Salvation in the Old Testament?

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Now let's jump in. Our salvation is by grace through faith alone. Just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. But surely it can't be that simple. Let's talk about it.

Coming up right now on the Clear Vee Today Show. You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis.

We want to hear from you: 252-429-6069. Text the word today, T-O-D-A-Y. It's going to get you into the conversation with our host, Dr. Abadan Shah. Dr.

Shah, we're having a good conversation today, a little continuation of Truth Talk Live yesterday. Yes, it was a great conversation. It was great to hear from our listeners. Man, we were getting call after call, and we're like, We are not going to get through the material. That's right.

That's okay. It's good to hear from people. It's good to interact with them, answer their questions, talk about what's on their heart. And so, even though we were talking about What does it mean to be saved? We sort of ended up talking about heaven at times.

We ended up talking about. You know, the blood of Christ, which is connected to salvation, but we sort of deviated. But in a good way, that's right. That's right. And we have, you know, speaking of that, we have some really, really cool news, a really big announcement.

I don't think today's the day, but stay tuned because something really big is coming for the Clearview Today show that we want you guys to be able to celebrate with us as soon as we're ready to share with you. That's right. One of the greatest things about the show and getting to hear from our listeners is knowing that there's someone on the other side of the camera. That's right. Knowing that there's people who are listening who are benefiting from these discussions because we benefit from them as we're sitting here talking, John and I are learning alongside the rest of you who are out there listening and writing into us.

But don't ever be hesitant to do that because it helps us to know that these topics and these discussions are impacting you and benefiting you. And you can help them to do that with other people as well. We're going to talk about that in a little bit. That's right. You know, Doug, talking about our salvation, all you got to do is believe in God.

I've heard people say that my entire life, ever since I've known about Christianity, just believe. And that's it. And sometimes even Christians believe that, or they claim that, that salvation at some times was about just believing in God, you know, God, and then other times it was just obeying God. And then, by the time Jesus comes, then it sort of shifts into this really complex. Formula of by grace through faith in Christ alone, his sacrificial death on the cross, and asking him to save you, you know, making a confession with your mouth, belief in your heart.

It gets a lot. Yeah. But there was a time it was just simple. Just believe God. How many have you ever seen the movie Ratatouille?

The little Pixar movie.

So that is one of my all-time favorite. That is my favorite Pixar movie. I love Ratatouille so much. There's a line in there where the main character is talking to the little chef, the boss, and he says something about, oh, I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your mother. And the guy says, oh, don't be.

I mean, it's all good. She believed in heaven.

So she's covered afterlife-wise. And I think people don't realize that that's a joke. Number one, because it's like I think that, I mean, isn't that true? Yeah, there are people who operate that way. There are Christians, and maybe there's even Christians today who are like, I mean, I believe in heaven.

I believe there's something else, so I guess I'm good. And that somehow in the Old Testament, before the coming of Jesus, that people simply just believed in God. I mean, they believed that there was a God. Yeah, that's it. And that's it.

That's kind of a whole summation of it. And then once Jesus comes, you're like, oh, yeah, there's other layers to this, but we were fine. Wait. I mean, God's real, so we're good. And if you could do that back in the Old Testament days.

Why do we have to make it so complex in the New Testament? Because God doesn't change, and so his standards don't change.

So I guess I'm good. No, no, if he grew up. In America, then you have to. walk down the Saltist Trail, And pray the prayer of salvation. Sawdust Trail?

No, I've never heard of that. What is that? Revival meetings? No, I never heard of that. Really?

I wasn't saved until 2007. I don't know if that matters.

So, Sawdust Trail, you want to explain to him?

Well, so Sawdust Trail, they would have these revival meetings, and oftentimes, walking down the Sawdust Trail was really walking down the center aisle because it was usually the floor was kind of dingy, it was outside, and sometimes it was covered in sawdust.

So, to call it walking down the sawdust trail to walk up to the altar, but it means just going down to the altar. Just like a sort of a natural carpet, okay, outdoor carpet. That's pretty funny. No, I never heard of that. But I mean, Dr.

Shed, tell us, because I know there's a lot of people listening to this, like, I know salvation full and free. I know you know, but then there's some people like, I don't really know how this works. From beginning till end. From the Garden of Eden Till the last person Who will be born in this world before God's kingdom finally consummates? Is saved.

