September 23, 2025

Are They Saved?

Being a Christian can be difficult. Jesus taught his followers the importance of loving not only one’s fellow Christians (John 13:34-35) but to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus did not apply any limitations to this commandment, such as love only those who are also Christians, or only love fellow Christians who hold the same beliefs as are taught by the branch of Christianity one follows. His instructions were paradoxically much simpler, while at the same time much more difficult. It is natural for people to hold love or affection for people in their lives such as friends, family, acquaintances. Even respect can be interpreted as a form of love. The Bible also proclaims God’s loving nature (1 John 4:1) and how God so loved the world of mankind that He allowed His only begotten Son to sacrifice his life on their behalf (John 3:16). Therefore, it is natural that God’s followers would develop a character reflecting this love for the people in their lives.

However, a difficulty, originating from this love, can arise in the Christian heart and mind. Most, if not all Christians, recognize the concept of salvation, and the need for people to “be saved.” If a Christian is taught that salvation applies only to a certain subsection of mankind, who subscribe to certain beliefs or perform certain actions, that same Christian may feel distress at the thought of the fate of those who fall outside that subsection of mankind. This distress can be more poignant if the person who one is concerned about is a friend or family member. What will happen to them after they die when they haven’t fulfilled the criteria for being saved? How can Christianity, a religion based on a God who loves the people He created, teach that so many of those same people are not eligible to be saved? How can a heart in tune with Jesus bear to watch a friend or family member die without them being saved? These are difficult questions, indeed. Fortunately, the Bible teaches that salvation is quite different, and infinitely more wonderful, than is taught by most branches of mainstream Christian systems. Understanding the concept of salvation is enabled by first understanding why people need saved.

Part 1: Why do people need saved?

Mankind’s creation is chronicled in the very beginning of the Bible. As the Bible was intended by God to be His means of revealing Himself and His plan to mankind, the Genesis account focuses on the parts of God’s creation relating to mankind: the creation of the earth, followed by the establishment of the environment, followed by plants and animals, and finally, man. Man was God’s crowning creation on the physical plane, and was created to be different than the rest of the physical creation. Created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27), mankind was the only physical creation that had a relationship with God (Genesis 1:28-30). When God created the first man, followed by the first woman, He gave them a perfect garden to live in (Genesis 2:15). Furthermore, they could enjoy life everlasting within that garden, as long as they obeyed God’s commandment to not eat the fruit of a certain tree. Disobedience to this command would bring a sentence of death (Genesis 2:16-17).

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI), 2025

God created Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, in a state of human perfection. He also created them with free will – the ability to choose their actions. Due to Satan’s deceptive influence (Genesis 3:4), Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commandment and ate the fruit from the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:6). This disobedience led to the promised punishment. Adam and Eve fell from perfection, were banished from the garden, and subject to the promised penalty of death (Genesis 3:17-19). When the now fallen Adam and Eve had children, imperfection and the penalty of death were passed from parent to child, down through the generations to today. This concept is symbolically described in Jeremiah 31:29, in which the phrase “the fathers have eaten sour grapes” is a reference to Adam’s act of disobedience and its terrible consequence. The phrase “the children’s teeth are set on edge” is, in turn, a reference to the effect of the consequences of that act upon the subsequent generations of mankind. This act of disobedience – sin – is the reason why people have died throughout the generations and is the reason why people continue to die today, and is the reason by people need salvation. Given that people need saved from this penalty of death as a result of disobedience, what exactly does this penalty mean? In other words, what do people need saved from?

Part 2: What do people need saved from?

Many Christians are taught a simple equation. After death, “good” people go to heaven and “bad” people go to hell. Some branches of Christianity add more caveats to this equation, such as, to go to heaven, a person needs to be baptized. Some acts of baptism require certain additional caveats, such as the need for the baptism to be performed by a person with specific qualifications, or the need for the one seeking salvation to follow certain rituals. Hell is usually taught as a place of eternal torture and torment from which there is no escape. Although this teaching may be becoming less prevalent and somewhat softened among many Christian systems today, the belief in hell as a place of punishment and torture is still widely held in one form or another, and is thus often seen as the fate from which people need saved. These teachings can cause distress among the loving hearts of many Christians as they see people around them, even friends and family, who don’t seem to meet these criteria, leading to an uncertainty as to their fate after they die.

