Luke Geraty

The Spirit empowered Church for the sake of God's Mission

No! The Old Testament Saints Were Not “Saved” by Works!

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It happened again. I was listening to a popular radio preacher and they repeated an idea I have heard many times in my life. He stated that in the Old Testament, people were “saved” by obeying the Law and in the New Testament, people are “saved” by faith. I almost jerked the car off the road because I flipped out. Calm down, Luke. It’ll be okay.

One wonders where such an idea first arose. I would have to study some more of the Patristics to see if the idea is represented well there, but I’m thinking it probably came into prominence through some Dispensationally-influenced pastor some years ago. Who knows. Unfortunatately, the idea that Old Testament saints were “saved” by obeying the Law is so popular, it gets repeated all of the time. Heck, I even said it a few times.

But when we take a look at Scripture, we see something a bit different. Here are some reasons why people should abandon spreading this idea:
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The Hole in Our Holiness, by Kevin DeYoung

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If you are in the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” crowd, you’re probably very familiar with Kevin DeYoung. He’s kind of a “poster child” for the movement because… well, he’s young and Reformed. I’m not sure about the “restless” part, however. At any rate, DeYoung has some influence in the “neo-reformed” movement (my thoughts on that term here and here). Kevin DeYoung has written or edited some very good books and also reflected on issues related to missional theology that I am not convinced of. No matter what, DeYoung is a hardworking pastor-author who obviously cares deeply about Jesus, the gospel, and the church.

His latest book, The Hole in Our Holiness is a book about the issue of sanctification. It’s a short (159 pages!) popular-level book that addresses the issue of how Christians reflect on sin and holiness and how the gospel interacts our approach to becoming conformed to the image of Christ. It’s semi-exegetical, doctrinal, and very practical. In other words, it has many of the marks of a good pastoral approach, IMO. The list of well-known pastors, scholars, and even professional football players who endorse the book is amazing (John Piper, Randy Alcorn, Michael Horton, Nancy Guthrie, C. J. Mahaney, and Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins).

Does the book live up to hype of the endorsements?
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Heinrich Bullinger on Justification

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Heinrich Bullinger, the 16th century Swiss Reformer, wrote a book with a typically long title:

“The grace of God that justifies us for the sake of Christ through faith alone, without good works, while faith meanwhile abounds in good works.”

Would you agree or disagree with this definition of Justification?

No Other Gospel: 31 Reasons from Galatians Why Justification by Faith Alone Is the Only Gospel, by Josh Moody

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No Other Gospel is a collection of sermons written by Josh Moody, pastor of College Church. This collection actually includes 31 separate chapters and an epilogue that comes in at 275 pages.

Being that there are still conversations taking place between Protestants and Roman Catholics regarding the nature of Justification, a book like this can still be helpful for those who espouse an understanding of the gospel in terms out of the lineage of Anselm, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, etc. Moody stands squarely in that same tradition, one that he shows is found throughout Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
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