I know, the title is a bit simple and seems to go without saying.
“10For 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.” – 1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)
For the non-believer, there may be a sense of confusion with the verse above. Although the letter is written by Paul to Timothy as encouragement and instruction, when read by the non-believer, the words are not as clear. I even have to take a double take and based on the notes in my bible, I have read through this passage a number of times and must have missed this little nugget of wisdom.
The verse above is packed with a lot, and the commentary in my ESV Bible gives some insight as to the meanings of the last part of the verse. “could seem to teach universalism, that every person will eventually go to heaven…There are several other possible explanations for this phrase: (1) It means that Christ died for all people, but only those who believe in him are saved. (2) It means he is offered to all people, though not all receive him. (3) It means ‘the Savior of all people, namely, those who believe’. (4) It means ‘the helper of all people,’ to refer not to forgiveness of sins but to God’s common grace by which God helps and protects people in need. (5) It means ‘the Savior of all kinds of people, not Jews only but both Jews and Greeks.’ In any case, the emphasis is on God’s care for the unsaved world, and in the flow of the letter Paul is stressing once more that God’s will that people would be saved is the basis of the universal mission.”
There is a lot to unpack in that comment, but what I get out of it and the verse is that regardless of who you are, what your background, where you come from, God’s mission of bringing salvation to you is my/our central purpose. I come back to the Great Commission in Matthew:
“19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
Just as Paul indicated to Timothy, I have a job to do and that job is to bring the gospel to ALL. I am to provide the way to salvation at every turn and to every one. I should not concern myself with whether or not they accept the gift of salvation, only offer to everyone and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work on them. That work could be exactly what I bring which is love and care, or it could be to convict them of their need for salvation and allow them to join the ranks of us as believers.
What are you tasked with doing each day? Are you “picking and choosing” who to present the gospel to? Are providing the opportunity of salvation to all, especially believers?
Trevor's Thoughts 