The Bible is clear on the consequences of sin. According to the Oxford dictionary, sin is defined as “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.” Paraphrased, sin is disobedience to God’s commandments. When God gave Adam the commandment not to eat from the forbidden tree, He stated that the consequence for doing so would be death. When Adam and Eve received their sentence for disobedience, they were told that they would “return to the dust from which they were created” (Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:19). Death is the consequence of disobedience. The Bible teaches that death is the return to the “dust” from which man was created; a state of non-existence equivalent to and opposite from the condition of life. There is no indication that the consequence would include punishment beyond that, such as eternal consciousness and torture. In fact, the thought of returning to “the dust of the earth” seems to be in direct contrast to this thought.

Throughout the Bible, there are scriptures that support the thought that the consequence of sin is death, plain and straightforward, in contrast to the concept of eternal punishment. Ezekiel 18:19 makes the plain statement that souls (beings, entities; not an immortal spirit that people possess) that sin shall die. The Apostle Paul, who was blessed with unique insight into God’s plan for mankind, also teaches the plain lesson that the wages (or consequences) of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Both of these references support the original teaching in Genesis that sin brings death, the opposite of life and consciousness; not eternal conscious punishment. Salvation is needed for all people, regardless of their background or the time in which they lived, from this condition of death. The Bible teaches that this salvation has been provided. Further, the Bible also teaches a comforting message on who has been saved.

Part 3: Who is saved?

The Bible teaches a more expansive view of salvation than is generally taught by many Christian systems. Although many of the beautiful details are beyond the scope of this study, the Bible clearly proclaims that Jesus is responsible for the salvation of mankind through the willing sacrifice of his perfect human life (John 3:15-17, Hebrews 2:9, as examples). This salvation from the penalty of death is applied to the human race just as Adam’s sin was applied to all mankind (1 Corinthians 15:22). All means all; every man, woman and child who has ever lived is covered by the salvation provided by Jesus’ sacrifice. This opportunity for salvation is regardless of the time in which a person lived, how they lived their lives, what they believed in, or whether they had even heard of God or Jesus during their lives. Jesus “paid” for the entire human race, “ransoming” them from the death sentence they found themselves under (1 Timothy 2:6). Through the merit of Jesus’ sacrifice, all people have, either now or in the future, the opportunity for an everlasting salvation from death and misery, and although the details for each individual may be different, as examined later in this study (1 Corinthians 15:23, 40-44), each type of salvation is wonderful and joyful according to its own nature.

The Bible teaches that there will be a “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21). Restitution means a restoration of something to a previous, usually better condition. In this case, the restitution of mankind refers to the restoration of man to the perfect and everlasting physical condition that was lost when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Scriptures such as Isaiah 35 describe this future time when both mankind and earth will be restored to their previous harmony with God. Isaiah 35:10, in particular, describes how “the ransomed of the Lord” will experience everlasting joy. This is not simply flowery poetry, but a firm promise by God about what the future will bring. Having learned the consequences of sin firsthand through so many generations of misery and death, those who choose instead to follow God after their resurrection will be granted this salvation.

Although this form of physical salvation will indeed be wonderful, the Bible also teaches that those who choose to devote their present lives to obeying God now, instead of waiting until the previously described future time, will, if judged faithful, be granted a place in Christ’s church. This salvation, frequently spoken of in the New Testament by apostles such as Paul and Peter, is a spiritual salvation, as opposed to a physical salvation, which will be granted to those who are found faithful to God until their deaths.

So, the opportunity for salvation applies to all mankind, as a result of Jesus’ willing sacrifice. This restitution is a future event, to be fulfilled in the fulness of God’s plan. However, if the majority of mankind’s opportunity to be restored to a perfect physical condition of peace and harmony with God is a future event, how does this fit in with the scriptures of the New Testament, from writers such as the Apostles Paul and Peter, that seem to refer to a heavenly, or spiritual, salvation or reward? Don’t many branches of Christianity teach that people “go to heaven” after they die? Which is true? In other words, where exactly do people go after they die?

Part 4: Where do we go after we die?

The question of where do people go after they die is first answered by the explanation that the Bible teaches two distinct types of salvation. The future restitution of mankind to the perfect physical state is often overlooked in favor of a heavenly salvation. Confusion often springs from mixing the two thoughts together. Both thoughts are true, but apply to different groups of mankind, with different requirements for each, different time frames, and different types of rewards. Understanding the Bible’s teaching of salvation, and where people go after they die, is based on keeping these two types of salvation separate and distinct.

