Kings tend to think they have supreme authority, that no one is above them. King Solomon wrote, “Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “‘What are you doing?’” (Eccl. 8:4). But only one King has no one above Him. Nebuchadnezzar was king over the mighty Babylonian empire and thought he was above all, but God humbled him and taught him that there is indeed a King of kings (Dan. 4:34; 1 Tim. 6:15). God is the Most High who reigns as king over the kingdom of men (Dan. 4:17; cf. Psa. 7:17).

God’s sovereignty means He works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11; Dan. 4:35). All are subject to His rule (Psa. 103:19). He is the Creator of all; He does what He pleases (Psa. 115:3; Rev. 4:11). As the omnipotent, reigning King (Rev. 19:6), He could force His will upon us feeble humans who in Him live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Some believe that He does. John Calvin viewed predestination as, “the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All men are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and accordingly, as each has been created for one or the other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.”[1]

Contrary to Calvin, the Bible teaches that God allows humans to have free will. From the beginning—when He gave Adam and Eve the option of obeying Him and living or eating of the forbidden tree and dying (Gen. 2:16, 17)—God has always given man a choice (Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15). Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn. 7:17). Man can exercise his will to find out the will of God and know divine doctrine, or he can reject the Lord. Jesus does not, at present, force us to be His servants; instead, He extends the invitation to all to come to Him (Mt. 11:28). The Lord has all authority; however, with that authority He commands the invitation of the gospel to go out to the entire world (Mt. 28:18-20). Every individual has the choice: “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). Many are lost because they reject this offer (Mt. 23:37; Acts 13:46; 2 Thess. 1:8).

God loves every person (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:6-8). He desires that all be saved (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). God has not chosen for you whether you will be saved or lost; you must choose. Your will is the deciding factor. God wants you to love Him in return with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk. 12:30). But He will not force you to love Him. Just as Jesus chose to lay down His life (Jn. 10:18) in order to follow God’s determinate plan (Acts 2:23), you must choose whether you will follow the path God has laid down for you to have eternal life.  Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Lk. 9:23, 24). You can choose to let God reign as King in your life by doing all things under His authority (Col. 3:17)

-Mark Day

[1] Institutes. III.21.5

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