All Are Saved, Especially Those Who Believe

Distorted religion has shrunk the gospel down to a fragile offer, extended only to a few who manage to respond correctly. But the scriptures paint a bigger picture. From Genesis to Revelation, we are shown a God whose love and purpose stretches across nations, generations, and creation itself.

Paul captured this sweeping reality in a single sentence: 

“We have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10)

Here lies the tension and the beauty of salvation. Jesus is the Savior of all people. And yet, belief opens a doorway into something deeper, something more intimate, something face-to-face.

This blog explores that mystery: how Christ’s work embraces the whole world, and yet why those who believe experience it “especially.”

The Two Bloodlines: Adam and Christ

Paul sets up the contrast most clearly in Romans 5:17 “Just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”

Through Adam, the entire human race was swept into the reign of sin and death. No one voted on it, no one opted in, we were all included in this downfall. But Paul doesn’t leave us there. He insists that if death spread through Adam, “how much more” will life spread through Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. –Romans 5:18

The work of Jesus is not weaker than the fall. If Adam’s failure was strong enough to touch everyone, how much more secure and far-reaching is Christ’s victory? To believe otherwise is to say Adam’s trespass was more powerful than Jesus’ obedience.

Sons by Blood, Brides by Choice

There is a difference between being of the bloodline and engaging in union.

Paul told the idol-worshippers in Athens that all people are God’s offspring: “In Him we live and move and have our being… for we too are His offspring” (Acts 17:28). Notice who he was speaking to. This was not a believing church, but a crowd of people bowing to idols and filling their city with altars to false gods. Yet Paul still affirmed their origin and identity in Christ by saying, “In Christ you move and have your being”. Even in their blindness, they were already in Him. 

He continues, “Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals” (Acts 17:29). In other words, even those who were worshiping idols were still called God’s children. Their idolatry did not erase their belonging. What they needed was not to become God’s offspring, but to awaken to who they already were. That’s why Paul adds, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he declares to all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance was the invitation to turn from shadows to the truth of their already-established identity.

That truth stands, whether or not one recognizes it. Humanity’s life is hidden in Christ, regardless of awareness or belief.

But scripture also presents another layer of intimacy; the imagery of the bride. Sons belong by blood, but the bride enters the chambers by devotion. Sons know inheritance, but brides know union. A son is born into the house, but a bride walks into the secret places, into the holy of holies, where shared life and unveiled love are exchanged.

This is the difference between salvation as an all-encompassing reality and salvation as a personal experience. All are saved, but those who believe step into the deeper unveiling; the lifting of the veil, the communion of the bridal chamber, the joy of knowing the Bridegroom face to face.

 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. — 2 Corinthians 3:16

Salvation Is Corporate, Not Just Individual

Too often, salvation has been reduced to a transaction between God and a single soul. But the Bible presents it as corporate in scope.

Abraham was promised that “all nations on earth will be blessed through your offspring” (Genesis 22:18).

The prophets saw a day when “all nations will worship and glorify God” (Psalm 86:9).

Jesus declared, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself” (John 12:32).

Paul proclaimed that God was “pleased to reconcile all things… whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20).

Salvation is not about where individuals go when they die. It is about the reconciliation of the cosmos, the restoration of creation, the unveiling of God’s intent to be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

The Especially of Belief

If Christ has already saved the world, why does belief matter? Paul’s language in 1 Timothy 4:10 is crucial. Christ is the Savior of all, but especially of those who believe. Belief does not create salvation; it awakens us to it.

Think of it this way: the wedding feast has already taken place. The union has already been sealed, the covenant already fulfilled. Everyone shares in the reality of that banquet, but belief is what awakens us to it. To believe is to enjoy the music, the food, and the joy that has been ours all along. To remain in unbelief doesn’t undo the feast, it only leaves a person unaware, living as though it hasn’t happened, even while the celebration continues all around them.

This is why Paul can say that even unbelief cannot nullify God’s faithfulness (Romans 3:3–4). Salvation has already been accomplished, but belief allows us to taste and see it, to participate consciously in what Christ has secured for all.

Saved by Faith?

