Paidion wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:00 am
Was the apostle Paul a universalist? He wrote:
...we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe (1 Tim 4:10).
If God is the Savior of all people, then He is the Savior of ALL people! So how can we teach that He is the Savior of only SOME people?
Foremost, no verse is mutually exclusive or is written / to be understood in some “theological vacuum”.
(1Ti 4:10) For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1. (The) living God – there is no article in the Greek so (according to you) this must refer exclusively to Christ Jesus.
2. who is the Saviour of all men - (Act 4:12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name (Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (notice “under heaven” – that would be on earth not some future post death and judgment speculative state of existence.
3. specially of those that believe. – Chiefly, Particularly, above all. (Joh 8:24) I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
(why is Jesus so concerned that they should die in their sins if there is further opportunity for salvation after death and judgment?..... that would be “much ado about nothing” yes, I am intentionally being tactless and overly simplistic again.)
I wholeheartedly agree, Jesus is the Savior of all men (under heaven - on earth), particularly those who believe in Him because there is no other way to be saved (and I mean saved in the scriptural sense not some shallow / self-serving condition, should any doubt.)
On a side note, are you going to comment on Romans 16:26 and whether the Priesthood of Jesus ends?
To add to the list: Does the Covenant of Christ end?
(Heb 13:20) Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting (αιωνιου) covenant, (Homer brought this verse up in an earlier post and if you commented on it I missed it)
Does Salvation end? (Notice salvation is only promised to those who obey Him)
(Heb 5:9) And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal (αιωνιου) salvation unto all them that obey him;
In both instances and (Rom 16:26) Αιωνιου - αἰώνιος in the genitive/singular
The point being: if “αἰώνιος” does not mean eternal / everlasting (as generations of godly, respected scholars tell us it does) then you are (unavoidably) teaching that God is contained to an age, The Priesthood of Christ, His covenant and salvation all come to an end.
Live Blest - d