Ready for a challenging discussion?
I've always been told, and pretty much have accepted at face value, the idea that the old testament believers will participate in the resurrection and receive eternal life.
But, is this necessarily so?
If it is, then does it mean that people who have not been born again will have eternal life? Doesn't that mean that they get eternal life due to a mere outward conformity to the requirements of the law? And wouldn't that mean that salvation under the law was way easier than it is under grace? I mean, grace is supposed to be a light yoke and an easy burden, whereas the law was supposed to be unbearable and a non-starter due to the weakness of human nature, correct?
Or, is there just a remnant, a small minority of folks under the old covenant, who had "a circumcised heart" like God said He always wanted, who will receive eternal life? But if that is true, then wouldn't that mean the whole "
Acts 2:38, baptism and tongues" salvation of the new testament is not really salvation? But instead, just a replacement for the outward ceremonial rites of say circumcision and law keeping? And that one STILL has to have a circumcised heart to be saved? Which means salvation under either covenant is actually the same, just the outward rites have changed? Which in turn leads to the question: Is it possible to have that "two covenant salvation" APART from conformity to the outward rites of whatever "dispensation" one happens to be living in?
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