Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4
How well do you know your Bible? As you study it, I am sure you will agree that this holy Book contains many thousands of things that we can learn. Among these are hundreds of things that we should learn. And among these, there are only three things that we must learn. Our eternal destiny depends on our learning these three; our salvation is impossible without knowing about man’s ruin, God’s remedy, and man’s responsibility. All Gospel preaching that is based on the Word of God will include these three pillars of the message, although Calvinistic doctrine would eliminate the third pillar. Our text is one of many in the Scriptures that identify these three pillars.
If God will have that all men to be saved, it follows that all men need salvation. From Genesis to Revelation, this theme is prominent, from the fall of Adam to the need to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. All have sinned, all must die because of sin, and none of our works will save us. We know this, but it seems a lost message to those around us who are unaware of how lost they are, how unfit to stand before the Holy One Who will judge them. This pillar of the Gospel makes us aware every day how thankful we are that God would save sinners like us.
We are also thankful that God will not only have that all men to be saved, but that He made the great provision for us to be saved. From the hopelessness of the first pillar we view the wondrous grace of the second pillar, and see how God can be justified in offering His salvation to us.
If God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, why is everybody not saved? In the third pillar, we see the reality of the two wills: God’s will that we would be saved, and man’s will that determines whether we step into the good of the second pillar. We often point to the whosoever of John 3:16 and declare there is no limitation on God’s salvation. But there is a limitation, a restriction that limits those who are saved. But it is not a limitation of God’s imposing. God longs for all to benefit from His grace, and has provided sufficient salvation to cover all who will accept. No, the limitation on the whosoever is imposed by those to whom God is offering His grace. This limitation is displayed in the neglecting, the rejecting, and the refusing that result in damnation.
We are saved because God wants us to be saved, and we are thankful. Others are lost despite God wanting them to be saved, and we are humbled. -Jim MacIntosh