Protestant
Well-Known Member
The Protestant Response
Darryl and the Jesuits are both in agreement: No OT saints were admitted into the presence of God – aka Heaven/Paradise – until Christ’s atonement was effectuated by His ultimate ascension to Heaven.
Thomas Cartwright and the Protestant Reformers knew better. They understood the grace of God was sufficient in both Testaments to save to the uttermost.
Darryl would have us believe there is a salvation without eternal redemption. The OT saints were saved, he declares, but not eternally redeemed. Thus, he postulates a partial salvation which is no salvation.
Steps to Glorification
In Romans 8, Paul delineates the steps necessary to glorification.
The candidate must first be called according to God’s gracious, saving, predestinating purpose (vs. 28-29).
Abraham was called by God (Genesis 12).
In Romans 10:13 Paul declares, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, citing Joel 2:32.
Abraham called upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 8:12).
But first he built an altar to the Lord. Why?
It was because he was given the revelation of the only acceptable way to approach the Most High God – through the shedding of blood.
Cain and Abel were given the same revelation, but Cain rejected God’s way, preferring a works righteousness instead.
Abraham knew the promised Redeemer would be descended through Isaac, the son of promise. Therefore, he understood that should Isaac die, sacrificed as a burnt offering, God would revive him. For the promises of God cannot fail.
This event was a ‘figure’ of Christ who was to be put to death and would resurrect from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Here we have in the book of Genesis (Chapter 22) an extremely detailed explanation of the Gospel in type, contrary to Darryl’s insistence that the Gospel was a mystery, hidden to everyone until Christ’s first advent.
From Calling to Justification
This is the second step to glorification (Romans 8:30).
Those whom God calls, He justifies.
Abraham was justified before Christ’s actual cross work (Genesis 15:6).
From Justification to Glorification
Next, Paul has the audacity to declare all those whom God has justified are guaranteed glorification. There are no exceptions.
Furthermore, there is no intermediate step between justification and glorification.
No Purgatory. No Limbus Patrum for OT saints. The saints who are alive at the return of Christ will not even experience death before their glorification.
Conclusion: Abraham fulfilled all the necessary steps to insure his immediate translation into the glorious presence of God, experiencing His glory firsthand.
Moses and Elijah
Luke depicts Moses and Elijah as appearing on the Mount of Transfiguration in glorious splendor (9:30 NIV). And why shouldn’t they be? They were already among the blessed in Heaven always seeing God (Matthew 5:8). They shone as did Moses’ face when meeting with the Lord (Exodus 34).
Of course, full and final glorification comes at the Second Advent of Christ.
The Lamb Slain From the Foundation of the World
The Jesuits and Darryl require Christ’s blood must be deposited in Heaven before OT saints could be allowed admission into the presence of God.
They do not understand the significance of Rev. 13:8.
In the mind of God, Christ’s atonement was an accomplished fact……before He created the world.
Christ would successfully make atonement for the sins of all God’s Elect; including those who lived and died before Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension.
It mattered not when Christ propitiated the Father on behalf of the Elect.
All His Elect, in their lifetimes, would be recipients of the saving graces which Christ pays for at Calvary.
Conclusion: All saints, OT and NT, are saved by the same grace, though the NT saints have the benefit of a clearer and deeper understanding of the Old Testament prophecies.
NEXT: Cartwright’s Refutations
Darryl and the Jesuits are both in agreement: No OT saints were admitted into the presence of God – aka Heaven/Paradise – until Christ’s atonement was effectuated by His ultimate ascension to Heaven.
Thomas Cartwright and the Protestant Reformers knew better. They understood the grace of God was sufficient in both Testaments to save to the uttermost.
Darryl would have us believe there is a salvation without eternal redemption. The OT saints were saved, he declares, but not eternally redeemed. Thus, he postulates a partial salvation which is no salvation.
Steps to Glorification
In Romans 8, Paul delineates the steps necessary to glorification.
The candidate must first be called according to God’s gracious, saving, predestinating purpose (vs. 28-29).
Abraham was called by God (Genesis 12).
In Romans 10:13 Paul declares, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, citing Joel 2:32.
Abraham called upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 8:12).
But first he built an altar to the Lord. Why?
It was because he was given the revelation of the only acceptable way to approach the Most High God – through the shedding of blood.
Cain and Abel were given the same revelation, but Cain rejected God’s way, preferring a works righteousness instead.
Abraham knew the promised Redeemer would be descended through Isaac, the son of promise. Therefore, he understood that should Isaac die, sacrificed as a burnt offering, God would revive him. For the promises of God cannot fail.
This event was a ‘figure’ of Christ who was to be put to death and would resurrect from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Here we have in the book of Genesis (Chapter 22) an extremely detailed explanation of the Gospel in type, contrary to Darryl’s insistence that the Gospel was a mystery, hidden to everyone until Christ’s first advent.
From Calling to Justification
This is the second step to glorification (Romans 8:30).
Those whom God calls, He justifies.
Abraham was justified before Christ’s actual cross work (Genesis 15:6).
From Justification to Glorification
Next, Paul has the audacity to declare all those whom God has justified are guaranteed glorification. There are no exceptions.
Furthermore, there is no intermediate step between justification and glorification.
No Purgatory. No Limbus Patrum for OT saints. The saints who are alive at the return of Christ will not even experience death before their glorification.
Conclusion: Abraham fulfilled all the necessary steps to insure his immediate translation into the glorious presence of God, experiencing His glory firsthand.
Moses and Elijah
Luke depicts Moses and Elijah as appearing on the Mount of Transfiguration in glorious splendor (9:30 NIV). And why shouldn’t they be? They were already among the blessed in Heaven always seeing God (Matthew 5:8). They shone as did Moses’ face when meeting with the Lord (Exodus 34).
Of course, full and final glorification comes at the Second Advent of Christ.
The Lamb Slain From the Foundation of the World
The Jesuits and Darryl require Christ’s blood must be deposited in Heaven before OT saints could be allowed admission into the presence of God.
They do not understand the significance of Rev. 13:8.
In the mind of God, Christ’s atonement was an accomplished fact……before He created the world.
Christ would successfully make atonement for the sins of all God’s Elect; including those who lived and died before Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension.
It mattered not when Christ propitiated the Father on behalf of the Elect.
All His Elect, in their lifetimes, would be recipients of the saving graces which Christ pays for at Calvary.
Conclusion: All saints, OT and NT, are saved by the same grace, though the NT saints have the benefit of a clearer and deeper understanding of the Old Testament prophecies.
NEXT: Cartwright’s Refutations