1 Chronicles 29:10-12 Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. (11) Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. (12) Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.
Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
[ This verse shows that God's plan & purpose will NOT be changed, despite man's attempt at doing so. Though man tries to change things for his own sinful purposes, God's will & purpose will ALWAYS prevail. ]
Psa 115:3 But our God [is] in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Psa 135:6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, [that] did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
Isaiah 14:24,27 The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:
(27) For the LORD of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?"
Isaiah 46:9-11 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, �My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,� (11) Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.
Jer 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee:
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
FAITH & REPENTANCE ARE DIVINE GIFTS -
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Acts 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Acts 18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
2 Timothy 2:25-26 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, (26) and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand [to be] a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Galatians 1:15-16 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother�s womb and called me through His grace, (16) to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
2Pet 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
1Cor 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?
1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
SECRETS OF THE KINGDOM ARE MADE KNOWN TO THE ELECT -
1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Matthew 11:25-27 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (26) "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. (27) "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Luke10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Matthew 13:10-11,16 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" (11) He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
(16) "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
Luke 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luke 24:44-45 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." (45) And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
John 6:37,44-45,64-65 (37) "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
(44) "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (45) "It is written in the prophets, �And they shall all be taught by God.� Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
(64) "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. (65) And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
1Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
Ephesians 1:17-19 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
Acts 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
So, God is the Saviour of all men? Cool, then all men are saved.
Notice, using your understanding, it doesn't say he desires to save all men, but that he actually IS the saviour of all men.
So, again, you have a glaring problem in your exegesis. Let me offer you some help
What of I Tim. 2:4 & I Tim. 4:10? (51)
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In the last installment I referred to two passages of Scripture that are quoted in support of the gracious and well-meant gospel offer, which comes to all men as an expression of God�s love for all men and his desire to save all men. The first is I Timothy 2:4: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.� The second is I Timothy 4:10: �For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.�
What do these texts teach?
I Timothy 2:4. Almost all serious commentators, including Calvin, take this passage in the light of the context in which Paul admonishes Timothy to pray for all men. This �all men� is defined in verse 2 as �kings, and all that are in authority.� The reason to pray especially for all in authority over us is �that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty;� that is, we must pray for those in authority for the sake of the well-being of the church.
To do this is pleasing to God, because it is his will that all be saved. God saves all kinds of people, including those in authority. Timothy needs to know this, for those in authority were persecuting the church, and he would have wondered why he had to pray for obvious enemies of the gospel. But this was surely in keeping with our Lord�s own instructions to citizens of the kingdom in Matthew 5:44.
It all seems clear enough and one cannot help but wonder how this text can be quoted to support the idea of a universal love of God and a desire of God to save all men.
I Timothy 4:10. If one takes this passage in the context in which it is written, the meaning is not all that hard to ascertain. Paul says that it is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Timothy exercise himself unto godliness, for physical exercise is of little profit, while godliness �has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come� (verse 8). That is a great incentive to practice godliness! Such a great incentive is this for the apostle (and he wants his own life to be an example to Timothy) that he is willing both �to labour and suffer reproach� at the hands of the enemies of the gospel for the sake of the exercise of godliness. The reproach of the wicked does not mean very much and has little significance for him because he trusts in God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially the elect.
To set aside for a moment the true meaning of the passage, it is worth our while to note that should this be used in support of a universal desire of God to save all men, the text proves more than supporters of a well-meant gospel would themselves want.
After all, the text does not say that God desires to save all men, but that Christ is actually the Saviour of all men. That is more than the most dedicated Arminian wants to say.
There is another meaning to the Greek word soter (Savior) that is the meaning here. That meaning is �Preserver.� Christ preserves all men, especially the elect. Paul calls attention to this fact as the reason why he is not troubled by reproach for the godliness in which he exercises himself. The reason, apparently, is that God has his own purpose in preserving every man.
Whether he be elect or reprobate, he is created by God to serve God�s sovereign purpose in history. By his providence, God preserves righteous and wicked alike. The wicked too exist by the word of God, the same word that sustains the entire creation. (See for this use, Thayer�s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 612. Thayer, in fact, claims that �preserver� is its original meaning. Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek (Edinburgh: T & T. Clark, 1895) 534).
Part of that purpose God has in preserving wicked men is that they persecute the righteous. Persecution also comes through wicked men by the will of God. And persecution is the means God uses to sanctify his people. Peter reminds us that persecution is a fiery trial in which the faith of God�s people is tried as gold is tried in the fire, that it might be to the praise and glory of God (I Peter 1:7).
It may very well be that Paul, in this general statement, has a broader purpose in mind that God has for the reprobate; but he particularly calls attention to the preservation of the reprobate, for it stands in direct relation to God�s purpose in preserving the elect. God�s purpose is �especially� revealed in them in their salvation; but the reprobate are also preserved �especially� for the elect.
