Page 116 - Biblical Theology Textbook - masters

Study Section 16: Who Needs Redemption?

16.1 Connect

In preaching around the world, you will often hear Christians claim that animals and fallen angels
can go to heaven. They claim that the blood of Jesus can ensure animals and angels will go to
heaven for eternity. Pastors who serve long enough will eventually be asked if a beloved
household pet went to heaven when it died. We need to be sensitive and minister to the hurting
heart of the person asking the question. Consider an answer something like “God loves your
animal even more than you do. You can trust Him to take care of it as He thinks best.” This brings up an
interesting and important series of questions. Who needs to be saved? Who is God interested in
restoring His relationship with? Who or what cannot be saved? What does not save a person? We will
briefly examine each of these questions in this section.

16.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to identify who is in need of salvation biblically.

2. The student should be able to explain who God is interested in restoring His relationship with
and why.

3. The student should be able to explain who can and cannot be saved biblically.

4. The student should be able to explain what does not save a person and why.

16.3 Answering the Questions of Who Needs to Be Redeemed and Who Can Be Redeemed?

Not everyone who needs to be saved is aware of that reality. I remember sitting in a
conversation with a man who found out I was studying for ministry at Moody Bible Institute. He
told me He had a special relationship with God. That God blessed this man’s business so he
knew God would let him into heaven. After all he said, “God blesses those He likes right?”
Many have made the same mistake. We need to go into the Bible and find out what God has
said about who will be accepted by Him and who will not. We then need to determine who fits that
description.

Who Needs to Be Redeemed Biblically?

The bible is clear in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. How should
this all be understood? It clearly does not mean every single personal being that exists. God Himself and
the unfallen angels do not fall under this condemnation. We must be careful when reading Scripture not
to extend the meaning of words to the extent that our interpretations of them become inaccurate.
Context must both be the guide in our interpretation and serve as the parameters of our
interpretations. When a farmer puts up a fence on their property line, we know that he is not saying
that he owns the land on the other side of the fence. He is laying out the boundaries for others to be
able to know the extent of his land. Similarly, when the author of Romans says all have sinned, he is
speaking about mankind. He is not speaking about animals or even the fallen angels. He assumes you
will see the fence of context. He was talking about humanity. So, we should not read the text as

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