Reddit Christian debate forum member writes: “Why must I go to hell if I am not a believer? Shouldn’t God know I’m imperfect?”

Christian response,

The causation for our creation in Time is in response to sin, rebellion, having manifest in the Kingdom of God before the creation of Time; that sin and rebellion was extricated from the Kingdom as this Earth was created in six-literal days with rapidity and the culprits that initiated the rebellion in the Kingdom of God were placed here on Earth to be dealt with partially constrained by Time and physics. The declaration of this cosmic war having been placed within the constraints of Time on this Earth was articulated in Genesis 3:15.

If God has gone through the effort to remove sin from His Kingdom and endure the sin and rebellion of mankind via the influence of Satan for 6000-years thus far, what makes you think God will endure your sin and permit that sin to enter His Kingdom subsequent to the death of your body in Time? God the Father refuses to permit sin into His Kingdom (Revelation 21:27) but through His love and compassion He has given you Jesus Christ who suffered and died to pay your sin-debt for you if you will repent of your sin and sincerely believe in Jesus Christ as your God and Mediator for that sin (John 3:16). God the Father, through the Covenant of Grace established in the sinless blood of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28; 2 Corinthians 5:21), agrees to remove from you your sinfulness and guilt and impute the perfection and sinlessness of His dear Son over your life if you will trust-believe in Jesus as your God and Mediator for sin (John 3:18).

God did NOT create Hell for mankind but Hell, the Lake of Fire, was created for Satan, the fallen angels, the Beast, the False Prophet; mankind will enter Hell subsequent to the Judgment of the Condemned (Revelation 20:11-15) for having rejected the pardon from death in sin and death in Hell freely offered mankind by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord (John 3:16-18). So then, if you reject Jesus as Lord, God does not choose to send you to Hell, YOU CHOOSE to enter Hell because you rejected God’s offer of a pardon from death in Hell; a pardon from death in sin freely offered by trusting in the Son, Jesus Christ (John 8:24).

You are but decaying flesh headed to the grave in the Earth and it matters NOT what you think about God’s sovereignty and His will for Time and Eternity. You will humble yourself and approach God His Way through faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord – or – you will deny Jesus and die in sin and die in Hell because God the Father is NOT going to permit your unrepentant sin to enter His Kingdom subsequent to the death of your body in Time (Revelation 21:27); therefore, you will deal with your sin now within the Age of Grace by believing in Jesus as your Lord – or – you will deal with your sin in Eternity in Hell. The choice is yours.

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [e]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the [f]only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:16-21 (NASB)

BTW: There is no such entity as “purgatory”…that is Catholic Apocrypha dogma designed to keep the parishioners fearful and pouring their money into the church coffers via Mass AKA indulgences and it’s abuse and NOT Scriptural. If you die having rejected Jesus as Lord, you will enter Hades-Sheol/Torments (Luke 16) and remain there in your disembodied spiritual state, fully conscious, fully aware, until you receive a resurrected body of corruption and stand before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment and subsequently be remitted to the Lake of Fire and the second death (Revelation 20:11-15).

The veil of Jewish blindness articulated on FB (a rebuttal): “The whole idea of virgin birth serves no purpose, except to attract pagans to Christianity.”

A Christian rebuttal,

The virgin birth of Messiah, as first prophesied in Genesis 3:15 immediately subsequent to the fall of man, is essential as the ramifications for sin and the sin-nature flow genomically from the seed of Adam, the seed of the man to all of Adam’s descendants. Not only does Adam incur more culpability for sin due to federal headship over the family structure but Adam had received the edict to NOT compromise with evil directly from Elohim whereas Eve received said edict by hearsay from her husband, Adam; therefore, Adam’s seed transfers the sin-nature and in Adam “all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 5:12).

Messiah entered the Realm of Time through the seed of a virgin woman (Galatians 4:4; Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) through the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) and thereby circumvented the sin-nature that would have been passed through Joseph’s seed via Adam. This virgin birth permitted the realization of the hypostatic union of God and man (Philippians 2:8; John 1); therefore, Messiah Jesus was successful in completing His primary mission on Earth which was to “destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8b) and that mission was accomplished 4000-years subsequent to the Genesis prophecy (Genesis 3:15; 3:21) at the Crucifixion where Messiah defeated death, Hell, the grave, for everyone who will believe in Him as God and Mediator for sin (John 3:16).

