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NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Subject: THE CROSS |
Bible Note: PART 2—Kind greetings, Tim: ”g) 1 Timothy 2:6 - "who gave himself as a ransom for all men? the testimony given in its proper time."” --Tim, I want to cover this verse along with 2(a) below since I believe a proper understanding of what is going on in this passage needs to be drawn from the larger context of the letter. Notice that this passage starts out with Paul speaking to believers about prayer and supplications, specifically for “for all people, 2for kings and all who are in high positions”. This is important because it sets up the topic that Paul is writing about. Next, he urges the believers to live godly, peaceful, quiet and dignified lives, obviously tying in a theme Paul wrote about in Romans 13:1-2. So, going forth, Paul writes that the preceding instructions about living are pleasing to the Lord, because He wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Now, is it so much of a stretch to think that Paul had all classes of men in mind here, and not necessarily every single individual person? The context of the verse is dealing with classes of men, men in positions of authority, i.e. kings and rulers. Continuing, Paul writes that “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” So true, like I stated in 1(f) above, Christ is the only true Messiah, He is the only one than can save! Continuing on, Paul then writes: “6who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.” Again, tying in with the theme of the passage, Paul is here speaking about all men, not just Jews, not just the poor, but everyone, including Kings, presidents, generals, tax collectors, all peoples! Notice as well that at the end of verse 7, Paul is finishing his statement that he is a teacher to the Gentiles, making a distinction between the Jews, of which he is one, and the rest of the known world, Gentiles. --So, in summary, I would argue that the “all men” statements in 1 Tim 2 are refering to all classes of men, as shown from the context of the passage itself. ”h) 1 John 2:2 - "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."” --John is here writing to believers, encouraging them that their sins are atoned for and that Christ advocates for us to the Father. Again, same issue as with Nicodemus. The Jewish people knew salvation was for the Jews only, but now salvation and atonement has come to the rest of the world, to all peoples, not just the Jewish nation. ”2) Concerning the will of Christ to save all:” ”a) 1 Timothy 2:4 - "who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."” --See above ”b) 2 Peter 3:9 - "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."” --What a wonderful passage of Scripture! The thing to notice here is that the context of this verse. Peter wrote this to believers(2 Pet. 3:1-3), warning them of the trials and tribulations to come. He gives a picture of judgment through the Flood and then also the judgment still to come. The point of all this is say that the Lord is not slow, as some count slowness, so this would be encouraging to the readers of the letter. Then, Peter admonishes them with the fact that God is patient with them, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. I think it is clear that Peter is here talking strictly to and about believers in the Lord. In addition, you will notice that Peter mentions a “promise”. Later in the same chapter, v. 13, Peter mentions a “promise” again, His promise to be exact. The promise has to do with the coming kingdom of God, which He has promised to us as believers in Christ. We look forward to the Kingdom of God, unrepentant sinners do not. Therefore, the promise in this verse is a promise made by God strictly to believers. ”c) Romans 11:32 - " For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all."” --I am not too sure how this verse speaks directly to the atonement of Christ. What this verse clearly teaches is that humanity is under a curse, under the judgment of God. With this fact in place, God’s wonderful mercy is all the more clear! In a sense, God has a non-salvific mercy on all people in that He blesses us with life, even though each one of us deserves death because of our disobedience in Adam. --Tim, I appreciate your courtesy and respect when you post answers in this forum. If I know anything, the fruits of the Spirit are apparent in your words. --In Christ, --Joe --PS- Tim, I too am a simple man myself. No formal Bible education, a 9-5 job, a godly wife and a nice local church. I guess you could say I’m just your average Joe… |