Paul writes to his co-worker Timothy:

“Credible is the word and worthy of every welcome (for to this we labor and are reproached), that we rely on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. This instruct and teach.”
1Tim 4:9-11 (KNT)

This wise on and teach!

Central here is the statement “that we rely on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers”. This realization is the reason that the apostle struggles and also that he is reviled. The importance of the statement can be seen from the fact that he emphasizes credibility at the beginning and remarks at the end: ” This instruct and teach! Let us now compare different interpretations:

This passage contradicts a dualistic outcome of salvation history with heaven and hell. Here it is said that God is a Savior of all people, and especially of believers. The passage is interesting not only because the “salvation of all men” is directly mentioned here, but also because “all men” is in direct contrast to “believers.” The passage is taken to be an important statement in justifying the All-Asonement. It is now interesting to learn how opponents of an all-out reconciliation deal with this.

There are two parts to the central statement:

1. God is Savior of all people
2. Especially of the faithful.

A. God is Savior of all people

God is a savior of all people. This is not about a part of the people, but unmistakably about all people. For a follower of the doctrine of heaven and hell, this is not possible. The passage must therefore be reinterpreted. This is done as follows:

• Reinterpretation: Paul means to say that God is a “Savior for all people.” However, he is not “of all people”. So God is savior “in principle”, but not properly. It only becomes real when people respond to it.

Advocates of an all-around reconciliation respond to this, e.g.

• This contradicts the basic Greek text, where it clearly says “Savior of all people”. There is no mention of any specifications to be met in the context. We should not read these into it either. Everything about this statement is clear, and Paul has emphasized that the statement is credible and should be welcomed.

Adherents of a heaven-and-hell doctrine often justify the limitation with a reference to 1 Timothy 2:4, which says: “God our Savior, who wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” This is interpreted and linked to Chapter 4 as follows:

• Reinterpretation: From 1Tim 2:4 we learn that God wants to save all people, but unfortunately, He cannot always do so. This is also how the salvation of all people in 1Tim 4,10 is to be understood.

Advocates of a reconciliation of all respond to this, e.g.

• God’s will is not wishful thinking. He is not a would-be God. When He wants something, it happens. He is God. He brings about “all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). Those who reinterpret God’s “will” as a “powerless desire” no longer have a God worthy of the name. In the light of Scripture, the statement “God wants all men to be saved” seems to be an effective resolution to make it so. God wants all people to be saved.

Adherents of a heaven-and-hell doctrine have also repeatedly attempted to redefine the term “Savior” in this one passage:

• Reinterpretation: God is not a savior of all people, but a sustainer of all people. This is not about salvation from sin and death, but about Him giving us life, breath, and all things (cf. Acts 17:25)

Advocates of an all-around reconciliation respond to this, e.g.

• The Greek word used here is soter, translated everywhere else as “savior.” Why not here too?
• The fact that God is a sustainer of all men is hardly a reason for Paul to have struggled or even to have been reviled because of it, as he explicitly mentions it
• That God is a sustainer of all people, “especially of believers”, contradicts reality and has nothing to do with the gospel at all.

B. Above all the believers

Significant is the second part of the sentence, wherein Paul relates the group “all men” directly to the “believers”. God is “the Savior of all people, especially believers. There is a relationship between the two groups. Let’s take good care of it:

Followers of a heaven-and-hell doctrine read:

• Reinterpretation: God is a savior for all people, but only of believers. So believers are not a special subset of all people, but Paul deliberately excludes all people and only believers are ultimately meant.

Advocates of an all-around reconciliation respond to this, e.g.

• This is not in the base text. The Greek malista means “above all” or “especially”, “primarily”, “most”. The meaning can be well derived from other places where this term is used. In the same letter he still uses the word in 1Tim 5,8 (“But if any man for his own kin and especially makes no provision for the members of his family”) and 1Tim 5:17 (“The elders who have presided ably are to be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine”). A practical example is also found in 2Tim 4:13 (“The traveling cloak that I left at Troas near Carpus, bring with you when you come, also the scrolls, especially the parchments”). The Greek malista does not exclude anything, but emphasizes from the mentioned set a subset with special meaning. Thus, God is also a savior of all people, especially believers. It is a powerful argument that all will indeed be saved because it is inseparably linked to the salvation of believers.

Credible is this word, and worthy of every welcome.