Without the virgin birth of Messiah, Jesus would not have successfully fulfilled the Law of Moses and the Commandments etched in stone at Sinai (Matthew 5:17), a task no man could achieve as all of mankind is under the condemnation of sin (Romans 3:23). Without the sinless, perfect, blood of Messiah to make atonement for sin (Hebrews 4; 2 Corinthians 5:21), mankind would have no hope as all of mankind would be destined to death in sin and death in Hell because “nothing impure” is permitted to enter the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27).

Theological question posited on FB:“Why do heretics deny Jesus is God in the flesh?”

Christian response,

Anyone who possesses God’s Spirit as the Seal and Guarantor of relationship with God the Father by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Mediator for sin (Ephesians 1:13-14) will understand and recognize the Deity of Jesus Christ and the necessity for same as the Spirit testifies to the faithful concerning Messiah’s deity (1 John 2:27; John 16:13).

Those who have rejected Jesus as Lord and are NOT “born again” by the Spirit will NOT recognize Jesus’ Deity; the ability to see and understand the Deity of Messiah Jesus is what separates the Christian from every cult, sect, religion, of the World as it is the indwelling Holy Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) that testifies of Messiah’s Deity and Lordship over all Creation (John 14:16).

Law Keeper asked:“Why are there so very few people that seem to understand Galatians 3: 19? It’s not a difficult verse to understand yet there are so many different explanations being offered for it. What is your take on it?”

Galatians 3:19 in the NASB reads, “19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”

Christian response,

The Law etched in stone and written upon parchment as given solely to the Children of Israel was demonstrative of God’s holiness and His perfection and the Law declared mankind’s need for an Intercessor (the Seed of Promise – Jesus Christ) because the Law did not provide atonement for sin but only defined same (Romans 3:20). “ordained through angels” suggests that the faithful angelic creation was part of the giving of the Law as they are “messengers” for God. The Law of Moses and the Commandments, though repetitive of the Natural Moral Law written upon our heart by our Creator at conception, were given the Children of Israel as they were set-apart by God for His eschatological purposes and the Children of Israel were to be Holy as God is Holy (Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7; Leviticus 20:26; Leviticus 21:8; 1 Peter 1:16).

When Messiah appeared in Time through the womb of a virgin woman (the seed of the woman, Gen. 3:15), Messiah bypassed the sin-nature passed genomically through Adam-Joseph’s seed and Jesus lived a perfect life and fulfilled the Law with absolute perfection thereby making Himself the ONLY acceptable sacrifice for sin seeing that the blood of animals could never provide lasting regenerative atonement (Hebrews 4 and Hebrews 10). Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses and instituted a New Covenant that is based upon the Law of the Spirit as God’s will is written upon our heart and infused within our minds in the Covenant of Grace (Hebrews 10:16) as the Law of Moses has faded away.

It is written,

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 2 Corinthians 3:4-11

Law Keepers misunderstand Christianity; note the following Law Keeper’s statement of error: “ARE THERE GOING TO BE JAILS IN HEAVEN? YOU PEOPLE KEEP SAYING WE DON’T HAVE TO KEEP GOD’S TEN COMMANDMENTS TO GET TO HEAVEN. SO THAT MEANS ALL THE MURDERS AND THIEVES ARE GOING TO HEAVEN. IF ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE THERE THEN WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF GOING THERE?“

Christian response,

If it were possible to obey God’s Commandments perfectly and find righteousness and atonement for sin through that obedience, Jesus would not have needed to suffer and die (Galatians 2:21). Where the Law Keeper, the Rabbinic Jew, the Legalist, err is believing that the Christian espouses moral relativism i.e. “do your own thing” in conjunction with salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, alone. Law Keepers erroneously believe that Christianity’s concept of “Grace” espouses carnality and a license to sin void recompense; this is error. Christians fully understand the necessity for obedience to God’s will SUBSEQUENT to repentance in conjunction with their confession of Jesus as Lord and having received the indwelling Holy Spirit as our Guarantor of relationship (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Christians understand that though they are “born again” by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus as Lord, they remain encumbered with a body of death that is plagued with a sin-nature that wars against the New-Nature received by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 7).

The Christian understands that Jesus died for all sin, past-present-future, and by trusting in Him, the Christian is secure if they sin by omission or commission in word-thought-deed (John 10:28-30; 1 John 2:1).

The Christian understands that their imperfections in their humanity and their failures in a fallen-World do not result in the loss of their salvation but that our failures can fracture intimacy with our Lord; therefore, the Christian is careful to live in obedience through the Spirit’s guidance and when a Christian sins, they seek forgiveness…NOT to restore their salvation but to restore intimacy with our Lord because intimacy with God the Holy Spirit is the cherished benefit of the Christian life in the Realm of Time (Proverbs 18:24).

