Praise God that the Old Testament does teach that salvation is possible through faith in our Messiah. Please read on.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament agree that salvation is necessary. Salvation became necessary due to sin. The penalty for sin is death. The first sin was in the Garden of Eden.
Old Testament Confirmation: The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).
This death refers to a spiritual death (Adam lived for hundreds of years after he was guilty of this sin). A separation between the sinner and the God. That is why salvation in necessary. We (as sinners) and need to be "saved" from the penalty of sin which is death.
New Testament Confirmation: Romans confirms that the penalty of sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament agree that everyone needs to be saved. We all need to be "saved" from the penalty of our sin because we are all sinners.
Old Testament Confirmation: King David confirmed that Adams sin nature is passed on to us and that we are guilty of sin (because of Adams sin) at the moment of conception. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5).
New Testament Confirmation: Romans also confirms that all people are in need of salvation because, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament agree that the source of this needed salvation is God Himself. The Lord alone can provide for a persons salvation. Since the Messiah is God then He alone can provide for our salvation.
Old Testament Confirmation: Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).
New Testament Confirmation: that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
...for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).
We have established that the Bible teaches all people are sinners and that the result of being not forgiven for your sin leads to spiritual death. Both the Old Testament and New Testament teach this.
They both also teach that only the Lord can provide this forgiveness resulting in a person being "saved" from the penalty of spiritual death. No person, religious leader, prophet or anyone else has that ability. While they may guide you on a correct spiritual path it is the Lord and only the Lord who can forgive.
How does faith in the Messiah lead a person to salvation? Because the Messiah is the Lord Himself. He manifested Himself in the form of a man. Our faith is His atoning death and resurrection as our substitutional sacrifice, and recognition that He is Lord, along with our repentance for the sins we committed, leads to a sincere heart being saved, since the penalty has already been paid.
Learn more about the Divinity Of Our Messiah, and Jesus The God-Man.
...that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
“I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance (Isaiah 45:23).
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
This article is written in part to offer an alternative viewpoint concerning reason # 2 in the book Twenty-six reasons why Jews don't believe in Jesus by Asher Norman. There is no intent to be offensive toward any other viewpoint. It is simply offered as a source of information.
The Bible.
