God Wants You (Saved)!
By Jon W.  Quinn

We should be concerned about everyone's spiritual welfare. We are probably concerned about our own spiritual welfare, and it is correct to be so concerned. In fact, a lack of concern in this area can be eternally devastating! It ought to be there. We also love our families, and so we want all our loved ones to serve the Lord. I would also hope, and do believe very strongly that it is so, that we are concerned about one another. We would not want any of our brothers and sisters in Christ to have “received the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1) and “come short of entering His rest.” (Hebrews 4:1).

But we should be reminded that God "desires all men to be saved." God loves the whole world and desires all people to be saved. God's great desire in this ought to strongly influence our thinking, our praying and our evangelism, and the zeal with which we approach them !

God Would Like For Everybody To Be Saved
“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

Back when Paul wrote these words to the preacher Timothy, many of Paul's own people, the Jews (particularly the Pharisees), were very prejudiced against others. They believed themselves to be God's privileged favorites. In fact, Jesus' hometown folks got angry with Him for suggesting that Gentiles could be righteous and acceptable unto God as well (Luke 4:16-30). Many had apparently forgotten God's original promise to bless all earth's families through Abraham's descendant (Genesis 12:1-3).

Today, there are be similar attitudes that confront faith.. Racism, nationalism and various factionalisms based on differences in economic or social levels, and many other things, together with all the pride and prejudice these narrow attitudes can generate, can deter evangelistic efforts. We need to be on guard against these attitudes lest they ruin our walk with Christ by faith. What do you suppose God will think of one who has regarded another person for whom Christ died as nothing? God wants us to imitate Christ, not the Pharisees! (Galatians 3:26-29).
As we deal with others, we need to remember that God is patient, and so should we be (2 Peter 3:9,10; 14,15) Regard the Lord's patience to be salvation. Others need God to be patient with them, just as we did ourselves. God is not willing that any perish, and we should not want that either. If we can save our worst enemy, then we should, and be thankful for the opportunity, and rejoice if it happens (Matthew 5:44,45;48).

One Way
At the same time, we must understand that there is only one way to be saved! In this age of open minded tolerance and ecumenical attitudes, it will arouse much anger and animosity to suggest that there is only one way to be saved! In the name of “pluralism” such a position as there being only one way to heaven, even though Biblically based, is attacked. In the name of diversity, we are told that many roads lead to God. Pluralism applauds all the different religions. Contemporary pluralism affirms that the Jewish religion, the Hindu, the Muslim, New Age, Catholicism, Protestant Denominations, Evangelical Groups, Cults, native American religions are all to be valued equally; that each has it's own truth, and all approach God in it's own tradition, and all are saved through their own doctrine. This is the politically correct view.

However, it is not Biblically correct! Understand this: Jesus, the Son of God, said it is not so! He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6). Who will it be? Jesus or the politically correct? To whom will you entrust your soul? The Son of God? Or will it be those who contradict Him? How many faiths are there? How many Lords? How many Gods? (see Ephesians 4:4-6 for the politically incorrect answer).

Jesus Gave Himself As A Ransom For All
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5,6). Nobody else gave themselves as a ransom… and nobody else could do it! In the birth of Jesus, God became a man. No one else has done this! As He lived, He did so without sin. Again, this is only true of Jesus. In His death, His life and blood became a ransom for all. In His resurrection and exaltation to God's right hand He became our Intercessor. No one else possesses or has ever possessed these necessary qualifications to mediate between God and sinners! (Acts 4:12). That is why, as politically incorrect as it may be, that Jesus is our only hope.

Listen, Jesus died for all men and John adds, "not for ours only but also for the whole world," (1 John 2:2). We are therefore encouraged, yea, it is demanded of us that we teach others the gospel by our words and deeds. The gospel of Jesus Christ is to be preached to all because it is the power of God to save (1 Timothy 2:7; Romans 1:16). Paul was called to preach to everyone; to Jews and to Gentiles; to all. There was none of this patronizing nonsense about there being many faiths, Lords, Gods and Ways leading to eternal life. That is merely an invention of man, and man cannot deliver on what he promises because it is all in God's hands, not man's.

Paul obeyed the gospel, and was appointed to be preacher of the gospel as an apostle of Jesus Christ. To be an apostle, he had become an eye-witness of the resurrected Christ. He proclaimed a message he received directly from Jesus Christ by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 1:1).

All people, of all nations; regardless of ethnic or racial origin, need the good news of Jesus Christ.

Obviously, our desire should be the same as what God desires. We should desire that all might obey the gospel and be saved. In both our prayers and desires - we must maintain the conviction that Jesus gave Himself a "ransom for all," and that He is the only mediator between man and God. If we believe these things - we will do all we can to take the gospel to all men! This passage is an open rebuke to racism and other prejudices that would cause us to treat another dishonorably. But it is also a witness to the only Savior of the world-Jesus Christ, the Son of God.



From the Bradley Banner  9/21/2003
Published by the Bradley Church of Christ
1505 E. Broadway
Bradley, IL 60915