At first glance, verses like “by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8) and “we are justified by faith” (Romans 5:1) might seem to contradict the claim that all are already saved. If salvation includes all, how can Paul insist that faith plays a role in it?

The answer comes in distinguishing between the objective reality of salvation and the subjective experience of it.

Objective salvation is what Christ has already accomplished on behalf of all humanity. It is finished, covers all, and independent of human response. Paul says plainly: “As one trespass led to condemnation for all, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all” (Romans 5:18). This is salvation in its all-encompassingbroad scope; all are saved.

Subjective salvation is our personal awakening to that reality. This is where faith comes in. Faith doesn’t cause salvation; it allows us to experience it. It’s the difference between a gift already given and the moment we open it.

When Paul says, “we are justified by faith” (Romans 5:1), he is not suggesting that God waits to justify us until we believe. Rather, he is saying that by faith we come to rest in what has already been secured. Faith brings us into peace and awareness of the justification Christ won for us all.

The same is true in Galatians 2:16: “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” Paul contrasts law and faith. Law leaves us striving to earn; faith awakens us to receive what's been done.

Jesus Himself demonstrated this again and again. He never withheld forgiveness or acceptance until after someone showed faith. Instead, He offered salvation first, and faith often arose in response:

He told the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5), before the man even asked for it.

He embraced the woman caught in adultery, covering her in mercy before she repented (John 8:11).

He welcomed the thief on the cross into paradise, not because of a lifetime of faith, but because He already carried that man’s salvation in Himself (Luke 23:43).

Even Zacchaeus, called down from the tree, experienced acceptance before he ever promised to change his ways (Luke 19:9).

In every case, salvation was already present; faith was simply the awakening to it.

In other words, faith is not the currency we pay to receive salvation, it is the lens that lets us see and enjoy what was already true before we ever believed.

This ties directly into the picture of sons and the bride. All humanity are sons, offspring of God, reconciled in Christ whether they know it or not. But faith is what lifts the veil, awakening us to enter the bridal chamber. Sons inherit by blood, but the bride enters into union by devotion. Faith is what transforms our experience from merely existing as children of God into living as the Bride, enjoying intimacy with the Bridegroom.

This is why Paul can boldly say that Christ is the Savior of all, but especially of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10). Belief does not create salvation; it allows us to consciously engage it. It’s like stepping into the bridal chamber: the marriage has already been consummated, but faith removes the veil so we can participate in the intimacy that was always ours.

Confess and Believe?

One of the most quoted passages in discussions of salvation is Romans 10:9–10: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” At first glance, this sounds like a step-by-step formula for salvation: believe inwardly, confess outwardly, and then God responds by saving you. But when we read this verse in the context of Romans 9–11, we discover Paul is saying something much deeper.

Romans 9–11 is not about individual conversion formulas. It is Paul wrestling with Israel’s unbelief and God’s faithfulness. Israel pursued righteousness through the law and stumbled, while Gentiles, who weren’t even pursuing it, received righteousness by faith (Romans 9:30–32). Paul’s heart aches for his own people to see that righteousness is not found in the law, but in Christ, who has already fulfilled it (Romans 10:3–4).

That is the backdrop for Romans 10. When Paul says “confess and believe,” he is quoting Deuteronomy 30, where Moses told Israel that the word of God was not far away in heaven or across the sea, but already near, in their mouth and in their heart. Paul applies this to Christ: you don’t have to climb to heaven to bring Him down, or descend into the abyss to raise Him up, He is already near you (Romans 10:6-8).

In this light, confession and belief are not requirements we perform to get saved, but responses of faith to what is already true. Christ is already Lord. Christ is already risen. Salvation has already been secured. To “confess” and “believe” is to awaken to the nearness of that reality, to acknowledge it and participate in it.

Even the word “saved” (sōzō) in this passage speaks to rescue, wholeness, and deliverance, not “escaping hell.” Paul is describing the lived experience of salvation; , which for them was freedom from law, rest from striving, and peace with God, , not the initiation of salvation.

