"From righteous Abel to those whose faith was so nobly manifested on the very eve of the coming of Christ, they all ‘won their record for faith.’ They lived and died in prospect of a fulfillment which none of them experienced on earth; yet so real was that fulfillment to them that it gave them power to press upstream, against the current of the environment, and to live on earth as citizens of that commonwealth whose foundations are firmly laid in the unseen and eternal order.
Agreed for the most part, though we can see that they awaited that heavenly city. Citizenry in the eternal sense was something promised and not realized by those who died in faith in expectation of that which would come when perfection was accomplished.
That was the point of the quote from Hebrews 12:23, that the Old Testament Saints were made perfect after their deaths at the time of the Cross. Their transgressions were redeemed at that point, thus we see "spirits made perfect," which is contrasted with the Covenant of Law, Hebrews 12:18-21.
But now the promise has been fulfilled; the age of the new covenant has dawned; the Christ to whose day they looked forward has come and by his self-offering and his high-priestly ministry in the presence of God he has procured perfection for them – and for us. ‘With us in mind, God had made a better plan, that only in company with us should they reach their perfection.’ They and we together now enjoy unrestricted access to God through Christ, as fellow-citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. The ‘better plan’ which God has made embraces the better hope, the better promises, the better covenant, the better sacrifices, the better and abiding possession, and the better resurrection which is their heritage, and ours." (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 330)
Again, agreed for the most part, the only issue arising being an imposition of faith in Christ as it is revealed when the New Covenant is established. The Old Testament Saint truly awaited their Messiah, however, specific faith in the Cross of Christ was not something they had, and in fact we do not even see that in the first disciple of Christ. It is not until the Spirit of God in the Ministry of Comforter comes that this Mystery is revealed.
But he is correct in pointing out that they were not made perfect/complete. Hebrews makes it clear this was a result of the Sacrifice of Christ. The context centers on Remission of sins, and makes it clear that Christ's Sacrifice was the means for that which was promised to the Old Testament Saint in regards to the Covenant God would one day establish: Hebrews 8:12
But I think David Allen's commentary explains in more depth the difference. Allen links the “promise” in Heb. 11:39-40 to salvation in Christ. None of them received what has been promised. Jesus has “ushered in the telos of biblical history. Perfection here (v. 40) has an eschatological focus, and refers to the entrance into the promised eternal inheritance and consistently has in view the totality of Christ’s ministry on their behalf, in his death and heavenly exaltation."
I would disagree with Mr. Allen, based on the context of Hebrews itself. Entrance into the eternal is not in view at all, it is a matter of Remission of sins in general. The Writer does not center on our eternal state, but the state of believers in regards to remission of sins. He contrasts that which is temporal (the Tabernacle, the Priesthood, and the sacrifices) with the Ministry of Christ in Reconciliation/Atonement. To the New Covenant believer he states "You have not come to (the Covenant of Law)..., but you have come to Christ and the New Covenant."
Throughout the book is exhortation and warning to leave that which was incomplete and "go on unto" that which is complete.
Only those who are under Law can be said to fall into danger of the condemnation that arises from being under Law in this Age, for in doing so they are rejecting Christ and the New Covenant. Of course, it is basically impossible for anyone in this day to say they are keeping the Covenant of Law unless they obey it fully and offer up sacrifice for sins. We see a tendency for modern Judaizers to have created a keeping of the Covenant of Law that is not in fact in keeping with the Covenant as prescribed by God.
But that is nothing new, really, because it is because they did not keep the Law that the New Covenant was promised. Hebrews 8:8-9.
So how I currently see the Atonement, it was not merely God extracting from Jesus a payment due because of our sin debt. It was/is reconciliation. Believers today are "in Christ" where as OT saints were not. This does not mean that OT saints were saved differently (they are now "in Christ"), but that they did not receive what had been promised during their lifetime. Quite simply, OT saints were not reconciled to God during their lifetime as are believers under the New Covenant. I believe that this is the focus point of the Cross, not paying for individual sins so that men can be forgiven but reconciling humanity to God.
Agreed. Men could not be reconciled until the penalty for their sin was accomplished. The remission of sins under the Law (and this has significance because it was the Covenant instituted by God and in effect at the time of the Cross, the System abrogated by the New Covenant) was temporal and temporary, of necessity due to it's incomplete nature repeated often and daily.
** I will say this, what I am telling you is my understanding from study. I have compared my conclusions with several commentators and found that I do not stand alone. But that does not mean I am right and I am open to discussion. But as it stands, I do not see OT saints as being "in Christ" prior to the Atonement, although I do see their faith in Christ as salvific.
You do not stand alone, I too take that position. I think the key in nailing it down is a proper understanding of regeneration and when that began to take place. The Baptism with the Holy Ghost is, according to John the Baptist, a future event at the time of his preaching. We see that this takes place at Pentecost and that Christ taught He had to return to Heaven before He could come.
It is the consistent teaching of both the Old Testament and the New, and helps us to understand Scripture better, in my view.
God bless.
