It has been a while since I added anything here. Part of this is that I have been giving a lot of thought to a question that was asked of me and I have been struggling to answer it in a way that satisfies me and may satisfy others. I am not sure that I will ever be able to do that and so I will share some of the thoughts I had.
The question was “Will the Old Testament prophets and others know salvation through Christ?”
As I have thought about it two things have constantly come to my mind.
The OT refers time and again to God’s Mercy, Grace and Salvation. I have looked at many of them and one can be found here
The second is a hymn which you can find here. https://hymnary.org/hymn/AM2013/806
Yes, I believe that God’s Salvation is available to all; to those whose earthly lives preceded the death of Jesus on Calvary and all that flowed from this. God exists in eternity, outside of time which he created, and so I believe can see all that has happened in time. Not sure how much sense this makes to others but it is probably as much understanding as I am going to have this side of eternity!
Alongside this, I ask myself how God will apply His Love. Mercy and Grace to those who have lived their lives in situations where the Gospel has never been known to them. I come back to the hymn at the link above “There’s a wideness in God’s Mercy”.
I am sure there will be many who disagree with my thoughts but when all my deliberations are finished I find myself asking ‘If God’s Love, Mercy, Grace and Salvation are available to me, why should I imagine that they are not available to all.
One final thought for today, whilst thinking of this I was reminded of something that I have not sung in decades. Not quite sure how it connects but you can listen at
13 August 2025
Occasional thoughts 