Hebrews 9:1-14
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands,that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
So how were the people in the Old Testament saved? By faith, the same as us. OK. Faith in what? I recently heard a lecture from DTS on Romans where the professor addresses this. What I had always heard and believed is that they had faith that God would eventually pay their debt of sin that these temporary sacrifices couldn't pay by sending a Messiah. The problem with that is that when the Messiah came, no one was looking for Him to die but redeem them politically not spiritually. The prof says that to believe that saving faith was tied to their belief in a future one time sacrifice for their sins, that is just not right. No one understood that and I tend to agree with him. Unfortunately, the leap he then makes by taking a circuitous path through scripture is just as untenable. He comes to the conclusion that every Jew was saved by believing that Yahweh was the one who redeemed them from Egypt. Therefore, for the next 1500 years after the Exodus until Christ, Jews, would acknowledge that God delivered them as they kept feasts such as the Passover, and they would be exercising faith until the time of Christ. To me that just doesn't sound right just by the fact alone that Satan believes that and knows that to be true.
So if they weren't saved by faith in a coming Messiah nor believing that Yahweh was the one to deliver them from Egypt, how were they saved by faith?. Jesus says in the New Testament that He came for the lost sheep of Israel. How did they get lost? Who was lost? I tend to feel like it was just like today. Imagine going to the synagogue weekly and offering a lamb for a sacrifice. Eventually you might feel like the act of going to the synagogue and the act of sacrifice saves you just like today, every religion in the world except Christianity believes you get to Heaven by good works. Even in my church, the Baptist church, people are lulled into thinking they are saved because they are doing the religious things. Salvation is about worshipping and living for God. The Old Testament sacrifices should have been done for the sole motivation of "I may not understand this but I know it honors and pleases God, so I will do it." I was reading in Genesis today where Jacob has the dream about the ladder coming from Heaven. He names the place "Bethel" or the House of God, and says if you do this and this and this and this for me - then you will be my God. Later he wrestles with God and is broken, he gets rid of all his idols, and he goes back to Bethel and renames it "El-Bethel" or the God of the house of God. See the difference? Once it was about a place and bargaining with God to get what we want. Salvation is about surrender and brokenness before God to get God, period.
I just heard a message by Francis Chan where he gave this illustration. He told his 13 year old daughter that he was going to throw her a birthday party at their house and bake a cake and that's it. He asked her how many people would come and she said, "2, probably." Then he said, what if he rented out Dave and Busters and offered free food and games - how many would come? She said, "probably the whole school." He then said, "so how many people were coming just because they love you?" The answer is 2.
Do you love God? Are you motivated by your love for God? Are you using God to get what you want or are you overwhelmed with seeing that God gets what He wants?
