…” who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV).
“The context of today’s text is 1 Timothy 2:1–3 (ESV) which says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”
What did the Apostle Paul mean when he wrote God desires all people to be saved? This concerns the sovereignty of God. Is the Lord, as some gospel songs portray Him, a passive, wishful and waiting God who hopes people will turn to Him, repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord? Or, is He purposefully sovereign and the Lord of heaven and earth? This debate regarding the very nature of saving grace, and the character of God, continues to be debated and discussed among believers in Christ. Let’s examine the text in detail.
The word desires (θέλει; thelei) is a present, active, indicative, singular verb. In the context, it is an emotion God possesses. It means to take pleasure or delight. In other words, God takes great pleasure and delight in something. In what does the Lord take pleasure or delight?
Paul said the Lord takes pleasure and delight in all people to be saved. The word all ( πάντας; pantas) refers to all of every kind. People (ἀνθρώπους; anthropous) refers to humans, whether male or female, young or old, rich or poor, slave or free. The phrase to be saved (σωθῆναι; sothenai) is a past tense, passive verb. It refers to deliverance and acceptance God gives to sinners. This saving is by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.
Therefore, Paul wrote the Lord takes pleasure and delight in delivering and accepting all kinds and types of sinners. He is not passively waiting for sinners but rather actively seeking to save the lost from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin. This compliments what the apostle wrote in I Timothy 1:15.
God’s delivering sinners from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin coincides with coming to a knowledge of the truth.To come (ἐλθεῖν; elthein) means to actively come. Knowledge (ἐπίγνωσιν; epignosin) means recognition, discernment and understanding. Truth (ἀληθείας; aletheias) refers to what corresponds to reality and trustworthiness.
Paul wrote of sinner actively arriving, in their minds, emotions and will, to an understanding of the truth. The truth concerned the existence of God, the reality of sin, the nature of salvation along with person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ; Savior of sinners.
“The purpose of prayer for all men, without distinction of rank, race or nationality, is that they may be saved and may come to ‘full knowledge’. This is a knowledge in which not only mind but also the heart partakes,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen. “The purpose of such praying corresponds with God’s own sovereign desire.”
Pastor J. Ligon Duncan writes, “The point of this passage is not to say that God has willed all to be saved, and so if they’re not, God’s will has failed. The point of this passage is to make the exact same point of Ezekiel. Remember what Ezekiel said about the Living God? Over and over he repeats it in his book: “I, the Lord your God, do not delight in the death of the wicked, but I delight when sinners turn from their wicked way and return to Me.” That’s exactly what Paul is saying here. Paul is telling us something about the delight of the heart of God: that He does not delight in the destruction of the wicked; He is not some ogre in the sky that loves to see people ruining their lives and being cast into Hell, although He will punish the wicked. But His real delight is when sinners are saved. We believe that, and Paul says that impels us to pray! Because God has this desire to see the world coming to Jesus Christ, we pray for the world.”
Let us resolve to be praying for the salvation of sinners, knowing the Lord delights in faith coming by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). May we be the instruments God uses to bring sinners to faith in Christ. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,” (1 Timothy 2:1–3 (ESV).
As children, we wanted to hear someone say we had done a good job. We wanted to know an individual was pleased with us. Perhaps it was when you sang a solo in a church, or school, Christmas program. Or maybe it was when you performed well in a given sport. You scored a goal, hit a home run, threw a touchdown pass, made a game saving tackle, or made a game winning basket from the free throw line.
As adults, we too enjoy hearing these words: good job, well done, or outstanding effort and achievement. There is a sense of inner satisfaction in such a recognition.
The Scriptures clearly indicate the believers’ aim and goal in life is to please the Lord. Here is but a sampling.
Proverbs 16:7 (ESV0 – “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
2 Corinthians 5:8–9 (ESV) – “8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
Galatians 1:10 (ESV) – “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ”
Colossians 3:23–24 (ESV) – “23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
When the Apostle Paul gave Timothy instructions about praying for political leaders and those in government service, he also provided an incentive for his young protégé to do so. Praying for such officials, whether they were good or bad, was good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.
For God to call something good (καλὸν; kalon) means it is beautiful, praiseworthy and fitting. Therefore, it is a good, beautiful, praiseworthy and fitting thing to pray for presidents, governors, mayors and other government officials. For God to call something pleasing (ἀπόδεκτον; apodekton) means it is pleasant, welcomed and acceptable.
