January 18, 2023

How are people in the Old Testament saved?

Genesis 15

Russell Robertson
Wednesday's Devo

January 18, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

January 18, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

January 18, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

January 18, 2023

Big Idea

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone—period, flat, the end.

Key Verse | Genesis 15:6

And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15

God's Covenant with Abram

1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue 1 15:2 Or I shall die childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son 2 15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give 3 15:18 Or have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Footnotes

[1] 15:2 Or I shall die
[2] 15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins
[3] 15:18 Or have given

"How are people in the Old Testament saved?"

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Genesis 15

The question before us is one that has puzzled many, myself included. From the New Testament, we understand that our salvation comes by grace, through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). That truth, however, is a mere 2,000 years old. The Old Testament (OT) dates back to creation, which, by scholars' accounts is approximately 4,000 years before Christ. If Christ is the source of salvation, how then are those people saved?

As I prepared for this devotional, my curiosity had me asking the unscholarly what they thought. Most often the response I got was either a look of bewilderment and a shrugging of the shoulders, or they said these people must have kept the law. However, Scripture tells us otherwise. Romans 3:20 states, "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." What Paul is telling us is that the law has never been intended to save anyone. Its purpose was to make us aware of our sin. Moreover, not everyone who lived during OT times lived under the law.

From our key verse (Genesis 15:6) we see that Abraham believed the LORD and that is what granted him salvation—his faith in God's promises. What was it exactly that Abraham believed? He believed God would deliver on His promise detailed in Genesis 12. The same can be said for Adam. He believed God's promise of an offspring who would bruise the serpent's head, as stated in Genesis 3:15.

Therefore, all people who were saved in the OT received salvation by faith in the promise that one day God would send a savior to remedy our sin problem and restore relationship with God. They looked forward to Messiah and believed God's promise of the coming Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 53) who would become the object of our faith, that is Jesus. Since Jesus Himself is God and was with God in the beginning (Genesis 1:26; John 1:1-3), we can say with confidence that our faith object has always been Jesus.

This month's memory verse

We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

– John 1:45b

Discussion Questions

1. If salvation is a free gift of God, where do you find yourself still trying to earn your way to heaven?

2. Speaking of heaven, is that where Old Testament saints went after they died? What Scripture supports your view?

3. How might you use or incorporate the truth of Genesis 15 and Abraham's faith detailed in this devotional when sharing the gospel with others? Where else is Abraham held up as a picture of faith in Scripture? (Hint: check the book of Romans in the New Testament!)

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Brother Russ- Beautifully said and done. What a blessing it is to have the Robertson’s loving and serving our body. I’m taught that not only is Genesis 15:6 the key verse in this passage but that Genesis 15 is the key chapter in the Abrahamic narrative. That teaching draws me deeply into this chapter and all of its magnificent richness and wisdom. In reading God’s Word, I hear Blake Holmes’ teaching me over and over about the Abrahamic covenant; “Land, Seed, Blessing” “Land, Seed, Blessing” “Land, Seed, Blessing” (See links at bottom to Got Qs notes on covenants.) Then I ask, “So What?” The notes state, paraphrasing, that the promise of Genesis 3:15 plus the succeeding covenants with Noah, Abraham and others ask this implied question: “How do I take these principles & promises and become the channel of blessing God calls me to be?”
HS

Hugh Stephenson

In recovery ministries we talk about “surrender” a lot. In church we talk about dying to self, (Luke 9:23). Part of the way I get there is in reading and reflecting on the different names of God as they come up in the passages. Each one teaches me more about God’s nature and character, who He is. https://www.gotquestions.org/names-of-God.html In verse 2 Abraham says “…Lord GOD…”, (Adonai Yahweh). The notes define it as “Sovereign Master”. If I know the nature & character of the Sovereign Master and know Him as good, kind and just, I willingly surrender to him. Once I got sober, (2013), I quickly saw the need to know a lot more about who God is. His various names helped a lot as did The Journey. I was exhausted with what the world demanded of me. I was desperate for a different way.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

One truth that helped me came out of Genesis 15:6; righteousness. It’s a term that describes a relationship. Oh boy, do the questions start now. Do I have a right relationship with God? How about Amy, (Proverbs 31)? She’s the only other person with whom I have a covenant. How about children? Community Group? Team members? Bosses? God tells me in the Ten Commandments that relationships supersede everything else, (Exodus 20:1-21). See also Matthew 22:36-40. When my human and divine relationships are right then I can have “shalom”. https://www.gotquestions.org/Shalom-meaning.html What a model of faith Abraham is. Believe God. Faith alone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-covenants.html Please read these brief articles on these covenants. I’m confine they will equip and bless you. I have learned its very important to understand these individually and collectively. https://www.gotquestions.org/Edenic-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Adamic-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/mosaic-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Noahic-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Abrahamic-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Palestinian-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/davidic-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/new-covenant.html
CL

