1) “The Lord Gives Grace and Glory”: Was There No Grace in the Old Testament? (Kyle Pope)
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“The Lord Gives Grace and Glory”:<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWas There No Grace in the Old Testament?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kyle Pope The simple answer is yes, God clearly extended grace to His people in the Old Testament. \u201cNoah found grace in the eyes of the Lord\u201d (Gen. 6:8) and was spared from the flood. Jacob declared, \u201cGod has dealt graciously with me\u201d (Gen. 33:11). God tells Jeremiah that Israel \u201cfound grace in the wilderness\u201d (Jer. 31:2). The blessing Mosaic priests were to offer over the people proclaimed, \u201cThe Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you\u201d (Num. 6:25). During the days of Jehoahaz, \u201cthe Lord was gracious\u201d unto Israel (2 Kings 13:23) protecting her from utter destruction. Jonah resisted preaching to Nineveh knowing that God was \u201ca gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness\u201d (Jon. 4:2). In sparing a remnant after the exile, Ezra recognized \u201cgrace has been shown from the Lord our God\u201d (Ezra 9:8). The wise man proclaimed that God \u201cgives grace to the humble\u201d (Prov. 3:34), a text that both Peter and James quote in the New Testament (Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). The psalmist declared, \u201cThe Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly\u201d (Psa. 84:11, NASB). In the face of Israel\u2019s rebellion, \u201cthe Lord was gracious\u201d to the people \u201cbecause of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob\u201d (2 Kings 13:23, NKJV). There can be no question that Old Testament covenants were covenants of grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Far from being a concept absent from the Old Testament it is because of what we learn about grace under the Old Law that its significance may be understood in Christ. Paul taught the Galatians that \u201cthe law was our tutor to bring us to Christ\u201d (Gal. 3:24). The Hebrew writer described it as \u201ca shadow of the good things to come\u201d (Heb. 10:1). The Law taught the responsibility of obedience. The Law commanded, \u201cYou shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord\u201d (Lev. 18:5). All too often, however, Israel failed to meet this responsibility leading this principle to become a point of emphasis throughout the Old Testament Period. To a rebellious people during the exile, for example, the Lord repeated these words through the prophet Ezekiel reminding them of His judgments \u201cwhich, if a man does, he shall live by them\u201d (Ezek. 20:11, 13, 21). During the restoration following the exile, Nehemiah called upon the people to keep the Lord\u2019s judgments, repeating the same words \u2013 \u201cwhich, if a man does, he shall live by them\u201d (Neh. 9:29). Paul calls this principle \u201cthe righteousness which is of the law,\u201d quoting these same words, \u201cThe man who does those things shall live by them\u201d (Rom. 10:5). God never revoked this responsibility under Moses nor under Christ. Concerning the two greatest commandments, Jesus told a teacher of the Law \u201cdo this and you will live\u201d (Luke 10:28). If animal sacrifices did not possess any intrinsic value that merited forgiveness, why were they offered? The New Testament reveals to us that they brought forgiveness looking forward to the sacrifice of Christ. The Hebrew writer tells us that, \u201cby means of death,\u201d Christ brought \u201credemption of the transgressions under the first covenant\u201d (Heb. 9:15). Paul told the Romans that Christ offers \u201cpropitiation by His blood,\u201d because \u201cin His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed\u201d (Rom. 3:25). Christ\u2019s sacrifice did<\/em> possess the intrinsic value necessary to merit forgiveness. Old Testament sacrifices brought forgiveness, but only because they prefigured what Christ\u2019s sacrifice would actually provide. Let\u2019s notice how the Hebrew writer explains this after referring to the Law as a \u201cshadow of the good things to come\u201d (Heb. 10:1a). When we see a shadow of a person on the ground, we can infer that it was cast by the body of the man or woman who caused the shadow. The Hebrew writer says first that the offerings that constituted this \u201cshadow\u201d could not make those who offered them \u201cperfect\u201d (Heb. 10:1c). We have noted above, this doesn\u2019t mean they didn\u2019t receive forgiveness, but it did not make them perfect<\/em> or complete<\/em>, or else they would not need to be offered \u201ccontinually year by year\u201d (Heb. 10:1b). Instead, these offerings served as a \u201creminder of sins\u201d (Heb. 10:3), because the \u201cblood of bulls and goats\u201d could not \u201ctake away sins\u201d (Heb. 10:4). What could take away sins? The Hebrew writer quotes from the Greek Old Testament of Psalm 40:6 to answer this \u2013 \u201csacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body [Gr. soma<\/em>] You have prepared for Me\u201d (Heb. 10:5b).2<\/sup> This is very similar to a statement Paul makes in his letter to the Colossians. After telling them no one can judge them any longer concerning elements of the Old Law, he speaks of these as \u201ca shadow of things to come; but the body [Gr. soma<\/em>] is of Christ\u201d (Col. 2:17, KJV). Jesus is the body that casts the shadow. All Old Testament sacrifices were a shadow of what He would accomplish. The grace of God that sent Jesus to die offers forgiveness of sins to the righteous in the Old Testament just as it does to Christians in the New Testament. God\u2019s grace has been given to His people all along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have seen that grace has always characterized God\u2019s relationship with His people. How then are we to understand texts such as the one with which we began \u2013 \u201cgrace and truth came through Jesus Christ\u201d (John 1:17)? We might note that this is not the only place we see such contrasts. Paul told the Romans \u201cyou are not under law but under grace\u201d (Rom. 6:14-15). Paul does not mean that in Christ there is no law that governs behavior. He told the Corinthians he was not \u201cwithout law toward God, but under law toward Christ\u201d (1 Cor. 9:21). Paul and John contrast law<\/em> and grace<\/em> to emphasize the distinctive nature of the Mosaic system of faith, and the gospel system of faith. Both involved law, both involved faith, and both were dependent upon the grace of God. Yet, in the sacrifice of Jesus as the ultimate atonement for our sins God\u2019s grace was poured out as it had never been. This was part of what was promised in connection with the coming of the Messiah \u2013 a time when God would pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem \u201cthe Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn\u201d (Zech. 12:10). Jesus was the Divine one whom \u201cthey pierced,\u201d He was the \u201cfirstborn\u201d who was God\u2019s \u201conly Son.\u201d Only those who look to Christ in obedience and faith can know a measure of grace and mercy unknown to the world before the coming of Jesus. 1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street Sunday: 9 a.m. <\/strong>Bible Classes and 10 a.m. <\/strong>Worship Service. Congregational Song Service<\/strong>: 5 p.m. for every first Sunday of the month.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday: 7 p.m. <\/strong>Bible Classes <\/p>\n\n\n\n evangelist\/editor: <\/strong><\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).——————– Contents: 1) “The Lord Gives Grace and Glory”: Was There No Grace in the Old Testament? (Kyle Pope)——————– -1- “The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2547"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2551,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547\/revisions\/2551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The Holy Spirit led the apostle John to write, \u201cFor the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ\u201d (John 1:17, NKJV).
