WHAT ABOUT 1 TIMOTHY 4:10?
This is a verse which is often raised as an objection to
God’s Sovereignty in election.
“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our
hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of
those who believe.”
It has had many interpretations. Here are a few of them:
(1) UNIVERSALISM – Universalists interpret the phrase that
God is “the Savior of all people” to mean that all will be saved. This is
contrary to all sound doctrine and, in fact, has always been viewed as heresy
by the Church. The proponents of this idea emphasize the love of God as God’s
chief and most important attribute, to the exclusion of all others, such as His
holiness and His justice. This heresy is very easily refuted because the Bible
makes it very clear that some people will end up in hell, forever. (Rev 14:
9-11; 20:15; Matt 5: 21-22, 27-30; 23: 15, 33; 25: 41, 46)
If the phrase “the Savior of all people” was seeking to
teach universalism, the rest of the verse would have no meaning when it says
“especially of those who believe.”
(2) ARMINIANISM – Arminians would normally interpret the verse
to say that God wants to save everyone but His desire is many times thwarted by
the obstinate free will of man. Note though that the passage does not say He
wants to save, but that He actually saves: He is actually the Savior (in some
sense at least) of all people, not merely a potential Savior.
Also, according to Isaiah 46:10, God’s will is never
frustrated. He accomplishes all He sets out to do.
(3) A VARIATION OF ARMINIANISM - God is able to save all
people, but though all can be saved, only believers actually are. Again, this
is not what the text says.
(4) THE REFORMED VIEW – God is the Savior of all people (in
one sense) and especially of those who believe (in another sense). Why would
this be considered the correct interpretation?
Well, as we study the terms “salvation” and “Savior” in the
Bible we find many nuances – many different ways God saves. The most important
aspect of salvation is to be “saved” from the wrath of God (Romans 5:6-9), but
salvation also includes the idea of rescue from enemy attack (Psalm 18:3);
preservation (Matt 8:25); physical healing (Matt 9:22; James 5:15) etc. God
“saved” not only Paul but everyone else on board ship with him in Acts 27:22,
31, 44. There are numerous ways that “salvation” takes place, but that’s a complete
Bible study all in itself.
When we study the word Savior (Greek: soter) in the LXX
version (Greek translation of the Old Testament) we see the word used in a way
that is far less grandiose than that which we generally think of the word. One
example is Judge Othniel is called a Soter (Savior) or deliverer because he
delivered the children of Israel from the hands of the king of Mesopotamia (Jud
3:9). 2 Kings 13:5 talks of God giving Israel a “Savior” so that they were
delivered from the hands of the Syrians. The judges of Israel were “saviors” as
Nehemiah 9:27 states, “… in the time of their suffering they cried out to you
and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave
them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.” (see also Psalm
36:6)
A great deal more could be said to substantiate this idea of
a savior, but I think the above makes the point. God provides food (Psalm
104:27, 28) sunlight and rainfall (Matt. 5:45), as well as life and breath and
all things (Acts 17:25), for “In him we live and move and have our being.”
(Acts 17:28)
God preserves, delivers and supplies the needs of all who
live in this world, and it is in this sense that He extends grace to them,
saving them from destruction every day they live. God is also gracious in
allowing many to hear the proclamation of the Gospel.
All of these mercies are referred to as “common grace.” As I
pointed out in the chapter “The Place to Start: Amazed by Common Grace” it is
common only in the sense that every living person gets it. This grace should
actually shock and amaze us because God is under no obligation whatsoever to
give it to anyone. God sustains the lives of His sworn enemies, often for many
decades! However, as wonderful as it is, it is only a temporal grace because
all unregenerate people eventually die and will face the judgment. (Heb 9:27)
I believe then that 1 Timothy 4:10 teaches that God is the
Savior (soter – preserver, sustainer and deliverer) of all people (showing
mercy to all, each and every day they live), especially of those who believe
(who receive full salvation from His wrath and everlasting life).
HT: monergism.com
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