What is progressive revelation as it relates to salvation?

Answer

The term “progressive revelation” refers to the idea and teaching that God revealed various aspects of His will and overall plan for humanity over different periods of time, which have been referred to as “dispensations” by some theologians. To dispensationalists, a dispensation is a distinguishable economy (i.e., an ordered condition of things) in the outworking of God’s purpose. While dispensationalists debate the number of dispensations that have occurred throughout history, all believe that God revealed only certain aspects of Himself and His plan of salvation in each dispensation, with each new dispensation building upon the prior one.

Although dispensationalists believe in progressive revelation, it is important to note that one does not have to be a dispensationalist to embrace progressive revelation. Nearly all students of the Bible recognize the fact that certain truths contained in Scripture were not fully revealed by God to prior generations. Anyone today who does not bring an animal sacrifice when approaching God or who worships on the first day of the week rather than the last understands that such distinctions in practice and knowledge have been progressively revealed and applied throughout history.

Moreover, there are weightier matters concerning the concept of progressive revelation. One example is the birth and composition of the Church, which Paul speaks of: “I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, membBelievers of the same body, and participants in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:1-6).

Paul expresses a similar idea in Romans: “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God” (Romans 16:25-26).

When discussing progressive revelation, one of the initial questions people ask is how it relates to salvation. Were individuals living before the first coming of Christ saved differently from how people are saved today? In the New Testament era, individuals are instructed to place their faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ and believe that God raised Him from the dead, and they will be saved (Romans 10:9-10;Acts 16:31). However, Old Testament scholar Allen Ross points out, “It is highly unlikely that everyone who believed unto salvation [in the Old Testament] consciously believed in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” John Feinberg further explains, “The people of the Old Testament era were unaware that Jesus was the Messiah, that Jesus would die, and that His death would be the foundation of salvation.” If Ross and Feinberg are accurate, then what exactly did God reveal to those who lived before Christ, and how were the Old Testament saints saved? What, if anything, changed in the salvation from the Old Testament to the New Testament?

Progressive Revelation – Two Ways or One Way of Salvation?

Some argue that proponents of progressive revelation advocate for two distinct methods of salvation—one that was in effect before the first coming of Christ, and another

That came after His death and resurrection. Such a claim is refuted by L. S. Chafer who writes, “Are there two ways by which one may be saved? In reply to this question, it may be stated that salvation of whatever specific character is always the work of God on behalf of man and never a work of man on behalf of God. . . . There is, therefore, but one way to be saved, and that is by the power of God made possible through the sacrifice of Christ.”

If this is true, then how can the revelations in the Old and New Testaments concerning salvation be reconciled? Charles Ryrie sums up the matter succinctly in this way: “The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ; the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various ages.” In other words, no matter when a person has lived, their salvation is ultimately dependent on the work of Christ and faith placed in God, but the amount of knowledge a person had concerning the specifics of God’s plan has increased through the ages via God’s progressive revelation.

Regarding the Old Testament saints, Norman Geisler offers the following: “In short, it appears that at most, the normative Old Testament salvific requirements (in terms of explicit belief) were (1) faith in God’s unity, (2) acknowledgment of human sinfulness, (3) acceptance of God’s necessary grace, and possibly (4) understanding that there would be a coming Messiah.”

Is there evidence in Scripture to support Geisler’s claim? Consider this passage, which contains the first three requirements, in Luke’s Gospel:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up

His eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).

This event took place before the death and resurrection of Christ, so it clearly involves a person who has no knowledge of the New Testament gospel message as it is articulated today. In the tax collector’s simple statement (“God be merciful to me, the sinner!”) we find (1) a faith in God, (2) an acknowledgment of sin, and (3) an acceptance of mercy. Then Jesus makes a very interesting statement: He says the man went home “justified.” This is the exact term used by Paul to describe the position of a New Testament saint who has believed the gospel message and put his trust in Christ: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” «Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: », (Romans 5:1).

The fourth on Geisler’s list is missing in Luke’s account—the understanding of a coming Messiah. However, other New Testament passages indicate that this may have been a common teaching. For example, in John’s account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman says, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us” «The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. », (John 4:25). However, as Geisler himself acknowledged, faith in Messiah was not a “must-have” for Old Testament salvation.

Progressive Revelation – More Evidence from Scripture

A quick search of Scripture reveals the following verses in both the Old and New Testaments that support the fact that faith in God has always been the avenue of salvation:

   • “Then [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” «And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. », (Genesis 15:6)

   • “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered” «And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.», (Joel 2:32)

   • “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” «For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. », (Hebrews 10:4).

   • “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

   • And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” «But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. », (Hebrews 11:6).

Scripture plainly states that faith is the key to salvation for all people throughout history, but how could God save people wiWithout their knowledge of Christ’s sacrifice for them? The answer is that God saved them based on their response to the knowledge that they did have. Their faith looked forward to something that they could not see, whereas today, believers look back on events that they can see. The following graphic depicts this understanding:

Scripture teaches that God has always given people enough revelation to exercise faith. Now that Christ’s work is accomplished, the requirement has changed; the “times of ignorance” are over:

   • “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness” «who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. », (Acts 14:16).

   • “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” «And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: », (Acts 17:30).

   • “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over [literally “let go unpunished”] the sins previously committed” «whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; », (Romans 3:25).

Prior to Christ’s coming, God was foreshadowing Jesus’ death through the sacrificial system and conditioning His people to understand that sin leads to death.h. The Law was given to be a tutor to lead people to the understanding that they were sinners in need of God’s grace «Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. », (Galatians 3:24). However, the Law did not annul the prior Abrahamic Covenant, which was faith-based; it is Abraham’s covenant that serves as the model for salvation today (Romans 4). As Ryrie mentioned earlier, the specific content of our faith—the level of revelation provided—has evolved over time, allowing people today to have a clearer understanding of what God expects from them.

Progressive Revelation – Conclusions

In reference to God’s progressive revelation, John Calvin writes, “The Lord adhered to this systematic plan in administering the covenant of his mercy: as the day of complete revelation drew near over time, he progressively intensified the brightness of its revelation. Thus, at the outset when the initial promise of salvation was given to Adam Gen: 3:15, it shone like a faint spark. Subsequently, as more was revealed, the light increased in intensity, shining forth more and more brightly. Ultimately, when all obscurities were removed, Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, illuminated the entire earth in full” Institutes, 2:10:20.

Progressive revelation does not imply that God’s people in the Old Testament lacked any revelation or understanding. According to Calvin, those who lived before Christ were not “deprived of the preaching that conveys the hope of salvation and eternal life, but . . . they only caught a glimpse from a distance and in a dim outline of what we now clearly see” (Institutes, 2:7:16;2:9:1;commentary on Galatians 3:23).

It is evident that no one is saved except through the death and resurrection of Christ.Stated in Scripture «Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. », (John 14:6). The foundation of salvation has been, and will always be, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the method of salvation has always been faith in God. However, the substance of a person’s faith has always relied on the level of revelation that God was pleased to provide at a specific time.