In other words, Romans 10:9–10 does not contradict the truth that all are saved. It confirms it. Paul is saying that the salvation secured for all becomes tangible and transformative in our lives as we confess what is true and believe what has already been done. Salvation is not created by our confession and belief, it is revealed through them.

Born Again?

Another phrase often raised in discussions of salvation is Jesus’ words to Nicodemus: “You must be born again” (John 3:7). Many interpret this as a requirement, as though salvation only becomes real after a person has the “born again” experience. But Jesus’ words, read in context, tell a different story.

Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who represented Israel’s law-based system of righteousness. Nicodemus came at night, still in darkness, and Jesus told him plainly: “Unless one is born again (or born from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Notice the language. Jesus does not say, “Unless you are born again, God will not save you.” He says, “you cannot see the kingdom.” In other words, being born from above is about perception, not eligibility.

The Greek word anōthen can mean both “again” and “from above.” Jesus is not speaking of a second physical birth, but of a birth from above, the Spirit awakening us to what flesh and law cannot produce. All are already included in Christ, reconciled and saved by His work (John 3:16–17). But to be “born from above” is to awaken to that reality, to see and experience the kingdom that has always been at hand.

This is why Paul can boldly declare that Christ is the Savior of all, especially those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10). All are saved by Christ’s finished work, but being born from above is the Spirit’s unveiling in us of that salvation. It is the moment when the veil lifts, when sons by see themselves as the bride, and when what was always true becomes alive in our awareness.

Inside the City, Outside the City

Revelation closes with a breathtaking vision of the holy city. John hears the angel declare, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of Christ”—and then he is shown the holy city, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–10). This is not a description of a literal city made of stone and streets; it is a portrait of the bride of Christ. The imagery is symbolic, unveiling what we look like as His people in union with Him. The holy city represents the bridal reality; the unveiling of the bridal chamber, the holy of holies, where nothing separates Creator from creation, and where the Bride shares in the life and glory of her Bridegroom. This is a relational reality: union with God, the unveiling of the bridal chamber, the holy of holies where nothing separates us from God and God from us.

But John’s vision also shows a contrast. There are those who are inside the city, sharing in her light, drinking freely from the river of life, walking in face-to-face intimacy with the Lamb. And there are those who remain outside (Revelation 22:14–15).

What does this mean? Not that some are excluded from salvation, for the gates of the city are never shut and a call from the bride and Spirit inviting all to come inside (Revelation 21:25). The distinction is about engagement, not eligibility. To be inside is to embrace the invitation, to step into the unveiled intimacy of the Bride. To be outside is to remain in distance, alive by the same grace but not awakened to its fullness.

Think of it this way: all are sons by bloodline; offspring of God, reconciled in Christ. But the bride enters where sons alone cannot, into the chambers of love. A brother shares the same Father, but a bride shares the secret places of the heart. Belief is the act of stepping inside the city, having the veil removed, and saying yes to communion.

The story of the city is not one of exclusion but of open gates. Even those who linger outside are still invited, still pursued, still embraced by the relentless light that shines from within.

The End of the Story: God All in All

The testimony of Scripture is not that we are waiting for God to one day become all in all, but that in Christ He already is all in all. The cross and resurrection sealed it; the wedding feast has already been fulfilled. What remains is not for God to accomplish more, but for humanity to awaken to what has already been done.

Isaiah foresaw the shroud over all nations being destroyed and death swallowed up forever (Isaiah 25:6–8). Paul declared that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:9–11). John saw every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth singing praise to the Lamb (Revelation 5:13).

But none of these visions describe a God forcing submission or controlling response. They are invitations into engagement. They are the fruit of love drawing all people into recognition of what has always been true. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance, the kindness of God that opens hearts, and the love of God that awakens every tongue to confess and every knee to bow.

This is not the vision of a weak kingdom where God loses most of His children. This is the vision of a relentless love from which nothing can separate us (Romans 8:38–39), a love that continues to pursue until every voice joins the song.

The Hope We Carry

When we step back and see the picture of Scripture, the story is clear:

In Adam, all were bound under death. In Christ, all have been justified and made alive (Romans 5:18).

