It's one thing to believe "that there is one God" (James 2:19) and another thing to "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved" (Acts 16:31). Many of the Jews rejected Jesus.
Yet, the moment we start claiming how WE would not have rejected Jesus like "THOSE JEWS" did, we step right into the middle of, "Cocky."
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (from 1 Cor. 1)
It's not cocky to state what the Scriptures clearly say. We Gentiles who did not receive Christ were/are fools.
The ground is quite level at the foot of the Cross.
This business of there being 'believers' before the Cross - as someone else stated, believers in God, yes - but the Work of Christ is what saves us and it is belief in Him that we have salvation.
That simply was not a possibility before the Cross:
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (from Heb. 11)
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (from Eph. 3)
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (from Col. 1)
People before the Cross didn't have Christ in them, the hope of glory. They just didn't. They were not believers in the New Covenant sense, though many of them did believe in God and had faith in His Promise. Yet they did not have God's Spirit living in them like we do, though God did empower some for a time for His purposes.
There's even a Scripture in 1 Pet. 3 that alludes to Christ Himself going to the 'spirits imprisoned', those who 'were disobedient long ago' -
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
Earlier in that same letter we see this:
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
So we have, after the Cross, Christ Himself preaching of His Work - that He suffered ONCE for sins (all inclusive, EVERYONE'S SINS FOR ALL TIME - that's how we know that sins are forgiven, past, present, AND future), the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us all to God, no matter our position on the timeline.
But anyone who died before the Work of the Cross simply could not be re-born and have Christ
in them. I believe that they were all given the opportunity by Christ Himself to believe in Christ and His Work in order to receive eternal life - God is merciful and gracious and just - they were not doomed because of where they fell on the timeline or because they were born into idolatrous nations (and with Israel's history in view that applies to them
and Gentiles).
Jason says that to say that Christ was not preaching to believers
like we are in Mt. 6 is preposterous. Those folks before the Cross
could not be like we who believe in Christ are -
it was not yet possible - they did not have Christ in them, the hope of glory, because the Work of the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension had not yet occurred, and Christ's New Covenant Priesthood had not yet been established!
I'm not sure why that's such a difficult concept to grasp.
-JGIG