All that the old covenant was ever intended to do was to drive men to despair and then the despair to plead for mercy and grace from a kind and loving God... When an Old Testament person saw the Law for what it really was, a ministry of condemnation, a ministry of death, and when they were slain, as it were, and when they feared hell, and when they realized their sinfulness, and when the Law had done its work and they had a repentant heart and they came to God and pleaded for mercy and pleaded for grace and pleaded for forgiveness which they didn't deserve but which they pled for, and God in grace looked at them and forgave them, that work of transformation that occurred there was the Spirit of God's work. And He was applying the new covenant work of Christ retroactively to that penitent sinner. But it was the Spirit's work. Salvation any time whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament under the old covenant or the new covenant was, is, always will be the work of the Spirit who is none other than the Lord. And isn't it marvelous, the same God who wrote the Law is the same God who liberates the repentant sinner from the bondage of the Law?
John MacArthur

Reading Room

The Reading Room

ANTICHRIST

ANTICHRIST ANTICHRIST Denies the Father and the Son # 1Jo 2:22 Denies the incarnation of Christ # 1Jo 4:3 2Jo 1:7 Spirit of, prevalent in apostolic times # 1Jo 2:18…

MoreANTICHRIST

BABYLON

BABYLON BABYLON Origin of # Ge 10:8,10 Origin of the name # Ge 11:8,9 WAS CALLED 3a) Land of the Chaldeans # Eze 12:13 3b) Land of Shinar # Da…

MoreBABYLON

BOOKS

BOOKS BOOKS Probable origin of # Job 19:23,24 MADE OF 2a) Papyrus or paper reed # Isa 19:7 2b) Parchment # 2Ti 4:13 3) Made in a roll # Isa…

MoreBOOKS

CARE

CARE CARE, Overmuch About earthly things, forbidden # Mt 6:25 Lu 12:22,29 Joh 6:27 God's providential goodness should keep us from # Mt 6:26,28,30 Lu 22:35 God's promises should keep…

MoreCARE

CITIES

CITIES CITIES First mention of # Ge 4:17 Designed for habitations # Ps 107:7,36 Often built to perpetuate a name # Ge 11:4 Often founded and enlarged by blood and…

MoreCITIES

CONTENTMENT

CONTENTMENT CONTENTMENT With godliness is great gain # Ps 37:16 1Ti 6:6 SAINTS SHOULD EXHIBIT 2a) In their respective callings # 1Co 7:20 2b) With appointed wages # Lu 3:14…

MoreCONTENTMENT

DEAD

DEAD DEAD, The They who have departed this life # Ge 23:2 25:8 Job 1:19 TERMS USED TO EXPRESS 2a) Corpses # 2Ki 19:35 Na 3:3 2b) Carcases # Nu…

MoreDEAD

DIET of the Jews

DIET of the Jews DIET of the Jews, The In patriarchal age # Ge 18:7,8 27:4 In Egypt # Ex 16:3 Nu 11:5 In the wilderness # Ex 16:4-12 Of…

MoreDIET of the Jews

DRUNKENNESS

DRUNKENNESS DRUNKENNESS Forbidden # Eph 5:18 Caution against # Lu 21:34 Is a work of the flesh # Ga 5:21 Is debasing # Isa 28:8 Is inflaming # Isa 5:11…

MoreDRUNKENNESS