“To the eye of God such praying is excellent or admirable. To his heart it is acceptable, most welcome. This stands to reason, for his name is “God, our Savior” (see on 1 Tim: 1:1). Though men may at times feel inclined to skip prayer for kings and those who are in authority, especially when the co-operation from the side of princes is not what it should be, in God’s sight the matter looks differently. He does not see things as we see them (1 Sam. 16:7). In more ways than one, conditions of tranquility and calm promote the spread of the gospel of salvation,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.[1]
“As in modern times, some in the Ephesian church were prepared to question the validity of a prayer for the salvation of all men. Thus, Paul defended his instructions by pointing out that such a prayer is good, and pleases God our Savior (cf. 1:1). Literally, the Greek says that such a prayer is “acceptable before” (in the presence of) God. Many prayers are unacceptable to God, but not this one.”[2]
Do you want to please God? One way we can certainly do so is by praying for those individuals He has sovereignly placed in government (Dan.2:20-23; Rom. 13:1-2). Instead of criticizing them, how about praying for them. I may not agree with a politician’s platform, but I can certainly pray for their soul and for their salvation in Christ. I can also pray for the Lord to give the leaders He has appointed to lead with His wisdom.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 95.
[2] A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 734.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV)
Beginning in chapter two off this epistle, the Apostle Paul began a series of instructions to his protégé Timothy. It was an example of a mentor providing practical and wise counsel to his student (Prov. 27:17). This wisdom was also pertinent because of the false teaching existing in the Ephesian Church on Timothy’s watch (1:3-7). It was a present reality. Paul warned the Ephesian church elders this could happen, with heresy arising from within the believing community (Acts 20:17-35).
In light of this present situation, Paul actively urged (Παρακαλῶ; parakalo) and earnestly appealed to Timothy about the importance of prayer. While this discipline is essential for all believers in Christ (Matt. 6:9-13), it is especially so for pastors.
Paul urged Timothy to bring supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings before the Lord on behalf of all the people. What kind of people did the apostle have in mind? Of what people groups was he referring?
To begin with, Paul urged Timothy to pray for kings. Kings (βασιλέων; basileon) refers to rulers who have absolute authority in a given geographic area. “The term kings is a term used of both petty kings and the most powerful of kings (Matt. 1:6; 2:2; Mark 6:14; John 1:49; Acts 4:26; 7:10; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 7:1; 1 Peter 2:17; Rev. 17:14).”[1]
Paralleling this initial directive are for prayers to be given on behalf of everyone who is in a high government position. These are individuals who are in civil government and who God has ordained to maintain justice (Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-17). Paul does not differentiate between good government officials or bad ones. He just counsels Timothy to pray for them.
The purpose for this injunction is so believers in Christ “may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” To be peaceful (ἤρεμον; eremon) means to be quiet and tranquil. Quiet (ἡσύχιον; hesychion) means to be well-ordered and having a peaceful disposition. To be godly (εὐσεβείᾳ; eusebia) is having biblical beliefs and attitudes. To be dignified (σεμνότητι; semnoteti) means to display proper and respectful behavior. This is the conduct all believers in Christ are to possess, especially in our behavior and attitudes towards those who serve in government.
“How necessary, this admonition! Even today! The apostle is probably thinking, first of all, of sovereign rulers of states, as they succeed one another in the course of history; and of all other functionaries subject to them. He must have had in mind the then-reigning emperor Nero, and further: the proconsuls (Acts 19:38), Asiarchs (Acts 19:31), the town-clerk (a rather influential position, Acts 19:35), etc.,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen. [2]
“However, had the emperor been Augustus or Tiberias or Caligula or Claudius, had he been Vespasian or Titus or Domitian; had those who ruled under them been kings properly so called, as for instance Herod the Great, tetrarchs such as Herod Antipas, ethnarchs such as Archelaus—even emperors, tetrarchs, and ethnarchs were sometimes called kings (John 19:15; Matt. 14:9; Matt. 2:22)—; had they been procurators such as Pontius Pilate, or had they been invested with any other political office, the charge, “Pray for them,” would have been exactly the same. It is a commandment which holds for every age and for every region”[3]
Believers in Christ are to pray for government leaders regardless of their political affiliation. We are to pray for politicians with whom we agree, and for those with whom we disagree. There is to be no distinction.
“Included in the purpose of Paul’s prayer is also this, that believers, leading a life of tranquility and calm, may do nothing to create unnecessary disturbance, and may conduct themselves “in all godliness and gravity,” that is, “in all piety and respectability or dignity,” striving to be blameless in their conduct or attitude both toward God and toward men,”concludes Dr. Hendriksen.[4]
How may you pray for government leaders today? They may be those who serve in local, state, or federal positions. They may be violent and vile, or vigilant and virtuous. It makes no difference.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
[2] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 94.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,” (1 Timothy 2:1 (ESV)
Beginning in chapter two, the Apostle Paul began a series of instructions to his protégé Timothy. It was an example of a mentor providing practical and wise counsel to his student (Prov. 27:17). This wisdom was also pertinent because of the false teaching existing in the Ephesian Church on Timothy’s watch (1:3-7). It was the present reality Paul previously warned the Ephesian church elders could happen with heresy arising from within the believing community (Acts 20:17-35).
In light of this present situation, Paul actively urged (Παρακαλῶ; parakalo) and earnestly appealed to Timothy about the importance of prayer. While this discipline is essential for all believers in Christ (Matt. 6:9-13), it is especially so for pastors.