By believing in the sacrificial atoning death of Jesus on the cross, even the people before Jesus was born, even those, all the way back to Adam and Eve, yeah, and it's not just like. Oh, yeah, in theory, we believe that. But in practicality, they didn't know. Right. Not true.

They knew.

So let's go back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve. How were they saved? An animal had to be slaughtered so that they could have covering. Jesus is our covering.

This is not some. You know, kind of man, you're reading more into the text. No, this is exactly how things were. This is the mystery of the ages. that all things are in Christ.

That's what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1. All things will be gathered in Christ. Why? Because they were.

sowed in Christ, they grew up in Christ and they will be gathered in Christ. Come out of the Garden of Eden. You have The human race begins to grow. From these two individuals, Adam and Eve, and then through their children intermarrying, whatever, it just keeps rolling. And then you have.

Cain and Abel, two brothers, bringing their offering before God. Cain brings from the fruit of the ground And Abel brings a lamb from his flocks. Whose offering does God pick? He picks Cain's offering, I mean, Abel's offering. Cain is rejected.

Why? Because it was not just. I'm bringing you the first fruits of the harvest, you had to sacrifice an animal.

So right from the get-go, there is the blood. And it was simply pointing to one day. The blood of the lamb.

Okay, so let's keep rolling. Then you have Adam and Eve. Um I'm sorry, Abraham and Sarah. Abraham is childless, Sarah is childless, and then in time they have a child, and then they are told to take Abraham is told to take his son, his only son Isaac, to a place that I will show you. And this is Mount Moriah.

and there sacrificed him. And as he's about to do that, God stops him.

Okay, does that mean that prior to this, Abraham did not understand? the sacrificial death of God's Son for us one day? No, he did. But this was a demonstration for him, to confirm to him that this is going to be how the plan of salvation will work. One day God will give His only Son, To give his life on the cross for you.

And it's not going to be Isaac, it's going to be a descendant of Isaac, but also a full descendant of God.

Okay, so there you have. Come down. Couple hundred years and now you are in Egypt. On the night of the Passover, as the Hebrews are preparing to walk out, The death angel is moving in and through the streets, and the the houses of Egypt. And God gave an instruction.

Just because you are Hebrews. Does not mean you're safe. You have to sacrifice. A lamb. Leviticus 17, 11 says, For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls.

For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

So they had to sacrifice a lamb. if they are too poor, cannot afford a lamb? couple of families can group together. and sacrifice slaughter a lamb? and then take that blood and applied to the doorposts of their homes.

Again. Have you noticed a common element in all of this?

Somebody is dying. Yeah. Sacrificial substitute. That's right. The blood makes atonement for the soul.

I think it's interesting, too, that there's not a provision like you just talked about of, oh, you can't afford one.

Well, that's okay. I mean, you've been a good family, you're following the laws. You've been a good, faithful servant of the Lord. No, you have to do this.

Now, we're going to give you some avenues for which you can do this. You can partner together and maybe have one lamb that you can share, but a lamb has to be slain. It has to be blood spilled for the sins of the people. Yeah, somebody's blood not being shed for you is not an option. It's not an option.

And then the entire sacrificial system at the temple was designed to foreshadow the sacrificial death of God's Son for us. Everything there. How the blood was to be applied, the horns of the altar, how the blood had to be caught, how the you know, the lamb had to be cut, everything was done. To foreshadow the sacrificial death of Jesus. And then Isaiah.

You know, people ask me, what is your favorite book in the Bible? And oh in the Old Testament. And I have lots of favorite books in the Old Testament. Isaiah. Is right up there.

Isaiah is so beautiful, so rich. And then Isaiah fifty three, verse seven He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Jesus became. the Lamb of God.

And so, when in John 1:29, you see John the Baptist with Jesus' disciples, as he is there with them, he says, Behold, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I think that whole lead-up from Adam and Eve up till now is extremely crucial because when we hear that Jesus is the Lamb, we think of a Lamb who's meek and mild, and he's just going to take the He's just going to take this. But I think also to the people who were living this in this sacrificial system, being called the Lamb of the world, the sacrificial Lamb to them. It does, I think, point to the fact that they knew exactly what was being talked about. Yeah, and it had to be a lamb because, in a sense, there's the innocence behind it.

