Ask a Pastor Column

Q. Before Jesus Christ was born, how were people saved?  

A: One of the core teachings throughout Scripture is that eternal life is, and always has been, obtainable only by grace, through faith. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden humanity has been unable to earn forgiveness or eternal life on our own (Romans 3:10-12). Only those who trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness can hope to enter a right relationship with Him and gain eternal life (Romans 4:5).

Paul makes this point in Romans chapter four, where he gives two examples of individuals in the Old Testament who were saved by trusting in God. The first is Abraham, who “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3, cf. Genesis 15:6). The second is David who wrote several psalms about the joy of undeserved forgiveness (Romans 4:6-8, cf. Psalm 32:1-2). To this we can add Noah, who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” (Genesis 6:8), and also the Prophet Habakkuk who declared that “the just [one] shall live by his faith,” (Habakkuk 2:4). A fun fact about this last verse is that it was the verse that opened Martin Luther’s eyes to justification by faith and sparked the Protestant Reformation; and it’s in the Old Testament!

  Because the same God reigns in both New and Old Testaments His program of salvation has always been the same. Christ’s death covered all sins, past, present and future. Hallelujah.

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