What is prayer? Reformed Christians have a ready answer to this question, “What is prayer?” The Westminster Larger Catechism 178 asks that very question, stating in response, “Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.”
B.M. Palmer says in Theology of Prayer that prayer is “the language of creaturely dependence.”
Martin Luther wrote, “Therefore from youth on we should form the habit of praying daily for our needs, whenever we are aware of anything that affects us or other people around us, such as preachers, magistrates, neighbors, and servants; and, as I have said, we should always remind God of his commandment and promise.…This I say because I would like to see people learn to pray properly and not act so crudely and coldly that they daily become more inept in praying. This is just what the devil wants.”
John Calvin explained the importance of prayer with four basic rules. First, prayer evokes a heartfelt sense of reverence. Two, prayer must contain a heartfelt sense of need and repentance. Third, prayer must be from a heartfelt sense of humility and trust in God. Finally, prayer should result in a heartfelt sense of confident hope.
Jonathan Edwards stated, “It is God’s will through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one of the great principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world. When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people; as is manifest by Ezekiel 36:37. and it is revealed that, when God is about to accomplish great things for His church, He will begin by remarkably pouring out the spirit of grace and supplication (see Zechariah 12:10).”
“The Scriptures picture true prayer as an offering rising up and seeking heaven’s attention, like incense offered before the Lord in the temple (Rev. 8:5). Prayer is casting anxieties on God (1 Peter 5:7), crying to God in trouble (Ps. 34:17), and making needs known to Him in every circumstance (Phil. 4:6–7). Prayer is desire offered to God,” explains Dr. Barry J. York, pastor of River Valley Reformed Church in Monaca, Pa.
Paul used four words in describing this active discipline known as prayer. They were supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. This list parallels Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians (Phil. 4:6-7). What do each of these words mean?
Supplications (δεήσεις; deeseis) refers to pleas and requests to God. It contains an urgency based upon a particular need.
Prayers (προσευχάς; proseuchas) means to speak to God. It is the basic definition of the meaning of prayer.
Intercessions (ἐντεύξεις; enteuxeis) is speaking to God on behalf of someone else. In this posture of prayer, the emphasis is on someone else’s needs and not our own.
Thanksgivings (εὐχαριστίας; eucharistias) refers to an expression of gratitude for blessings and benefits from God. They are words of gratefulness (Acts 24:3; 1 Cor. 14:16; 2 Cor. 4:15; 9:11; Eph. 5:4; Php. 4:6; Col. 2:7; 4:2; 1Thess. 3:9; 1Tim. 2:1; 4:3; Rev 7:12).
These four characteristics of prayer are to be offered to God on behalf of all types of people. This includes people you don’t know as well as those you do know. This refers to the well-known and unknown along with the popular and unpopular. This is because God is no respecter of personas, and neither should we.
“Prayer is coming to the Father by faith in the merits of Christ. An American citizen cannot hold office in the United Kingdom or assume he deserves special privileges from the queen. Likewise, no sinner can stand on his own merits before the King of heaven. Yet by faith in Christ’s work, we become citizens of the kingdom of heaven through His righteousness. Thus, we gain “confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19). This righteous standing before God is what it means to pray “in the name of Christ,” as the catechism states. Consequently, every time we pray, we should remember our standing by confessing our sins and thanking God for how He mercifully receives us through Jesus,” states Pastor York.
Prayer is an active acknowledgment God does not give us what we deserve, which is judgment, but rather gives what we do not deserve, mercy and grace. As Calvin wisely said, let us go to the Lord in prayer with reverence, repentance, humility, trust and confident hope.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a prayerful day in the Lord.
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
What does the Bible say about who the Messiah would be, His credentials, and how He would come to earth and how we would recognize Him? Most significantly, does Jesus Christ fulfill the qualifications of the Messiah? If He does not, then He is not the Messiah no matter how much we revere Him. However, if He does fulfill these qualifications concerning the Jewish Messiah, then the believer is to share this truth and the unbeliever is challenged to consider this truth.
What are the biblical qualifications, through Old Testament prophecy, surrounding the birth of the Messiah, and does Jesus Christ fulfill them?
To begin with, the Messiah was to be born from the seed of a woman. That is to say, He was to be virgin born. The first biblical text to proclaim this is admittedly rather cryptic. It is found in Genesis 3:14-15 which says, “So the LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
The “seed/offspring” mentioned in this verse became the root from which the tree of the OT promise of a Messiah grew. This, then, was the “mother prophecy” that gave birth to all the rest of the promises. Theologian Charles Briggs agreed. He said, “Genesis 3:15 was the germ of promise which unfolds in the history of redemption.”
Strange as it may seem, the history of the human race begins with the sin of our first parents and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But that is not where it ended, for in the middle of the bleakness and the dark tragedy of God’s curse on the serpent, the woman, and the man came the first rays of light and hope embodied as the gospel of the grace of our God.