The lamb What can a lamb do? Yeah, very innocent. And it's also Indicative of the sacrifice, the slaughter that will come. Yeah, I think that's what's missing with us because we don't sacrifice lambs. That's something that we have to be told about, but we don't live that in our day-to-day lives.

We don't think about a sacrifice that's needed for sin, largely because at this point in the timeline, that's already been done for us as believers. We look backward toward the cross, but that doesn't make it any less powerful or any less real. And that is very jarring for some people who did not grow up in church or they haven't grown up with this understanding of the Old Testament into the New Testament. It's very jarring that you will kill a lamb, you will kill an animal. And then the blood has to be taken, and somehow that blood is.

Is critical for your redemption, for your salvation, for your forgiveness of sins. It's very jarring. I mean think about that. In today's world, We hardly slaughter anything. At the most, at the most, most people have.

Pets Right. That's as far as it goes. And then there are people who have animals. For Like Eggs because they want to have farm-raised eggs, so they have their own chickens.

Okay. And then some people may even have cows. For milk or goats for milk. Yeah, I think a lot of our North Carolina audience and our like South Carolina, like a lot of the people in the South will relate to this, but then even people listening like outside of the South may be like, really? You guys have animals just at your house?

You know, there's a ton of people who don't even have that.

So it's even more foreign to them. Yeah. So it's like animals, oh, you find them in grocery stores. Yeah. Or a restaurant.

You won't find them. In in the back of your house inside a fenced in area. We visited Ellie's headquarters in New York one time and one of the guys was like, So, I mean, you'd just be driving to work and you like see a cow? Yeah. I'm like, not in the road, but yeah.

They're like, you just see a cow just in real life on a farm. Like every day, yeah, every single day. Yeah, it was crazy to them. Yeah, they couldn't, they couldn't believe it. Yeah, so I mean, it's something very hard for.

Modern day, and we're kind of post-modern, post-postmodern actually, people to really understand. an animal being killed for some salvific purpose.

So it's really hard. How is that going to help me?

Now, I grew up. Yeah. I would say, like a mini farm.

So we had chickens, we had geese, we had ducks, we had goats. And that's as far as we went. And there were times that m my mom and my grandma would tell me to go, you know, slaughter a chicken. A rooster. It done that many times.

And people are shocked when they hear you've slaughtered a chicken. Yeah, I have. And it's it's it was not like fun for me to do, but my mom and my grandma didn't want to do it. It was just routine. It became and people asked me, How old were you?

I would say maybe Seven, eight years old. Mm-hmm. And that's that's crazy. Like seven, eight, and they let you do that, and you didn't become a killer? No, no, you don't become a killer because you slaughter chickens.

Yeah. You know, and that's how this our world is so twisted, so messed up that we think, oh, if you do, if you're exposed to that, that's what you become. No. There's a whole lot of other things that are happening. That's right.

And there's many of those people who this is a little bit of a rabbit trail, but who will have that same vernacular? If you're exposed to that, you'll become violent, evil, a killer. But those are the same people who will fight for the rights of an animal, but not for the rights of an unborn child. Yeah, that's very interesting. It is.

Yeah, it is. Interesting dichotomy there. But I think you're right. We in the Western world, especially in this day and age, are not exposed to that. Like we can't even, even if we do have pets, when they die, a lot of people are just like, I don't even know what to do.

I have to call somebody to come in because I'm completely unequipped to deal with a dead animal. Yeah. And I think it's interesting that people also will look at the Jewish people of antiquity who were well steeped in this sacrificial lamb system and be like, no, they didn't understand. Like they understood way better than we very well. Oh, yeah.

In fact, not just them, but other peoples around them did too. They understood that they understood this idea of sacrifice, albeit other than the ones like say Melchizedek. or Jethro. Other than people like that, Most people you know, we're sacrificing, but for the wrong Purpose. They were sacrificing the wrong gods.

There was human sacrifice among even the Irish people at one time. There was human sacrifice even among the Vikings, and it was in the groves. I mean, that's what they would do, and it's a horrible thing.

So Every culture understood this. That Something has to die. For you to live. Yeah. And we thought, oh, once you get educated, once you are Enlightened Then you don't have to do those things any more.

