Can OT Prophets and Saints be considered Christians?
Yet, in another sense, we can continue our quest back into the OT, and consider the prophets and saints of the old covenant. We typically limit the Christian label to those under the new covenant, although in the strictest sense, this would disqualify John the Baptist and all others before the cross. In spite of this, I think we can ascertain that the old covenant believers meet many of the aspects of our definition. First, the OT prophets looked forward to, and even searched and longed for, the coming of the Christ (1Pe 1:10-12). Although they didn’t fully understand the “who” and “when” of their prophecies, they knew that the Messiah would suffer and be glorified. Second, the OT saints possessed faith (Hebrews 11). Paul writes that Abraham was justified by faith, and that God’s promise to Abraham and his descendents came not through the law, but through the “righteousness of faith (Rom 4). Regarding the OT saints, the author of Hebrews writes, All these people were still living by fa