Surely, there is no universal love and grace of God in the text.
The text I consider next is found in Romans 2:4: �Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?� The argument that is made from this text is that God�s goodness, forbearance and longsuffering are shown to all men and express God�s desire to save them; yet they despise these manifestations of God�s love and grace towards them. The point of the defenders of a well-meant gospel offer is that the text speaks of God�s attributes, particularly his goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, as indicative of God�s love for all men, his grace towards them and his desire to save them. Louis Berkhof argues this very point in his book written in defense of common grace.
There are two things wrong with this interpretation. The first is that it clearly places the final decision for man�s salvation in man�s hands. I have objected to this implication of the defense of common grace repeatedly, but the use of this text as proof that God desires to save all and thus to throw the final decision in man�s hands is blatantly argued here. There is absolutely no way one can hold to such a position without becoming Arminian in the fullest sense of the word.
The second thing wrong with this interpretation is that it changes the reading of the text. No man has a right to do this. The interpretation offered by the defenders of a well-meant offer deliberately change the text to read something which it does not say. These defenders say the text reads: �. . . not knowing the goodness of God desires to lead thee to repentance� � but does not succeed in its desire. While the text says, �. . . not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance� � and actually does so.
This alteration in the words of the text is inexcusable to a sincere student of Scripture, and shows a willingness to twist Scripture�s clear words in the interests of making a case for one�s own notions.
I am assuming, of course, that no one who uses this text as proof that God wants all men to be saved, actually believes that all men are saved, and that no one goes to hell. A universalist who believes that no one ever goes to hell is some other creature whose arguments are not relevant to the subject of the well-meant offer. A defender of the well-meant offer believes that many go to hell, even though God loves them and wants desperately their salvation.
One can, therefore, appeal to this text in support of a well-meant gospel and give it the meaning which the defenders of the well-meant offer give it only if one is a universalist, believing that all men will eventually be saved.
But no argument over a wrong interpretation of a text in Scripture is successfully refuted without a statement as to its true meaning.
The apostle is paving the way for his great teaching of justification by faith alone, without the works of the law. He is demonstrating that justification on the basis of the works of the law is an absolute impossibility. The keeping of the law cannot justify a man; it cannot justify any man. It cannot justify the Gentile; it cannot justify the Jew. The reason is that all are sinners under the just condemnation of God. Thus the whole human race is referred to in chapters 1 and 2, and in chapter 2, Paul directly addresses all men with this condemnation by using the general term �man� (verses 1, 3).
All men despise God�s goodness, forbearance and longsuffering. They even despise God�s goodness, forbearance and longsuffering when they know that these attributes lead to repentance, and thus salvation.
This fact that God�s goodness leads to repentance does not mean that God wants all men to be saved; nor does it mean that in fact God�s goodness always does lead every man to repentance and salvation. But it does mean that in fact, in the case of some, it is God�s goodness that leads to repentance, a truth that is evident on every page of Holy Writ. When the gospel is preached, the elect are brought to repentance. The wicked are witnesses of this great goodness of God that does save. But even though they see this, they still despise this goodness of God.
And, of course, we also despise God�s goodness, for we are included under the dire things Paul says about men. Thus behind the text stands the truth that God�s attributes, goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, are revealed in all his works, but men despise them. They are particularly revealed in his salvation of some. When some are led to repentance, it is the goodness of God that leads them to repentance, and not their works. Hence, the direct address is used here: �. . . the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.� But they are nevertheless universally despised.
The text becomes very important, therefore, for the doctrine of total depravity; and this truth in turn prepares the way for the great truth of sovereign grace, namely that God justifies the elect through faith in Christ, apart from any works which man performs.
So, you twisted the Scripture. There are plenty of verses that show that God desires ALL to be saved.
In this particular verse:
1 Timothy 4:10�For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
**** it states that God is the Saviour of all men...it does not state that all men are saved. The ones who believe are the ones who are saved...so God is especially their Saviour.
And, for the record, I did not bother to read the interpretation you posted...the verse can stand alone without corruption by man's interpretation and manipulation.
A wall of Scripture has been posted here. You made no attempt to interact with it. Instead, you post a handful of other Scripture that you believe is somehow contradictory. You pit the Word against the Word without showing any way of harmonizing it. The Word is not divided against itself. It will never be despite your attempts.
I, and many others, have answered Scriptures posted in the past. I have posted Scripture for discussion and not been answered with discussion. The typical answer I get is 'you ripped those out of context'. Well I cited entire chapters in response...to singular verses pieced together.
I CHOSE to answer the Scriptures posted with other Scriptures. Obviously, I hit a nerve because the usual diversion of claiming the Scriptures posted are irrelevant to the discussion keeps occurring.
2 Timothy 3:15�And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