NO ONE born of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus as Lord and Mediator for sin can walk in willful sin and disobedience, but the one who loves Jesus Christ will intuitively by the Spirit seek obedience to the Spirit’s will because they love God and desire to please Him.

The Christian’s message to the Law Keeper,

The Christian is simply telling the Law Keeper that any attempt to achieve or attain righteousness/atonement/salvation by keeping the Sinai Commandments or the Levitical Law is futility because mankind is a sinner (Romans 3:23); therefore, mankind, by his works and human effort, can never be sufficiently “good” to find favor with our Holy God who requires absolute perfection in word-thought-deed (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 19:2); this is one reason Jesus entered Time in the flesh through a virgin woman (Philippians 2:8; 1 John 3:8b; Genesis 3:15) and lived a life of perfection by fulfilling the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and giving Himself as a sacrifice for us (Matthew 26:28) so that by believing in Him and His work upon the Cross, we can receive HIS perfection imputed over our life and thereby be declared “not guilty” by God the Father (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Righteousness through the Law?

Mankind can never find righteousness with the Father by attempting to keep a Law or an edict or a tradition or a Day, but once mankind has agreed with the Father and pursues His “Way” to salvation by repenting of sin and believing in/confessing Jesus as Lord and subsequently receive the Holy Spirit as their Guarantor of relationship, obedience to the Spirit in the process of sanctification is essential as this obedience to God’s will validates one’s confession as authentic. No one born of the Spirit can continue to live in willful sin and disobedience (Luke 6:46).

The Christian does not seek to obey the letter of the Law but the Christian seeks the Law of the Spirit written on our heart and infused within our mind (Hebrews 10:16; Jeremiah 31:31–33; Hebrews 8:8–10); it is the indwelling Holy Spirit who takes charge in the life of the Christian and prepares them for service in the Kingdom during the process of sanctification (Galatians 5:16-26).

The Sinai Commandments and the Christian,

For a certainty, there are moral aspects of the Commandments etched in stone and the Mosaic Law that are taught and infused by the Spirit in the life of the Christian as these moral edicts are universal natural law and written upon our heart, but a striving and laboring to obey the letter is NOT relevant for the Christian as the Christian walks by Grace through the Spirit and not by the letter of the Mosaic Law that is irrelevant and has faded away in the New Covenant (Romans 6:14; 2 Corinthians 3:4-11). Again, no one who possesses the indwelling Holy Spirit and loves Jesus Christ as Lord can walk in willful sin and disobedience; this is NOT possible!

Absence of Atonement in “the Law.”

In addition, the Commandments and the 613 Levitical Laws do NOT provide atonement for sin and without the shedding of blood there is NO remission of sin (Leviticus 17:11); therefore, the Law could never provide lasting regenerative atonement because the blood of animals cannot forgive sin (Hebrews 10:4); therefore, the Law and our attempted obedience to same cannot save anyone because we’re sinners (Romans 3:23) and the Law requires perfect obedience in order to achieve righteousness through it (James 2:10). Even if one was to attain righteousness through the Law, it is ONLY by faith in the shed blood of Christ that one finds atonement for sin, nothing more, nothing less (Hebrews 10). Without atonement provided only by Jesus Christ, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27).

The Law of the Spirit is superior to the Law of Moses,

The Christian is not obligated to a Law etched in stone or scratched on parchment but the Christian is obligated to the Law of the Spirit not the letter (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). The Law of the Spirit is superior to the Law of Moses as the Law of the Spirit is enhanced through mens rea or one’s “thought life.” No longer is culpability realized only subsequent to a physical act as in the Covenant of Law but in the Covenant of Grace through the Spirit, one’s thoughts can be culpable as sin void the physical act (Matthew 5:27-28).

Concerning murderers and thieves in Heaven,

Have you ever been angry with a brother without cause? If you respond in the affirmative, you’re a murderer in the New Covenant (Matthew 5:22). Have you ever lusted after another person? If you answer in the affirmative, you’re an adulterer or fornicator in the New Covenant (Matthew 5:27-28). There will be murderers and thieves in Heaven; that is, those who have repented of their sin and trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and having been redeemed by the indwelling Holy Spirit who walks with them on the path of obedience through sanctification.

