Was salvation possible before Jesus?

Many have wondered how the masses living before Jesus could attain salvation. Based on James Ussher’s calculations, God created Adam in 4000 B.C. Ussher’s timelines establish Jesus’ birth in 3 B.C. None of the people living during this 4,000-year span had any knowledge of Jesus.

Approximately 30 A.D., Jesus was crucified and arose from the dead. Between 50 A.D. and 100 A.D., the New Testament was written. Its 27 books were debated for centuries before canonization in 393 A.D. A thousand years later, in 1440 A.D., Guttenberg invented the printing press. This ended the time-consuming work of copying Scripture onto parchment scrolls.

The first English Bible was printed in 1535 A.D. – the Coverdale Bible. English readers benefitted from printed New Testament books only 500 of the 5,500 years since Adam. Prior to printing, the circulation of the Scriptures was limited.

The Genesis five genealogies reveal that 1,659 years elapsed (after creation) before Noah’s flood destroyed everyone on earth except eight people: Noah, his three sons (Japheth, Seth and Ham) and their four wives. Millions perished in that flood, never knowing Jesus. Among the casualties, was possibly Noah’s grandfather, Methuselah. From these eight survivors, the earth was repopulated to its present count of 7.8 billion people. Almost 70% of the world’s population rejects Christ as Savior.

Hebrews 11 singled out ancient patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David, who never knew Jesus, but trusted God. Romans 4:3 states: “Abraham was deemed righteous because he believed God.” The New Testament stresses that “faith in Jesus” is essential to salvation. This was confirmed by the Savior who declared: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14: 6).

Even though the ancient patriarchs never heard of Jesus, Hebrews 11 implies that they were saved through “faith in God.” As Job (contemporary of Abraham) looked into the future and said: “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19: 25), the Old Testament saints “saw the promises of God from afar” (Heb. 11:3) and “longed for a city whose builder and maker was God” (Heb.11: 10).

In summary, a “loving God” would not create billions of people and doom them at birth. Therefore, we must conclude that all people—whether born before or after Jesus—have the opportunity to obtain salvation. Since “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” the “Wisdom of God” caused the atoning blood of Jesus to reach back into history to save those who believed God and then to spread into the future to cover those who placed their faith in Christ. This is confirmed by Hebrews 11.

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