Dr. John MacArthur explains that, “The cattle and all the rest of creation were cursed (see Rom. 8:20–23; cf. Jer. 12:4) as a result of Adam and Eve’s eating, but the serpent was uniquely cursed by being made to slither on its belly. It probably had legs before this curse. Now snakes represent all that is odious, disgusting, and low. They are branded with infamy and avoided with fear. Cf. Isaiah 65:25 and Micah 7:17.”
Dr. MacArthur continues by adding, “After cursing the physical serpent, God turned to the spiritual serpent, the lying seducer, Satan, and cursed him. This “first gospel” is prophetic of the struggle and its outcome between “your offspring” (Satan and unbelievers, who are called the devil’s children in John 8:44) and her offspring (Christ, a descendant of Eve, and those in him), which began in the garden. In the midst of the curse passage, a message of hope shone forth—the woman’s offspring called “he” is Christ, who will one day defeat the Serpent. Satan could only “bruise” Christ’s heel (cause him to suffer), while Christ will bruise Satan’s head (destroy him with a fatal blow). Paul, in a passage strongly reminiscent of Gen. 3, encouraged the believers in Rome, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20). Believers should recognize that they participate in the crushing of Satan because, along with their savior and because of his finished work on the cross, they also are of the woman’s seed.”
There are two key Messianic Prophecies from the Prophet Isaiah which parallel Genesis 3:14-15. They are as follows.
Isaiah 7:13-14 – “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The question remains as to whether the New Testament proclaims that Jesus Christ met the qualification of being born of a virgin? When next we meet, we will examine the New Testament account of Jesus Christ’s birth to see what the biblical record has to say.
Until then, may the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,” (1 Timothy 1:17–19 (ESV)
The following is a sermon by 16th century Protestant reformer, pastor, and theologian John Calvin (1509-1564). He addresses the subject of the believer’s assurance of salvation.
So then, after Paul had thus established his own authority, and Timothy’s also, he comes to this matter: Son Timothy, (he says) I command thee as thou hast heard, yea, according to the prophecies which were before thee, to the end that thou fight a good fight in them, having faith and a good conscience (1 Tim. 1:18-19a). It is not without cause that St. Paul thus exhorts Timothy; for (as he says in another place) it is no small charge to govern the house of God. For God will have his truth maintained in the Church, and it is a pillar as it were, to hold it up by, it is the keeper of it, and God has therefore bestowed all the treasures of his heavenly secrets.
Therefore, when God makes a man a shepherd, it is a charge so high and honorable, that it is not possible for us to make any progress in it, unless we strive with ourselves, but not with our own might, but as God shall work in us by his Holy Spirit. And this is the cause why St. Paul thus exhorts Timothy. And so let us mark the he speaks not to him only, but to all the people; for it was requisite (as we have said) for Timothy to be helped, because the world was never without fantastical spirits, without proud men, which were full either of envy or ambition.
Therefore, it is that St. Paul exhorts Timothy, not that he only should have the care alone, and were not diligent enough to do his office; but it was requisite that it should be known and shown to all the company.
St. Paul calls Timothy to remember the prophecies which had been made about him, before he was called to this charge and office; for because God would use this man in great matters, he gave a greater approval of him than he did of others. For we do not read of all who were made shepherds, that they were called thereunto by prophecies. Therefore, Timothy had this peculiarly above all others, according as God saw it needful. And indeed, because he would use him among the Jews, and his father had been a Heathen, he was not so fit, and so well accepted of. Besides that, he was young, which also might have hindered his being received, and have caused men not to have treated him so reverently, as they should.
Therefore, it was God’s will to confirm this man, that men might know that he had lent him his hand, and that he was author of that charge which was committed to him. Saint Paul brings this to his mind at this time, to stir him up so much the more to execute his charge, and to continue in this so excellent a grace of God, and to see that it be not decayed and come to naught through his negligence, as he makes mention in another place (4:14).
A man might think it strange that St. Paul wants Timothy to fight and make war according to the prophecies which were made concerning him; for seeing that God had once spoken the word, it was not possible for Timothy to frustrate the purpose of God. When God shows anything about us, it lies with him to accomplish it. For the effect of that word of God hangs not upon the will of men. For what kind of thing would that be? Yet it is our duty, if God has spoken a word about us, not to flatter ourselves nor to lean upon ourselves. Instead that which God has declared concerning us should spur us on and make us more careful to strive with all the might we can to come to that which God has called us to.
As how? Behold, God has chosen us before the creation of the world, it lies not in us to turn upside down the unchangeable purpose and decree of his. Such as God has chosen, it is certain that God will conduct them in such a way that he will make it well known that those he has given to his Son cannot perish, as he says in the tenth chapter of John. Yet we the faithful must not, under a shadow of God’s election, rock ourselves to sleep and become careless; but we must rather apply ourselves to receive God’s promises, which are certain and can never fail; as by them he witnesses unto us his fatherly love, in that he chose us to himself for his children and heirs.
