Once For All Time

Q. I know that through the death of our Lord we are made acceptable to God, but how were people in the Old Testament acceptable?I know there are many great figures in the bible that quite often made some dreadful mistakes - David, Samson etc and it has always been encouraging to me that God looked with favor upon these people who got things so terribly wrong; however I find it difficult to reconcile the idea that as a righteous God, these people could not have been acceptable in His eyes.

I know it can’t be connected with them obeying the ‘law’ because, as sinners, they would never have been able to achieve it. David for instance, repented and was forgiven - how was this possible? Was it their faith that made them righteous? Was it possible for them to remain in sin and still be acceptable to God through faith?

A. In effect Hebrews 10:12-14 says that although Jesus offered Himself only once on a specific day in history, His death applied across the entire span of time to all who accepted it in faith, from Adam in the past to the last human to be born in the future, and made them perfect forever in God’s sight.

Romans 4:3 says that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. And in Romans 4: 6-8 Paul quoted from Psalm 32:1-2 to show that David believed the same thing. From beginning to end the Bible makes it clear that salvation is by grace through faith in the substitutionary death of the Messiah.