Part one of a series

In what sense is God "the Savior of all men" (1 Timothy 4:10)? Will all mankind eventually receive eternal life from His hand? If not, what does this passage actually mean?

March 2024 - A few days ago a man I knew for many years passed away. He was an adult Sunday school teacher in the church my wife and I attended for the first nineteen years of our married life. This man fell into the trap of some deep heresies, including Hyperdispensationalism, and later the false doctrine known as Universal Reconciliation, or Christian Universalism. My last contact with him was just over ten years ago, but all the information I have been able to gather indicates that he continued to teach these falsehoods until his death. 

In a lengthy exchange of e-mails ten years ago I pointed him to the truth of God's Word. He resisted totally, and in one of his last e-mails to me wrote: "By this time you have [doubtless] labeled me as a heretic who will spend 'eternity' roasting in the place I no longer believe in." I understand, from someone who knew him far better than I did, that he embraced Universalism and denied the reality of Hell beginning in middle age because he could not accept the fact that his own late mother, who rejected the Gospel, is lost for eternity according to the Word of God.

I should add that I am not unfamiliar with such thoughts; in recent years I have had to face this reality in the case of my own brother. Although he professed Christ as a teenager, by his mid-forties he had completely and publicly rejected the faith, lived an ungodly life, and remained in that state of rebellion until his death three decades later. I grieve every day for my brother's eternal state, but it would be disastrous for me to change my theology to say that he is in Heaven. The worst thing we can possibly do is to reject the plain teaching of the Word of God because it injures our feelings. What we must do is to believe God's Word and trust in His infinite wisdom.

Being notified of this man's passing caused me to take a fresh look at the influence of the false doctrine of Universalism. I find that in these days of growing weakness in evangelicalism, when fluctuating human feelings have largely taken the place of the unchangeable "thus says the Lord,"  the deadly doctrine of Universalism has a growing following. I believe it is important for us to refute this dangerous teaching on the firm foundation of Holy Scripture. Souls are at stake; embracing the truth or embracing this falsehood means the difference between Heaven and Hell.

Advocates of the Universalist heresy frequently use this verse, among others torn from their context, to justify their view:

For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)

It is vital to understand the meaning of these words in context, and the truth that the Holy Spirit actually states through them. Also, some historical background will be useful.

Liberals' Theology of Universalism

Since as long ago as the late 1700s, many theological liberals have abused this verse, divorcing it from its context to teach a doctrine of universalism - that a God of love would never condemn anyone to Hell, and therefore all roads must lead eventually to God, and all human beings will be saved. Thus they deny God the Son's own words to Nicodemus:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:16-21)

They also deny the words of John the Baptist which soon follow in the third chapter of John's Gospel:

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides [more literally, endures] on him. (John 3:36)

A New Mutation of an Old Heresy

In the 21st century, the historical theological liberals are not alone. A new but growing group that calls itself the "Concordant Scripture" movement has seized on this verse as well. The existence of this group illustrates the fact that one heresy often leads to another. Most leaders of this movement began as Hyperdispensationalists, and subsequently mingled 19th-century universalist teachings into their horrific theology.¹

As Peter warned, men such as these twist Scripture to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). This group teaches that 1 Timothy 4:10 supersedes the plain teaching of Hebrews 9:27 and other passages that there is no second chance after death, that "it is appointed for men once to die, but after this the judgment."

The "Concordant Scripture" movement, like some universalists before it, calls its doctrine "universal reconciliation" or the "greater hope." This relatively new group teaches that all those who do not receive Christ during this lifetime will do so eventually. They claim that men are sent to Hell only as a temporary "remedial punishment" through which God will eventually compel all to repent. They teach that eternal punishment in Hell for those who do not receive Christ is a "myth" and that those who believe it are "nuts."² Some who hold to this incredible false teaching even predict the redemption of Satan and the fallen angels!

This is but the latest mutation of Roman Catholicism's false doctrine of purgatory, which first appeared as a part of Catholic tradition in the twelfth century. However, elements of this false doctrine date back at least to the time of Origen of Alexandria, a heretic of the third century, who said that "he who comes to be saved, comes to be saved through a fire."³

We can easily dismiss these falsehoods on the clear authority of Scripture. They are the inventions of men who drag God's holiness in the gutter and deny the plain teachings of His Word. Nor should we be surprised at new manifestations of old heresies, because, as Paul warned Timothy,

the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Does God Contradict Himself?

Yet we must face the question: What is the truth of 1 Timothy 4:10? Has God the Holy Spirit contradicted Himself in the pages of Scripture? Is there a paradox in the Word of God? Does God say in one place that the way is narrow, and few find it (Matthew 7:13-14) and in another place say that all men will be saved?

Certainly not. God, unlike sinful man, is not double-minded. He does not declare one thing in one part of His Word, and then contradict it elsewhere. James 1:17 tells us that in Him there is no "variableness" (KJV) or "variation" (NKJV). The Greek word used is the source of the English word "parallax" - a difference in an object when seen from two different points. There are no such differences with God.

The message of salvation through Christ alone, apart from works, in this life alone, is as Paul declares, "not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes [i.e., declared in the prophets], and in Him Amen [i.e., fulfilled in Christ], to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 1:19-22).

What Is The Truth?

In what the sense, then, is God "is the Savior of all men"? The answer, as we shall see in our next article, is to be found in the language and context of the passage, by applying sound principles of Biblical interpretation.

Next: A Position Reserved to God Alone

References:

1. Leading spokesmen of this movement include Tony Nungesser, Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr., Dan Sheridan, Timothy Truitt, and Martin Zender.

2. So said Martin Zender here: http://www.christianheretic.com/2011/08/eternal-torment-believers-are-nuts.html (as viewed on 12/8/2013; Zender has since moved his materials to another website, www.martinzender.com. In an article titled The Ludicrous Threat of Eternal Torment he labels the Biblical doctrine of the eternal punishment of the lost "an insane concept" and congratulates unbelievers for rejecting it.

3. Origen, Homilies on Exodus, 6:4, http://books.google.com/books?id=sLpDsFbzv2wC&pg=PA330#v=onepage&q&f=true, as viewed on 12/8/2013

tq0412

Copyright 1998-2024

TeachingtheWord Ministriesmmmmmwww.teachingtheword.org

All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in its entirety only,
for non-commercial purposes, provided that this copyright notice is included.

We also suggest that you include a direct hyperlink to this article
for the convenience of your readers.