Was God's grace evident before Paul and the age of grace?
God's grace was evident before Paul and the age of grace. In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned and hid, God sought them, restored them, and showed mercy and grace. Grace also restrained judgment when Israel worshipped the golden calf and later rejected the Messiah.
Les explains that when he speaks of the age of grace, he never implies God's grace was unknown until Paul. It becomes the great attribute of God with Paul's epistles, but grace was already evident in the Garden. After Adam and Eve sinned and tried fig leaves, God found them, asked Adam where he was, and restored them—mercy and grace. Israel's golden calf and rejection of the Messiah also showed God withholding deserved judgment by His grace, as with the whole human race.