This does not mean that justification comes apart from God's greater plan which "manifested" in Christ (Rom. 3:21-22).Ive been thinking about this a lot today. It seems to me God only requires a change in the disposition of a man toward him (repentance) in order to forgive him and grant him mercy...
The placing of one's faith in God, and throwing themselves on His mercy is the same, in a sense, as trusting in Christ. People were trusting in the "shadows" of good things to come (namely the Messiah), and God counts that faith as righteousness. This may even be true today. That if people respond in faith and repentance toward God, with the light that they have been given, that they can be justified. This still does not mean that they are forgiven apart from Christ, because no one may come to the Father, but through Him (Jn. 14:6).
All of the different ways this faith has been expressed, (and may still be expressed, by those without the light of the Gospel) is very nicely put in Hebrews 11. It would be hard to think, that those people, (like Rahab), were justified with the little knowledge that they had, but now, after Christ has come, salvation has become harder to obtain for those with similar light!
The parable is teaching that we should always forgive others, because we have been forgiven. How that forgivness is made possible, still comports with what I said above. (In my opinion though, it would not be wise to push the meaning of the parable so far as to base our atonement theology on it, when that is not what Jesus is illustrating).I was struck by the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. If it be true that God cannot or will not forgive sin just in repsonse to repetnance, then the parable is upside down. It is actually the master who erred because he did not insist on having his debt serviced while the wicked servant was actually godly because he did insist on getting paid!
Heb 9:22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.What we need is clear teaching from the scriptures that God is unable (or unwilling) to forgive sins purely in repsonse to repentance.
God bless bro!
I believe that the working of the Holy Spirit in the world today is responsible for bringing people to repentance who may not have been taught the Gospel message by man. These people, who respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit (evidenced by their repentance), are Christians but just don't know it. At least, that's how I see it.