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The Salvation of the Israelites and the Promise of Christ
August 20, 2024 Soteriology Christology
**The Salvation of the Israelites and the Promise of Christ**
Imagine, if you will, the world of the ancient Israelites, a world shrouded in the shadows of the unknown, where the full light of revelation had not yet dawned. It is tempting, from our vantage point, to believe that these ancient believers were gazing forward, through the mists of time, toward the coming of Christ, the Messiah, as if they had some foreknowledge of Him and His work. But such a view, though comforting in its simplicity, may be fraught with misconceptions that cloud our understanding of faith, both then and now.
Consider first the simple fact that the Israelites did not know Christ. How could they? The Son of God had not yet been born in Bethlehem, had not yet walked the dusty roads of Galilee, had not yet suffered on the cross of Calvary. Their faith, then, could not have been in the man Jesus of Nazareth, nor even in a detailed prophecy of His coming. Their faith, as Scripture reveals, was in God Himself, the great I AM, who led them out of Egypt, who spoke to them from the fiery mountain, who guided them through the wilderness.
It is, therefore, a misstep to assume that their salvation was somehow tied to a future knowledge of Christ as we know Him today. Their faith was not in a Christ they had never heard of, nor in a messianic hope fully formed in their minds. Their faith was in the God who had revealed Himself to them in the ways they could understand, through the covenant with Abraham, the Law given to Moses, and the prophecies that would unfold through the ages.
The suggestion that the Israelites were saved by a foresight of Christ places a burden on them that the Scriptures do not. To say that they looked forward to Christ in the way we look back to Him is to impose upon them an understanding that simply was not theirs to have. If God had given them such knowledge, surely it would have been recorded with the gravity it deserved, shouted from the heights of Sinai, or woven into the psalms of David. Yet, what we find instead is a faith that was piecemeal, incomplete by design, sufficient for the time, and purpose God had intended.
Take, for instance, the prophet Isaiah, who indeed had glimpses of the suffering servant, the one who would be "pierced for our transgressions." Yet even Isaiah, with his profound insights, did not have the full picture. He saw in part, as through a glass darkly, enough to point the way, but not enough to lay out the full path. Abraham, too, was justified by faith, but his faith was in the God who called him out of Ur, who promised him descendants as numerous as the stars, not in the detailed knowledge of a future Messiah.
So how, then, were the Israelites saved? They were saved as they always have been and always will be—by the grace of God, through faith. But this faith was in God as He had revealed Himself to them, in the promises He had made to them, in the covenant that bound them to Him. It was a faith that looked upward and outward to the God who was, and is, and is to come, but not necessarily forward to a specific Christ of whom they had no knowledge.
It is only with the coming of Christ, the fullness of God's revelation, that the broader faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel, became a more focused faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ did not nullify their faith; He fulfilled it. He did not replace their hope; He completed it. And with His coming, the door closed on an era of shadowed faith and opened wide to the brilliant light of the Gospel, where we now see the fullness of God's plan to redeem humanity, not merely from the bondage of Egypt, but from the bondage of sin and death itself.
Thus, let us not burden the saints of old with expectations they were never meant to bear. Let us instead marvel at the faith that was theirs, a faith that trusted in God even in the partial light they were given, a faith that was sufficient for their salvation, just as ours is today. And let us recognize that in the fullness of time, God revealed His ultimate plan in Christ, not as a replacement, but as the culmination of all that had come before.
Imagine, if you will, the world of the ancient Israelites, a world shrouded in the shadows of the unknown, where the full light of revelation had not yet dawned. It is tempting, from our vantage point, to believe that these ancient believers were gazing forward, through the mists of time, toward the coming of Christ, the Messiah, as if they had some foreknowledge of Him and His work. But such a view, though comforting in its simplicity, may be fraught with misconceptions that cloud our understanding of faith, both then and now.
Consider first the simple fact that the Israelites did not know Christ. How could they? The Son of God had not yet been born in Bethlehem, had not yet walked the dusty roads of Galilee, had not yet suffered on the cross of Calvary. Their faith, then, could not have been in the man Jesus of Nazareth, nor even in a detailed prophecy of His coming. Their faith, as Scripture reveals, was in God Himself, the great I AM, who led them out of Egypt, who spoke to them from the fiery mountain, who guided them through the wilderness.
It is, therefore, a misstep to assume that their salvation was somehow tied to a future knowledge of Christ as we know Him today. Their faith was not in a Christ they had never heard of, nor in a messianic hope fully formed in their minds. Their faith was in the God who had revealed Himself to them in the ways they could understand, through the covenant with Abraham, the Law given to Moses, and the prophecies that would unfold through the ages.
The suggestion that the Israelites were saved by a foresight of Christ places a burden on them that the Scriptures do not. To say that they looked forward to Christ in the way we look back to Him is to impose upon them an understanding that simply was not theirs to have. If God had given them such knowledge, surely it would have been recorded with the gravity it deserved, shouted from the heights of Sinai, or woven into the psalms of David. Yet, what we find instead is a faith that was piecemeal, incomplete by design, sufficient for the time, and purpose God had intended.
Take, for instance, the prophet Isaiah, who indeed had glimpses of the suffering servant, the one who would be "pierced for our transgressions." Yet even Isaiah, with his profound insights, did not have the full picture. He saw in part, as through a glass darkly, enough to point the way, but not enough to lay out the full path. Abraham, too, was justified by faith, but his faith was in the God who called him out of Ur, who promised him descendants as numerous as the stars, not in the detailed knowledge of a future Messiah.
So how, then, were the Israelites saved? They were saved as they always have been and always will be—by the grace of God, through faith. But this faith was in God as He had revealed Himself to them, in the promises He had made to them, in the covenant that bound them to Him. It was a faith that looked upward and outward to the God who was, and is, and is to come, but not necessarily forward to a specific Christ of whom they had no knowledge.
It is only with the coming of Christ, the fullness of God's revelation, that the broader faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel, became a more focused faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ did not nullify their faith; He fulfilled it. He did not replace their hope; He completed it. And with His coming, the door closed on an era of shadowed faith and opened wide to the brilliant light of the Gospel, where we now see the fullness of God's plan to redeem humanity, not merely from the bondage of Egypt, but from the bondage of sin and death itself.
Thus, let us not burden the saints of old with expectations they were never meant to bear. Let us instead marvel at the faith that was theirs, a faith that trusted in God even in the partial light they were given, a faith that was sufficient for their salvation, just as ours is today. And let us recognize that in the fullness of time, God revealed His ultimate plan in Christ, not as a replacement, but as the culmination of all that had come before.
About me
These theological reflections represent my current understanding and thoughts. I recognize that my beliefs are always subject to change as I continue to study and grow in God’s holy and precious Word. As a fallible human being, I am capable of change, and my views may evolve over time. Therefore, the positions expressed in these musings and papers may not necessarily reflect my final stance.
Chaplain WHITEHORN
I'm honored to serve as the State Prison Chaplain at Avon Park Correctional Institution. My journey into ministry was deeply shaped by my military experience as a Combat Veteran Sergeant and later as an Officer in the U.S. Army. Alongside my military career, I've pursued a lifelong passion for theology and scholarship, beginning with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Crichton College. I continued advanced studies at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, earned a Master of Divinity from Liberty University, and I'm currently completing my Ph.D., driven by a desire to understand and faithfully communicate God’s Word.