Faith Before the Cross — How the Old Testament Saints Were Saved

Bible Believing Christian
Oct 21
6 min read

Faith Before the Cross — How the Old Testament Saints Were Saved

Grace, Covenant, and the Timeless Work of Christ

Every generation asks it in one form or another: If salvation comes through Jesus Christ, what about those who lived before Him? How could Abraham, David, or Isaiah be saved when the cross was still future?

This question touches the very structure of redemptive history. The short answer is that God has always saved by grace through faith, but the object and clarity of that faith differed according to covenantal revelation. The cross of Christ stands at the center of time — its power flows both forward and backward, covering all who believe God’s promises.

Why This Matters

This is not an abstract question. It speaks to the consistency of God’s character and the unity of His plan. If salvation were ever possible by human effort, then Christ’s death would be unnecessary. But if salvation has always rested on divine grace, then the cross reveals not a new plan but the completion of an eternal one.

The Old Testament saints did not know Jesus by name, but they knew His promise by faith. They lived according to the covenant God had revealed to them — trusting His word, obeying His commands, and believing that He would make good on His covenant oath.

Biblical Foundation

“Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain… By faith Noah… By faith Abraham… By faith Moses.” (Hebrews 11:4–8, 24)

“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28)

The testimony is consistent. Faith, not works, has always been the means of justification. The Law defined the covenant terms for Israel, but faith fulfilled them. The sacrifices symbolized atonement, but trust in God’s mercy made them effective.

Word Study — Aman (אָמַן) and Pistis (πίστις)

The Hebrew verb ’āman (אָמַן, pronounced ah-MAHN) means “to trust, to stand firm, to believe.” It appears in Genesis 15:6: “Then he believed (he’ĕmîn) in the LORD.” The word implies more than mental assent — it is covenantal loyalty, steadfast reliance on God’s word.

In the Septuagint, ’āman is translated with the Greek noun pistis (πίστις, “faith”), the same term Paul uses throughout Romans and Galatians. Thus, Abraham’s faith is the prototype of Christian faith — not belief in himself, but belief in God’s promise.

Paul even quotes Genesis 15:6 directly from the Septuagint when explaining justification by faith (Romans 4:3). This confirms that the Apostle’s gospel was rooted in the faith of the patriarchs.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Salvation in the Old Testament was always covenantal — that is, relationally defined by God’s binding agreement with His people.

Under Noah, it meant trusting God’s word about a coming flood and building the ark (Genesis 6–9).

Under Abraham, it meant believing God’s promise of descendants and blessing for all nations (Genesis 12, 15, 22).

Under Moses, it meant faith expressed through obedience to the Law and the sacrificial system — trusting that blood atonement covered sin.

Under David, it meant clinging to God’s covenant mercy (ḥesed, חֶסֶד) and His promise of an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7).

Each covenant unfolded another layer of revelation. The Law never replaced faith; it gave faith a form. When David prayed, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” (Psalm 32:1), he looked beyond the animal sacrifice to the God who forgives through mercy.

The Shadow and the Substance

The sacrificial system was never an alternative path to salvation. It was a foreshadowing. The author of Hebrews writes:

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.” (Hebrews 10:1)

The Greek term for “shadow” is skia (σκιά) — a dim outline cast by a greater reality. That greater reality is Christ Himself.

When Leviticus prescribed the Day of Atonement, it pointed forward to the true atonement that only the Messiah could accomplish. The mercy seat, translated in the LXX as hilastērion (ἱλαστήριον), becomes the very word Paul uses in Romans 3:25 — “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation (hilastērion) in His blood.”

In other words, the Old Covenant offered symbols of grace; the New Covenant revealed the substance of grace.

The Faith of the Patriarchs

Hebrews 11 reads like a roll call of redeemed faith. Each figure believed God in the revelation available to them:

Abel offered the right sacrifice in faith, trusting God’s mercy.
Noah believed a warning about things not yet seen.
Abraham trusted God’s word enough to leave his homeland and even offer his son.
Moses chose reproach for the sake of Christ rather than Egypt’s treasures.

Notice the phrase in Hebrews 11:26: “considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” The writer explicitly ties Moses’ faith to Christ, showing that even then the hope of the Messiah was already present in seed form.

Waiting in Faith — Sheol, Hades, and the Righteous Dead

Before Christ’s resurrection, the righteous dead did not enter the immediate presence of God but awaited redemption in Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek).

Jesus described this in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31). The faithful were comforted in “Abraham’s bosom”, while the wicked were in torment — both awaiting the final judgment.

When Christ died, “He also descended into the lower parts of the earth.” (Ephesians 4:9) The early Church understood this as Christ proclaiming victory to the faithful who had died under previous covenants. 1 Peter 3:19 says, “He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison.”

Christ did not offer them a second chance; He fulfilled what they had already believed. He opened Paradise to those who had trusted God’s promise — “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

The One Gospel Across Time

Salvation was never plan B. Paul calls the Gospel “the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:11)

The same faith that justified Abraham justifies us — but we see its fulfillment clearly.

The Old Covenant saints looked forward to God’s Redeemer.

The New Covenant believers look back to the same Redeemer.

Both are saved by grace through faith, grounded in the same cross.

As Romans 3:25–26 explains:

“In the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

The Greek verb pareinai (παρειναι, “passed over”) indicates delay, not disregard. God’s justice waited for the perfect sacrifice. The blood of bulls and goats could symbolize atonement, but only the blood of Christ could secure it.

Theological Reflection

God’s method of salvation has never changed — only the clarity of revelation has.The patriarchs saw dimly what we now see in full.

The Law served as a tutor (paidagōgos, παιδαγωγός), leading Israel to Christ (Galatians 3:24).

Faith, not foresight, saved them. They did not need to know the details of Calvary to trust the God who promised redemption.

Salvation in every age rests on the same three pillars:

Grace — initiated by God, never earned by works.
Faith — the human response of trust and obedience.
Covenant — the revealed structure through which God relates to His people.

Each covenant pointed forward to the New Covenant in Christ’s blood.

Connection to Christ

Jesus declared, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56) Abraham’s joy was not misplaced hope — it was prophetic vision.

The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) stands outside time. His atonement covers all who have believed — from Eden to eternity.

When Christ cried, “It is finished!”, He was not only sealing the New Covenant but retroactively confirming every act of faith that preceded it.

Christ-Centered Conclusion

Salvation has never depended on when a person lived, but on whom they trusted.Those before the cross were saved by trusting God’s promise of redemption; those after are saved by trusting its fulfillment.

Old Testament believers lived by faith in the coming Redeemer; we live by faith in the risen Redeemer. In both cases, it is the same grace, the same faith, and the same Savior.

The cross of Christ is the axis of history — its shadow fell backward over the saints of old and its light shines forward to us today.