 8:56.

So the Old Testament believers looked forward to the promise. They didn’t have the details that we have, but they had enough. From our vantage, we look back. The important thing is to believe God and trust in Christ now. They had to do it while living and so do we.