“Soteriology” and a Look at Romans 4

In the course of trying to better understand the Bible and things I have taken for granted over the years, I decided to revisit salvation (smart people might call it “soteriology”). I have long held that salvation was different from the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT). There are essentially two separate arguments to be made here.

First, NT Christians call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved (or “born again”), while the OT saints had an entirely different system because they did not know the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the Scriptures were vague enough that not only the scholarly Scribes and Pharisees missed Jesus as Messiah, but Christ’s own disciples doubted Him throughout His entire earthly ministry – and they were eyewitnesses to all His miracles!

You want to tell me that Abraham, Elijah, and Moses believed on Christ thousands of years before His birth when the disciples missed Him until the resurrection? I don’t think that is the case. I do not believe the OT saints were “looking forward to the cross,” because they did not know about it. Not until Isaiah did they know about the Messiah at all. Before then were vague references that we can now look back on and see all the “types” of Jesus – like the bronze serpent, the blood on the doors, the Passover, the sacrifices in the law – but they had no idea about Jesus Christ and the cross at the time.

The second argument is whether “salvation” has always been “faith alone” throughout all human history or whether there were (and will be) periods of faith AND works, like the OT sacrificial system (works) and enduring (works) until the end of the Tribulation.

We cannot even have a rational discussion on the second without dealing with the first.

Are OT and NT salvations the same? No, and I’ll quickly demonstrate why. Not only do the VAST majority of mentions of “salvation” in the OT refer to national and/or physical salvation of Israel (compared to the NT being individual spiritual salvation), but when we look at the various elements of NT salvation – there are some key differences from the OT.

1. Justification (Romans 3:28, 5:1,9; Galatians 3:24)
   • This is the closest thing I can find to “salvation” in the Old Testament. If you do a word study on “saved,” “saveth,” and “salvation,” you will see that OT “salvation” is a physical salvation (often national) from a physical enemy. However, James 2 says that Abraham and Rahab were justified. Whether that is the NT definition or the OT depends on the context, and it is not necessarily clear.
   • Justification is essentially the completion of our salvation. For Christians, this is immediate when we get “saved” according to New Testament salvation (which is almost exclusively spiritual).
   • Romans 5:9 makes it explicit for Christians – “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” We are “justified by his (Christ’s) blood” and “we shall be SAVED from wrath (for the wages of sin is death) THROUGH HIM (Jesus).” This essentially links “justification” with “imputed righteousness” (more on that later). That sounds like being “saved” in the NT sense to me.
2. Sanctification (Romans 6:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 13:12)
   • This is a cleansing.
   • In the OT, “Sanctification” is almost always an external physical cleansing.
   • In the NT, “Sanctification” is almost an internal, spiritual cleansing.
3. Atonement (Romans 5:11)
   • To atone basically means to ask forgiveness. Atonement is the fulfillment of forgiveness.
   • In the OT, sacrifices were made for atonement. Exodus 29:33 links atonement with cleansing and sanctification. Lev. 6:7 demonstrates atonement for forgiveness.
   • In the NT, the one and only mention is in Romans 5:11 in which Jesus Christ is our atonement. When we get saved, we are forgiven once and forever, as Christ’s sacrifice (atonement) was the only one we will ever need and His righteousness is imputed to us (more on that later).
4. Born Again (John 3; 1 Peter 1:23)
   • This is something the OT did not experience. It was not mentioned at all until Jesus brought it up to Nicodemus.
5. One Spirit with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17)
   • This is something the OT saints could not possibly have had happen. Christ did not arrive until the NT.
6. Member of the Church (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2; Ephesians 2:20-22) Body (Colossians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 12) and Bride (Ephesians 5) of Christ.
   • These are mysteries not revealed until Paul expounded on them. Christ mentioned that He would be the rock upon which the Church would be built and the first local churches began in Acts 2, but no OT saint was a part of the Church, let alone the Body of Christ (which could not happen before Christ) and the Bride of Christ (these are Christians, because the Jews are almost always referred to as “virgins”).
7. Spiritual Circumcision (Colossians 10:2-11)
   • The Jews were PHYSICALLY circumcised (per the Abrahamic covenant of Gen. 17), but spiritual circumcision is for the Christian. Because of spiritual circumcision, the Christian “cannot sin” (1 John 3:9) because our sin remains in our flesh, not our spirit which becomes “one spirit” with Christ (see above).
8. Permanent Indwelling of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
   • In the OT, the Holy Ghost came UPON men like Saul and Samson (and also left them).
   • In the NT, the Holy Ghost “dwelleth IN you” (1 Cor. 3:16).
9. Going to Heaven (John 3:3 John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 4:1)
   • The OT saints went to “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:16) prior to Christ’s death and descent into the earth (Eph. 4:9) when He “led captivity captive” (Eph. 4:8) and took the OT saints up to heaven.
10. Imputed Righteousness – Romans 4:22-25
11. “Imputed” is charged to the account of – for the Christian, it is CHRIST’S righteousness that is imputed, or charged, to us rather than our own righteousness.
    • In the OT:
      • The sacrifice NOT imputed if eaten on the third day (Lev. 7:18) implying that the sacrifice IS imputed if not eaten.
      • The blood of an incorrect sacrifice (Lev. 17:4) is “imputed” as a negative – “that man shall be cut off”
    • In the NT:
      • Righteousness was imputed to Abraham (Romans 4)
        • “he received the SIGN of circumcision” and righteousness was imputed to him when “he believed in the LORD” (Gen. 15:6) while he was yet uncircumcised (until Gen. 17:24) – but he was not “justified” until Gen. 22.
        • “Sin is not imputed when there is no law” (Rom. 5:13). Again, Abraham “was imputed” per Gen. 15.
        • Rom. 4:22, 25 “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
          • For US ALSO (that is the Christian) to whom it (righteousness) shall be imputed, if we (Christians) believe on Him (God) that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead (something that Abraham knew nothing about) who was delivered for our (Christian) offences (sins) and was raised again for OUR (Christian) justification.
          • Abraham had righteousness “imputed” because of his belief that God would give him a child – though he was not justified until he was willing to sacrifice his son several years later.

