An adaptation of the Catechism for Young Children in modern English.
Question: How were God’s people saved before Christ came?
Answer: By believing in the Savior who was to come.
Question: How were pious persons saved before the coming of Christ?
Answer: By believing in a Savior to come.
“Pious persons” is changed to “God’s people”, since it is the piety of the person is actually immaterial to their salvation. Rather, it is their status as part of God’s elect people that matters. Granted, this different could be due to a historical connotation of “pious persons” that is lost to modern audiences.