Salvation in the Old Testament and Apostasy Cases in the Bible
What about the cases recorded in Scripture as actual apostasy in the faith? Among such examples are Lot, King Saul, Solomon, Judas Iscariot—Jesus’s disciple—Ananias, Hymenaeus and Philetus, Demas, etc. First, let’s deal with the Old Testament individuals who lived before Jesus’s death and resurrection. About some of the more prominent figures of the Old Testament, like Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the other prophets, we know for sure that after Jesus’s death on the cross, they became saved. However, on what basis? Moreover, what about all the other less-known people whose names were not mentioned in the Bible but who were still part of God’s people? Were they saved after the cross? If yes, how? On what basis? If not, why? How did redemption touch the lives of Ruth and Rahab? These are essential questions. Personal salvation by grace, through faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross, may not have been as clear at the time of Noah as it is to us today. The Lamb of God, Who takes away the world’s sins, came to the nation of Israel approximately four hundred years after the Old Testament canon was closed. How, then, could there be a clear object of faith?
A common misconception about the Old Testament way of salvation is that Jews were saved by keeping the Law. But we know from Scripture that this is not true.
Galatians 3:11 says:
Galatians 3:11 (NKJV)11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Some might say this verse applies only to the New Testament, but Paul is quoting from
Habakkuk 2:4, where it says,
Habakkuk 2:4 (NKJV)4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.
Salvation by faith, apart from the Law, was an Old Testament principle. Paul taught the purpose of the Law was to serve as a “tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (
Galatians 3:24). Also, in
Romans 3:20, Paul made the point that keeping the Law didn’t save Old Testament or New Testament Jews because no one can be declared righteous in His sight by observing the Law.
The Law was never intended to save someone; the purpose of the Law was to make us conscious of sin. If people’s salvation in the Old Testament was not through the keeping of the Law, then what was it through? The answer to that question is found in Scripture, so there can be no doubt regarding this issue. In
Romans 4, the apostle Paul clarifies that
salvation in the Old Testament was the same as in the New Testament, which is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. To prove this, Paul points us to Abraham, the forefather of the Jewish people, who was saved by faith and not by works: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (
Romans 4:3). Abraham could not have been saved by keeping the Law because he lived over four hundred years before it was given! Also, circumcision was not introduced to Abraham and his descendants until
Genesis 17, that is more than ten years later.
Romans 4:13-16 says this:
Romans 4:13-16 (NKJV)13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Here, we see that the promise of becoming heirs of the world, or the promise of salvation, was not made only to Abraham but also to his descendants who came through Isaac. And this didn’t come through the Law, but through the faith of Abraham. All his descendants, from Isaac to Christ, received salvation after the cross federally because of Abraham’s faith and covenant with God, even though some of them did not fully walk with Him. Abraham was the federal head of their salvation through faith. To prove that God fulfills the promises made to a federal head in the descendants’ lives even though they are not always pleasing to God, I will provide a few examples. First, Noah was saved from the flood’s destruction with all his family (wife, sons, and daughters-in-law) although the Bible doesn’t say anything about their relationship or devotion to God. They were saved because of Noah. Second, in
2 Kings 10:30-31, God makes a powerful promise to King Jehu that his sons will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation without adding any conditions or disclaimers:
2 Kings 10:30-31 (NKJV)30 And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.
After God gave that promise, even King Jehu, himself, to whom the promise was given, didn’t walk according to the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. Did God revoke His promise to him or his sons because of his sins? Absolutely not! Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, reigned seventeen years over Israel in Samaria, although he did evil in the sight of the Lord (
2 Kings 13:1-2). Then, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz and the second generation descendant of Jehu, reigned for sixteen years over Israel in Samaria, although he did what was evil in the eyes of God as well (
2 Kings 13:10-11). Moving forward, in
2 Kings 14:23-24, we see the third generation of Jehu, Jeroboam the son of Jehoash, beginning to reign in Samaria, and he does it for forty-one years although he also did evil in the eyes of God and caused Israel to sin. Lastly, in
2 Kings 15:8-9, the Bible says that Zechariah the son of Jeroaboam (the fourth generation of Jehu) reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months.
