Friday 15th November 2019 Prayer Devotion
Scripture Reading:- 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Topic:- Does God Wants Everyone To Be Saved [2]
Text:- 1 Timothy 2:4
B. Pray For Salvation:
1. God is a Savior “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God’s people are not merely praying for God to give them a peaceful and quiet life. See 1 Timothy 2:4.
2. They are not merely praying for their own personal piety. They are praying that all people might experience salvation through Christ.
3. Universalism teaches that God saves everyone, and here is a verse that says in no uncertain terms that God’s will is for “all” to be saved. So, is this text stating that everyone is saved, whether they want to be or not?
4. The short answer is no. Neither this verse nor any other teaches that all people will be saved regardless of whether they have faith in Christ. What does it mean, then, for God to desire, or will, that all people be saved? And what does this verse mean in light of the fact that, in the end, not all will be saved?
5. Some interpreters hold that even though God wants something to happen, he does not necessarily make it happen. He gives people free will to decide whether to pursue his will for them. So there is contingency in God’s plan for the world. His will is contingent on the free will of sinners. Even though this is a widely held view, it is most likely not what Paul means to say in this text.
6. The key to understanding this text is to see that the Bible speaks of God’s will/desire in two different ways. On the one hand, God has a providential will that cannot be violated. On the other hand, he has a moral will that can be violated.
7. God’s providential will refers to his sovereign plan for the world and for all of our lives. When Paul says that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will,” he is referring to God’s providential will that cannot be broken. This is also what Paul is referring to, “For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” See Romans 8:228; Ephesians 1:11.
8. In this sense, we cannot know what God wills until it happens. It is not revealed in the Bible; it unfolds in history. His providential will is largely a secret to us. We can know it only in retrospect.
9. God’s moral will refers to his holiness and goodness. His moral will is reflected in his commands: “You shall not murder.” “You shall not steal.” “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” These commands express God’s moral will, and human beings can defy God’s moral will. In fact, this is what sin is: defiance of God’s will as revealed in Scripture. When Paul says, “This is the will of God, your sanctification,” he is referring to God’s moral will. And people break that all the time. See 1 Thessalonians 4:3
10. God’s will for every person on the planet is for him or her to repent and believe in the gospel. Some, by grace, will respond.
11. Thus Scripture can refer to God’s will in one of two ways, depending on the context. This is why Isaiah is able to prophesy about Jesus’ death. Does this mean that it pleased God for Roman soldiers to kill Jesus? No, of course not. In doing so, they were sinning. They were defying God’s moral will. So, in what sense was it “God’s will” that Jesus should be killed? It was God’s providential will and plan that his Son should die for sinners. See Isaiah 53:10.
12. So, when Paul writes that God “desires” or wills for all people to be saved, to what is he referring: God’s providential will, or his moral will? He is referring to God’s moral purpose that all men everywhere should repent and be saved. Yes, it is God’s moral will that all be saved, but it is not his providential will that all be saved. Salvation will come only to “all people” who believe. See 1 Timothy 2:4.
Prayer Point:- I command power of praying and praying through, come upon me henceforth by fire, in the name of Jesus Christ.
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