All humanity is God’s offspring by bloodline, but belief draws us deeper; into unveiled intimacy, into the bridal chambers.

The New Jerusalem is not a future city descending from the sky, but the unveiled Bride revealed in Christ. Its gates are open now, never to be shut. The feast has already taken place, and we are invited to live in its joy today.

The gospel is not fragile or waiting to be completed. It is not hanging on human effort or timing. It was accomplished in Christ, finished and fulfilled: 

“Through Him, God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself, whether in heaven or on earth, by making peace through the blood of His cross” — Colossians 1:20

To say “all are saved” is to honor the full power of what Jesus has already done. To say “especially those who believe” is to recognize that some step into the bridal chamber and enjoy the intimacy of union, while others remain unaware. But the love is the same, the reconciliation is the same, and the open gates of the city remain the same.

The hope we carry, then, is not that God will one day finish His work, but that humanity will awaken to what has already been accomplished. That those still living as though they are outside might realize the gates were never closed, that the banquet has already been spread, and that the song of the Bridegroom has always been ringing out.

This is the gospel of abundance, the good news of a God who refused to let Adam’s failure define humanity’s story. It is the story of a Bridegroom who has already wed His bride and now calls her to enjoy the fullness of union.

All are saved. Especially those who believe.

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Objections And Clarifications

Whenever this scope of salvation is discussed, certain questions naturally arise. Let’s briefly address a few of the most common.

What about the “narrow gate” and “few will find it”? (Matthew 7:13–14)

At face value, these words of Jesus are often taken to mean that only a small group of people will be saved in the end. But if we look carefully at the context, Jesus is not speaking about the eternal fate of humanity, He is speaking directly to His first-century Jewish audience about the contrast between two ways: the broad way of law, temple, and religious striving versus the narrow way of entering into Him as the fulfillment of it all.

The “broad way” was crowded because most of Israel clung to the old covenant system, thinking righteousness came through works of the law. That road, Jesus said, led to destruction, which in its immediate context pointed to the coming judgment of Jerusalem in AD 70, when the temple system was brought to an end.

The “narrow way” was Jesus Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He was the door into the kingdom, but because He did not look like the Messiah many expected, only a few recognized and entered in during His earthly ministry.

Importantly, Jesus was not making a universal statement about the eternal exclusion of most of humanity. He was describing the difficulty His own generation faced in perceiving Him as the narrow gate in the midst of Israel’s religious system. Though only a few entered at first, the story of Scripture shows that His life and resurrection opened the way for all.

So the narrow gatelimitation is about the challenge of leaving law-based striving behind to experience God's kingdom. It was “narrow” because it required a shift of mind and heart, but it was never closed. In Him, what was once narrow has become wide open for all.

What about the Sheep and the Goats? (Matthew 25:31–46)

This passage is often read as a final judgment where humanity is eternally divided into two groups;, the “saved” and the “unsaved.” But when we read it in context, it is not about the eternal fate of individuals; it is about the judgment that was coming upon Jerusalem, the temple, and Old Covenant governance.governance

Jesus had just finished prophesying the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24, and Matthew 25 continues the same theme through parables and imagery. The separation of sheep and goats represents the dividing line between those who recognized and embraced the new covenant kingdom of Christ and those who clung to the old covenant system that was passing away.

In this light, the judgment of the “goats” was not a picture of eternal torment but of those within Israel who resisted Christ and suffered the consequences of the coming judgment on the old covenant system. The “sheep” are those who entered into the kingdom life, marked not by law-keeping, but by acts of mercy, love, and identification with Christ Himself in “the least of these.”

This was never about God dividing humanity into eternal categories, but about the covenantal transition; the end of the temple age and the unveiling of the kingdom age. The parable points us to the reality that the kingdom is revealed in Christ’s love and mercy, not in the structures of law and temple governance.

What about judgment in general?

When we hear the word judgment, we often think of God condemning individuals to eternal separation. But in Scripture, judgment most often refers to God’s dealings with Israel’s covenant system, especially the temple and law-based governance that culminated in Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70.