2 Kings 15:12 says the following:
2 Kings 15:12 (NKJV)12 This was the Word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it was.
I wonder at God’s extravagant goodness and faithfulness toward people! So, the descendants of Abraham were saved through his faith after Jesus’s resurrection. You might say that God is not fair to choose only a man (i.e., Abraham) and only a nation, the nation of Israel, to bestow salvation upon irrespective of works. What about other people or nations from the Old Testament? However, God’s sense of fairness is out of this world and beyond human comprehension. Not only were the descendants of Abraham saved, but anyone outside of his lineage who had ever made the smallest steps toward pleasing and following God in the Old Testament was also saved after the cross. God considered their actions as faith in Christ in advance. We can see this in
Hebrews 11 about Abel, Enoch, and Noah, who lived long before Abraham and the Law, being put together in the same category of people of faith:
Hebrews 11:4-8 (NKJV)4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Not only these, but also Ruth, a Moabite, and Rahab, a young Canaanite prostitute, were included in the genealogy of Jesus and were saved after the cross because of their deeds toward God and His people. I am confident that in heaven, we will also meet Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Syria from
2 Kings 5 because he worshipped only God after he was healed of his leprosy, although he still kept going with his master, who was worshipping in the temple of Rimmon. Moreover, if God wasn’t fair enough, then through Christ, the seed of Abraham, He opened the door to salvation for all the Gentiles after the cross. All people of any nation that come into Christ and put their faith in Him become descendants of Abraham.
Now, moving on to the rest of the Old Testament, after Abraham and the Law of Moses, a gospel theme is also set forth: through the prophets and throughout the Psalms, people were saved from sin by grace, through faith in the Lord and His promises. Several texts from the New Testament illustrate this premise:
1 Peter 1:10–12 (NKJV)10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,11 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.12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
This text reveals some essential ideas. The “prophets . . . who prophesied” longed for the arrival of an era of grace. The “Spirit of Christ” within them was filling them with this great desire, witnessing in advance through them, and to them, the work of Christ. The prophetic message was often a Gospel message since it told of the Messiah’s sufferings and the glories that would follow. The Spirit of Christ witnessed in advance the sufferings and glories of our Lord.
The New Testament serves as the inspired commentary on the Old Testament, and it’s an incredible blessing to have it in our hands. However, even before its completion, the Old Testament served as the Scripture for Israel, and it contained a Gospel theme concerning the coming, the sufferings, and the glory of the Messiah.
So, the second text underscoring this in the Old Testament is spoken by Jesus Himself:
Luke 24:25–27 (NKJV)25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Here Jesus speaks to some of His followers on the road to Emmaus. Notice the extent of His teaching! He begins with Moses and the Prophets and reveals to them in all the Scriptures things about Himself, His sufferings, and His glory. Later in the same chapter, Jesus speaks of His presence in the Old Testament’s words:
Luke 24:44–47 (NKJV)44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.46 Then He said to them, “Thus it’s written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
This text is loaded with evidence of the Gospel given by Jesus to His disciples. He references His presence in the Law of Moses, claims the Prophets testified about Him, and also shows He can be found in the Psalms. Then Jesus collected these three areas and defined them under one title—“the Scriptures.” Again, the clues to the Gospel from the Old Testament content are remarkable. The Lord’s teaching about Himself in the Scriptures was centered on the necessity of His suffering, of His resurrection, and of the call to preach repentance for the remission of sins.
I have one more text which illustrates the Gospel theme in the Old Testament and which also speaks about things that took place before the incarnation of Jesus on this earth:
Acts 3:18–24 (NKJV)18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.”24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
The apostle Peter preached from Solomon’s Porch and called the people to repent. He reminded the listening crowd that the suffering, the resurrection, and the glory of the Messiah had been the central theme of the Scriptures. However, God’s plan for salvation has been hidden in the Old Testament and encrypted so that none of the dark princes over this world would know it and so prevent Jesus’s Crucifixion. We see that in two New Testament passages:
Ephesians 3:8–9 (NKJV)8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 2:7–8 (NKJV)7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Were there multiple ways of salvation before the coming of Jesus in space and time to die as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity? The answer must be a resounding NO. Paul explained in
Romans 4 that salvation has always been and will always be by God’s grace, and people can receive it through faith alone.
Genesis 3:15 promised Someone would come to clear up the sin problem created by our first father, Adam. As the Seed of the woman, He would be the One Who will battle with the serpent and defeat it.
All the people of the Old Testament who were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or exerted an inclination toward God through their deeds became saved after the cross.
Although some of them ended their lives in the wrong way, like Samson, King Saul, King Solomon, or the people of Israel who rebelled in the wilderness (i.e., Korah, Dathan, Abiram, Achan), all of these were ultimately saved in Christ. Their salvation was not based on their deeds or how they ended their lives but on them being part of a federal covenant with God.