Now let us fall down before the face of our good God with confession of our faults, praying to him that it would please him to forgive us of them, and deliver us from the curse wherein we would be held if he would hold that against us. And in the meantime, that he would reform us by his Holy Spirit unto his image, so that we may always aspire to him, walking in obedience to him until, being taken out of this world, we become partakers of this full righteousness whereunto we have not to direct ourselves.
More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,” (1 Timothy 1:17–19 (ESV)
The following is a sermon by 16th century Protestant reformer, pastor, and theologian John Calvin (1509-1564). He addresses the subject of the believer’s assurance of salvation.
But we see how the miserable world wanders and goes astray through its own foolish rashness, estranging itself from God and not keeping to the way. If this one word were well understood, first of all, the rash boldness would be completely beaten down in us. For every man would know that, however we proceed to know what God is, we enter into a bottomless pit that is incomprehensible. But we thrust ourselves into it unthinkingly. And by this many men are given to so many errors, to so many wicked and devilish fancies, because they do not realize that God is invisible.
For they would have thought this way, ‘We must seek him in his image. God can be known by no other means but by beholding him in our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is impossible for men to be brought to this reason, as we see they have always this frenzy that carries them away, that they want to understand more than is good for them. In the meantime, they wander up and down the field, while we know that there is only one way which can bring us to God, as it is said in the 14th chapter of John, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’
Therefore we must practice this doctrine so much the more, and exercise ourselves in it, that we may come to Jesus Christ, and being come to him, may suffer ourselves to be taught in his school, with all humbleness; and that in knowing him we may say also, that we knew God, so far forth as was profitable for us, and so far forth also as our nature could bear, until we be fully made new in his heavenly glory.
Herein we see, after what a strange sort good works, and how it pleases him to enlighten us with the knowledge of his Gospel. As for himself, he is invisible. It is true; but yet he finds the means to show himself, that we may see him. And how is it? It is in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus have we to consider, that faith is a miracle of God, whereby he makes himself to be seen by us, although he is hidden from us, and we can by no means come close to him.
Thus we see how there are two things contained in faith: the one is humbleness, the other is glory. Yea, for we must thoroughly humble ourselves. If we think that we are poor blind men, we shall know, that we can in no wise comprehend the majesty of God, nor come near unto it. Thus must faith beat down all pride and presumption in us; but on the other side, we may well brag and boast ourselves in the goodness of God, in that it has pleased him to exalt us above the measure of our senses, to the end that we should know him, although by nature it could not be done.
After St. Paul has given this title to God, to call him invisible, he adds, that only he is wise. Whereby he shows that when we speak of God and his righteousness, all reason and wisdom of man must be ashamed and amazed. Let not men therefore think at their pleasures to control that which he does, and to dispute against him; for without any word speaking of his, this wisdom that is in him must needs set a bar against us, being such that if we would go about to have but one drop of it in ourselves, we were mad men?
What is then the wisdom of men? Nothing but double folly. Why so? For they would rob God of that which belongs to him, they would spoil him; and in so doing they only cast away themselves. Thus, let us bear well away, (as I have said already) that St. Paul speaking of the wisdom of God, makes a comparison between him and the creatures, to the end, that when there is question of our salvation, we may know that we are nothing, that we can do nothing, that there is neither worthiness or value in us; yea, and that more is, that there is neither life nor strength in us. And seeing that all these things are in God, we must run to him, praying him that it would please him to instruct us in his will, knowing that all our wisdom stands in this, to be subject to him, beseeching him to draw us out of the bottomless pit of death, and to make us partakers of that life whereof he is the wellspring and fountain; requesting him to call us to his kingdom, from whence we were shut out and banished. And although we are nothing but a shadow that quickly passes away and vanishes, that he would give us a steadiness in himself.
Afterward St. Paul returns to that which he had begun to say to Timothy. He had exhorted him to do his office well, and to execute faithfully that so high and hard a charge as God had committed to him. But because Timothy had need to be authorized, to the end that his doctrine might be reverently received, (for he was a young man, and therefore might easily have been despised,) St. Paul has given him authority, as requisite it was, to the end that he might edify the Church.
Nevertheless, because there were many, either light headed fellows, or puffed up with pride, which slandered St. Paul, it was requisite also for him to show that he spoke not in his own name, that he brought nothing of his own, but that he was sent from God, that our Lord Jesus Christ had given him that preeminence, that he spoke, as it were, in his name and in his person. And this is the reason why St. Paul made mention of his faults which he had committed, and of his conversation, and magnified the goodness of God, for that he was not far from being utterly cast away, because he had been a little while an enemy of the faith. And this served for a further confirmation of his doctrine, as we see a miracle that God wrought in changing him so soon.
More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,” (1 Timothy 1:17–19 (ESV)
The following is a sermon by 16th century Protestant reformer, pastor, and theologian John Calvin (1509-1564). He addresses the subject of the believer’s assurance of salvation.