Chris Landry

Good morning, Russ. We have some overlap but haven’t met yet. Hope to meet you soon. “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” - Genesis‬ ‭15‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬ I love how God doesn’t hide the answers to the big questions. Sure, the Bible can be complex in hundreds of many nuances, but it’s always clear. We need not look very far on the ones that tug our hearts the most - the questions they keep us up at night should we not have the shalom/peace/eternity that our hearts are longing for (Ecclesiastes 3:11). “Who is God?” (Exodus 3:14) “Am I lovable?” (Ephesians 2:4-5) “Does He love me?” (John 3:16 and Romans 5:8) “Can I go to Heaven?” (1 John 5:13) The Navigators Ministry has 5 foundational assurances. These are amazing building blocks for a solid faith footing. I’ll paste below. Knowing the Word of God helps you to remember God’s promises to you. — In the midst of pain, doubt, guilt and sadness, Scripture (Bible verses) reminds you of all the wonderful promises that will restore your joy and hope in Christ once more. 1. Assurance of salvation: 1 John 5:11-12 “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 2. Assurance of answered prayer: John 16:24 “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” 3. Assurance of victory: 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 4. Assurance of forgiveness: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 5. Assurance of guidance: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Cheers. Chris Landry
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: 15:12-16 (NASB) Abram foresaw that, in a sense, his experience with Pharaoh (Gen 12:10-20) would be revisited in the lives of his descendants, but G-d assured him of their deliverance.
MS

Michael Scaman

Abraham believed God and it was counted as righteousness. God raises this issue in Isiah 51:1-2 as Isaiah leads into the description of the suffering servant in Isiah 53 where he will be rejected, suffer, die and overcome death. Isaiah 52:1-2 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; 2 look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.
MS

Michael Scaman

How were people saved in the Old Testaments? I think it is no coincidence that the first convert in the Holy Land was Rahab the prostitute and the first minor prophet about the redemption of Gomer an unfaithful wife. It's salvation by a stunning faithful lovingkindness and mercy. David did not appeal to the law for mercy in Psalm 51, he looked to God's lovingkindness.
MA

Maryann Adams

Thank you, Russell! The devo helped a lot in preps for our CG Genesis 15 discussion tonight! I was captivated by Abram's genuine "how" question and God's response. God's first words back to Abram: "Bring me a heifer...". God involved Abram in setting up the covenant-confirming ceremony. But, God then "put Abram to sleep since the covenant did not involve any promise on Abram's part...", as one commentator stated it. God's words to Abram in his deep sleep and God's presence passing through the animal pieces, were His perfect answer. No responsibility is on a human for God's unconditional covenant. That's what grace is. We just have to believe God. What a loving God we serve!
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks, Russell. Immersed in recovery from my tongue cancer surgery, now 2 weeks behind me, I am still sensitive to FEAR. God's been so incredibly gracious to walk me through everything from pre-surgery fear of pain to post-op pain relief, to having drains and sutures removed, to grieving the loss of a body part and of my clear speech, to the baby steps of healing and recovery. So when God tells Abram in v. 1, "Do not be afraid," my head whips up. When He says, "I am your shield," I envision being swathed in spiritual bubble-wrap. What struck me today was the simplicity of God's invitation to not be afraid; I realized that God almost never shames people for their fear. (But Jesus DID say to His buddies in the boat, "Oh ye of little faith, why are you so afraid?") It encourages me, that God understands how fear is woven into the fallenness of our sin-sick world. There's an awful lot to be afraid of, but He just keeps inviting us to stay focused on Him, His presence, His love, His provision, His goodness. And His promise that He is going to make everything right again.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. -studying God’s word everyday so I value God and have proper references for daily use in life to help others -serving for the church so I practice sharing Christian faith with others -attend ing church consistently, intentionally considering how God and Jesus would see it 2. No. John 14:6 helps readers understand no one went to the father in heaven without Jesus 3. -to reassure the listener that the gospel is valuable scripture: Romans 4:4-5
AB

Alan Beam

15:6, First verse of the bible pointing to salvation by faith, not by works. Romans 4 spends a lot of time on this - this is before circumcision and before the law. Salvation is by grace through faith and available for Jews and Gentiles. Abram was obedient to God, but that is not why he was declared righteous - it was his belief, his trust, his faith. I have to actively structure my disciplines to avoid trying to sanctify myself through them. I want to pursue God out of love and faith, not as an effort to be a "good Christian" or to make myself a better person through them. I am saved and sanctified by His grace. 15:13, 16, God prophecies about the Hebrew enslavement in Egypt and their redemption. God knows what I am going to go through, good and bad. He knows the sin I'm going to commit, the pain I will go through because of the sin of others, and the good He will bring out of those. He's not surprised by my struggles, and He already has a plan to redeem them. 15:17, God's covenant with Abram including an ANE ceremony, passing through the split animals. Abram does not pass through them, only God does. "If this covenant is broken, may I become like these animals." Looking forward to Christ paying the penalty for our sins.