OLD TESTAMENT FAITH

Lesson 5 for October 29, 2011

OLD TESTAMENT

People were saved by their obedience to the

law

“Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord” (Leviticus, 18: 5 NIV)

NEW TESTAMENT

People is saved by faith, by believing in Jesus’ sacrifice

“For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”

(Ephesians, 2: 8)

Paul understood that suggesting that salvation was

different in the New and in the Old

Testament was wrong.

What was Paul reasoning in Galatians to teach how people were saved by faith both in the Old and

New Testament?

RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by

the hearing of faith?” (Galatians, 3: 2)Galatians were accepting a “gospel” based on a wrong interpretation of the Old Testament that taught that they had to obey the law to live.

Paul made them think that over by asking them when they received the Holy Spirit, if it was when they first believed in Jesus or when they started obeying the law.

Without any doubt they received the Holy Spirit when they believed in Jesus; they did nothing to deserve it.

INSPIRED WRITINGS“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and

is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2

Timothy, 3: 16)Paul defended the inspiration of the Old Testament; they teachings about salvation by faith were based on it.If Paul had thought that the Old Testament taught a different way of salvation, he would have rejected it.

v. 6 “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis, 15: 6)

v. 8 “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis, 12: 3)

v. 10 “`Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.' And all the people shall say, ‘Amen'” (Deuteronomy, 27: 26 NIV)

v. 11 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk, 2: 4)

v. 12 “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord” (Leviticus, 18: 5)

v. 13“His body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an

inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God” (Deuteronomy, 21: 23)

Which texts from the Old Testament does Paul use in his reasoning in Galatians, 3: 6-14?

INSPIRED WRITINGS

THE FAITH OF ABRAHAMPaul’s opponents taught that Abraham was declared righteous by his perfect obedience: he left his land, he accepted the circumcision, he was willing to sacrifice his son…Paul clarifies the matter by showing that Abraham was declared righteous when he believed the divine promise. His obedience was consequences of his faith.

1. God called Abram and promised him that he would be a great nation, that He would bless him and magnify his name and that he would be a blessing for all the Earth (Genesis, 12: 1-3)† Abraham went out Ur by faith in the promise (Hebrews, 11: 8)

2. God promises Abram a son (Genesis, 15: 1-6)† He believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness

(Galatians, 3: 6)

Paul’s opponents taught that Abraham was declared righteous by his perfect obedience: he left his land, he accepted the circumcision, he was willing to sacrifice his son…Paul clarifies the matter by showing that Abraham was declared righteous when he believed the divine promise. His obedience was consequences of his faith.

1. God called Abram and promised him that he would be a great nation, that He would bless him and magnify his name and that he would be a blessing for all the Earth (Genesis, 12: 1-3)† Abraham went out Ur by faith in the promise (Hebrews, 11: 8)

2. God promises Abram a son (Genesis, 15: 1-6)† He believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness

(Galatians, 3: 6)3. God asked him to obey His commandments and gave him the

circumcision after he was accounted for righteousness(Genesis, 17: 1-10)† Circumcision was give to Abraham as a sign of the covenant

based in the divine promises he had already believed (Romans, 8: 9-12)

4. God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac (Genesis, 22: 1-19)† He was willing to do that by faith, reasoning that God is

powerful enough to raise him from the dead(Hebrews, 11: 17-19)

THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM

ONLY ONE GOSPELAs we learnt when we studied Galatians 1, Paul teaches that there is only one gospel.That is one more argument to understand that salvation comes only by faith, both in the New and the Old Testament.How is the gospel introduced in the Old Testament?

The sanctuary/temple’s sacrificing system.When a person made a mistake, he had to offer a victim for his sin. He receives forgiveness by faith in the innocent blood that was offered in his place, which represented the blood of Jesus that was shed at the cross (Leviticus, 17: 11)

The vision of the High Priest Joshua.God took off Joshua’s filthy clothes (symbol of his sins). Only after he was forgiven, he was asked to walk in God’s way and to keep His commandments (Zechariah, 3: 1-7)

In David’s life.David repented and begged for forgiveness. He couldn’t do any work to deserve forgiveness, so he was forgiven by grace (Psalm, 32: 1-5;2 Samuel, 12: 1-13)

“There is no discord between the Old Testament and the New. In the Old Testament we find the gospel of a coming Saviour; in the New Testament we have the gospel of a Saviour revealed as the prophecies had foretold. While the Old Testament is constantly pointing forward to the true offering, the New Testament shows that the Saviour prefigured by the typical offerings has come. The dim glory of the Jewish age has been succeeded by the brighter, clearer glory of the Christian age”

SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, EGW comments on 2 Corinthians, 3: 7-11

“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."” (Galatians, 3: 10)

“The law could not redeem those who had incurred curse on their selves; that included all those who ever sought justification through the law. They could only be free from the curse by faith in Christ. While they were under the protection of the law in the Old Testament, all those who preferred to serve the Lord found salvation through faith in the promised Messiah. The law was not their savior, but their “tutor” (verse 24) to guide them to the Savior and to help them in understanding stipulations heaven had prepared for their salvation. The law was good by itself and for itself, since God had given it; but it was totally impotent to save people from their sins”

(SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, on Galatians, 3: 10)

The slightest infringement of the commandments in the law was enough to incurring curse. Therefore, we all are under curse, since we all are sinner.

UNDER CURSE

UNDER CURSE“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")” (Galatians, 3: 13)

Christ, who was not under the curse of the law (since he obeyed it completely), was made curse for us in order to redeem us.

“Our Lord was born “under the law” (cp. 4: 4) to redeem “those under the law” (vs. 5). His death at the cross atoned for “the transgressions under the first covenant” (Heb. 9: 15) and for those transgressions after the cross. That is why he took “the curse” of those who lived “under the law” but had anticipated by faith the atonement that Christ would finally provide”

(SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, on Galatians, 3: 13)

But it wasn’t his…

it was mine.

At the cross, Jesus carried a

curse.

Thank you, Jesus!