Omanghana
A common question among Christians is how people were saved before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Were Old Testament believers justified by obeying the Law and offering sacrifices, while New Testament believers are saved by grace?
According to Christian theology, salvation has always depended on God’s grace and has always been received through faith. The Law, sacrifices and covenant obligations were important, but none of them could earn salvation through human effort.
Abraham provides one of the clearest examples. Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
This declaration came before the Mosaic Law was given and before Abraham received circumcision. In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul uses Abraham’s experience to demonstrate that justification is received through faith rather than earned by religious works.
David’s life also illustrates this principle. Although he lived under the Mosaic covenant, he understood that forgiveness depended on God’s mercy. After his sin, he approached God with repentance rather than confidence in ritual alone.
Psalm 51:16–17 states that God does not delight in sacrifice without a broken and contrite heart. Similarly, 1 Samuel 15:22 teaches that obedience is better than sacrifice.
These passages do not suggest that sacrifices were unimportant. God commanded Israel to offer them, but the ceremonies were never intended to function as mechanical acts that guaranteed forgiveness regardless of a person’s attitude.
The sacrificial system taught the seriousness of sin, the necessity of atonement and the need for reconciliation with a holy God. The shedding of blood demonstrated that sin brings death and that forgiveness requires a substitute.
However, the New Testament explains that the blood of animals could not permanently remove sin. Hebrews 10:4 declares that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins completely.
From a Christian perspective, the sacrifices served as signs pointing toward Jesus Christ, whose death would provide the complete and final sacrifice for sin. Isaiah 53 anticipated a suffering servant who would bear the transgressions of others.
Old Testament believers did not necessarily understand every detail of Christ’s future death and resurrection. They trusted the revelation God had given them and relied on His promise to provide redemption.
They looked forward in faith to God’s promised deliverance, while believers living after the cross look back in faith to the completed work of Jesus.
Covenants also shaped the relationship between God and His people. God established covenants with Noah, Abraham, Israel through Moses, and David. These covenants revealed His promises, expectations and unfolding plan of redemption.
Membership in Israel or participation in religious ceremonies did not automatically guarantee personal salvation. The prophets repeatedly confronted people who observed rituals outwardly while their hearts remained distant from God.
True covenant faith involved trusting God, turning away from sin and demonstrating loyalty through obedience. That obedience did not purchase salvation; it was the visible fruit of genuine faith.
Old Testament believers were therefore not saved because they kept the Law perfectly. No one could do so. They were saved by God’s grace through faith, with their trust expressed through repentance, obedience and reliance on the means of atonement God provided.
The basis of their salvation was ultimately the redemptive work of Christ, even though it had not yet occurred in history. God applied the benefits of that future sacrifice to those who genuinely trusted Him.
The message of salvation is therefore consistent throughout Scripture: God saves by grace, faith receives His gift, and genuine faith produces a life of obedience.
Source: Omanghana
