Ezekiel 18 links life with turning from one's sinful practices and death with failing to live righteously. says the Lord GOD (Ezek 18 :9). "The soul who sins shall die. How do they reveal this salvation will be accomplished? The focus in the Old Testament was mainly on this life and this material world. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. Isa. This book will help you detect the grand story within the entire Bible. Today, we understand that to mean that all nations would be blessed by the salvation provided in Christ. Editors note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinels Religion section, contact Tom Laub at (717) By Samuel L. Boyd He identified himself with it. The Epistle of Barnabus is another example of a false understanding of the testaments, Schreiner said. The Law and the prophets are written in such a way as to perfectly portray the greatness of our problem and the greatness of Gods grace in Christ (100). By faith, today, we are accepted in the Beloved (Eph. ]), it also prophesies a day when those things would no longer characterize the nation. There is but one, unified testament, God's sole plan of salvation, through which Christ offers a redemption that is equally effective for The way the Lord kept his hand on this man through some []. How does the Old Testament inform our understanding of Jesushis life and teachings, death and resurrection? God promised that if we search for Him we will find Him ( Deuteronomy 4:29 ). While Marcionite teaching is not prevalent today, Schreiner pointed out that evangelicals unwittingly practice Marcions doctrine when they ignore the Old Testament or fail to preach the truth of Gods wrath against sin. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it,, And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple., And in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed,, Mans chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever, it was to the praise of the glory of His grace.. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. Written in the first century, it argued that the Jewish covenant was irrevocably broken when Moses broke the tablets in the golden calf incident (Ex. (Acts 10:30-48), So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Paul went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel . Mine was fear of the water. For the worshipers, once purged, would have had no more consciousness of sins. Salvation in the Old Testament: A Central Theme,. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 3Even those who focus exclusively on Old Testament soteriology may make this mistake, as T. V. Farris seems to in Mighty to Save: A Study in Old Testament Soteriology (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1993). For example, when parents circumcised their son, they were implicitly placing faith in the Messiah who was the redemptive Seed of Genesis 3:15. These writings are known as OT Apocrypha (or Pseudepigrapha). But what about the apostles, how did they present the message of Christ? Ezekiel 18 is simply an example of the OT blessings/curses motif. In these pages we find both hope and help: God is providing for our instruction, endurance, encouragement, and, ultimately, our hope. "na?ham," 636-37. "I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. They were not willing to own up to the fact that they were sick and needed deliverance (Luke 5:31). In addition, there are a number of other OT passages which refer to eternal salvation, yet without using the terms of salvation: Gen 3:15; 15:6; Ps 22:27; Isa 6:10; 10:21; 19:22; 52:1-53:12; Jer 24:7; 31:31-34; and Hab 2:4. So this has always been the only way to salvation, and when we put our Bibles together correctly, I believe this becomes clear. 30. Genesis 22, Isaiah 53, and the sacrificial system are clear on this point. 34 Brown, Driver, and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament s.v. Not a call to, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. That was something in the future. . A servant who represents Israel because he is Israels king and a truly obedient son (185). The book of Galatians makes this clear in chapter 3 and verse 8. Perhaps the primary example of an Old Testament Individual saved by his faith in the Lord is Abraham. The Bible is long and layered for a reason. (Pride goes before the fall.) But Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said to him, You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? However, no verses support this view. In Matthew 4:17 it says, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In Mark 1:15 it says, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. In Mark 4:11, Jesus uses the words, kingdom of God; he drops the words the gospel. In Mark 2:2 it says, And He (Jesus) preached the word to them., Jesus usually presented the gospel (good news) in the context of a much bigger picture. 