1Rom 15:8; ²Acts 3:20, 24; ³Heb 10:1; ⁴Rom 4:11; ⁵1 Cor 5:7; ⁶Heb 8, 9, 10; 11:13; ⁷Gal 3:7–9, 14.

We saw in the previous question that since the Fall of Adam, God has related to His elect by way of the Covenant of Grace. The Covenant of Grace was differently administered under the Old Testament and the New Testament, but both administrations are centred upon Christ, the mediator of the covenant. That is to say, although Christ was not yet incarnate, he was the object of faith, and the Prophet, Priest and King of Old Testament saints. "Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision" (Rom 15:8), says the apostle Paul.

But how was Christ, His mediatorship and the benefits He would purchase by His substitutionary life and atonement taught and applied to the Old Covenant saints?

Firstly, He was revealed in promises and prophesies. He "was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Rom 15:8), says Paul. The first promise of His mediatorship was given in Genesis 3:15. Since then there were innumerable prophesies and promises pointing to Him, for example: Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Deuteronomy 18:15; Job 19:25; Psalm 2, 22, 45, 110, 118, Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 53; Jeremiah 33:15; Haggai 2:7; Zechariah 9:9-10; Malachi 3:1; etc, etc.

Secondly, the sacrifices also pointed to Christ as shadows of good things to come (Heb 10:1). By these sacrifices, the people were taught that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22), and as the blood of animals could not possibly take away sin (Heb 10:4), they were taught to look forward to and to place their trust in the Messiah who would lay down His life for them (Ps 40:6-7; Heb 10:7-8).

Thirdly, circumcision was given as a sign and seal of the righteousness of faith (Rom 4:11) as a means to reflect the divine will that the benefits of redemption comes only through union by faith with Christ, the seed of Abraham (Gal 3:16, 29).

Fourthly, the Passover was instituted to teach the people that were it not for God’s provision of propitiation through the blood of Christ,—"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,"— they would have to face the wrath of God (cf. Jn 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7; Rev 13:8).

Fifthly, the Old Covenant saints were also taught about Christ and various aspects of His work of redemption through types and symbols. J.G. Vos explains the distinction between types and symbols thus:

For example, the rainbow was a symbol of God’s covenant promise of redemption in Christ while the oil used in anointing ceremonies was a symbol of anointing by the Spirit of Christ. On the other hand, Moses was a type of Christ in His prophetic office, Melchizedek was a type of Christ in His priestly office and King David was a type of Christ in his kingly office.

All these things "fore-signify Christ then to come." This of course, does not mean that everything in the Old Covenant pointed directly to Christ. Many things pointed the people to their need of a Messiah. For example, as Vos explains (ibid.), in the Old Covenant leprosy was treated as a symbol for sin. Therefore the detail instructions concerning the management of leprosy (Lev 13, 14) really served to teach the Old Covenant people about the vileness and sinfulness of sin; and as such pointed the people to one who is perfectly pure, who is able to deliver them from sin.

Compared to what we have in the New Testament, the ordinances, types and symbols in the Old Testament were shadowy and in a sense incomplete. But these,—we must not doubt,—"were for that time sufficient to build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah." In God’s wisdom and providence, until the incarnation of Christ, the saints were being taught like children,—through pictures and abbreviated propositions (cf. Gal 3:24), rather than through full revelation, for which they were not yet ready to receive. The Old Testament ordinances, in other words, were specially adapted for the spiritual capacity of the Old Testament saints. But just as mature persons have very little need for pictures to understand truths, most of the Old Testament pictures in the form of the ordinances were done away when Christ had completed His work. And not only so, but when the Holy Spirit had been sent to illumine the hearts of the saints, new and fuller theological propositions were revealed to the Church through inspiration to the writers of the New Testament.

But were the Old Testament saints also fully saved from sin and wrath to come? Yes; certainly! Although the revelation was incomplete and the ordinances shadowy, it was Christ who saved! The Old Testament saints enjoyed the same benefits of redemption, as do the New Testament saints, or in the words of our catechism, they "then had full remission of sin" by Christ. Were it that the Old Testament saints did not enjoy the blessings of redemption as did New Testament saints, the words of the apostle Paul would make little sense:

What does the phrase "blessing of Abraham" indicate but that the blessing was first enjoyed by the Old Testament saints?

This, of course, does not mean that they fully understood all the spiritual benefits that were being bestowed upon them, or had full assurance of having those benefits. The fact remains that they were living under type and shadows rather than antitypes and substance, and therefore did not see the clearly the fulfilment of the covenant promise, and in that sense "received not the promise" (Heb 11:39).