Through the centuries this beautiful contrast between the Old Covenant and the gospel has led some to imagine that God\u2019s grace played no part in His relationship to man under Mosaic Law. John Calvin, for example, in commenting on this verse claimed of grace<\/em> and truth <\/em>\u201cthe law had neither the one nor the other\u201d (Commentary on John <\/em>1:17).1 <\/sup> Was grace only introduced with the proclamation of the gospel? Was there no grace extended by God prior to Christ?<\/p>\n\n\n\nDid God Show Grace in the Old Testament?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Tutor and Shadow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In spite of the emphasis on this principle, man\u2019s repeated failures to fulfill this \u201crighteousness which is of the law\u201d demonstrated (by Israel\u2019s own history) mankind\u2019s need for \u201ca gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness\u201d (Jon. 4:2). The Law revealed man\u2019s need for mercy. Its own sacrificial system showed that man could not remove his own sin when he failed to \u201cdo\u201d the things of the law. Since the beginning of man\u2019s history it has always been \u201cblood that makes atonement for the soul\u201d (Lev. 17:11). Christians have often made it sound as if there was no forgiveness that was granted in the offering of animal sacrifices. That is not so! We can see this in the many times we find the phrase \u201cshall be forgiven\u201d in connection with various offerings under Mosaic Law (e.g. Lev. 4:20, 26, 30, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7; 19:22; Num. 15:26, 28). When the Israelites made the proscribed sacrifices, had they merited their forgiveness? No! Nothing in their action or in the intrinsic value of animal sacrifices earned forgiveness. In obedience to Mosaic Law the Israelites accepted the terms under which God promised to grant forgiveness. This very provision was God\u2019s grace<\/em>. We see this in a powerful command concerning honesty. The Lord commanded, \u201cKeep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked\u201d (Exod. 23:7). In specifying whom He would not \u201cjustify\u201d the Lord made the clear inference that He is the one who holds the power to justify!<\/em> When Paul told the Romans, \u201cIt is God who justifies\u201d (Rom. 8:33b), he was not stating something that was purely a New Covenant principle. Whenever man has received forgiveness from God, it has been by an act of God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOld Testament Grace Anticipated Christ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1<\/sup> This is the literal translation of Calvin\u2019s French wording (\u201cla Loy n\u2019a eu ne l\u2019un ne l\u2019autre\u201d<\/em>). Calvin\u2019s words may sound more harsh than he actually believed. He explains in the context his belief that the grace<\/em> and truth <\/em>that were brought by Christ gave life to a lifeless system of law without Christ. Even so, his words illustrate the concept many have held regarding grace under the Old Covenant.
2 <\/sup>The Hebrew text of Psalm 40:6 reads \u201cmy ears you have opened\u201d (NKJV), but the text of the Greek Old Testament done before the time of Christ, quoted by the Hebrew writer, and preserved in the Sinai, Vatican, and Alexandrian manuscripts all read \u201ca body you have prepared for Me.\u201d This is likely either evidence of a Hebrew variant or a paraphrase taking preparation of the ears as a part of the body standing for the whole. Unfortunately, the Dead Sea Scroll that would have contained this passage (11QPsad<\/sup>, frag. 6) is missing all of this Psalm after the first word.
— Via Truth Magazine, <\/em>Volume 58, Number 5, May 2014\u00a0
https:\/\/www.truthmagazine.com\/archives\/volume58\/2014_05_May_Truth_Magazine.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1z05ss-7P9S3sgH9S4YxYnhraiWy-lG6dMDrOc94SLXbbZ5pLc6Uf2RGQ
——————– <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2) Believe <\/strong>in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
4) Confess faith <\/strong>in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized <\/strong>in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so \u201cthrough faith in the working of God\u201d (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to\u2026
6) Continue in the faith <\/strong>by <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST<\/strong><\/strong>
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<\/strong><\/strong>Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
<\/a>https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go\/all.htm<\/a> <\/strong><\/strong>(This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but <\/strong><\/strong>with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)
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