1 Timothy 4:10

1 Tim. 4:10 

by Matt Slick

Much is made out of 1 Tim. 4:10 by the Universalist to claim that Jesus will redeem all people whether or not they accept or reject Christ as Savior here on earth. Eventually, they say, all people will repent (either here or in the afterlife) and come to a saving relationship with God. 1 Timothy 4:10 is used as proof. 

Unfortunately, the verse does not prove what the Universalists hope it does. Can God be called the Savior of all men and yet not redeem all? Yes. Let’s take a look.

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers,” (NASB).

“(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe,” (NIV).

“For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe,” (KJV).

All people are, by nature, born under wrath (Eph. 2:3) and should go to hell.  Why? Because God is holy and we are sinners. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:28) Yet, we have hope in Christ. The Christian is saved by faith (Eph. 2:8) and will join the Lord in heaven.  But, the unbeliever is under judgment. 

Freedom!

"A soul alive, is one quickened by Christ. True spiritual life depends entirely on daily grace, as the same power that initially gives life is required to sustain it." - C.H. Spurgeon

What are you thinking about and why does it matter? Throughout the Bible, we see verse after verse reminding us of the importance of our thoughts and why we need to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds. But we also need to be aware of our true condition before we can appreciate the freedom that God desires and equips us to have in Christ!

"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." - Genesis 6:5

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." - Romans 3:11-12

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." - Proverbs 14:12

So if we incapable of doing good in God's eyes, what chance do we have of pleasing God? Fortunately God does not leave us without redemption, Praise God! Read on for the Good News!

Oh, The Places I've Seen (Part I)

 

Chuck Swindoll "Five Statements To Remember"

When God rescued me from myself in my late twenties, He had a lot of work to do in my heart and soul. My worldview needed to be replaced with biblical truth and God used a few different Pastors on the radio to help get me started in this journey. I was working as a Vice-President for Southern Food out of Nashville, but that title was just a fancy re-dressing of the more accurate description of supervisor. I was in charge of seven Wendy's restaurants, with locations as far south as Rome, GA and as far north as Cleveland, TN. and as you can imagine, I spent a lot of time in my car. NOTE: This was right at the cusp of mobile phones becoming an essential tool and though my company had purchased a bag phone (look that up kids) for my purposes, it was rarely utilized.

During my travels, the local radio stations were my entertainment of choice. I've always enjoyed talk radio and during my commute I found a couple of stations that had programs from preachers such as, Tony Evans, Charles Stanley, Steve Brown, Chuck Colson, and my favorite, Chuck Swindoll. I look back with great fondness of driving those distances accompanied by some of my favorite teachers, pointing me to the truth about Jesus Christ and the life He desired me to live. Driving through the hills of Northern Georgia, the sun fighting to stay relevant on the horizon, with the promise of clarity that only the night is so quick to impart, were special times indeed.