Now you're no longer barbaric. and primitive in killing animals and thinking that's what's going to save you and make you right with God, and forgive your sins, and take you to heaven. Just because people back then were barbaric does not mean that they were foolish. They were barbaric people, but then they're also very wise people.

So All that to say, Shedding of blood is essential. Always was. For our salvation. It's just that where we're living now, we don't even have to consider that. We're not living in the temple age.

We're not living in the pre-Christ age where we have to slaughter anything.

So it has been done. The writer of Hebrews says here in Hebrews 9. 13 through 14, Ryan. You want to read that for us? Absolutely.

It says, For if the blood of bulls and the goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. I remember you one thing you said from the pulpit a long time ago, Dr. Shaws. I think it was one of the first years I was ever here, but you said it's either going to be Jesus's blood or it's going to be yours. I remember the day, I remember the day you said that.

I was like, dang. I know that's true, but I've never heard it framed like that.

Well, I think we're very comfortable saying things like Jesus saved me or Jesus saved me from my sins or washed my sins away, that kind of thing. But we don't often stop to think about what that means that we were saved from, like the consequences or the natural result of our sins, the actual payment. That's right. And and that's That's very important. Going back to this whole blood sacrifice issue why is that even essential?

I mean, forget about the animals having to be killed, why did this person named Jesus? Have to shed his blood? Why did he have to die on the cross and blood had to drip out? The question comes down, is God A god of wrath. And the answer is?

Mm-hmm. And It's not just some random wrath in the sense of he's just an angry. Person upstairs. is because of his righteousness. I'm going to read a couple of verses here, Romans 2:5.

But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourselves wrath. Wrath, orge, wrath, in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Not just any judgment. Not just any kind of wrath. But the wrath that is a result of the righteousness of God.

that righteousness produces A hatred of sin. Yeah. A revulsion of sin. Like you can't, he cannot be near it. It's not a switch that's flipped, it's a natural extension of God's holiness and his righteousness.

That's right. Yeah. Several other times, as mentioned in the Bible, Romans 5:9, much more than, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from. What is the wrath? Wrath.

Wrath through him. Through him. 1 Thessalonians 1:10, and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Yeah. God is a God of wrath.

And I think a lot of times, if he looked at. If he looked at like murder and abuse and like exploitation and cruelty, all that stuff, and he was just like, you know what? I forgive you. I forgive you. You've done some of the worst.

You've committed some of the worst atrocities in all of creation, but I'm a God of love and I. It'll be okay.

Well, the rest of us would be quick to call foul. I'd be like, that's not a God of justice. Yeah, that's not true. You might be a God of mercy, but that's not a God of justice. Yeah, and this is mercy that is more indulgent or enabling bad behavior kind of mercy.

This is not real mercy. I think a lot of us, especially me, I am one to do this. We will call avoidance mercy. And you said something very interesting, Dr. Shaw.

This is mercy that is more indulgent than anything else. I think a lot of times we mistake that. We think this is merciful when really this is indulgent. You're indulging bad behavior. You're not being merciful because you're not pointing people to truth.

You're just excusing the bad. Yeah. God has nothing to avoid. Like me, I'm like, I'm the type of person and I'm working on. This by God's grace, but I'm the type of person to be like, I don't want that headache.

I don't want to deal with that. I'm just going to ignore it, sweep that under the rug, let them go do their thing. And hey. I'm showing mercy to him, right?

So I get to take the moral high ground, and I also don't have to be the leader that God's called me to be. God doesn't feel any of that. He's like, no, I have nothing to hide and I have nothing to avoid. I'm going to address that. And in the end of times, he's going to really address it because he talks about it in the book of Revelation, chapter 16, verse 1.

John, the, the, you know, the disciple of Jesus. He says, Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the bowls of wrath of God on the earth. Wrath of God.

So, why is God a God of wrath? Because he's a God of holiness, hence, he's a God of wrath. Wow That statement alone God is a God of wrath because he is a God of holiness. And because he's a God of holiness, he's a God of wrath. That's right.

I think Christianity does a great job of not letting us separate the terrible, evil sinners of the world and people like me. Because they're evil and they're wicked. I'm not wicked. I'm a good person. And Christianity says, no, you can't do that.

