Amen, as ALL ever saved were under the NC of grace, even when in OT times!
Okay, I will show you why you are in error here JF, and I hope you will take it in the way it is intended: as a means of helping you better understand why you are a "fan" of Jesus Christ. These responses are given in love, meant to help my brethren, not hurt them.
You say that "All ever saved were under the New Covenant of grace."
That is error easily shown to be error.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 King James Version
31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The days that would come when the New Testament would be established had not come before this statement, right? You understand that the nation of Israel was divided and this because they broke the Covenant of Law?
That they were under the Covenant of Law?
And that they were still under the Covenant of Law when Messiah came?
Now let's jump to the First Century:
Hebrews 10 King James Version
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Beginning in the Garden, the sacrifice of animals for the "covering" of sin began. Abel did it, Noah did it, Abraham did it, Jacob did it, and when the Covenant of Law was established, you guessed it—animals died when it was established.
But note here that the sacrifices of the Law could not make men perfect (complete in regards to remission of sins, v.1) because it could not take away sins (v.4). In view is both a literal taking away of sins as well as taking away the penalty for sins.
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
This refers to God the Son manifesting in flesh (See Hebrews 1:1-2). God has never been pleased about vicarious sacrifice for the remission of sins, but in His mercy He allowed animals to die in the place of the sinner. The wages of sin is death. Always has been, always will be while there is this physical creation. Even in the Millennial Kingdom (I throw that in for the amils here, lol).
God was not pleased with the sacrifices of the Law (v.8), but He bestowed remission of sins for it anyway. That was the prescribed method beginning with Adam.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
We, those who are partakers of the New Covenant, are sanctified (set apart unto God) by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ—once for al (v.10)l. Forever. That is what that means.
When did Christ offer Himself up? I'll give you a hint: it wasn't while the Law was in force (Galatians 4:4-6).
We see the contrast between the work of the Levitical Priesthood and the Work of Christ. They had to continually offer up for sin because as it states in the beginning of the Chapter—the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin, or the penalty of sin.
But here's the Good News, JF:
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
In other words, those of us who have been sanctified by the Offering of Christ (His death in our stead) have been made complete in regards to remission of sins—forever.
Now here is a concept you haven't seemed to grasp yet, and that is Promise. When we go back to Jeremiah 31:31-34 we see God promising Israel a New Covenant. The Covenant you claim "all who have ever been saved were under." You don't receive a promise until the promise is fulfilled. And it is Christ Who fulfilled the Promise.
Consider carefully the next statements:
15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Do you see that the Promise of the New Covenant is said be fulfilled in Christ? And that this was through His death? Did Christ die back in the Garden of Eden? He would have had to, in order for your statement to be true.
Furthermore, your teaching cancels out Scripture itself.
Note that under the New Covenant God says "I will no longer remember their sins and iniquities? No go back to verse one and see that this is not the case while men were under the Covenant of Law. That is why they continually offered up the sacrifice of animals.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
The difference between being under the New Covenant and the Covenant of Law is this: our sins have been forgiven completely—forever.
Do you really want to deny that Jesus Christ was Himself under the Covenant of Law when He came to fulfill this promise?
Galatians 4:4-6 King James Version
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Note there is a point in time when God decided the fullness of time had come. When was that? When He sent His Son, of course. Not a moment before.
Note that He was made of a woman, and—made under the Law.
Note that He came to redeem men from the Law. What it is saying is that men needed to be redeemed from the Covenant of Law, JF. Now take that a little further, and understand that not only did those who were under the Law in Christ's time (and they were), but those prior to the establishment of the Law were also in need of Redemption.
Lastly, I would mention the Promise of the Spirit referred to by Christ to the disciples in Acts 1:4-5: they had not received the promise of the Father, defined by Christ as the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.
In Galatians 4:6 we see that When God sent His Son to redeem them that were under Law (and that is everyone, because that was the economy in force at that time), He did so that we might receive the adoption of sons.
That means that no one had yet received this promise.
And because we have received the adoption of sons—God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.
That is the New Birth, my friend. It wasn't taking place prior to "the fullness of times," when God sent forth His Son.
And that is the fulfillment of God's promise to establish the New Covenant. how you could even suggest that "all who have ever been saved have always been under the New Covenant" displays a great ignorance of the Word of God. And I mean—that which is basic. If you have friends here and they have not corrected you about this kind of error, then believe me—they aren't your friends.
God bless.