Lesson Outline for Oct 15, 2026
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Goal – To understand “salvation” for those who died before Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection – to better equip you for evangelizing and teaching others
- Have you ever been asked to explain salvation before Jesus’ birth?
- How is one “saved” or “born-again” made “righteous and just” today?
- What about those people before Jesus Christ’s death/resurrection?
Hebrew and Greek Terms / Definitions
- commended #G3140 “martyreo” – to give testimony, be a witness, gain approval, affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration
- gave #G5483 “charizomai” graciously conferred, show favor, bestow(ed), a gift, to pardon or rescue – grant forgiveness, to graciously restore – Gal 3:18
- seed #H2233 “zera” offspring, semen virile, descendants
- offspring #G4690 “sperma” sperm, semen virile, a seed, something kept over for planting, offspring, family, progeny, vital force of life giving power, Holy Spirit operating w/in the soul to give life
The green is the author’s notations in the verses below. Bold text added for emphasis
God tells us from the beginning
…, and speaks about it boldly
Gen 3:14-15 ESV – “14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (zera/seed) and her offspring (zera/seed); he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
Gen 22:2, 4, 8, 17-18 ESV – “2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” … 4 On the third dayAbraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. … 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. … 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.””
Psa 2:12 ESV – “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (also, see Acts 4:23-31)
Gal 3:14-18 ESV – “14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave (charizomai) it to Abraham by a promise.”
Rev 13:8 ESV – “…, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
- God prophesied salvation by Jesus Christ from the beginning – boldly
- The Seed and “offspring” – Jesus was / is the promised “Seed” in Gen 3 and Gal 3
- Jesus Christ – the plan written before the foundation of the world, for the “people of old” too
- Isaac birth came after Abraham’s visit w/ Melchizedek – the King of Salem / Peace
- God wanted us to know…, it’s as if He was zealously telling Satan “My Seed, My Son is going to crush your head – defeat you.”
- My Son will take the bruising of walking the planet 33 years to redeem my special creation
The law of faith brings salvation in the Old and New Testaments
By faith we are saved…, we believe and are justified. It’s always been a free gift
Rom 3:26-28 ESV – “26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”
Rom 4:1-3 ESV) – “1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.“”
Eph 2:3, 8-9 ESV – “3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. … 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Heb 11:1-2 ESV – “1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation (martyreo).”
- The law of faith existed in the OT times
- Faith and grace are not separate – they work together
- We are approved, justified, made righteous…, just like Abraham, and the “rest of mankind”…,
- By our faith in the Messiah – who came, and will come again…, there is no other way
Jesus Christ identifies children from offspring
“Pharisaic reasoning” doesn’t deliver us; Pharisaic reasoning makes us slaves
John 8:37-42 ESV – “37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father–even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”
Luke 13:10-17 ESV – “10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.”
Luke 16:20, 22-24 ESV – “20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, … 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.‘”
- Who was saved, the Jewish religious leaders, or the woman with the disability?
- The “woman” believed in the same Messiah as Abraham did, she walked in faith
- …, and Lazarus was by Abraham’s side, he was a child of Abraham, more importantly of God
Last thoughts and considerations
- Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Rahab, Lazarus, and the in-firmed women believed in faith
- Abraham was given the promise 430 years before the law given to Moses. God’s promise still stands today – The promise, the gift arrived – we must believe in faith to receive Jesus Christ
- Gen 14 shows us how Abraham would know & believe in the Messiah – “Melchizedek” the King of Salem / Peace
- All the families of the earth were blessed by Abraham’s faith and obedience in the Messiah
- We are blessed by God’s promise in Gen 3, 12 and throughout scripture; revealed in Jesus Christ
Additional verses for self-study
Gen 12:1-3, 7 ESV – “1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” … 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”
Gen 15:5-6 ESV – “5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
Gen 18:17-19, 25 ESV – “17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” … 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?””
- Abraham, like Moses, had a very special relationship with God – this relationship allowed Abraham access / intimacy a son gets with his “Father”
- Abraham would know about the Messiah as noted in Gen 14 and his interaction with “Melchizedek” the King of Salem / Peace
- Abraham knew who the Judge of all the earth was / is Jesus Christ
Heb 11:1-4, 8, 10, 24-27 ESV – 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation (martyreo). 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. … 8 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. … 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. … 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”
- IT’S FAITH