It should be clear from the above examples (and the list is not exhaustive) that there ARE DIFFERENCES between OT and NT “salvation,” including the very elements of it. All these things happen simultaneously for the NT Christian, but some of them did not happen at all for the OT saint.

Things that are different are not the same.

Now, to be fair, someone who disagreed with my “things that are different are not the same” salvation argument challenged me to better understand Romans 4. Because I want to be accurate and fair, I decided I should do my best to look at the chapter with as open a mind as possible. Let’s go verse by verse and see what happens!

ROMANS 4

Verse 1: “What shall we say that Abraham our father (spiritually) as pertaining to the flesh (physically), hath found?”

• Good question!

Verse 2: “For if Abraham were justified by works (contrary to James 2:24), he hath whereof to glory (he had reason to glory); but not before God (he had reason to glory before men, then).”

• This argues that IF Abraham were justified by works, it would be to glory before men.
• James 2:21-23 says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
  • Is it possible that James is referring to “justified by works” in regard to “to glory before men”? I am not sure how that would work, given that Abraham’s offering Isaac upon the altar was before only two men (Gen. 22:3). Did Abraham need to be “justified” to glorify God in front of two guys? Maybe. I don’t think it unfair to grant the premise.
  • Verse 21 is a reference to Gen. 22. Verse 23 is a reference to Gen. 15. Interesting.
• James 2:24 says, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
  • Let’s again go ahead and use “justified” here as glory to God before those two young men in Gen. 22:3.

Verse 3: “For what saith the scripture? (always the best place to find an answer!) Abraham believed God (faith), and it was counted (or imputed – verse 22) unto him for righteousness.”

• This happened in Genesis 15.
• Faith leads to imputed righteousness.

Verse 4: “Now to him that worketh (works based) is the reward NOT reckoned (assigned to an account) of grace (through faith), but of debt (wages of sin)”

• This confirms Eph. 2:8-9.

Verse 5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly (who justifies? God – we must believe on God), his faith is counted (imputed) for righteousness (faith alone saves).”

• Again, Eph. 2:8-9 still looking good!

