Continuity Ot Saints and Nt Saints

When I came to faith as a born again believer, I didn't have a particular hermeneutic to which I adhered – at least not any of which I was aware. If you said "hermeneutic" to me then, I probably would have responded "gesundheit."

That doesn't necessarily mean that those who are unaware of hermeneutics don't necessarily have one, but many folks read Scripture without adhering to one hermeneutic in particular because they're taught so many variants among them. I myself couldn't have pointed to any singular hermeneutic in my early days of belief. In fact, with respect to prophetic texts and Israel, I wouldn't have had a clue what I believed then - at least not with any basis to which I could point in Scripture.

I had been raised going to church regularly until my youth, and after that point off and on until I left high school. I certainly didn't read Scripture then, and I didn't really step back into a church until God made me aware of my own lack and need for a Savior about eight years ago.

Around that time, I studied alongside my then 12-year-old son in preparation for his bar mitzvah under the tutelage of a messianic Jew. So I read some Scriptures with him from a messianic Jewish perspective, which of course holds a distinctive place for Israel separate from the church – not unlike dispensationalism.

The nation of Israel in modern times being a reality since my birth, it wasn't difficult to see in the Jews a separate people unto themselves and unto God – except that national Israel is far from being a godly people and Scripture itself contains verses regarding all those of faith being Abraham's descendants – both Jew and Gentile.

The church I attended from about 1999 on was Calvary Chapel – a non-denominational organization with a strong music program. It is man-centered, although I wasn't aware of it at the time, having never heard anything other than a man-centered gospel until about 18 months ago - and not attending a Reformed church until nine months ago.

Reformed theology grabbed me quite out of the blue, and it was a great relief to me as I had been struggling to maintain righteousness on my own for quite some time. Feeling like a failure and hypocrite as a Christian, I was slowly drifting from God. I thought – wrongly – that it all depended on me, my faith, and my actions (works).

After embracing the doctrines of grace, I am continually surprised and delighted by what should be obvious truths in light of God's absolute sovereignty and immutability. Here are two of those truths:

1. Daniel's comment to the August 22, 2007 post here at Bluecollar titled "I Found This Comment on Another Blog…," in which Daniel wrote:

"How did the old testament saints have their sins atoned? By the blood of bulls and goats, or the blood of Christ?"

Daniel rightly pointed out that OT saints were saved in exactly the same way we all are: by grace through faith in Christ - one by looking forward and the other by looking back.

Even though their understanding of the incarnation was veiled, the channel through which God saved OT saints was faith in their Redeemer.

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
- John 8:56

"For I know that my Redeemer lives."
- Job 19:25a

"For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, 'Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me,'"
- Hebrews 10:4,5

"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow."
- 1 Peter 1:10-11

2. And I learned just last night in a Bible study that the Holy Spirit was present in all OT believers. Being totally depraved, they would not have been able to be believers without the work of the Holy Spirit.

How it's all continuing to come together as parts of the same puzzle! Not separate plans. Not separate peoples. Not separate faiths.

"For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit."
- 1 Corinthians 12:13

"There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
-Ephesians 4:4-6

My previous understanding was that the Holy Spirit wasn't given to OT saints, unless for special times. But they had to have the Holy Spirit to begin with or they would never have come to faith.

That said, the universal outpouring of gifts on believers for different purposes of ministry was not seen until NT days, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel, as explained by Peter in Acts:

"But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, … And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"
- Acts 2:17, 21

As was earlier desired by Moses:

"Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!"" – Numbers 11:29b

The Holy Spirit was present in OT saints who would, without Him, have been unable to believe.

So we are all saved in exactly the same way –
by grace through faith in Christ and Christ alone
by the work of the Holy Spirit
to the glory of God the Father.

I'm not sure if I had a hermeneutic when I first came to faith, but I'm quite sure I'm on my way to one now.

vigilbutiffely.blogspot.com

Source: https://mdpmusings4.blogspot.com/2007/09/ot-saints-and-holy-spirit.html