Which Came First: Faith in God's Righteousness or the Law? [Bible Study 2]
Before giving the Law, God first gave the righteousness of faith to become children of God through faith. As recorded in Genesis, Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth and Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his descendants were justified by faith in God’s Word without the Law. Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” However, during their 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites lost this righteousness of faith and lost God. Therefore, God gave the Law through Moses to let them know that God exists, and to make them realize their sins and return to the holy God. And He gave the sacrificial system to the Israelites who were under the curse of the Law (in sin) so that they could receive redemption through the atonement of sins. Looking at the sacrificial offerings that God established in the Old Testament: 1. There were sin offerings offered by individuals 2. There was the Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) once a year to atone fo...