According to the narrative of all self-identified Christian denominations there was no Jesus before the first century AD, with the assumption that Christianity existed in the first century, long before the days of Constantine and Eusebius. So naturally the question arises: what was the salvation for human beings (including Jews) for all the millennia before he arrived? Where was the grace and atonement for mankind to be saved from eternal damnation before the year 33 AD?! In addition, since it took quite a while for the world to know about his salvation, what happened to mankind who never heard about him even AFTER he was in the first century?
Salvation before Jesus.
1. God is eternal, He is the alpha and omega .
2. He has a plan in the eternal realm that there surely be humans that can bring Glory to Him (Isa 43:7).
Isa43:7 Even every one that is called by my name:
for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him
3. For realizing His plan He formed this perishable earth , then followed by sending His people ( the Chosen/ spiritual beings , Adam, Eve , Abel. Seth,…., Noah,….., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,….., the last name in His book of life they are all zero state in the first place/ without knowledge without ability ) to wander/sojourn on this perishable earth for their
Growths ( because in eternal realm there is no growth/ every things are flat/ steady ) ( Rom8:20) .
Rom8:20 For
the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope
4. His people can only bring glory to Him if: they
understood well that
the salvation ( living peacefully with God
in the eternal realm ) is
by God’s Grace alone (moving from this perishable realm to heaven/where God is is by God’s charity alone, or humans will never be able to achieve their Salvation by their own effort what ever it sound good Isa64:6 ;26:12 , or likened as they are forbidden working on Sabbath day Exo31:13-16 )
Isa64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and
all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isa26:12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us:
for thou also hast wrought all our works in us
Exo31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying,
Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD
that doth sanctify you.
31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations,
for a perpetual covenant.
5. The hundreds of mosaic laws merely as the way how to teach His people to realize about their inability to fulfill , we can ponder it by comparing between : fulfilling the mosaic laws and keeping not eat the fruit of the tree of life intentionally , when Adam and Eve were driven out from Eden , this was the very strong evidence that they surely ate the fruits if God let them lived in Eden, surely the last one is the easiest compared to the former one , How could God give them the hundreds of laws that surely more more difficult to fulfilled then the easiest ----> proven : those laws merely for leading them to understand that
the salvation = by God’s Grace alone.
6. The Jacob’s offspring as the Chosen merely as the stipulation for us (by this definitive chosen people, so we can learn ), that in this perishable realm there are two kinds of humans : with the spiritual being inside the body /born of God ( spiritual being who is sent by God to sojourn for his/her growth e.g. : Jacob , His people will be sent only through the womb of Israelis in OT ) , and naturally humans / born of flesh ( God did not put spiritual being inside the body when they are born e.g. : Esau , they are possible one day to be the devil’s camp John8:44 , likened such people beyond the Israelis in OT ) , after His people learned well about this stipulation so God change the covenant ( Jer 31:29-33) through all over the world / spiritually Jews .
Jer31:29 In those days they shall say no more,
The fathers have eaten a sour grape (people beyond Israelis ), and
the children's teeth are set on edge (God does not put human’s spirit inside them when they are born /born of flesh ).
31:30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge ( distributed to all over the world/spiritually Jews ).
31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
31:32
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt ( only the rest that will be saved ); which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
7.No one realized and admit about their inability although He Gave a quite long period of time from Mosses age until Jesus, men still try to fulfill the mosaic laws , so men
should be compelled to witnessing the manifestation of the God Grace , demonstrated by the Messiah ( crucifixion and resurrection ).
8. From that day men began to understand that
the Salvation = by God’s Grace alone , so men can bring Glory to God -----> the purpose of creation is achieved.
Summary : the steps are conducted in order to lead us “ well understood “ that the salvation is by God Grace alone.
So All the saveds OT and NT are saved by God's Grace , the matter just only understood or not yet.