If we're being honest, we've asked ourselves this question before. And if we don't, we probably know a Christian who has. How did anyone in the Old Testament attain salvation before Christ came in the flesh. After all, we get a whole listing of people in the famous faith passage in Hebrews 11 whose faith was credited to them as righteousness. Let's take a peek at a snapshot of that:
Hebrews 11:8-12: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore."
The passage goes on, but the Bible seems to indicate that some popular figures from the Old Testament wound up in heaven. How is this possible if Jesus had not yet died for their sins? Let's take a further look as to how anyone in the Old Testament could've gotten saved.
Do We Have Evidence of Old Testament People in Heaven?
The best example I can give comes from one of Jesus' parables of the rich man and Lazarus. We won't focus on either of these characters. But as the story goes, the rich man went to Hell when he died, and he spots a certain figure up in Heaven. Let's take a look at the passage:
Luke 16:22-26: "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’"
The rich man talks to Abraham, who resides in Heaven. Abraham existed for millennia prior to when Jesus steps onto the scene via the incarnation. So how did he get to Heaven? And furthermore, how did Abraham land in Heaven as Jesus told this parable prior to his death and resurrection?
Although Jesus' parables are fictitious, they're based on biblical truth. We have further evidence of Abraham's place in heaven in the verse Genesis 15:6 that talks about Abraham's faith being credited to him as righteousness.
If Father Abraham ended up in Heaven, we can assume many others listed in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith (and those beyond such as the prophets and other important Old Testament figures) have a spot up there as well. How can this be? Even Dante in his Divine Comedy didn't think Old Testament figures could get to Heaven, so how can we prove otherwise?
What Does the Bible Say about Salvation?
Salvation, being a central point of the Christian faith, fills up several verses in Scripture. We cannot cover all of them below, but we'll highlight a few.
Acts 2:38: "Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Salvation requires repentance and turning away from sin. We see a precursor of this in the Old Testament. Not only do we have psalms and prayers full of lament, but the sacrificial system symbolizes the need for someone to pay the penalty for our transgressions. Although the literal lamb did not blot out eternal sins, it showed the Israelites what was to come. That someone would have to take their place.
Acts 4:12: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."
Salvation comes from Christ alone. Throughout the Old Testament, people turned to idols and other nations to rescue them from their sin and from their enemies. Time and time again God proved that they needed to rely on him for a way out.
For other great verses on what the Bible says about salvation, check out this link here.
How Do People Become Saved?
As stated in this Got Questions article, salvation comes down to faith. But the content of that faith differs on the amount of Revelation.
Let's explore this concept.
The Old Testament prophesied the arrival of a Savior since Genesis 3 when the first people walked the earth. Therefore, we know that God has foretold about salvation from the very beginning. We see more details unfolding throughout the Old Testament. The Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 5), a betrayer would pay 30 pieces of silver to hand him over to death, etc. When Jesus steps onto the scene, the people clearly want a Messiah. They shout "Hosanna!" when he rides down the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey.
But they didn't have a clear picture of what salvation would look like. Many, by the time Jesus arrived, had gotten the idea all skewed and thought it meant a conqueror to topple Rome.
So because they didn't have the special revelation that we, as believers, do, they had to have faith that God would save them from the ultimate enemy of sin. They had no idea how he would do it, and all of the Old Testament figures died before they had a chance to see this salvation realized. But because of their faith and trust that God would set the world back to Shalom (the way things ought to be), they were credited with righteousness.
Salvation still requires us to believe in Jesus' death and resurrection and to commit our lives to him, him filling the role as our Savior and Lord. For those thinking those in the Old Testament got a "free pass" of sorts because they didn't know about the cross and resurrection specifically, in many ways, the Old Testament believers had it much harder. They didn't get to see the full picture realized Hebrews 1:1-2.
But because we have the full picture now, we are without excuse. And furthermore, we should make it our mission that all people of all nations hear about the wonderful work of Christ.
For further reading:
What Is a Profession of Faith?
How Is Jesus the Author and Perfector of Faith?
What Does it Mean That Jesus Is the Second Adam?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Lisa Valder
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