1:6). And he wanted to see who Jesus was, but because of the crowd, he could not, for he was small in stature. It speaks of returning to the Lord and being healed. Christ from Beginning to Endanswers these questions, helping Christians better understand how to read the Bible as a story, seeing how every part of Scripture fits together to reveal the glory of Christ Jesusfrom Genesis to Malachi, Matthew to Revelation. Fourth, the Lord returned to the nation.40 In the three types of the Lord's turning just discussed, there was always a specific object of the turning indicated in the context (i.e., He returned evil; He turned back His anger; He returned blessings). When his heart and will is changed, he reflects the character of God to those around him. The condition of eternal salvation is specified as obedience to the Law of God (2 Baruch 51:3,7; 4 Ezra 7:19-22, 33-39; 9:3~37). When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. There is Cain versus Abel, the Cainites versus the Sethites, human beings versus Noah, the human race versus Abraham, the world versus Israel and on it goes. Like a puzzle, authors Trent Hunter and Stephen Wellum write, the pieces of the Bibledo fit together. And they hope you will get a clear understanding of the Bibles unity and central message (28, 29)which includes the ways Jesus is found inthe Old Testament. The OT Apocrypha speaks of God weighing on balancing pans the good and bad deeds of people to determine their eternal destinies (Testament of Abraham 13:1-2, 9-14; 1 Enoch 41:1-2; 61:8). First and foremost it means turning coward or away from something (shub). 14:13) it is a deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea to which he is referring. w 12-13). He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who invited Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. Eternal salvation in the OT was conditioned solely upon turning to the Lord in faith. For this reason, it is not really accurate to refer to the saints before the cross as "Christians" ( Christ-ones ). Job 42:6 concerns Job's remorse over foolish words he had spoken during his ordeal. (Ezek 18:20). 1:29). (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978) 3: 201-209. There are four categories of God's turning or resuming in the OT. 35 Wurthwein suggests ("metanoia," 984), but does not demonstrate, that there are only About 118 theological uses." We have turned, every one, to his own way. As we bring this article to an end, here are a few things for us to consider. Whenever Israel turned back to the Lord from her sinful ways, He restored the nation's blessings.39 In some texts the specific blessing that the Lord promised and provided was to return the nation to the promised land. GES publishes newsletters, journals, books and booklets, and commentaries. And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he also added, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:32-43). By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. Content on this site is 2021-2023. Before Calvary, God passed over sin, accepting the temporary means of covering it, through the shed blood of the sacrifice. Most of the nation rejected Jesus Christ John 1:11). (Acts 13:4-12), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window). And behold, there was a man called Zacchaeus. 14, 1888) Note: Mary Lathbury sometimes used the pen names Aunt May, or Aunt Mary. The passage which stands out most prominently as the paradigm for the OT's teaching on eternal salvation is Gen 15:6: And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." Get updates from Zondervan Academic directly in your inbox. March 14, 1826; d. Apr. It is better to refer to those before the cross simply as believers, or as saints (Gods set-apart ones). One of the criminals who were on the cross railed at Jesus, saying, Are you not the Christ? (Teshubah is the noun form of shub.). He never taught the carnal-christian doctrine, easy believism, or the health, wealth, and happiness message of today. The Pharisees in Jesus' day are a good illustration of this type of legalistic, self-righteous thinking (cf. "Our God is near us whenever we pray to him" ( Deuteronomy 4:7 ). (Acts 8:26-40), While in prison, about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Those who lived in the time of the Old Testament looked forward to the Messiah and believed God's promise of the coming Servant of the Lord ( Isaiah 53 ). Did the OT teach that one had to turn from his sins to obtain salvation? And when the Jews saw it, they all grumbled, He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to Jesus, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. Gods revelation is progressive. Leviticus 1:4 gives this significant instruction: Then he [the offerer] shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.. Salvation was by grace through faith in the Old Testament, the same as today. Thomas R. Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Seminary, noted that Old Testament saints placed their faith not in works but in Christ by looking forward to the Messiah whom God promised. Both the blessing and the judgment in view here are temporal, not eternal. It would be a mistake, however, to think that all of the Jewish people rejected Jesus' free offer of salvation. 1:10-17). 6:14) it does not mean that there was no grace at all shown in the Old Testament. This view saw salvation by faith in Christ in the New Testament as a parenthesis between salvation through the law in the Old Covenant and the future millennium, Schreiner said. Turning away from one's sinful practices was never presented in the OT as a condition for escaping eternal wrath.45. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading the Scriptures of Isaiah. