“God created the heavens and the Earth, and then gave the law to Moses.“

That’s pretty much how Christians see it. Practically speaking, they appreciate not much before the law of Moses. To them, the law of Moses is the be all/end all of Christian experience. (Christian experience means obeying rules). They can barely fathom a time when God blessed people (namely, Abraham) based on faith alone (forget behavior), and upon a promise.

This is the prejudice Paul teaches against and Galatians chapter 3. A few idiots in that ecclesia were caving to the pressure from some Judaizers from Jerusalem. According to the law-keepers, Mosaic law was essential for salvation. Paul’s argument to the Galatians (and to the Jerusalem gang) was, “How could law be essential when Abraham did quite well in the eyes of God 430 years before it?“

The Judaizers would not have been able to withstand this argument, as Paul brought forth evidence from their own Scriptures. I love it when this happens. As go the Judaizers, so go the Christians today—with one major exception: the Judaizers of old were smart enough to stop arguing.