If we had any worthiness in us which might come anywhere near to this glory of God, which he mentions here, we still could not help but be bound to him; but when we know that we are but worms, and that there is nothing in our nature but wretchedness and misery, and that there is neither life nor strength, nor anything else whatsoever, and come to this infinite highness, which is God; this ought to move us much more to set forth praises. We see then what St. Paul aimed at when he gave God these titles, that is to say, when he clothed him with immortality, with glory, with everlasting rule and wisdom. It is to the end that men should humble themselves and exalt the majesty of God, as it deserves.
St. Paul meant to give us here a general rule which we ought to keep and observe, thinking upon our redemption. For if a man asks us why God has chosen us, why he has enlightened us, and hath left so many miserable and wretched in blindness, why he changed us and turned us to him by his Holy Spirit, and others remain in their hardness, we cannot say that we are better than they, and therefore God preferred us before those whom he left alone, neither that we are worthier than they; there is not such matter.
So, what was it then? We must come to that which is spoken in the eleventh chapter to the Romans. When he speaks of the judgments of God he cries out, how incomprehensible are your ways! And who has given to him that he should repay them? Who can brag that he has brought anything of his own that he may say that God should be moved to love him more than another? No, no, men are void of all goodness, there is nothing in them but confusion and shame of face, and God accepts and calls whom he wants, and calls them in such a way that there is no goodness in them, but he changes them, and renews them by the grace of his Holy Spirit, that where they were inheritors of death, where there was nothing in them but curse, he reforms them to his image, he plants life and an incorruptible seed in them. When we know these things, what can we say, but be astonished and cry out as St. Paul does there. What a bottomless pit is the grace of God! How incomprehensible are his ways! So then let us mark well that we shall never know our redemption thoroughly until we come to that astonishment which was in St. Paul, and which ought to be in all the faithful. And this is the main thing we should notice from these verses.
But so that what we have discussed in a few words may be better and more fully understood, when St. Paul calls God, King of worlds, he means that we must not presume to measure him according to their sense and season. Why? What are we but a shadow which rises up suddenly, and by and by vanishes away? What distance then, and what difference is there between God and us? And who can reach unto this highness which is in his unmovable counsel? And therefore, if we will judge rightly of the works of God, let us learn to bridle our senses and not play the colts that have broken lose; for we cannot climb so high as that everlasting kingdom is, since we are but creatures which pass straight away and change at every turning of a finger. There is no certainty in us. Since this is so, we know that we must reverence the great secrets of God, for we cannot know them by our reason.
For the better confirmation hereof, he adds, that God is immortal. Not as the angels are, neither as our souls are, but as it is said in another verse, that God alone has immortality in himself. Truly God created the angels with this condition, that they should be immortal and should live forever; the soul of man likewise does not perish in death, it is not put out. But yet if we mark how our souls are immortal, it is not of their own nature, this virtue of life is not shut up within them, but it is borrowed and comes another way. For so much then as it pleases God to maintain our souls with his virtue, in this respect they have a being and have a remaining; and hence comes their immortality. As much is to be said of the angels of paradise, if God did not keep them in that state which he gave them, they would come to nothing.
Therefore, it is not without cause that here St. Paul calls God immortal; and thereby shows that there is no life in us, and if we be so foolish to persuade ourselves that we live by our own virtue, we abuse ourselves too much; seeing it is so that we hold our life at God’s hand, let us confess that he gives us all the rest likewise by his mere grace. And in calling him invisible he shows that it is not in us to seek him out to the bottom, and to search his secret and hidden things; for the more men strive to busy themselves in searching beyond measure the secrets of God more than they should, the more shall they vanish away and become fools.
Therefore, we have to note that St. Paul’s meaning is to instruct us to soberness and reverence, when he calls God invisible. We see also that pride that is in us, that if the question be to talk of God, every man will have his mouth open to speak at random; and instead of asking him to open himself up to us, so far forth as is expedient for us, there is not one of us that is not too rash to speak whatever comes into his brain without further consideration and thinking about it.
Seeing then such boldness in men, let us not think it is strange that St. Paul would bridle them here, showing them that God is invisible, so that they would not be too curious to inquire after him beyond measure. It is very true that God is invisible in such a way that he declares himself to us by his living image, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly he keeps back many secrets which are hidden from us, which we cannot attain to; for if he did show himself to us in all his perfection, what humbleness would there be in us, seeing that as yet, we cannot be beaten down with our ignorance?
And although it is clearly proved to our faces that our wits are so simple, so rude, so small, so gross, that it is a wonder to see us, and we may be ashamed; yet we will be fine and subtle, and every one of us will be aloft until we break our necks again. If then God should reveal himself fully to us, how would men put forth themselves, I ask you? Therefore, it is good for us, that our Lord reveals himself in measured out portions, as the Scripture also says, that the knowledge of God is given to everyone as it pleased our Lord Jesus Christ and as he knew it would be profitable for us.
