Dead to God
To be separated from God is to be dead to Him and the things he considers important. Every human being apart from Adam and Eve and Jesus are born into a state of being dead to God. If one is dead to God not only do they miss out on experiencing an abundant life now but they also miss out on the culmination of being saved in the age to come. Let me explain.
Adam and Eve were created in a right relationship with God. It was an act of their will to doubt His goodness and rebel by choosing the fruit of the tree that caused their relational separation (or death) with God. The guilt of this act is passed down through the seed of the man to each successive generation. Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and the virgin, Mary, escaping the guilt that came down through the seed of Adam.
Every person is in need of being born again, of becoming alive to God. God uses multiple methods to draw all mankind to Himself, yet some are resistant to his efforts to invite them into a relationship with him. To continue in a state of separation through this life results in separation from Him in the age to come.
Can someone be a good person, one may ask. Good is a relative term and the standard is holiness. The gauge is whether we have at any time thought or acted on a thought that was unloving. The truth is all have been unloving. Another way of looking at this is, do we or have we doubted the goodness of God. It is this doubt that keeps us from trusting Him.
What about those who have never heard of Jesus. Does God hold them accountable? The answer is yes. All are born separated. And God reveals Himself to all. If we receive what he reveals he reveals more. If we reject it, we demonstrate we want nothing to do with Him.