Jesus Dying was two-fold

After a lot of studying, here are the conclusions I am finding. okay, we all know that Jesus came to earth to die on the cross and to allow God to forgive us of our sins. Let me expand on these two things first. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? To pay the penalty for our sins. "For the wages of sin is death." The punishment for our sin is death-spiritual death; but Jesus has paid that punishment for us by being sinless and yet dying. Now, about God being able to forgive us because of Jesus' death. Technically speaking, God won't forgive everybody "just because", he "can't", something has to happen in order for God to forgive us: "and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" [Hebrews 9:22]. The blood shed by Jesus allowed God to forgive us, there is nothing we could do ourselves that would merit God forgiving us. for we are unworthy.

So, recap; THESIS: Jesus dying on the cross did two things: it paid the price for sin and allowed God to forgive us. 

THEOREM: It is our sin punishment that keeps us from heaven and our forgiveness that keeps us from hell. Therefore our sin punishement, spiritual death, prevents us from getting into heaven, so if Jesus takes the punishment away (along with forgiving us) we can enter into heaven. Also, if our sins have not been forgiven by God, we will enter Hell. When God forgives our sins, that prevents us from entering Hell.

That is how we as christians today are saved, by believing in God and Jesus' finished work on the cross.

Now, to the question of how were Jews, before Christ came, saved? Well, we know in order to get to heaven we must be free of sin. That means both punishment paid and sins forgiven. The first step the Jews took was following what God told them, in that did what the law said was necessary to allow God to forgive them of their sins. But how were their sins forgiven? Leviticus chapter 4 verses 27-31 answers that. "If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they have committed a female goat without defect.....In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven."

THEOREM: The Jews can attain forgiveness through animal sacrifice.

But the price of sin must still be paid. That is where Jesus came in. His dying on the cross and rising from the dead paid the punishment. So, what happened when they died before Jesus did?

THEOREM: Because Jews sacrificed animals to be forgiven of their sins they were prevented from going to Hell; but since the punishment for sin had not been previously paid, the Jews themselves had to pay the price. Therefore, before Jesus died and paid the price for all sin, the previously dead Jews were spiritually dead. Because they were spiritually dead they could not enter heaven.

THEOREM: So, where did the Jews go after they died? They went to purgatory/went to Abraham’s bosom. This place between Heaven and Hell is supported by the verse in Luke Chapter 16:22, “²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
We all know the story of the rich man who went to hell, and the poor man who sold all he had and Jesus found favor in him. But, at this point, had Jesus died yet? No. So, obviously the rich man who had not been forgiven went straight to Hell. But, the poor man who had been forgiven could not enter Hell, but the punishment for sin still had to be paid, and therefore he could not enter into heaven.

Now through all this, I hope it “was a given” and apparent to you all that Faith is required to attain salvation also. For us, as Christians, it is Faith in God and faith in Jesus' finished work on the cross. But what type of faith did the Jews of the Old Testmament have to have? Obviously, faith in God. Also, faith in the coming messiah. And faith that God would fulfill his promise. The Jews did not know that they would crucify their savior and that would lead to forgiveness and payment for all sins, so they did not have any faith in that. BUT, the Jews needed more than faith, they needed works. Now, for the definition of works I will say that works=following the law. The law told them to sacrifice animals, the law told them not to kill, or lie, or steal. The law is what God told them to do. My point is hopefully proven in James 2:21 "Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Issac on the alter? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did."