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:1-10), Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Jesus. Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of God to him and to all who were in his house. Here is one example for you to consider. Compliance to the law of God in the Old Testament could be summed up in these words; "Do or die.". The non-technical nature of this term is shown in that most of its theological uses refer to the so-called "repentance of God."61. They are saved through Christs redeeming work by faith. Under the Old Testament system a Jew was related to God by means 2Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, 103-4. If so, Adam and Eve would have surely passed this on to their offspring (Gen 4:5; Heb 11:4), and they in turn would have told others. : Eichrodt suggests that both temporal and eternal salvation are in view); H. L. Ellison, Ezekiel: the Man and His Message (Grand Rapids: Wm. As Hebrews 9:8 explains, The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.. How? 49 Charles Lee Feinberg, The Propbecy of Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1969), 99. This passage refers to the future restoration of Israel by the Lord. 60 Brown, Driver, and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, s.v. Israel turned back to the Lord by turning away from idolatry43 and from other forms of willful, cold-hearted disobedience.44 Obedience was a condition for temporal deliverance from the curses of the Mosaic Covenant (cf. There are many OT examples of blessings and curses, both involving the nation and individuals in it. That is why Christ had to come. . The OT conditions temporal salvation upon turning from one's sinful behavior. As does 1 Peter 3:2022, whichexplains how our baptism corresponds to Noah passing through the waters to find salvation. Executive editor of Credo Magazine, Matthew Barrett, has a new book out called 40 Questions About Salvation (Kregel Academic). Israel Reaped What She Sowed. Hunter and Wellum explain: [T]hese roles express the deeper role God originally intended for humans. thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1975). They believed in salvation by grace through faithfulness instead of the OT teaching of salvation by grace through faith. They are non-canonical, non-inspired writings. While Abraham did many good works, none of them contributed to his justification before God in any way. The concept of human repentance in the OT is twofold. That is justification by faith, and it is the way all are saved (Rom. The Cyber Hymnal does not have a page on the song itself, but has a brief note [], Words: Mary Artemisia Lathbury (b. Aug. 10, 1841; d. Oct. 20, 1913)Music: Bread of Life, by William Fiske Sherwin (b. This is the meaning of the ram that God provides. Of its theological uses most refer to the so-called "repentance of God." We see that He provides forgiveness for those who repent. If Jesus and many of the apostles preached Christ from the Old Testament Scriptures, why do so many ministers teach that the Old Testament doesnt apply, or isnt relevant today? 40 See 2 Sam 16:12; 2 Chr 30:6, 9; Jer 15:19; 18:8; 32:40; Zech 1:3; Mal 3:7. . Rabbis believed that the righteous surely had a place in the world to come and that the wicked did not. There are numerous examples in the OT of the nation and of individual Israelites experiencing curses when they turned away from the Lord and blessings when they turned back to Him. An Approach to the Bible and Christianity that Relates to Judaism and Jewish Ethnicity, Jeremy Bouma (Th.M.) (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1927-30), 2:319. Paul is clear about Christs whereabouts in the Old Testament: But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (Romans 3:21). B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1968), 74-75; John B. Taylor, Ezekiel: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale OT Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1969), 150-52. He believed that the Lord would take away his sins and grant him a place in His coming kingdom. If idolaters could not get into God's kingdom then Solomon would be excluded (1 Kings a very unlikely possibility in light of the way he is spoken of in the Old and New Testaments (cf. 42 See Num 14:43 ;Josh 22:16, 18, 23, 29;1 Sam 15:11 ;Jer 34:16; Ezek 3:20;18:24, 26. Cite Share Permissions Abstract First, I consider characteristic uses of the Hebrew root yod - shin - ayin, "save"/"salvation," in the OT. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.- But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "The just shall live by faith." Then the proconsul believed in Jesus, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the word of God. It is first seen in the promise that God would provide salvation through the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15. Hunter and Wellum remind us that Adam was not just the first man in Gods story. First, the Lord returned Israel's evil upon its head. Gen. "Shall live" here is not so much a promise as it is a statement of potential or a command. 