Old Testament Faith in the Resurrection

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” – Philippians 3:20 – 21

 

Every Easter, we celebrate the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The truth of the resurrection is a foundational doctrine of our Christian faith. The resurrection gives us hope for a future in eternity with our Lord (1 Corinthians 15).

During Bible studies we lead, some have asked us, “Did the Old Testament believers know about and believe in the resurrection?” Yes. Belief in the resurrection is found in several places in the Old Testament. Those ancient believers could only “see dimly” what the Lord gave to them through the prophets (Romans 16:24–26 and 1 Peter 1:10-13).

Abraham is an inspiring example of Old Testament faith in the resurrection. (Romans 4 refers to Abraham as the “father of all who believe.”)

We see his faith first when he obeyed and believed the Lord. He left his homeland (and his idols). He followed the Lord to a new “promised land.” God promised he would become a great nation and a blessing to all nations (Genesis 22:18). He believed all God’s promises.

His second great act of faith was when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac (his promised heir) on Mount Moriah. Without hesitation, Abraham rose early the next day to carry out God’s command (Genesis 22). Pleased with his obedience, the Lord supplied a sacrificial ram instead. This “substitutionary atonement”  gives us a wonderful picture of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

These two steps of faith reveal Abraham’s belief in the resurrection! To understand this, we look to the inspired insight in Hebrews 11.

Abraham was a sojourner, never having a city of his own. Instead, the writer of Hebrews tells us that Abraham looked forward to eternity and the heavenly city of God. He provides an amazing example to us.

Hebrews 11:8 – 10 tells us:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”

We, too, are only sojourners now and will live resurrected lives in eternity with the Lord (Philippians 3:20-21).

Abraham’s second great act of faith is shown as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac. Hebrews 11:17-19 states that he expected God was able to raise Isaac from the dead.

 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’  He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

 We’re amazed by Abraham’s faith to willingly offer his promised son as a sacrifice. Here are three of the many wonderful truths we learn from this event.

• Abraham believed in our resurrection after death.
• God is the One who provides the atonement for our sins.
• God used Abraham to show what a tremendous sacrifice it is for our Father to sacrifice His only Son freely for us.

 This Easter, we invite you to meditate with us on what it cost the Father to give His Son to die for our sins. We can rejoice in Jesus’s death and resurrection, and in our eternal life with Him.

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