Participation and adherence to the covenants of God in the Old Testament was a proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ ahead of time. Even people of God who took their own lives, like King Saul and Samson, were still saved. Suicide is not an unpardonable sin. Many people believe this because it leaves no room for repentance. Through suicide, a person enters eternity with unconfessed and, therefore, unforgiven sin. But
the Bible doesn’t say anywhere that suicide is an unforgivable sin; moreover, it teaches that all sins, past, present, and future, are erased by faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at the time of one’s salvation. One’s eternal destiny is sealed and set at the time of justifying faith. Moreover,
Romans 8:38–39 says neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Now, Judas Iscariot was part of the people of God and one of Jesus’s disciples, but the Bible says clearly in
John 17:12 that he was eternally lost. But why was he lost? On what basis? Was it because he betrayed Jesus? The Bible doesn’t say anywhere that betraying Jesus is an unforgivable sin. I am convinced that if he had asked for forgiveness like Peter did after denying Jesus, God would have forgiven him. Was it because he committed suicide? Again, according to the Bible, that is not a reason for the loss of salvation. I think one possible answer might be that he died physically between the covenants without repenting of what he had done and without putting his faith in Jesus in a saving way. While Judas was busy betraying Jesus, Jesus inaugurated a New Covenant in the upper room for the entire human race (including the Gentiles) when He gave the bread and the cup to His disciples in
Matthew 26:28. At that time, God’s decreed method, of saving man, changed. It was no longer enough to be a child of Abraham or to take certain steps toward God as in the Old Testament to be saved, but now a person had to put his faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and confess Him as Lord. Also, at that time, other significant things were beginning to change: animal sacrifices were to be replaced by the sacrifice of Jesus after His resurrection, and God’s presence was to be transferred from the ark and the physical temple to the inside of the human being. Judas was no longer under any covenant of the Old Testament, for Jesus had inaugurated a New Covenant by faith, which superseded and concluded all other ones by their fulfillment. Nor did he live long enough to put his faith in Jesus after His death and resurrection and be saved. I believe with all my heart that if he had not taken his life and repented of his deed, Judas would have been saved. But I think it got to a point too late when he couldn’t do it anymore. Thus, what the Scripture said concerning him or the son of perdition was fulfilled.
Moving forward to the New Testament’s examples of so-called apostasy, none of them can prove that true believers, in possession of true saving faith, can fall from grace in the sense of losing salvation, but rather in the sense of falling back under the Law, or of spiritual backsliding for a while. Nobody can know who is genuinely saved to conclude that some people were once saved and then fell away completely. Only God knows who is genuinely saved, and the actual people themselves who have this internal witness of the Holy Spirit that they are saved.
“But what about this close person I knew who was baptized and received Jesus at one point but later went back to drinking, living in adultery, and finally took his own life? Was this person saved? And what about this pastor who I heard served God for years only to one day kill his two children and then take his own life? Is that person saved, too?” These are sad situations, but they are also a part of real life. However, we cannot interpret the Bible based on some people’s experiences and conclude that these people were saved at one time and then went back into the world and lost their salvation. We don’t know if these people were genuinely saved; only God knows, and themselves. We also don’t know what was happening in those people’s hearts and what they believed when they did those horrible things. What we know for sure based on the Bible are the following three things:
(1). These people might have never been born again, but they just seemed to be so for a while. This is what
1 John 2:19 and
Hebrews 3:14 advocate:
1 John 2:19 (NKJV)19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.Hebrews 3:14 (NKJV)14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.
(2). These people might have been genuinely saved at one point, but because of their perseverance in sin, they reaped some unwanted consequences in the life here, and maybe they left this earth too early and in a shameful way. Persistence in sin attracts death at multiple levels here on earth and in different forms: depression, darkness, confusion, frustration, boredom, and even premature death. However, that doesn’t mean these people have lost their eternal salvation forever. Based on
1 Corinthians 3:15, they are in the Kingdom but will probably not receive any rewards and will be saved through fire:
1 Corinthians 3:15 (NKJV)15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
(3). According to
2 Peter 3:9, God is good and longsuffering toward people not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance:
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God has always reached out and did everything He could to save anyone who made the most minor step toward Him. Think about Rahab the prostitute, Ruth the Moabite, and Cornelius who gave alms to the poor. God always met them halfway, accepted them, and showed them the way. Since I cannot know for sure about anyone if they were genuinely saved, I, for one, prefer to believe that in most of these cases, if there was a moment in their lives when they put their trust in Jesus, these people were genuinely saved. This is, I believe, the heart of the Father. Even though they failed miserably through sin, they retained their eternal salvation from the perspective of this physical life on earth.