Nevertheless, God does not wholly hide himself. He shows himself to us so that we may know him, as far as it is expedient and fit for us. He is not reluctant to give to us, but we may know so much of secrets as is good for us; but let us remember first of all that he is invisible in himself. By this we are reminded that we cannot know him except by the means of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is the reason why he calls himself in Scripture the image of the invisible God; for it is as much as if the Holy Spirit should condemn all our foolish speculations which we invent when there is any question to think upon God.
Every man imagines what he desires; for when men shape for themselves a God like this they wrap themselves in a thousand errors. Therefore, let us be content to be brought to Jesus Christ simply, learning to rest ourselves wholly upon him so that we may behold God whose image he is. We must remember this. Moreover, let us be content to know that which we have learned in the school of our Lord Jesus Christ- he is the image of God, in fact, the perfect image, and there is no fault to be found in this.
It is not a half-drawn picture because in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. And it is said moreover that in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and understanding. Nevertheless, our Lord Jesus Christ shows us God his Father in a way we are able to bear and understand, and in a way that is profitable and necessary for us. Let us be content with that measure, for he who would be too curious and go beyond the school of our Lord Jesus Christ will completely drown himself. It would be like a man who despises to hear Jesus Christ speak or to behold the clearness which is shown to us in the Gospel.
Truly we only know things partially, as Saint Paul says elsewhere; we only have a taste of the knowledge of our God, we profit from it daily through the whole course of our lives but we shall never come to the fullness of knowledge unless we put off our flesh. As it is said, we cannot see God as he is in his glory until the time we become wholly made like unto his image. Nevertheless, he will accomplish what St. Paul speaks of: that in the midst of our imperfections, in the midst of our rudeness, we will not cease to see God face to face, to have personal knowledge of him, that he will therein show himself truly to be our Father. This is just what our Lord Jesus Christ claimed, saying that he counts his disciples as friends instead of servants. He said, ‘for a servant will not know his master’s counsel, but I have shown myself directly to you and have revealed to you the secrets of my Father.’ (John 15:15)
This is a marvelous thing that our Lord Jesus does for us, by not giving us total knowledge while we are in this mortal life, but only according to our capacity. Yet he does not cease to reveal that this is good for us, so that we know God intimately and have free access to him, understanding his secrets to the degree that is expedient and profitable for us. All of this is what we should learn from this word where St. Paul calls God invisible. And surely a man would think that this doctrine is sufficiently well understood.
More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,” (1 Timothy 1:17–19 (ESV)
The following is a sermon by 16th century Protestant reformer, pastor, and theologian John Calvin (1509-1564). He addresses the subject of the believer’s assurance of salvation.
We must well remember and bear in mind that verse which was expounded before, how Saint Paul gives us to understand by his own example that when we know ourselves to be sinners, we should in no wise doubt but that the Son of God is at hand to receive us to mercy. For why was he sent into the world but to save that which was lost? And although we are of our own nature bent to distrust, yet must we be resolved in this point, that the son of God will not cast us off, so that we come to him to be partakers of the salvation which he offers generally to all sinners.
But we must take this with us, that we cannot come to salvation in Jesus Christ, but only by faith, which betokens as much as this, that we be truly drawn unto him, and that with an upright affection, being angry and sorry with ourselves for our sins. For he that will cherish and nuzzle up himself in wickedness, is not worthy of that remedy which the son of God brings us. And because we are subject to doubt, especially regarding the matter of putting our trust in God, St. Paul confirms this doctrine, saying that it is a sure word, worthy to be received; as God has promised in other passages, in order to keep us from doubting his goodness. He is not content to tell us that he will be as good to us as his promise, but he adds an oath. Therefore we are so much the more to be blamed for distrust if we cannot settle our minds upon such promises, when God helps us in our distrust and in our weaknesses.
Now St. Paul adds a thanksgiving, and one that is rather strong, crying out, “Honor and glory be to God for ever to him (he says) that is King everlasting, who is immortal, who is invisible, who alone is wise.” By this he shows that he was, as it were, ravished to glorify God’s name, feeling the grace that he had received. And indeed if we consider how St. Paul was turned, and in what condition God found him, it was the strangest miracle that could be to have a wolf become a sheep, a man so raging and mad to shed the blood of martyrs, to be directly turned into a shepherd, and to have so gentle and mild a spirit; and a man full of pride to be so humbled; a man that was before drunk with the honors of the world, to submit himself to all rebukes and slanders; for him who resisted God, to take the yoke upon himself and to desire nothing but to be a servant of Jesus Christ, against whom he had been fighting. Mark, I say, such a wonderful changing, that it is not without cause that St. Paul cries, Honor and glory be given to God.
Nevertheless, although God’s dealing be not altogether such with us, yet all of us, both great and small, have good reason to magnify the exceeding goodness which he has made us feel. Has not God plucked us out of death, and from the bottom of hell, and called us unto himself? And is not this enough to ravish us with the praise of God, since we know that it is impossible for us to do as much as we ought to him, if we will confess how much are bound to him? Let us learn therefore, whenever we think about our redemption, and how every one of us has been brought to the knowledge of the Gospel, to be touched to the quick with this affection and burning zeal which was in St. Paul, so that we may, at the least, show that we cannot fully do our duty in praising God as we ought.
