Isaiah 55: Salvation is for ALL

Then you do believe that a person can be saved eternally and not hear the Gospel preached? If you do, then I am in agreement with you.

Believing is a product of already being born again of the Holy Spirit. The natural man cannot discern the things of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14).

Well, I believe faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17). That is true for every time period.

So for the Jews in the OT, before Jesus was a reality for them:

1. They heard what Moses told them about what God required from them: Obey the Law, circumcise their male kids, sacrifice an animal every time they fail to keep the Law.
2. They follow those requirements out of faith in what God told them.
3. God sees them as righteous because they put their faith in him

In fact, God told Cain the same thing way back in Genesis 4:7. If he did well, like Abel, God would have accepted him.

But now, God requires us to cease from our works and put our faith in Jesus's finished works. Romans 4:5 stated it well

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

If we do exactly that, he sees that as faith, and will now accept us as righteous. We are way more blessed than the Jews in the OT, because that righteousness is eternal, unlike theirs.

God interacted with people all the time before Jesus walked the earth. Some people believed God and were deemed righteous. Abraham is our greatest example.

The people who lived before Christ walked the earth, technically heard the Gospel, but differently than we hear it today. They put their trust in God that the Messiah would come and they were deemed righteous by believing God. So you and I are in agreement. I also like to believe that many people who lived life never hearing of Jesus have salvation through Christ, somehow, someway.

Scripture to back this up? Good works deliver us from what?

I would offer. Its not so much is there scripture, but rather how do we hear God . Good works follow after those that Christ's works in to both will and perform his good pleasure. Immediately after that statement in the next verse God reveals without him we can do nothing. He lovingly commands his children don't murmur by looking for a spec in a brothers eye. We all as laborers receive the same reward (a penny )eternal life..

Philippians 2:13-14 King James Version (KJV) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Matthew 20:9-11 King James Version (KJV) And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

As one of the better things that accompany salvation, we are informed that he will not forget the good works we offer towards Him who does work in the these bodies of death.

The first will be last.

A great verse to encouraging us who are yoked with him making our burden lighter.

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Hebrews 6:9-10

Minsiter the good works he works in us. Perhaps he will cause growth .

Acts 15:1 reinforced what exodus 12:48 states.

Those Jews were correct under the law dispensation. They have not realised yet it has changed

It is your contention then that Acts 15 sustains what you stated? Pasted here for reference: As for Gentiles, before Paul, they have to be saved as a Jew. Gentiles could only be saved as a Jew, meaning they have to be willing to be circumcised and under the Law of Moses (Exodus 12:48). There was no other way a Gentile can be saved.

Isn’t that the same as what those Jews stated in acts 15:1?

Paul was not born yet so the Jews in the ot would not know of romans 4.

As for your Hebrews point, I already said, the ot Jews were saved by faith too, in what God revealed to them during that time.

I believe those would then be Jews who converted to the teachings of Christ, in Acts 15.


Verse 1 Except ye be circumcised, etc. - The persons who taught this doctrine appear to have been converts to Christianity; but, supposing that the Christian religion was intended to perfect the Mosaic, and not to supersede it, they insisted on the necessity of circumcision, because, by that, a man was made debtor to the whole law, to observe all its rites and ceremonies. This question produced great disturbance in the apostolic Church; and, notwithstanding the decree mentioned in this chapter, the apostles were frequently obliged to interpose their authority in order to settle it; and we find a whole Church, that at Galatia, drawn aside from the simplicity of the Christian faith by the subtilty of Judaizing teachers among themselves, who insisted on the necessity of the converted Gentiles being circumcised.

Ye cannot be saved - Ye can neither enjoy God's blessing in time, nor his glory in eternity. Such an assertion as this, from any reputable authority, must necessarily shake the confidence of young converts.

I believe the scriptures to teach that some of the Jew's righteousness was eternal, depending upon whether they were Jews of the nation of Israel, or the Jews of Jacob, as Israel. Jacob's name was changed by God to be no more called Jacob, but to be called Israel.(Gen 33:28). Jacob is representative of God's elect (Rom 9:11). There are several words in the scriptures that have different meanings, such as; Israel, world, salvation, and more that I can't call to mind right now.

Obviously if you are Abraham, Issac or Jacob, you will feel very much secure in your salvation.

However, going down the line, the security gets lesser and lesser. King David was apparently very worried that God will take the Holy Spirit away from him after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Psalm 51:11

As Paul revealed later on, David saw in the future a blessed group of believers, which is us under the grace dispensation, whose salvation is so secure that God will never impute sins to our account. Romans 4

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

7 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.

All of the time element from Adam to the last person to be born by natural birth is included in those that God gave to Jesus to die for and are those that God will not impute sin (All of their sins have been paid for). David included also.

Obviously if you are Abraham, Issac or Jacob, you will feel very much secure in your salvation.

However, going down the line, the security gets lesser and lesser. King David was apparently very worried that God will take the Holy Spirit away from him after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Psalm 51:11

As Paul revealed later on, David saw in the future a blessed group of believers, which is us under the grace dispensation, whose salvation is so secure that God will never impute sins to our account. Romans 4

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

7 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.

So you were asking for a NT statement for the same OT principle, and I have provided it.

It was required under the Law of Moses for Gentiles to be saved as a Jew.

How do you imagine Jews were saved in the Old Testament?

Were they saved like you and me? How were you saved?

You answered a question with questions.
You don't know the answer? How do you imagine Jews were saved in the Old Testament?