Prayers to God should be made on behalf of all men (1 Tim. 2:1). All kinds of people need salvation. God not only sends His sunshine and rain on everyone (Mt. 5:45), but He also desires to save each and every person (1 Tim. 2:4). As Christians, we should petition God, who is the creator and benefactor of all people, for conducive conditions for spreading His message to all people. We should even pray for rulers and all those who are in authority—even if they are antagonistic to Christianity—for their decisions will affect whether we have opportunities to spread the gospel (1 Tim. 2:2). People can more readily listen to God’s message of salvation when free from terror, anarchy, and severe economic hardships.
The means by which all people are saved is coming to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Paul used “the truth” in his letters to refer to the saving truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:5, 14). To Timothy, Paul made it clear that the church is to uphold the truth (1 Tim. 3:15); contrariwise, to lack a knowledge of the truth and be opposed to it is to be lost (1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:7, 8). Thus, salvation involves cognition—acquiring knowledge and understanding of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Obviously other things are involved such as one’s volition, but without knowing who the Lord is, one cannot appeal to Him for salvation; one must know the gospel before one can obey it (Rom. 10:13-16).
Truth is exclusive. While God’s desire for salvation is inclusive of all people, the nature of objective truth means that proposed answers other than the truth are false. Just as Paul goes on to say “there is one God” in 1 Timothy 2:5, there is only one truth and one way to the Father: Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6). Jesus is not “a truth” or “a way” among many. False gods and false ways will not save. Jesus is the one mediator between all men and God. Jesus is in a unique position to mediate because He can identify with both God and man. Jesus is God (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:8; Isa. 9:6; Mt. 1:23). Yet, He became flesh and lived as a man for a third of a century (Jn. 1:14; Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2:9, 14). He gave His own life as a ransom for all men to be released from their sins and have peace with God (1 Tim. 2:6).
Life is short (Psa. 90:10; Jas. 4:14). The opportunities we have to study the truth and tell it to others are dwindling. This week, brother Allen Webster will be here to speak on these vital subjects. Our prayer is for all kinds of people to come to a knowledge of the truth that saves their souls through the efforts of this week.
-Mark Day
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