In the future, all people will need to consecrate their lives to obeying God. Just as with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God will never be able to tolerate sin and disobedience. After a period of re-education and restitution, mankind will be given a test of obedience (Revelation 20:13). Those who choose obedience will be granted the reward of a perfect physical existence. Until that time of resurrection and restitution, the majority of mankind return to “the dust of the earth.” There is no torture or awareness or consciousness while in this condition (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Although the details of how it will be enabled are not given, the scriptures assure us that God is capable of restoring each one to full life, and in the fullness of His plan, will do so (John 5:28-29).

What about the previously mentioned teaching of the New Testament, mentioned earlier, that don’t seem in harmony with this thought, because they seem to talk about a heavenly promise? This path is true, also, but applies to a different segment of mankind. Instead of waiting until the future time when consecration to God will be everyone’s requirement, there are those who hear and respond to God’s call to consecrating their lives to Him, and do so now. This group vows to remain faithful to God until their deaths. If judged worthy of having kept their vows of consecration, these faithful ones will receive their reward after their deaths (Revelation 2:10). This group is referred to as many names in the Bible, including “the little flock” and “Christ’s church” class. These faithful ones will not “sleep” in a condition of death for some length of time after they die, but will receive the reward of their new everlasting condition “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). This condition will be a divine, spirit existence alongside the glorified Jesus. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul describes how these faithful ones will, at the conclusion of their lives, “meet the Lord in the air,” referring to joining with Jesus, in his glorified condition on the spiritual plane. 1 John 3:2 emphasizes that the reward for these individuals will be the granting of a condition of existence granted to the glorified Jesus (“we shall be like him”).

Over the centuries, much confusion about what happens to people after they die has originated from applying scriptures like these to the whole of mankind, and not applying them specifically to Christ’s Church class, as intended. Note that 1 John 3:2, for example, is written to “the sons of God.” Romans 8:16-17 teaches that to be considered “children of God,” one must accept Jesus’ invitation to sacrifice the priorities of this world in favor of service to God (“if we suffer with him, …we may be also glorified together).

The resurrection of the Church to its spiritual state is referred to as “the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:6). This is because the remainder of mankind, not called forth to the high calling for membership in the Church, will be resurrected to their states of perfect human life. Clearly, there is an order to God’s plan for mankind’s salvation. An order denotes a time frame. But what is that time frame? When will people be resurrected and stop dying?

Part 5: When will people stop dying?

The current phase of God’s plan focuses on the segment of mankind striving for membership in Christ’s church class. As examined earlier, this group must consecrate their present lives (Philippians 3:13-14) and demonstrate their ability to remain faithful to their vows and to God until their deaths (Revelation 2:10). Faith requires a great deal of commitment. Faith in God means believing in Him and in His promises even without physical evidence or without the rest of society believing the same thing (Hebrews 11:1). If the dead were resurrected and the restitution of mankind was evident to all observers, there would be no need for faith. Therefore, the resurrection and restitution of mankind cannot begin until all members of Christ’s church have had the opportunity to demonstrate their full faithfulness to God. The Apostle Paul refers to this need for mankind’s resurrection to begin after the completion of Christ’s church class in Romans 8:22-23. In the preceding verses, Paul refers to the Church class as having “the firstfruits of the Spirit,” and that the rest of “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth” until the Church’s completion. Once the final member of Christ’s church is gathered, the next phase of God’s plan can begin, which will not only involve the resurrection of all the rest of mankind, but also see the complete elimination of sorrow and death (Revelation 21:4).

Summary: God’s True Plan – Salvation and Life

In the introduction of this study, a situation was posed, wherein a Christian had a friend or family member who died without having the same beliefs as the Christian person. Are they saved? Yes – like all mankind, they are saved from the penalty of death brought about by Adam’s disobedience. The salvation provided by the merit of Jesus’ willing sacrifice covers them, just as it covers all mankind. What will happen to them after they die? If, during their lives, they made a consecration to God and, upon their deaths, God judged them worthy of keeping their vows, they will be granted a place in Christ’s church class. If not, they will partake in the glorious future physical resurrection and given the opportunity to become in perfect harmony with God.

Regardless of the strength of one’s faith, it can still be difficult to be parted from a loved one by the veil of death. A tender heart is attuned to the suffering of the world, and cannot help but be touched by the sorrows brought about by sin and death, just as Jesus himself was. Jesus, however, also had complete faith and understanding in God’s plan, and knew the full loving character of his Father. Like Jesus did, all Christians can find comfort in the unalterable fact that God is good beyond our capability to fully understand, and that His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136:1).

1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.