Who saved people before ~33AD?

Question

The exact date isn't important but at some point about 2000 years ago Christ died on a cross. Since that point Christians everywhere have put their faith in Him. He claimed to be the Way, the Truth and the Life and that nobody could get to the Father except through faith in Him (John 14:6).

That's great for everybody since then, but how were people saved before that? There are many more years of history before that date than after. Was there a different savior for them? Did they just believe in God but not in Jesus?

In very broad strokes, what does Christianity say on this matter (general doctrine) and more specifically, are there differing views on this held by major branches of Christianity? If so, what is a summary of the different doctrinal positions?

Answer 1

Before Christ, people were saved by believing in God's promise of the Messiah who was to come, as we are saved by believing in the Messiah who has come.

Hebrews 11:39-40 (ESV)

And all these [Old Testament saints], though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

There is some speculation that because Jesus is the only way to the Father, OT saints were kept in a comfortable "holding place" (cf. Abraham's bosom in the parable of the rich man), and that when Jesus died he joined them and brought them with him to heaven

Eph. 4:7-10 (ESV)

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."

(In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Answer 2

Wow, I'm surprised that nobody has actually given a proper answer yet. aceinthehole, was on the right track, just lacked the key.

Hebrews 10:4 (NIV)

It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

@Caleb, you are definitely onto something, because this verse clearly tells us that nobody in the old testament was actually saved through the law.

Hebrews 10:1 (NIV)

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

Nobody can deny that the law given in the old testament is based off of something other then God's nature. The law was only a shadow of Christ Himself, in which, all of the fullness of God dwelled.

Hebrews 10:5-6 (NIV)

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

Here's the key to God's Vindication

Romans 3:25-26 (NIV)

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

You see, the saints of the old testament were also saved through Faith in Christ and Love for God.

1 John 2:7

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.

2 John 1:6

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

The command to love was given to us from the old testament and is given to us again in the new testament. Remember Genesis, Hebrews, Romans and James where it talks about Abraham's great Faith in God? The law was not given to Abraham! Abraham was saved through Faith in God. And love for God, that Abraham would obey when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac.

Abraham was saved through Faith and Love, just as we are today.

Answer 3

It is said that Jesus rose from the dead frequently in the New Testament. This presumes that yes, Jesus was fully dead at some point. Before Jesus, of course there wasn't a heaven, just a place of the dead referred to "hades" or "hell" (as you acknowledge). As Jesus had died, he went there. Jesus preached the Gospel to the dead (1 Peter 4:6) and those that were saved rose and joined Jesus in heaven (Matthew 27:52).

Note that this is not necessarily the same as "hell" as we know it. The people here weren't damned. It was simply the place of the dead. "Abraham's Bosom", as it was called. It was distinctly a temporary place where the dead lay in waiting, and as such, is not eternal, as opposed to the eternal damnation of "hell" as we typically refer to today as Christians.

Here's a link that discusses this topic specifically with more references and depth: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1R.HTM

Answer 4

Here is a partial answer...

Matthew 27:52-53

52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Here we have "saints" rising up, who had already died. Presumably these are righteous Jewish people, who believed in God, and also believed that he would provide salvation to them though they had not yet seen Jesus.

John 20:29

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Some have speculated that this refers to people who came before Jesus.

Answer 5

Forgiveness

Being "saved" is a Christian concept related to the forgiveness of sins. Prior to Christ, Salvation was being saved from Earthly (temporal) grief. So, the question, from a pre-Christ perspective, is more appropriately worded as "Who forgave sins before ~33AD?"

Like today, sin was forgiven through sacrifice and repentance. The people were not made perfect, but they were forgiven of their sin.

Sacrifice

For that, we look at Leviticus:

Leviticus 16:30 (NIV)
...because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.

Who forgave sins? God did, of course.

However, it was the sacrifices made by the priest and provided by the sinner(s) that allows for the forgiveness.

• Leviticus 16 outlines the Day of Atonement that God created to allow for the sins of the nation of Israel to be forgiven
• Leviticus 4 outlines the offerings that must be made for the atonement of an individual's sin.

Repentance

Furthermore, without repentance, the sin was not forgiven:

1 Samuel 15:22
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Also

Isaih 1:13
Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

If there was no repentance, then the offerings were in vain. If the person/people continued to sin and simply threw an offering at it, claiming it would be forgiven, the offering was considered detestable and not accepted.

Summary

God set forth a very clear plan and path to allow for the forgiveness of sins. These sins could be forgiven on a personal level or on a national level.