On the other hand, there are many who think themselves worthy of God’s Kingdom because they strive in the Covenant of Law and live a life of partial obedience to the Commandments and the Levitical Law not understanding that God expects PERFECTION and that PERFECTION is only attainable through the imputation of Messiah’s perfection by faith in Him as our God and Savior and Mediator for sin (John 3:18); therefore, these “Law Keepers” who trust in the Law of Moses and the Sinai Commandments for righteousness will find themselves in the Judgment of the Condemned (Revelation 20:11-15) because they shouted LORD-LORD without trusting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Mediator for their sin (Matthew 7:21-23).

Covenant of Law v. Covenant of Grace – the eternal saga continues. Law Keeper on FB stated: “YHWH’s Love is Unconditional but His Covenant Promises R Conditioned upon us keeping His Covenant Commandments & Feast Statutes!”

Christian rebuttal to Rabbinical Jewish error,

First of all, God the Father’s love IS conditional upon faith in the Son, Jesus Christ-Yeshua, as Lord and Mediator for sin (John 3:18).

Second, the Covenant God made with Israel (Covenant of Law) was contingent upon obedience to the Law (Deuteronomy 28) but Israel did not keep that Covenant nor could they but God set forth a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33), a Covenant of Grace that is not based upon the works of the Law which no man could keep (Galatians 2:16) as all of mankind is under the condemnation of sin (Romans 3:23: Isaiah 53:6).

To initiate this New Covenant (Matthew 26:28), God the Father sent forth His dear Son, Jesus Christ, to clothe Himself in flesh (Philippians 2:8; John 1:14), enter the Realm of Time born of virgin woman (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:23) to circumvent Adam’s sin-nature, born under the Law that He might redeem those who were condemned to death in Hell by the Law (Galatians 4:4; Romans 3:20); therefore, the Law of Moses and the Sinai Commandments are no longer the “holy standard” by which one pursues righteousness with the Father as these Laws are completely absent lasting regenerative atonement for sin and the Law only condemns as it defines iniquity (Romans 3:20); therefore, God the Father sent the Son into the World as the Holy Standard for both righteousness and atonement for sin (John 3:16; Hebrews 10); therefore, anyone who trusts in-believes in-confesses the Son, Jesus Christ, as their God and Mediator for their sin (Romans 10:9-10), that person so believing and confessing will be forgiven of all sin, past-present-future (Hebrews 8:12) and receive the indwelling Holy Spirit as the Promise-Seal-Guarantor of relationship with God the Father, forever (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 10:28-30).

Those who seek righteousness and atonement by obedience to the Mosaic Law and the Sinai Commandments condemn them self to death in sin and death in Hell (Romans 9:30-33) because no man or woman (other than Messiah Jesus – Matthew 5:17) can keep the Law perfectly and to violate one jot or one tittle of the Law is to violate the whole Law (James 2:10; Romans 10:5); therefore, the Law cannot provide righteousness nor can the Law provide atonement for sin (Romans 3:20); atonement for sin is of an absolute necessity as God the Father has so decreed that NOTHING impure will ever enter His Kingdom (Revelation 21:27); therefore, those who trust in the Law for eternal life will die in Hell because the Law is absent atonement as the blood of animals could never take away sin (Hebrews 10).

In conclusion, unless Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Mediator for your sin, you will NOT enter the Kingdom of God but you will die in your sin (John 8:24) and you will die the “second death” in Hell (Revelation 20:11-15) because God the Father has so decreed through the New Covenant that Jesus Christ-Yeshua is the ONLY Way to life in Eternity through the atonement for sin (John 14:6). If you trust in the Law of Moses to provide you a shield from God’s wrath concerning sin, you have stumbled over the Stumbling Stone who is Christ (Isaiah 28:16).

Theological question posited on FB: “Why did God order Moses to build two-cherubim angels as it contradicts Exodus 20:4?”

Christian response,

The two-Cherub Angels over the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant was a prophecy concerning Messiah’s death, burial and resurrection. The Ark of the Covenant is representative of Messiah.

1) The wood of the Ark represented Messiah’s humanity (Philippians 2:8).

2) The gold represented Messiah’s deity (John 1).

3) The Cherub Angels over the Mercy Seat represented a prophecy concerning Messiah’s atonement for sin as seen by Mary at the tomb of Messiah (John 20:11-13).

4) The Pot of Manna inside the Ark represented that Jesus would be the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

5) Aaron’s rod inside the Ark that had budded and came to life was indicative of Messiah as the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

6) The Tablets of Stone inside the Ark that were etched with the Commandments of God represented that Jesus would have the Law of God in His heart and be the fulfillment of same (Matthew 5:17).

