How were people saved in the Old Testament?

The Faithfulness of God’s Promises in Christ

Let's look at 2 Corinthians 1 verse 19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, that's just another word for Silas, and Timothy, was not yes and no, but in him was yes.

And this is the verse, for all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him, amen, to the glory of God through us. So what does this mean? It means that God, God is faithful. God will always do what he says he's going to do.

God keeps his promises. And in time past, in the Old Testament scriptures, a lot of promises were made, right? God said a lot of things. He made a lot of promises. And every one of those promises is fulfilled in Christ.

Abraham, the Child of Promise, and the Covenant with Abraham

So let's look at an example of this. Turn to Genesis chapter 11, or excuse me, Genesis chapter 12. Genesis 12. And as you're turning there, just think of this word promise. What comes to mind, particularly in the Old Testament, when you hear the word promise?

Well, you may think of the child of promise, that God made a promise. He made a covenant with Abraham that even though he was old and his wife was barren and well beyond childbearing age, God promised a son to Abraham.

Salvation by Believing the Promises of God

And this concept of promise is brought into the New Testament, and it's tied in with salvation itself. Don't miss this, that a person is saved by faith. What does that mean? By believing the promises of God.

In the Old Testament, they knew nothing about the name of Jesus or even him dying on a cross and rising the third day. They didn't know about that. They didn't have those details. So how are they saved?

By believing the promises of God. And Christ is the fulfillment of the promises of God. So in Christ, we find the culmination of the promises.