30 For further discussion of OT salvation and its temporal emphasis, see James K. Zink, Salvation in the Old Testament: A Central Theme,. vv 4, 20, 26), not eternal damnation.48, Similarly, in introducing his discussion of Ezekiel 18, Charles Feinberg notes, "The subject of justification by faith should not be pressed into this chapter; it is not under discussion. One might consider, for instance, Abraham (Gen 24:1; Heb 11:8-19), Moses (Exod 14:30-31; Num 20:12; Heb 11:23-29), the golden calf incident (Exod 32:34-35), Joshua and Caleb (Num 14:30-45), the rebellion of Korah (Num 16), Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-3), Achan (Josh 7:1-26), Gideon (Judg 6:11-28), David (2 Sam 1-10, under blessing; 12-22, under cursing), Solomon (I Kgs 3:5-15; 4:20-34; 11:1-13), and the fall of the Northern (2 Kgs 17:5-18) and Southern (2 Kgs 24:1-25:21) Kingdoms. Commenting on the rabbinic teaching of the condition of eternal salvation Herford writes, "It is not enough merely to knew the will of God or to believe in it, or in God whose will it is. 4. As David says, In Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. And salvation is always by grace, since we are totally undeserving of it. The money was good, but was the job worth it? The sacrifices covered sin until the day when the Lamb of God would give His life for the sins of the world (Jn. Copyright The Sentinel | https://www.lewistownsentinel.com | 352 Sixth Street, Lewistown, PA 17044 | 717-248-6741, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand., Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God., And He (Jesus) preached the word to them., For I will show him (Saul), how many things he must suffer for my names sake,, In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world., Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution., enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. The OT teaches that eternal salvation is by God's grace and that it is received by man's response of faith, not by any acts of righteousness or by turning from any sins (cf. Faith Receives Gods GiftLikewise, salvation is always through faith. And it is always faith in God, and faith in Gods promise. . And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 5. When she was disobedient, He sent curses. What Does the Old Testament Say about the Trinity? 6. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. One chapter in the OT seems to contradict the point just made. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. Lee Lacocca, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chrysler Corporation, upon receiving a $1.5 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. government would mean, "Chrysler has been saved from bankruptcy." No. 1 -- Spring 1989. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. The prophet Isaiah particularly speaks of this coming servant, one who is from Israel but who is also distinct from Israel. "The Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you" (Num 14:43, italics mine). (Acts 16:25-34), Cornelius sent for Peter, and while he and his household and Peter were at a meeting, Cornelius said in everyones hearing, Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. How did the world begin? Aboth 2:7). The OT nowhere, however, conditions eternal salvation upon turning from one's sinful behavior. Humans never could be made right with God by the law and they never will, he said. The law has shown how sinful human beings are and points to their need of Christ.. They were saved by grace through faith in Christ; the same as New Testament believers. The salvation of Zacchaeus Jesus Christ entered Jericho and was passing through. What is at issue in Ezekiel 18 is life and death--physical life and physical death. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. In Ezek 18:21-22 the Lord God of Israel spoke the following words: If a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Some interpret those verses to mean that eternal salvation was conditioned upon turning from one's sins.46 Such an interpretation is, however, unwarranted. But Elymas (Bar-Jesus) the magician opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. Throughout their book, Hunter and Wellum carefully explain, Hunter and Wellum identify four dimensions to this, God spoke directly to Adam, and Adam (in a. ___, 1760; d. March 19, 1825) Note: The amazing story of medical doctor turned pastor, William MacKay (pronounced Mac-EYE in Scotland), is told in the link below. ), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. However, in passages containing this fourth type of turning, no specific objects were mentioned. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28) whereby the Lord promised that He would bless obedience and curse disobedience. Here are a few of them: In King David, all of Gods promises from Noah to Abraham to Moses converge. The Amplified Bible renders John 1:16 this way: Out of His [Christs] fullness (abundance) we all receivedall had a share and we were all supplied withone grace after another, and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, and even favour upon favour, and gift heaped upon gift.. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, In you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham (Gal. Jesus' own disciples, who knew that He was the Messiah and had placed their faith in Him (Matt 16:16-19), were shocked when He first told them that He was going to be put to death (Matt 16:21-23). Hunter and Wellum explain in their book how Jesus compares his return and the future judgment to Noah'sflood in the Old Testament. The Old Testament animal sacrifices pointed forward to their greater fulfillment in Christ, Schreiner said. Copyright 2020 HarperCollins Publishers. In his story, two themes emerge, judgment and salvationwhich offer a foretaste of Jesus in the Old Testament. We praise the Lord for His wonderful salvation. Indeed, John and Luke report that many (indicating a great number, not a majority) of the priests and Jewish leaders came to faith in Jesus Christ (John 12:42; Acts 6:7). 