However, these offerings had to be made repeatedly. Jesus came and made a perfect sacrifice that allowed for us to become perfect in Him:

Hebrews 10:14 (NIV)
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Answer 6

Jesus. The verses Romans 3:24,25 can give insight in this issue, there we read:

and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—

In 33CE Genesis 3:15 fulfilled (Galatians. 3:13, 16). But from the moment that God uttered that prophecy the ransom price was as good as paid from his viewpoint, for nothing can prevent God from fulfilling what he purposes. With that basis God could forgive the sins of people befor Jesus' death.

Answer 7

According to traditional Catholic doctrine, no one. Righteous Old Testament people went to the Limbo of the Fathers. Then Jesus descended to that part of Hell, then he raised them from the dead, they were baptized, and then they went to Heaven.

1 Peter 3:18‐19‐ “Christ also died once for our sins… In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison…”

Q: What is here meant by hell? A: Hell here means the Limbo of the holy Fathers, that is, the place where the souls of the just were detained, in expectation of redemption through Jesus Christ" Catechism of St. Pope Pius X, The Fifth Article of the Creed

Answer 8

Before the Cross, people were saved by obeying the law. Salvation meant being protected. Paul said those who obeyed the law died, but he didn't say they went to damnation.

Gal 3:21 For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law

1) Did Paul say that those who believed in God prior to Christ go to hell? No.

2) Was there life for those believers prior to Christ's arrival? No (vv. 21-22).

3) What was it like before "this faith came" (v.23)? They were prisoners.

4) Why did God do this? That the law might lead those loyal believers to Christ, and at that time they would receive the "promised" life. They would be a new creation; they would have LIFE.

Gal 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith ---->we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

This is the view in Eastern Catholic denominations. It can be summarised by stating that God saves those who live righteous lives which is manifested in one way by proclaiming His role in making it possible to live that righteous life. God's salvation power is vested in the Church, through baptism of its members, admitted on agreement with God's laws.

The Roman Catholic denominations believe that God saves those who obey His righteous requirements through the administration of baptism. It is baptism that enables agreement with God's laws, since in man there is no evidence of any good.

The Arminian view in Western Evangelical denominations follow the Eastern church closely, except that it teaches that men are unable to obey God because of the effects of the Fall. God's grace touches all men, but men must chose to believe what God requires and that He will provide the grace to obey those requirements.

The Calvinist view in the Evangelical West differs in claiming that God's grace touches only some. Those chosen will be given grace to believe and so will be saved, since it is belief that saves. God completes what He starts, giving grace to do good works. Monergism, God enabling belief, with no contribution from man, is what separates the two major Evangelical denominations.

Answer 9

Since the fall of man, not that God revised and re-revised His plan of salvation over the ages for the fallen mankind. No. Salvation has always been the same—it is by God’s grace through faith which He planned right from the beginning to be achieved through the death of Christ. No one, either prior to the cross or since the cross, would ever be saved without that one pivotal event in the history of the world. Christ's death paid the penalty for past sins of Old Testament saints and future sins of New Testament saints.

The major difference is that before Christ’s earthly life, salvation was found in faith in the Lord. Adam and Eve, for example, had faith in God and fellowship with Him. Abraham trusted the Lord by faith. Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and that was enough for God to credit it to him for righteousness.

Hebrews 11 provides an entire chapter of people who followed the Lord by faith, not knowing the details of the Christ who would come.

The Old Testament sacrificial system did not take away sin, as Hebrews 10:1-10 clearly teaches. It did, however, point to the day when the Son of God would shed His blood for the sinful human race.

Hebrews 10:1(ESV)

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near

Jesus was the fulfilment of the Old Testament sacrificial system, the one Savior who permanently restores relationship with God.

God's plan of salvation

God's requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. Adam believed the promise God gave in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would conquer Satan. Adam believed Him, and demonstrated it by the name he gave Eve Genesis 3:20 and the Lord indicated His acceptance immediately by covering them with coats of skin Genesis 3:21. At that point that is all Adam knew, but he believed it.

Abraham believed God according to the promises and new revelation God gave him in Genesis 12 and 15. Prior to Moses, no Scripture was written, but mankind was responsible for what God had revealed. Throughout the Old Testament, believers came to salvation because they believed that God would someday take care of their sin problem.

Late in His ministry, “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21-22). At this Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” Peter and the other disciples did not know the full truth, yet they were saved because they believed that God would take care of their sin problem. They didn't exactly know how He would accomplish that, any more than Adam, Abraham, Moses, or David knew how, but they believed God.

Today, we look back, believing that He has already taken care of our sins on the cross (John 3:16; Hebrews 9:28).

Prior to Jesus, salvation was based on faith in God and trust in His plan. Ultimately, it was still based on the death and resurrection of Christ, though God’s followers did not know exactly how that would look. Today, knowing that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), the content of our faith is a bit more specific. However, faith is still the requirement for salvation, the object of our faith is still God, and the completer of our salvation is still Jesus.