Mary witnessed the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the two-Cherub Angels…

11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. John 20:11-13

Mary viewed the actual “Mercy Seat” and the blood of Messiah on that hewn stone where Jesus’ body had lain and bled; the sinless blood of Messiah that actually made atonement for sin in place of the blood of animals sprinkled on the Mercy Seat by the High Priest that could never take away sin (Hebrews 10).

Christian concerns articulated on FB: “Why do we believe in sola scriptura? If it wasn’t for the church, we wouldn’t have the Bible in the first place. Without the church, it could be interpreted in many different ways. And it wasn’t even til the 4th century that [we] have the Bible. Just to clarify, I still believe sola scriptura and I know there are many nuances but can you guys tell me why we believe it?”

Christian response,

Actually, we had the foundation for the Canon as early as the Muratorian Canon (170AD). The early Church possessed the autographs. Where people err is forgetting the power of God and His plan and His faithfulness. Why is it so difficult for those who say they love God and trust in Jesus as Lord for their salvation yet they forget that this very same God who created matter, Time, this Universe, our complex genome, in His omnipotence, is perfectly capable of providing us with and preserving His perfect “word” down through history to that we can know Him personally; love Him intimately; live with Him eternally?

The Bible we have before us is what God desires we know with the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit for those who believe. RELAX…God’s got this, trust Him!!! The World is going to Hell in unbelief but we who know and love Jesus Christ as our God, why do you doubt? The God of the Universe and Eternity has set His seal upon you…RELAX and enjoy life in the Spirit.

Again, Theological error concerning a works salvation espoused on FB:“… see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only….. O vain man, that faith without works is dead. James2-To the Already Saved.”

Christian response,

Again, you fail to understand the Scripture. Justification comes by grace through faith not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). If a man or woman could earn God’s righteousness by human effort, Jesus died in vain. A Christian’s works ONLY become relevant SUBSEQUENT to establishing a relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Until that relationship is established and guaranteed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, your works are as a filthy menstrual rag in the nose of God (Isaiah 64:6).

In fact, before you confess Jesus as your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead for your justification, God will NOT even hear your prayer let alone acknowledge your works (John 9:31). We know that God’s heart is turned and receptive toward the one who approaches Him with a contrite and humble spirit, not works (Isaiah 66:2). Not until that eternal relationship with the Father is established through faith-belief in the Son and said relationship is sealed-guaranteed by the Spirit will your works be accounted as validating and authenticating your confession.

Every Christian, if their confession is true, will walk in good works i.e. obedience to our Lord via the indwelling Holy Spirit as it is our obedience, our works, SUBSEQUENT to our confession that validates our faith as authentic and true. It is the one who “believes” in the Son that is justified before the Father NOT the one who works.

The Holy Spirit expresses the necessity of faith first and works subsequently in Romans 4, It is written,

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.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,and whose sins are covered;

8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Theological question on FB: “Where is the command in the Hebrew Tanakh (ot) to believe in J-s death (human sacrifice) for salvation and forgiveness of sin?”

Christian response,

Though Isaiah (Ch. 53) and the Psalmist (Ch. 22) prophesied about the atoning death of Messiah, the Covenant of Law does NOT offer or provide regenerative atonement for sin as the Law of Moses/the Sinai Commandments only defines sin and condemns the soul (Romans 3:20) and this is why David, having attained righteousness through faith (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), noted that his soul would be relegated to Sheol (Paradise) and that the Holy One (Yeshua) would not suffer decay.You see, everyone from Adam until Messiah’s atoning sacrifice on the Cross, no one could enter the Kingdom of God because sin minus atonement can never enter the Kingdom (Revelation 21:27); therefore, those who had found righteousness (a right standing) with God the Father through their “faith” during the Old Testament dispensation, they were forced to await Messiah’s atonement before they could be released from Sheol-Paradise and enter the Kingdom (Luke 16).

Even the thief on the Cross that expressed faith in Yeshua was told by Messiah that he would be with Him in “paradise” that very day subsequent to their death as Yeshua descended into Hades-Sheol/Paradise and preached liberty to the Old Testament captives there and subsequently escorted them into the Kingdom while His body of flesh laid in the tomb yet said body did not suffer decay but was resurrected as prophesied by David.

It is written concerning “Paradise,”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.… Luke 23:42-44

It is written concerning Messiah in Isaiah,

For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” 16 So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. 17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.… Isaiah 28:14-17

The Psalmist declares,

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Psalm 118:22