Yeah. You are a sinner just like they are.

Now, their degrees and their consequences of sin are very different. We've talked about that in our episode of Sin, but our guilt before God is no different. And I think the gospel, the cross, has a great way of removing that crutch of separation that we like to put in there. And you talked earlier, Dr. Shaw, that the cross is not something that was God's backup plan or something that kind of sprung up.

He made his mind up on the spot. The cross was always on God's heart. The cross had always been there. That's right. And so, what happens when we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ?

At that very moment, we are justified. Justified. Justification.

Now, there are many definitions, some cute ones. Just as if I have never sinned. I remember that you said that at the poll, but I never heard that growing up. Oh, really? But you said that.

I was like. Oh, I really like that. Yeah, that's cute. Just just as if I'd never sinned. But I like that.

Justification is not sanctification. This is something we need to maybe explore in the next episode, but maybe we can share a little something here to whet the appetite. People often confuse these two terms, justification and sanctification, even though they don't sound alike. But the idea behind those two terms is often or ideas behind those two terms are often confused. Justification.

Justification comes at the moment we place our faith in Christ. One time. One time it is done. Sanctification begins after we receive Christ. Justification is a declaration by God.

Sanctification Yes, it is a declaration. But it's also a process. It's a lifelong. Lifelong process.

So declaration for the justification, but declaration and sanctification for. Declaration and a growth for sanctification. Justification never changes. You are justified just as if you've never sinned. You once you are saved, you are saved.

That's it. And then you're declared righteous. You are righteous before God. Sanctification is a day-by-day growing process.

Now, there may be some people. And I've seen some who did not you know, have this trajectory going upwards.

some have had a real downward trajectory. Why did they do that? I don't know. Ask them.

So, you can have negative sanctification. Like, you can, like, not, or just not grow, just grow the wrong way. Yeah, going, that happens. Mm-hmm. Sometimes, even to the point that God has to call you home.

Come on up here. You got to sit with me. And we talked about Ananias and Sapphira a couple episodes ago. I can't remember if it was the last episode or a couple episodes ago, but they were. They were saved.

They were Christians. But God was like, all right, y'all are acting up. Y'all are done. Come up here. And in a sense, to teach the church, the ecclesia of God, a lesson that don't lie to the Holy Spirit.

Yeah. Especially when you are in such influential positions. I mean Why don't people die today? When they lie to God or when they steal from God. And they were not even stealing.

This was their money they were giving to the Lord. Above and beyond the tides. But they were claiming that this was the whole money, and that's where they got into trouble. But anyways, going back here Yeah. Distinction between justification and sanctification.

Justification is the miracle of the moment. At that moment, you have been declared righteous before God. Sanctification has that declarative aspect to it, but it's more of a day to day change. hopefully positive, but then there are times it's negative. It's not good, but it should be a growing process.

I think there are people listening to this right now. We got maybe like three minutes left in the show. There's people listening to this who maybe never grew up in church, or maybe they did grow up in church, but it was just ritual. It was just tradition that mom and dad or grandma and grandpa used to have. And Dr.

Shah, that sanctification process sounds like something that I want, but I don't know 100% if I've ever been justified. I don't know if I'm saved. I don't know if I'm a Christian.

Well, you are lost. You are dead in trespasses and sins. God does not hate you. God loves you very, very, very, very, very, very much. And loves you so much that he gave his only son.

To die on the cross for your sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever whoever you are. It doesn't matter which sides of the tracks you come from. Doesn't matter the pigmentation of your skin, doesn't matter the location of your home, doesn't matter high class, low class.

Outside World, or you grew up in church, it doesn't matter. if you will simply cry out to him. He will Receive you. Confess to him that Jesus is your Savior, and He will save you and He will make you a part of His family. Amen.

You will be declared righteous, and you will begin on this journey of sanctification. And so pray right now: Jesus, come into my life, forgive me of my sins and take over, and I will follow you the rest of my life as you help me. And if you prayed that with me just now, Then thank God for saving you. Thank Him for the Holy Spirit. Thank him for his his truth that came to you and now Commit to joining a Bible believing church this Sunday.

Don't wait till next week, this Sunday. That's right. And begin to grow in your spiritual journey. Amen. That's right.

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