How did the Old Testament people receive salvation? Is Jesus Plan B? These two questions are given solid answers in this chapter. You may have heard someone say that the Old Testament was presented salvation by works and the New Testament by grace. However, salvation is received in the Old Testament and New Testament the same way. By faith.
Read Genesis 15:1-21
Paul wrote, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). Before Paul wrote that, God told Abraham, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). God offers us great assurance when we follow Him. Yes, there are times of trouble, but God is on our side. It’s a great thing to be on His side.
In returning to Paul, he makes a commentary on Abraham and our salvation in Romans 4:63 and Galatians 3:6. James 2:23 agrees with Paul’s explanation. Abraham trusted God’s promise, and God credited him with righteousness. How were Old Testament individuals given salvation? By faith, they looked forward in time to the completed work of Christ on the cross. God added his work to their accounts.
Now, we can answer the second question, “Is Jesus Plan B?” Our passage implies that Jesus was always God’s Plan A. The law that will come later in Scripture is simply the “schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). The law is a tutor that shows no love. However, it shows us just how loved we are by God, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). A better question for us to answer then, “Are you living by faith?”
Jeremy Kamer Ministries 