Faithfully Living in the Household of God: Salvation is from God: 1 Timothy 2:4

1. Introduction:

2. Shifting the focus from Man to God:

The struggle arises when we delve into the essence of faith and the Christian identity, and place ourselves at the center. Yet, when we do this we distorts the truth, painting a flawed picture. We start believing that God the Father sent His Son solely for our sake, and consequently, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is exclusively for our glory. It's as if we consider ourselves the very reason motivating God to get out of bed, as if He exists solely for our benefit. This perspective diminishes the profound nature of God's love, reducing it to a mere reflection of our self-importance.

Therefore, as Paul continues to instruct Timothy on how he is to reestablish the church on the foundation of faithfulness and prayer, he reinforces that Timothy needs to draw the focus of the church off of man-centered religion and onto the realities of a God centered religion. Moving people from being consumed with their desires, which cause fights and disunity, to being consumed with what God desires.

Ephesians 2:3 “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

A. Whose desire is at play?

Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” When it comes to life a foundational truth that all Christians must embrace is, whose desire is supreme. Paul’s point here is that we need to get our minds around the truth that God expects Christians and even the world to submit to His desire and will.

For God the Father is the only being in existence that has a sovereign will. The “sovereign will is a term for the will of God, which is not conditioned or bound by any other power and thus exists as the supreme and sovereign reality over all else.” Donald K. McKim. Because of God's manifest sovereign will, everything He does or refrains from doing reflects His perfect righteousness and holiness.

“As judge, God not only acts according to what is considered right; his revealed will also serves as the highest standard for what is right (Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4). Taken together, God’s revealed will and God’s actions on behalf of his people are internally coherent and never in contradiction with each other.” J. Owen Carroll, “God’s Righteousness,” in Lexham Survey of Theology.

Deut 32:4 ““The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

God's goodness is his perfect character demonstrated to His creatures based in their circumstances and relationships (Psalm 145:8, 9; 103:8; 1 John 4:8). In essence, it's benevolence, and in response to their suffering, it's mercy, pity, and compassion. Even towards unrepentant sinners, it's patient forbearance. When showering favor upon the undeserving, it's grace. God's goodness and justice are unified facets of His unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection. He isn't sporadically merciful or just but eternally both. His goodness is limitless and beyond human comprehension (Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 11:35, 36). It manifests through giving and forgiving. (Adapted from Goodness of God in Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

B. In whose hand is Salvation found?

Therefore, in establishing this desire or will, God serves as the highest standard for what is right and just. It follows then that it is only right that God has full authority over the salvation of his creatures. Paul states, in 1 Timothy 2:4 God our Savior, “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God’s desire is that people would hear and embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that God would be known and humanity freed from condemnation.

But to understand this desire of God, we must grasp why salvation is only found in the hands of God? The answer has two facets, 1) it is because of the condition of man. The Bible is clear regarding what condition man is in apart from God.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”

Isaiah 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

The Bible makes it clear that the condition of mankind is one of total depravity, which begun with the sin of Adam and Eve, because of that act of disobedience sin entered the world and spread to all peoples, even though our sinning today is not like the sinning of Adam. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” Leaving us without the ability to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord as Isaiah 64:6 shows. Therefore, our condition as children of wrath made it impossible for salvation to be in our hands.

The second reason why salvation belongs to the Lord, is because God is the offended party as it is His standards that have been transgressed. Sin is not limited to affecting humanity, as though I hurt you and now need your forgiveness alone. In Psalm 51:4 David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

David's confession reveals a dual sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband. Yet, he emphasizes his primary offense lies before God, with the sin against Bathsheba and her husband deemed secondary. This shocking truth challenges our self-centered worldview.

Genesis 39:9 “He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?””

1 Samuel 12:23 “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.”

Hence, due to our condition apart from Christ, the heart of man is unable to genuinely seek God on its own. Without God's intervention, man will not humbly turn in repentance. As 1 John 4:19 declares, "We love because he first loved us." This truth underscores the divine initiative in salvation. Therefore, it is imperative that God's command, as conveyed through Paul, compels the church to fervently pray for the redemption of souls. As salvation rests in the hands of the Lord. As He is the offended party, due to our disobedience and sin against Him moral standards, therefore God alone holds the authority to satisfy His justice. Our adherence to His will becomes paramount, for it is God who determines the course of justice and mercy.

(Depending on how much time you have left, you can end here and jump to the final exhortation)

C. The Context leads to understanding “ALL”:

Since salvation belongs to the Lord, with God as the subject and man as the object our task is to understand then what Paul means by “all people.”

Louis Berkhof states;

In the case of Tit. 2:11, which speaks of the appearance of the grace of God, “bringing salvation to all men,” the context clearly shows that “all men” really means all classes of men. If the “all” is not restricted, this passage too would teach universal salvation. The passages in 1 Tim. 2:4–6, Heb. 2:9; 2 Pet. 3:9 refer to the revealed will of God that both Jews and Gentiles should be saved, but imply nothing as to the universal intent of the atonement. Louis Berkhof

Our hearts long to embrace a universal salvation for mankind, but we primarily base this longing on what we believe God should be like. Therefore distorting the right view of God’s character. For we over emphasize God’s love and grace at the expence of his justice, righteousness and holiness. Therefore, when God’s judgement is worked out and people in their sin enter the eternal judgment of hell God is being just. His justice, righteousness and Holiness are on full display.

For God came to call sinners, not the righteous; not because the righteous are already in the Kingdom, but because there is none who are righteous, not even one. Therefore all people are held under the captivity of sin and in desperate need of salvation, and without the grace and mercy of God the Father no sinner would repent.

John 3:19-20 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

In these verses, Jesus speaks about Himself as the light that has come into the world. He reveals God's truth and righteousness. However, people prefer to remain in darkness because they fear that their sinful actions will be exposed by the light. It speaks to the spiritual condition of those who reject the truth and choose to continue living in sin.

“And, moreover, who will be so foolish and blasphemous as to say that God cannot change the evil wills of men, whichever, whenever, and wheresoever He chooses, and direct them to what is good? But when He does this, He does it of mercy; when He does it not, it is of justice that He does it not; for “He hath mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.”2 [Augustine., Enchir. 98.25]

While not all individuals enter heaven, it stands to reason that God acts in a distinct manner in the lives of individuals according to His sovereign will. Nevertheless, this does not imply that God withholds His common grace from anyone, for we all dwell in God's good creation as His cherished image bearers, and His divine glory is proclaimed in the very fabric of creation itself.

But as Augustine states, “But when He (God) does this (saves), He does it of mercy; when he does it not, it is of justice that he does it not; for ‘He has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens.’” It is justice when God does not enliven people because they have condemned themselves already because of their unbelief. As John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Hence, their destination and eternal judgment in Hell, is not a consequence of God labeling them as sinners, but rather a result of their own rejection of God the Father. As expressed in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 “and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

4. Final Exhortation:

In His boundless mercy and grace, God offers humanity a gift they do not deserve: salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet, despite this incredible offer, humanity often rejects the light and clings to the darkness because of their wicked hearts. Paul's message to Timothy is a resounding call for the church to intercede in prayer for the salvation of all, not because everyone will be saved, but because God seeks to draw His chosen ones from every corner of the earth, and has determined to us the Body of Christ to bring about his will of salvation. Therefore, let us walk in faithfulness to God, steward well what he has given into our hands and seek to proclaim the message of life to a broke and dying world.

Prayer:

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Benediction: