What happened to Sinners before Jesus?

dlofnep · 30-09-2010 7:35pm #1

Purely from a philosophical standpoint - What happened to sinners before Jesus, given that his purpose was to die on the cross so that sins could be forgiven - and that only those who accepted him as the saviour would have a path to heaven.

So prior to Jesus, what happened to sinners? I ask because humans have been on earth for 50,000 years from a physical & behavioural standpoint. Are they also saved, or damned to eternity in hell?

Seaneh · 30-09-2010 7:43pm

dlofnep wrote: »

Purely from a philosophical standpoint - What happened to sinners before Jesus, given that his purpose was to die on the cross so that sins could be forgiven - and that only those who accepted him as the saviour would have a path to heaven.

So prior to Jesus, what happened to sinners? I ask because humans have been on earth for 50,000 years from a physical & behavioural standpoint. Are they also saved, or damned to eternity in hell?

They are judged according to the Law.

dlofnep · 30-09-2010 7:45pm

Seaneh wrote: »

They are judged according to the Law.

Could you expand a bit please.

opinion guy · 30-09-2010 7:47pm

dlofnep wrote: »

Purely from a philosophical standpoint - What happened to sinners before Jesus, given that his purpose was to die on the cross so that sins could be forgiven - and that only those who accepted him as the saviour would have a path to heaven.

So prior to Jesus, what happened to sinners? I ask because humans have been on earth for 50,000 years from a physical & behavioural standpoint. Are they also saved, or damned to eternity in hell?

Wasn't it all 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' back then ? I think God mellowed out after he had a son. That or he invented weed around then. We'll never know!!

housetypeb · 30-09-2010 9:42pm

Seaneh wrote: »

They are judged according to the Law.

Wow,Judge dredd took care of business before jesus showed up.:)

PDN · 30-09-2010 9:42pm

We know that sinners such as Abraham were saved because they placed their faith in God's promise that He would send a Saviour.

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:6-9)

Maguined · 30-09-2010 9:50pm

PDN wrote: »

We know that sinners such as Abraham were saved because they placed their faith in God's promise that He would send a Saviour.

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:6-9)

What about any man before Abraham? are they damned because God did not announce the gospel in advance to them instead?

PDN · 30-09-2010 10:01pm

Maguined wrote: »

What about any man before Abraham? are they damned because God did not announce the gospel in advance to them instead?

The Gospel was announced well before Abraham - right at the beginning in fact. Genesis 3:15 is referred to by theologians as the protoevangelium (or the first declaration of the Gospel).

bad2dabone · 30-09-2010 10:34pm

This is one of things that confuses me about christianity. All those people who didn't live in the middle east and get to hear about "god". they're all presumably in "hell" now.

antiskeptic · 30-09-2010 11:08pm

bad2dabone wrote: »

This is one of things that confuses me about christianity. All those people who didn't live in the middle east and get to hear about "god". they're all presumably in "hell" now.

I don't see anything preventing God reaching to any point on the globe.

antiskeptic · 30-09-2010 11:09pm

PDN wrote: »

The Gospel was announced well before Abraham - right at the beginning in fact. Genesis 3:15 is referred to by theologians as the protoevangelium (or the first declaration of the Gospel).

I wonder whether Adam and/or Eve were saved..

Fanny Cradock · 30-09-2010 11:10pm

bad2dabone wrote: »

This is one of things that confuses me about christianity. All those people who didn't live in the middle east and get to hear about "god". they're all presumably in "hell" now.

Did you not read PDN's post

bad2dabone · 30-09-2010 11:14pm

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

Did you not read PDN's post

which one Fanny? about protoevangellum?
perhaps I just didn't understand it.

dlofnep · 01-10-2010 12:22am

Thanks PDN.

PDN · 01-10-2010 12:30am

bad2dabone wrote: »

This is one of things that confuses me about christianity. All those people who didn't live in the middle east and get to hear about "god". they're all presumably in "hell" now.

I'm sorry you feel you have to condemn others to hell like that. That certainly isn't my position.

Overature · 01-10-2010 12:36am

The person had to bring a sacrifice (lamb or bull) to the high priest who would then sacrifice it and God would be satisfied. Then Jesus came along and became the ultimate sacrifice, so that we did not have to go through the trouble of sacrifices

bad2dabone · 01-10-2010 12:36am

PDN wrote: »

I'm sorry you feel you have to condemn others to hell like that. That certainly isn't my position.

that's not my position either PDN. It's an assumption I've made, presumably in error.
(Besides I can't really condemn anyone to somewhere I don't believe in)

I'd just like to know what's Christianity's take on it.
I think you've explained it in a prior post, however I didn't fully understand it and remain confused as to the spiritual fate of those who lived before humans became aware of gods existence.

lionmqj · 01-10-2010 4:08am

http://www.gotquestions.org/before-Jesus.html

Festus · 01-10-2010 12:18pm

I may be wrong but it appears that the question presumes Christ did not exist until He was born and that the timeline is fixed - so why then did Christ decend to the place of the dead when He died?

My take is that when He died He went to the dead and released those that warrented it to Heaven and the rest remained in Purgatory\Hades.

bad2dabone · 01-10-2010 4:16pm

fair enough. Thanks for the responses.

wolfsbane · 03-10-2010 8:49pm

dlofnep wrote: »

Purely from a philosophical standpoint - What happened to sinners before Jesus, given that his purpose was to die on the cross so that sins could be forgiven - and that only those who accepted him as the saviour would have a path to heaven.

So prior to Jesus, what happened to sinners? I ask because humans have been on earth for 50,000 years from a physical & behavioural standpoint. Are they also saved, or damned to eternity in hell?

Just to add to PDN's good post:
Christ's sacrifice covered all who died with faith in God, from the beginning to the coming End. Sinners who died before Christ's sacrifice were divided as today - saved sinners and lost sinners. Those who died lost went to Hades and are held there for the day of Judgement. Those who died saved went to Abraham's Bosom (Paradise) and it was moved into the immediate presence of God when Christ rose from the dead and brought them there.

BTW, the Bible gives no warrant to believe mankind has existed for much over 6000 years.
_________________________________________________________________
Luke 23:42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

What happened to Sinners before Jesus?

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