53 George Foot Moore, Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era, the Age of the Tannaim, 3 vols. (100). For example, the Lord promised Abraham in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3). The Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world (I Jn. It prepares us to see and receive Jesus as the only solution to our problem and the only Savior from our sin. An interesting example of this development is Simeon (Luke 2:25-32), portrayed as an elderly devout Jew who longed for the coming of this promised individual. From what we can tell from the NT, much of Judaism was very much in the grip of legalism, as evidenced by the attitude of the Pharisees (Mate 23; Luke 18:9-14). . But it is important to add that offering a sacrifice was not a work that earned salvation. Gods Revelation Is ProgressiveBut though the first point is true, there is relatively little teaching in the Old Testament about life beyond the grave. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a childrens book. Consideration will now be given to the OT terms which deal with repentance. 16:11). Obedience would be attended by temporal blessings. Acts 17:30). THE CONVERSATION Paul's use of this verse confirms this understanding. Scripture makes clear in passages such as Romans 1:18-3:20 and Galatians 3:10 that sinners cannot be made right with God by observing the law, Schreiner said. They looked forward to the cross and we look back to the cross. God promised protection for His children ( Psalm 121 ). 1) Jesus is the Last Adam. The God -centered gospel is taught throughout the Scriptures, but is often overlooked. Genesis 15:6 is the John 3:16 of the OT. As noted above, the Old Testament believers were saved by grace (Gods unearned favour) through faith, just as we are. 5. What hinders me from being baptized?, Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God., So he commanded the chariot to stop. And whose sins are covered; The conditions of the Mosaic Covenant are spelled out in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. 43 Great emphasis in the OT is placed on the nation turning away from (or failing to turn away from) idolatry and to the Lord. Jeremiah 31:19 says that after Israel turns back to the Lord, she will be grieved as she recalls her former actions. Schreiner gave several examples of teachers and movements from church history that set salvation in the Old and New Testaments at odds with each other. When God awakened Saul to the gospel, He made this statement; For I will show him (Saul), how many things he must suffer for my names sake, Acts 9:16. He will provide an obedient covenant partner (186). However, Jesus' response to Peter and the other disciples' reluctance to accept His teaching about His death (Matt 16:23-27) shows that OT believers could and should have known this. It is interesting to note that these verses deal with the fact of the coming kingdom, not the condition or entrance into it. In the Old Testament, it was faith in the promise that God would send a Savior someday. Throughout their book, Hunter and Wellum carefully explain how Gods promises in Genesis 3:15 find their fulfillment in Messiah Jesus and how the Old Testaments characters, events, and story all point to Jesus. And behold, an Ethiopian royal treasurer, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. When the nation was obedient, the Lord sent blessings. 6:23). The vast majority of OT references to salvation refer to various types of temporal deliverances: from one's enemies, from physical death, and from various troubles.30. In light of the Scripture found in Hebrews 11:6 [But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God . 31 These figures are derived from the author's personal study. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Volume 2, No. Peter even rebuked Jesus for suggesting such a thing. Jesus also taught that we should enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Salvation is received by repenting and coming to Christ, or by believing in the gospel, or by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or by believing and confessing Jesus Christ as the resurrected Lord. In our brief study of church growth, we have now As children we often have certain things that may bring us fear. Isaac, too, is a sinner in need of a savior. How do we know this? Of course, it may well be that at the moment of faith Abraham's understanding of the Messiah and His substitutionary work was not fully developed.57 His understanding probably grew as a result of God's asking him to offer up his one and only son and then at the last moment providing a ram as a substitute (Genesis 22).58 However, it is clear from the Pauline use of this text that it is salvific, referring to Abraham's justification by faith alone (Gal 3:6-14; Rom 4:1-25). Marcion, who lived in the first and second centuries, rejected the authority of the Old Testament.