And if we cannot do our duties as we ought, God himself makes satisfaction for us, when we confess our weakness; and it is a great matter, when we know that he accepts this sacrifice of humbleness, that if we simply say, O Lord, I see that I am so much bound to your mercy that I am even swallowed up with it when I think of it. These few words being spoken with a true heart will be enough for God to take account of them as of a most sufficient payment.
When we see that God so accepts us, have we not much more reason and occasion to make ourselves do what St. Paul shows us in these verses? And how can we excuse ourselves, if we be so slack and such villains that we will not consent to confess so much as that obligation wherein we are bound to God, since he has thus magnified his mercy toward us and called us to salvation? Yet we have to mark the titles that St. Paul here gives to God. He calls him King of the world everlasting; and afterward he calls him Immortal. He calls him invisible and only wise. It is true that these titles always belong to God, but St. Paul refers them to the matter he spoke of to show what difference there is between God and us. For by this means he focuses on the grace which he uses and which he bestows and pours out for our salvation.
More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
18”This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1 Timothy 1:18–20 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul continued his counsel to Timothy in vs. 19-20. It is to those two verses we pay particular attention today.
The phrase holding faith (ἔχων πίστιν; echon pistin) means to presently and actively possess and retain one’s trust in, commitment to, dependence upon and worship of the One, True God. This includes holding faith in the truth of His written revelation; the Word of God or the Scriptures. Holding faith is holding to God and His truth.
Additionally, the phrase good conscience (ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν; agathen syneidesin) refers to a positive, moral sensitivity not only to sin, but also to righteousness. It is an awareness of what is biblically right or wrong.
“Timothy is admonished to hold faith, that is, to hold on to it. In warring his warfare against errors and errorists he must keep clinging to the truth of the gospel. The fact that the word faith here in verse 19 means truth is clear from 2 Tim. 2:17, 19. By living and teaching in accordance with this truth, remaining firm and steadfast in the midst of all opposition, Timothy will be obeying the voice of conscience,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.[1]
“Conscience is man’s moral intuition, his moral self in the act of passing judgment upon his own state, emotions, and thoughts, also upon his own words and actions whether these be viewed as past, present, or future. It is both positive and negative. It both approves and condemns (Rom. 2:14, 15)”[2]
It is a dangerous situation when a believer in Christ casts aside truth and a good conscience. To reject (ἀπωσάμενοι; aposamenoi) means to decisively and personally repudiate and refuse to listen to what God’s Word says and means. Paul uses the metaphor of a shipwreck as an illustration of what happens to an individual when such rejection of biblical truth occurs.
“A Christian must be both a good soldier and a good sailor. Now a good sailor does not thrust away or discard the rudder of the ship. The good conscience—one that obeys the dictates of the Word as applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit—is the rudder, guiding the believer’s vessel into the safe harbor of everlasting rest. But “certain individuals” (the Ephesian heretics; see on verse 3) have discarded that rudder. The inevitable result was that with reference to their faith—the truth which they had confessed with their lips; the name of Christ which they had named (see on 2 Tim. 2:17–19)—they suffered shipwreck. If even literal shipwreck is agonizing, as Paul had experienced (Acts 27:39–44; 2 Cor. 11:25), how much more to be feared is religious shipwreck!”[3]
Paul mentioned two such individuals in the Ephesian church: Hymenaeus and Alexander. Who were these two men? They must have been leading heretics among the Ephesian believers. Paul mentioned Hymenaeus again in 2 Tim. 2:17-18 as one who “swerved from the truth.”
The apostle then makes a startling statement regarding his response to these two men; “whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” What did Paul mean by this condemnation?
“This is probably a reference to putting these two individuals outside the fellowship of the church and back into the world—the domain of Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2). Paul uses a similar phrase in I Cor. 5:5,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul. “The purpose of this excommunication, like that in I Cor. 5:5, is not punitive but, by the Spirit’s convicting grace, restorative – that the two would recognize their errors and repent (2 Tim. 25-26; Titus 3:10).”
By this excommunication, these two men would learn (παιδευθῶσι; paideuthosi) or be trained to not blaspheme (βλασφημεῖν; blasphemein). This refers to reviling and despising the Lord.
“Even when this extreme measure was resorted to, its purpose was remedial. Not damnation but reclamation was the object, “in order that they may be disciplined (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) not to blaspheme.” Here speaks the same loving heart as in 2 Thess. 3:14, 15. The apostle is earnestly desirous that the discipline—the divine pedagogy—imposed may have a salutary effect on Hymenaeus and Alexander. He is hoping and praying that by means of this dire affliction these false teachers may come to see themselves as grievous sinners and may be brought to genuine repentance, so that they will no longer rail at the truth and thereby revile its Author,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.[4]
A commitment to truth requires to do what is necessary, or even unpopular. This is to maintain the purity of the church at large and individual believers in particular. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 86.
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