Those who have died in the faith of Christ are referred to as the ____.

• A. Blessed Departed
• B. Holy Martyrs
• C. The Faithful Rest
• D. Righteous Dead

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how believers who have died in Christ are described. The best phrase is the righteous dead because it cleanly conveys both status and state: they are considered righteous through faith, and they are deceased. This terminology is commonly used to refer to faithful believers who have passed away, without implying martyrdom or any other specific circumstance.

The other options don’t fit as neatly. Blessed departed isn’t a standard ecclesial label for all believers who have died in faith. Holy martyrs refers to those who died specifically for the faith, a subset of believers, rather than all who died in Christ. The faithful rest is less of a recognized designation and can sound more like a description of a state than a formal label. Righteous dead captures the intended combination of faith-based righteousness and death in a concise, widely understood way.