The Old Testament describes God’s relationship and interactions with humanity before the coming of Jesus Christ. A key theme throughout the Old Testament is how sinful humans can be reconciled to a holy God. The Old Testament outlines principles, rituals, and sacrifices that pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross that would provide full atonement for sins.
In the Old Testament, the way of salvation was through faith in God and His promises, just as it is in the New Testament. However, the content of that faith was different as the Messiah had not yet come. Old Testament believers put their faith in God’s promise that He would one day send a Messiah who would die for their sins. New Testament believers put their faith in the Messiah who has come and accomplished that work.
1. Faith in God’s Promises
From the very beginning, God made promises to provide a savior from sin. After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that the seed of woman would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). God later promised Abraham that through his offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). The people of God trusted in these promises and believed that God would send a future Redeemer even though they did not yet know who He would be.
The Old Testament saints were saved because they believed that God would keep His promise to send a Savior. Their faith was in God’s future work through the Messiah. In the New Testament, believers are saved because they believe that God has already accomplished His promises through Jesus Christ. Their faith is in God’s past work through the Messiah. The content of the faith differs but in both eras salvation was by faith in God and His provision of a sacrifice for sins.
2. Sacrificial System
God established a system of animal sacrifices in the Old Testament which allowed for the temporary forgiveness of sins. This system taught that there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). When performed with genuine repentance and faith, the sacrifices provided purification and consecration for the worshipper (Leviticus 16:30).
The Old Testament sacrifices did not actually take away sins but instead foreshadowed and pointed forward to Christ’s sacrifice which would pay sin’s penalty in full (Hebrews 10:1-4). Old Testament saints who brought sacrifices with repentance and faith were accepting God’s promise that their sins would one day be atoned for fully by the coming Messiah. The sacrifices themselves did not save them but symbolized their trust in God’s promise to send the Redeemer.
3. Circumcision
As the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, circumcision marked out God’s people in the Old Testament (Genesis 17:10-14). It was a physical sign to represent the cleansing of the heart that was needed for those who worshipped God. However, the outward circumcision itself did not automatically guarantee salvation. The prophets emphasized that inward repentance and faith in God were essential along with outward obedience (Jeremiah 4:4).
Paul later explained that Abraham was justified by his faith before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9-12). Circumcision was a marker of faith but did not save him. What mattered was Abraham’s faith and trust in God’s promise, which was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Inward faith rather than outward circumcision brought salvation. Nevertheless, obedience to God’s commands proved the genuineness of saving faith.
4. Repentance and Obedience
While sacrifices and circumcision were important rituals in the Old Testament, the prophets consistently emphasized that these outward acts alone were worthless if not accompanied by inward repentance and obedience. God desired mercy, justice and faithfulness rather than mere external compliance with the law (Micah 6:6-8). Repeatedly in the Old Testament, God sends the prophets to call His people to repent and return to Him.
True saving faith was always marked by repentance from sin and obedience to God. This faith and repentance justified Old Testament believers like Abraham. As Hebrews 11 recounts, many Old Testament saints worshipped and obeyed God by faith “even though they did not receive what had been promised” (Hebrews 11:39). Their faith in God was counted to them as righteousness and brought salvation even without the Messiah or His finished work.
5. Trust in God’s Mercy
A key component of an Old Testament believer’s faith was trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness. Psalms such as Psalm 32 and 51 describe David’s repentance and trust in God’s lovingkindness to blot out his transgressions. David believed that if he confessed his sins, God would forgive him because of His great compassion. He looked to God’s mercy by faith.
Similarly, Daniel pleaded for God to forgive His people Israel because of His compassionate and forgiving character (Daniel 9:9). He trusted that God would show them mercy even in their exile because of who He is. The Old Testament saints knew they could call out to God and find mercy and grace through their faith in Him. They clung to God’s promises to forgive them and show them grace.
6. Looking Forward to the Messiah
A distinctive aspect of faith for the Old Testament believers was an element of forward-looking. They trusted in God’s promises that a Messiah was coming who would solve the problem of sin once and for all. People like Abraham rejoiced to see Christ’s day coming even from a distance (John 8:56). The prophets spoke in detail of God’s future redemption through the suffering servant who would bear the punishment for sin.
Although the content of their faith was less complete than New Testament believers who look back to the finished work of Christ, the object of their faith was the same. They looked forward with hope to what God would do through the Messiah. Justification was by faith alone for the Old Testament saints, even though the content of that faith was looking forward to redemption instead of looking back to it.
7. Summary
In summary, the way of salvation in the Old Testament was ultimately the same as in all times – by grace alone, through faith alone, based on Christ alone. Old Testament believers were saved by trusting in God’s mercy and His promises to provide forgiveness through the future sacrifice of the Messiah. They expressed this inward faith through outward obedience and sacrifices. The sacrifices did not save but rather symbolized and foreshadowed Christ’s ultimate sacrifice that actually paid for sins.
While their content and expression of faith differed based on progressive revelation, Old Testament believers possessed the same saving faith in God and His provision of grace as Christians today. Salvation has always been by faith, not by works or the following of laws and rituals. As Hebrews 11 demonstrates, Old Testament saints endured by faith in God’s promises, looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God Himself.