Verse 6: “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness (Psalm 32:2) without works,”

• Yes. A man to whom righteousness is imputed without doing works would certainly be blessed! We Christians are blessed!

Verse 7-8: “Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

• This is in reference to Psalm 32:1-2, “Blessed is he whose transgression (iniquity) is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity (sin), and in whose spirit there is no guile.”
• For Abraham and the Christian, righteousness is “imputed” onto us. This is different than someone for whom “the LORD imputeth not iniquity.” One imputation is added (righteousness) while the other is removed (iniquity). Both can be done simultaneously – as is the case for the Christian (via spiritual circumcision – 1 John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God DOTH NOT COMMIT SIN (his flesh can, but it is not counted against his spirit); for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
  • In other words, Christians are blessed because we have Christ’s imputed righteousness AND our sins are no longer imputed onto us because we are born again. Is that the same for the OT saints? Were they “born of God” and “cannot sin” in the eyes of God?

Verse 9: “Cometh this blessedness (of the previous verses) then upon the circumcision (of whom? Abraham or anyone?) only, or upon the uncircumcision (of whom?) also? for we say that faith was reckoned (charged) to Abraham for righteousness (imputed).”

• Good questions!

Verse 10: “How was it (the blessing of imputed righteousness) then reckoned (charged)? when he (who?) was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision (same questions as the previous verse)? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision (so one need not be circumcised).”

• Works are not necessary for imputed righteousness (which is not necessarily “salvation” as we know it). Abraham was not “justified” at the same time that his faith was counted as righteousness.

Verse 11: “And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision (Gen. 15:6), a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised (until Gen. 17:24): that he might be the father (spiritually) of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised (Gentiles); that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:”

• This shows that Gentiles (uncircumcised) now have the blessing of imputed righteousness, whereas it was previously for the Jews (circumcised)
• Abraham had imputed righteousness in Gen. 15:6, was not circumcised until Gen. 17:24, but was not “justified” until Gen. 22 (per James 2:21).

Verse 12: “And the father of circumcision (because Abraham was the first) to them who are not of the circumcision only (including Gentiles), but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised (his faith prior to even being circumcised).”

• Again, praise the Lord that Gentiles AND Jews can receive “the sign of circumcision” – which is a spiritual matter (though SIGNS are for the Jews)

Verse 13:” For the promise (covenant), that he (Abraham) should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law (because the promise was made before the law), but through the righteousness of faith.”

• Again, “imputed righteousness” in Gen. 15, the covenant in Gen. 17, and the law in Exodus.
• If the “heir of the world” is exclusively physical, then Gentiles are not Abraham’s heirs. That’s how we know that Abraham as a “father” is spiritual, because Gentile Christians are included.
• No one disputes that faith is not the common thread throughout both Testaments. The only question is the role of works.

Verse 14: “For if they (Jews) which are of the law (works) be heirs, faith is made void (nullified), and the promise (covenant) made of none effect:”

• The law is works alone. If the Jews only followed the law without faith, the covenant is null and void. Again, we all agree that faith is the constant.

Verse 15: “Because the law worketh wrath (via judgment): for where no law is, there is no transgression.”

• The Jews who were under the law (after Abraham and before the Church) are judged by the law. They are the only group the law applies to. “Where no law is,” which would be the Church age, for Christ fulfilled the law, “there is no transgression.” Of what? The law. Christians cannot transgress the law. The Hebrews could before Christ died.

Verse 16: “Therefore it is of faith (not works), that it might be by grace (through faith); to the end the promise (Abrahamic covenant of Gen. 17) might be sure to all the seed (Jews AND Christians); not to that only which is of the law (Jews), but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham (Christians); who is the father (spiritually) of us all (Jews AND Christians),”

• Abraham and the Jews were physically circumcised. Christians are spiritually circumcised. That is how we can all fit under the covenant, regardless of dispensation.
• Faith is the key, as has been expressed. However, one must realize that physical circumcision is a WORK – it is something DONE, not just believed in. That is why Abraham had to physically circumcise himself and his seed. If it was by faith alone, spiritual circumcision would have been enough.
• Imputed righteousness was the SIGN of circumcision (spiritually, by faith) in Gen. 15, but Abraham also had to PERFORM circumcision (physically) in Gen. 17. Faith and works.

