Jesus died to pay for the sins, in a covenant relationship with God, of those that God gave him. He did not ask them to repent of their sins before he paid for them on the cross, and gave them the inheritance of eternal life.
Yes, he did, Abraham was accounted as being RIGHTEOUS because he BELIEVED God, go read Galatians 3 real careful, its not saying, like many think, that we all became ONE IN God per se, it is Paul telling the Galatians, WHO HAS BEWITCHED YOU, that you starting ou on the Spirit are now trending towards the flesh (meaning they were trying to become Jews or gain rep-redemption via the practices of the Jewish customs). So when Paul says, there is neither Greek nor Jew, Male nor Female, he doesn't;t really mean there is not males and females OR not Jews and Greeks/Gentiles, what he means is you Galatians do not have to become Jews to be of God, we are all of God nit by our lineage, but by FAITH ALONE. Thus by FAITH ALONE in the Promise, Abraham was made righteous, BEFORE Jesus even died on the cross brother. Go read Galatians chapter 3, and NOTICE THIS BELOW: (it's beautiful)
The Covenant was NOT the Law of Moses, it was ALWAYS the PROMISE: Th Law came 430 years later, thus Abraham was dead by then.
Gal. 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many;
but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17 And this
I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
Paul is saying here, Amen, that the LAW which came 430 years after THE PROMISE, can not VOID the Promise, or the original covenant, wh9ch was the Promise of a Seed to wipe away our sins.
There really is no new covenant, but since all the Jews knew was the Law of Moses, they had to be told it was a New Covenant, but basically, the Promise of Jesus was the original Covenant.
So, men were forgiven via their FAITH before Jesus ever died on the cross, it's our FAITH in God to supply that sacrifice that is transcending. Abraham was going to sacrifice his own son, but God provided a sacrifice. Abraham believed God would raise his son back to life if need be.