I get this quite often, and don't understand the rationale? It's just assumed that everybody under the OT Law was carnal and lost. Of course, nobody under the Law had eternal life yet because Christ had not yet provided atonement for them. But they certainly were in covenant with God under the Law, and were considered saints. They were not, by any stretch of the imagination, carnal people! I mean, John the Baptist was *not* a carnal man! ;) Right?
Randy, John the Baptist received the Holy Spirit in the womb! Remember???
Those in the OT that trusted in the Messiah to come, their previous sins were overlooked. Romans 3:25. But because they still had their carnal natures, they struggled to keep the law.
In my view, Paul is only talking about the state of our carnal beings. While saints of God lived under the Law, their carnal nature counted against them even though they lived by the righteousness of God. Their struggle against sin prevented them from having eternal life, just as Adam and Eve were prevented from eating of the tree of life after they had sinned.
This sounds like only Jews alive when the New Covenant came obtained eternal life. That's crazy. Again, Romans 3:25.
But once God's People entered into the New Covenant of Christ, they are able to deflect the condemnation that is against their sin nature, even though they still have it. Their righteousness in Christ counts towards their having eternal life, because that righteousness is part of the life that Christ has given us.
So Jesus only came to take away the condemnation for our sins so we can sin freely? Again, that's crazy and obviously a doctrine of demons, and a slap in Jesus' face. John 8:34-36; 1 John 3:5.
The Prophets were not "lions,"
The kings and prophets were the only OT people that were anointed with the Holy Spirit.
But Paul thanks God that the saints under the New Covenant may indeed struggle against their sin nature, but are not prevented from having eternal life. That's the difference, not that the saints did not have righteousness or the sin nature in either testament, but that in the New Testament the saints were finally able to claim eternal life. I hope that is clear enough?
No, you miss the point of the gospel completely. Look at Daniel 9:24, the prophecy of what the Messiah will do. Jesus is not granting eternal life to those who still sin, but those whose DESIRE AND WILL to sin was
taken away 1 John 3:5, preventing them from eternal life, for the wages of sin is still death, whether you claim to be a Christian or not.
Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that
though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human
terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members
as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness
leading to
more lawlessness, so now present your members
as slaves
of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things
is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.