Verse 17: “As it is written (Gen. 17:4), I have made thee a father of many nations (promise fulfilled) before (in front of) him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth (makes alive) the dead, and calleth those things which be not (at the time) as though they were (because they will be).”

• Paul quotes Moses and reminds us that God has the power of resurrection and fulfills his promises. Israel was not a nation at the time (which be not) but God spoke to Abraham “as though they were” because God knew what would happen.

Verse 18: “Who against hope (because it was unbelievable) believed in hope (despite it being unbelievable), that he (Abraham) might become the father of many nations (which he did), according to that which was spoken (by God), So shall thy seed (spiritually and physically) be.”

Verse 19: “And (Abraham) being not weak in faith (his was strong!), he (Abraham) considered not his own body now dead (though really old, he still had faith of the promise fulfilled), when he was about an hundred years old (even back then, this was old!), neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb (she was also very old):”

• Abraham’s faith defied reason. It was not logical that someone as old as he and Sarah could even have a child, yet he still believed.

Verse 20: “He staggered not (though he did laugh for a moment) at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”

• Again, his faith was strong throughout!

Verse 21-22: “And (Abraham) being fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he (God) was able also to perform. ²² And therefore it was imputed to him (Abraham) for righteousness.”

• We know that Gen. 15 was the initial “imputation of righteousness,” but the context of the last few verses is Gen. 17. This verifies the longevity and strength of Abraham’s faith, though he sinned with Hagar in between.

Verse 23-25: “Now it was not written for his (Abraham’s) sake alone, that it (righteousness) was imputed to him (Abraham); ²⁴ But for us (Christians) also, to whom it (righteousness) shall be imputed, if we believe on him (God) that raised up Jesus our Lord (about whom Abraham knew nothing) from the dead; ²⁵ Who (Jesus) was delivered (crucified) for our (speaking to Christians) offences (sins), and was raised again for our justification (salvation).”

• Like Abraham, we Christians have “imputed righteousness” by grace through faith.
• Unlike Abraham, we Christians are “justified” the moment we are born again (because it was through Christ’s resurrection we are justified), while Abraham was “justified” several years after righteousness was imputed to him (Gen. 15 to 22).

CONCLUSIONS

After a fair readthrough, I see the argument where people see “faith alone” in the life of Abraham. It was “by faith” (Hebrews 11) that Abraham received “imputed righteousness,” which is the same thing that Christian faith does for us. I would agree that faith is consistent between the time of Abraham and now – even during the time of the law. As I showed earlier, one can follow the law without faith. We see that in our own time. Tens of millions of Americans follow the laws on the books without believing one word of the Bible, and they certainly aren’t saved by obeying the law (works) alone.

That being said, we cannot escape the differences. Abraham had to DO something (sacrifice Isaac) to be “justified,” whether before men or God does not matter. There is no other mention of Abraham’s “justification” outside of that incident. The physical circumcision component is also DOING something. If Abraham and the boys were spiritually circumcised as we Christians are, they would not have had to physically circumcise themselves (which later became the law).

In fact, the “imputing of righteousness” in both Gen. 15 AND 17 seems to hint that it was not a permanent thing. Abraham did suffer a pretty big setback in between those passages – namely having a child with Hagar instead of Sarah, because they had a lack of faith that Sarah would be the promised mother due to her being barren.

Did Abraham have to have imputed righteousness two times? I don’t know. I cannot say it with certainty.

Looking at Romans 4 does not change the fact that, per argument one, “salvation” is different between the OT and NT. At best, it provides a defense for “faith alone” over “faith AND works,” but there are plenty of examples elsewhere that continue to challenge that assertion. One could easily make an argument that, since Abraham predated the law, his “salvation” was not necessarily “faith and works,” since the law presents the basis for the latter being part of atonement, sanctification, justification, etc.

That would be an argument for another day, and I am exhausted. I am sure you are too if you’ve read this far. I thank you for donating your precious time to this old fool. I hope we all learned something from this study, even if you don’t find it sufficient.

God’s grace is sufficient, and that’s all we really need.

Until next time!

-Alex