Pre-Old-Testament History and Theology Context

As we ponder the question of people before the Old Testament was written, we are reminded that God's plan of salvation is not limited by the boundaries of time or the recording of Scripture. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us that from the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20). This means that from the earliest days of humanity, God has been revealing Himself to people, even if it was not through the written Word that we have today.

We see this played out in the early chapters of Genesis, where we read about people like Adam, Noah, and Abraham, who all had a relationship with God despite not having the written Scriptures. In fact, God spoke directly to them, giving them commands and promises, and they responded in faith (Genesis 12:1-3, Hebrews 11:8-10). This demonstrates that God's revelation is not limited to the written Word, but can also be spoken and experienced in other ways. As the Psalmist says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1), highlighting the fact that God's creation itself is a form of revelation.

As we consider people before the Old Testament was written, we must also remember that God is a God of covenant, and that His covenant promises stretch back to the earliest days of humanity. The apostle Paul reminds us that the gospel was preached beforehand to Abraham, saying "In you shall all the nations be blessed" (Galatians 3:8, Genesis 12:3). This means that even before the written Scriptures existed, God was already working out His plan of salvation, and people were responding in faith to the promises and revelations they received. Ultimately, this underscores the fact that God's salvation is not limited by human boundaries, but is a universal offer to all people, in all times and places, as we read in Acts 17:26-27, where Paul says that God has made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.