Jesus consistently tied judgment to His generation: “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). His warnings about fire, destruction, and weeping were not predictions of endless torment, but prophecies of the end of the Old Covenant world ” (Matthew 23). Judgment meant the removal of what was passing away so that the kingdom could be fully unveiled.

In this sense, judgment was not about God excluding people from salvation, but about God bringing closure to the system of law and temple worship that kept people bound. It was covenantial. It was an exposing of lies, a dismantling of the old structures, and the unveiling of Christ’s kingdom.

So when we read judgment passages, we should see them as descriptions of God’s transition from the Old Covenant to the New. Judgment is not the final word; reconciliation is. Judgment cleared the way so that nothing would stand between humanity and the unveiled union we now share in Christ.

What about passages that speak of salvation in the future tense (“you will be saved”)?

When the New Testament writers spoke of salvation as future, they were not pointing to an event thousands of years later. They were speaking within the unfolding story of redemptive history. At the time of their writing, the Old Covenant system of temple and law was still standing, even though Christ had already accomplished the work of reconciliation. For nearly a generation, temple worship and sacrifices continued.

The language of “future salvation” looked ahead to the moment when that old order would be fully taken out of the way and the kingdom revealed in fullness of its glory. This climax came at the end of the age in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed, the Old Covenant governance removed, and the body of Christ was unveiled in fullness, just as Jesus prophesied. What Christ had already secured on the cross was then revealed openly for all to see.

So the future tense in Scripture was not about God withholding salvation until a later date, nor about postponing reconciliation until the end of the world. It was about the historical transition from the shadow of the Old Covenant into the unveiled reality of the New. In Christ, that future has already arrived; the fullness of salvation has been revealed, and the kingdom is here.

More Scriptural References

While we’ve highlighted key scriptures throughout this chapter, many more could be added. Here are several additional passages that confirm and expand these truths:

Luke 3:6 ALL FLESH shall see the salvation of God.

John 1:9 Jesus is the true Light which gives light to EVERY MAN coming into the world.

John 1:29  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin OF THE WORLD.

John 3:35 God sent Jesus to SAVE THE WORLD. 

John 12:47 Jesus came to SAVE THE WORLD. 

Romans 11:32 All people were imprisoned by disobedience so that God may have mercy on THEM ALL. 

2 Corinthians 5:15 Christ died FOR ALL.

2 Corinthians 5:19 Through Christ, God was RECONCILING THE WORLD to Himself, not counting men's sins against them. 

Ephesians 1:9–11 Bringing unity TO ALL THINGS in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 4:10 Christ ascended higher than all the heavens to fill the WHOLE UNIVERSE.

Hebrews 2:9 Jesus tasted death for EVERYONE. 

1 John 2:2 --- Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and NOT ONLY OURS but of the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD.

1 John 4:14 Christ is the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.

Genesis 12:3  ALL PEOPLES on earth will be blessed through Abraham.

Psalms 22:27 --- All the ends of the earth and ALL THE FAMILIES of the nations will acknowledge God. 

Psalms 65:2 --- ALL MEN will come to God. 

Psalms 145:9-10 --- The Lord has compassion on ALL HIS CREATION and ALL He has made will praise Him. 

Jeremiah 31:34 No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for THEY SHALL ALL KNOW ME, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

These passages, along with many others, remind us that the story of salvation is not a future hope we are waiting for, but a finished reality we are invited to awaken to and engage with today.

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By Serge Da Rosa

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About the Author

Serge Da Rosa is co-founder of Urban Eden Community, a ministry dedicated to helping people discover their God-given identity and walk in the freedom of the new creation. Alongside his wife, Kristy, Serge facilitates weekly gatherings in Tulsa, Oklahoma that center around authentic connection, growth, and kingdom expression outside the walls of traditional religious systems.

Serge’s passion is to see people awakened to their union with God. Through weekly community gatherings, work in addiction recovery, community events, writing, teaching, and the Kings And Priests Podcast, he speaks into themes of identity, grace, purpose, kingdom and governance with clarity, depth, and hope.

Whether through a conversation, a gathering, or a written word, Serge’s message remains the same: You are in perfect union with God, empowered with God's Kingdom.