Quote:
Originally Posted by stmatthew
The only issue I have with your post her Pel, is that those with John didn't know who Jesus was at that time, so how could they believe on Him? Their belief would have been put in a future Savior.
Also, we cannot go beyond the plainly stated scripture that Sam posted.
Where there is a testament, there has to be the death of the testator because a testament is in force after the death of the testator.
Until the death of Christ, the new covenant had NO LEGAL bite. If anyone was "saved" prior to His death and blood offering, then it was either through the old covenant, or Jesus simply worked outside of the scope we understand. But the latter would have been an exception, and not the rule.
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Do you really know Who Jesus is? I mean
you; and do you
really know Who He is, even today? At least some of those with John would have known Jesus as the carpenter's son. Others would have known Him by reputation or from casually passing by or growing up near by.
Even John, though he must have known Jesus of Nazareth for his entire life didn't really recognize Jesus for Who He was until God showed it to him. And then John appears to have doubted while in prison. My point here is how can we draw a line that tells us who knows enough about the Savior to be saved? The thief on the cross knew that the man next to him was dying - yet he had at least a hope that this man (Jesus) might simply "remember" the thief later. He hardly had a Christology worked out - but he had a hope, and he was (is? will be?) saved.
I agree with you about the plain meaning of Scripture - just consider
Mark 1:4;
Luke 1:77 and
Luke 3:3. Scripture plainly declares that John's baptism was a baptism unto repentance "
for the remission of sins."
If
Acts 2:38 means "for the remission of sins," why doesn't
Mark 1:4;
Luke 1:77 and
Luke 3:3?
Hebrews 9:16-17 must be seen in the light of
Revelation 13:8. The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. The passage in Hebrews also speaks of "men" who live and die. Jesus was a man Who lived and died and Hebrews' argument about the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice is valid.
However, God accounted the effects of the Lamb's sacrifice as being effectual even before the foundation of the world! See
Matthew 25:34;
Ephesians 1:4;
Hebrews 11:6 and
Revelation 17:8.
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