Thanks for your input and the time you took to post it. What comes to my thoughts is that the Abramaic covenant is different than the Mosaic covenant. Surely no one can be saved by the Mosaic covenant because no one has the moral ability to perfectly keep it all. Whereas, the Abrahamic covenant is apprehended by faith. We can't compare Old Testament saints under the Mosaic covenant to New Testament saints under the New Covenant and grace but perhaps we can compare saints in the Old Testament exercising faith as Abraham did (minus the works of the law) to saints in the New Testament exercising the same type of faith as Abraham. In other words, in sorting through this discussion, why impose the Mosaic Covenant on the Abrahamic covenant?18 - For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. (Gal 3:18)Abraham got righteousness reckoned to him by believing a promise. New Testament believers get righteousness reckoned to them by believing a promise. Thank you again for replying.
_________________David Winter
If the Spirit of Christ supposedly didn't indwell Old Testament believers then the phrase "the Spirit of Christ within them" is even more intriguing.
Before Pentecost the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. None of the benefits enjoyed in the pre-Pentecostal days were taken away. But ten billion kilowatts were added to enable the church to take the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ to every tongue and tribe and nation. So here's my answer to why the experience of the Old Testament saints is valuable for us today. If these saints experienced privileges and powers in the Holy Spirit before the dam was opened, how much more should we in these billion kilowatt days experience these things or more. A survey of Old Testament spiritual experience is needed to wake us up to our privileges in these last days that were inaugurated at Pentecost. The church today is so sleepy that some of us have even fallen behind the Old Testament saints in our appropriation of what the Spirit has to give.source: http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/how-believers-experienced-the-spirit-before-pentecost
_________________Oracio
amen to what piper has said that's how I would have put it but not a eloquent .I remember art Kats say that none of us would come close to the righteousness' that was in job
The OT saints were justified by faith just like we are. They looked forward to Christ and we look back to His atoning death and resurrection. I look forward to the day when I will be with Christ and united with all the OT saints as one under Christ. How glorious it will be! Until then we must occupy until He comes, being filled with the Spirit and being busy about the Father's business, sharing the gospel at every opportunity.
_________________Travis
It has always been gods desire to have a family made in his own image founded in loveThe promises he made with abram are the blessings we have todayIf it were not for the first covenant we would not know what sin is and would not know that we cannot be righteousIf it Were not for the second covenant we would Not know of a man called jesus who could be rightousGod in his wisdom made both covenantsBoth were neededBut now is the covenant of loveThe love of god and jesus his sonBoth jew and gentile one man and one body in christUs gentiles were grafted into the one true and natural olive treeNo longer aliens to the Commonwealth of israel and having no god and no promisesNow we are joint heirsThank you god and jesusOne family in god through jesus your son