Adventures With Calvinistman - Episode 5 - All Men? Which Men? - 1 Timothy 2:1-7

God Centered Theology

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Welcome to adventures with Calvinist man. He's faster than a speeding

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Arminian more powerful than man -centered synergism and able to leap tall strawmen in a single bound look up in the sky it's a bird it's a tulip no it's

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Calvinist man welcome back to adventures with Calvinist man that's right

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I am your superhero that will lead you into a greater understanding of Reformed soteriology greater understanding of scriptures teaching of salvation and what is actually being said and what is actually not being said well we have looked at John 3 and before we get into the book of Romans we're gonna look at a couple things one of the things

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I will look at today is 1st Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 through 8 and I have my handy -dandy

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Potter's freedom with me as this is a book by dr. James R white and it's a wonderful book and it's also he talks about I believe he calls it the big three in here three major passages that are usually held up is like see see it's there's no

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Calvinism like well yeah so there's that this is one of the three that he talks about and it's just what

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I wanted to cover here because I am Calvinist man I'm your superhero and I'm here to take out all those evil straw men so what is important to remember we usually this is is brought up because verse 4 talks about how

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God desires all men to be saved to come to the full knowledge of the truth we have finite minds

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God is infinite God reveals himself in such a way to where we can understand who he is but we need to remember sometimes he uses language of the creature to explain what the

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Creator is doing yes it's true that God can have a desire to see all men saved but it's also true that God's not gonna go against his decree and he is decreed to have triune harmony in atonement in election and all these things and he's revealed that he has elected a certain people under his name and if you remember we've covered this you know whoo there's no

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Calvinist boogeyman that's gonna get you but he could have saved none and only displayed some of his attributes he could have displayed he could have saved everybody

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I mean after all bless God he desires all men to be saved so he must go save everybody no universalism isn't taught either he would only display some of his attributes in in those two cases saving none saving all he only displays some of his attributes however in saving some he displays all of his attributes grace mercy justice righteous soul so forth so it'd be something similar on our finite level to tomorrow

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I have to get up and go to work that's the priority I desire to do a lot of different other things sleeping eating having fun doing whatever but because of my commitment priority to going to work so I can pay bills and you know all these good things that's gonna take the precedence so God it can be true that God has a desire to see that all men would repent and come to a full knowledge of the truth but his commitment to his decree is not gonna have him change what he's already said he is doing in time for his glory so we have to stay

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God -centered another thing just as a general general introduction here before we get into the exegesis chapter and verse divisions are a modern thing they are not inspired nor are they inerrant despite what our

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King James only his friends would tell us so we do not need to take a verse like first Timothy 2 for pull it out of its context and then say see this is what it's saying no it's not we need to be doing the consistent and you know it's not but you know there would be some say boring and it's not boring consistent contextual exegesis is fun and great and you get to learn what

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God has said not what man thinks so stop with that boring nonsense it's not scripture and learning it is never boring but you must do the same consistent contextual exegesis that you would do in first Timothy to that you would do in John 3

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Romans Leviticus numbers Deuteronomy so on so forth you don't need to be doing one thing over here one thing over there because it fits what you wanted to say consider how the normal plain reading of the text what the author clearly intended what the original audience would have understood and yes is their application to us beyond the application of the original audience so with that in mind let's look at first Timothy 2 and say is it saying that Calvinism is wrong and it's just a mean boogeyman those evil

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Calvinist are gonna get you or and what

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I would argue this passage isn't dealing with that at all part of a consistent contextual

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God -centered exegesis and interpretation of scriptures recognizing what something is saying but also what it's not saying this passage is not giving a teaching on salvation soteriology or the study of salvation it's not giving a teaching on atonement or depravity election none of those things is in view here if we're dealing with a sect like my best example always gives if you want to know who's supposed to be the elders of the church who are supposed to be the overseers of the church you always go to first Timothy 3 because it is a clear contextual instructional passage about who is to oversee the church what those overseers are supposed to look like how are they are qualified now for what oversight looks like you'd have to go to first Peter 5 some places and acts and in different places to kind of flesh that out in Hebrews you would go there for an extended discussion on the atonement if you want to know about the history of the

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Jerusalem the Israelites you've got plenty of narrative places in the Old Testament each section of Scripture is a different type of literature intended to convey different things so you have to consider that you cannot go to first Peter or excuse me first Timothy 2 here take verse 4 out of context and say see this disproves

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Calvinism this is your kryptonite Calvinist man you're dead you're done Calvinist man is over with he's gone he's out of here that's not if you do that good for you you cannot do that consistently everywhere else and we meet we're gonna hold you to that account if you're gonna take something like that in a in a text that's not teaching about salvation and whether or not man every you know because the basic Armenian things you know everybody has a choice it's his choice

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God's reactionary it synergism God man working together it's you know

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God can't override free free will as Stephen Furtick has said you know it's man is a choice

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God wants to save he makes salvation possible but ultimately it's up to man which is the anti -reform viewer the the other view this section is not neither approving nor disproving

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Calvinism now this section disproves one of the claims that Calvinism is not true because we can show that it's not that's not what's being said but this section is not a teaching on that so you don't want to go to a passage that's not dealing with soteriology and then use it as one of your foundational cornerstones on your your soteriology your belief of salvation just as the same as one verse since they're modern things and are not inspired or whatever you don't want to use one verse to build any one doctrine that's not the way we do things we use it from the consistent contextual exegesis so with that being said let's run through this let's dive through this he says first of all

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I then I exhort that petitions and prayers requests and Thanksgivings be made for all men so when we're exegeting a passage like this you need to let the text speak for itself that a lot of times you'll see the text clearly establish itself explain itself and exegete itself meaning you don't need any fancy theological hurdles to jump through it just plainly says it and if you follow the typical standard interpretation methods we use to understand language it becomes very clear so what is being established here it says first of all

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I exhort that petitions petitions are requests earnest entreaties that prayers requests intercessions supplications interventions

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Thanksgivings you know Paul saying he said you know you need to you need to pray you need to make petitions you need to be concerned about all men okay so that by itself would seem to say literally every single human being we're gonna find out it's more categorical in mind here but he says

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I exhort a petition prayers request Thanksgiving be made for all men now we're gonna find here is that the meaning of what's going on here is just much like in our day you know people have no problem praying for their friends have no problem paying for the praying for those close to them to be saved and to have fruitful lives and as verse 4 says come to the full knowledge of the truth it's those you don't like that's hard to pray for it's those and remember part of interpretation is understanding the original audience the original audience under Nero and under tyrannical rulers if you're under tyranny it's very difficult to pray for that tyranny it's difficult to pray for the salvation of the tyrants that are over you and a lot of these people were very sinful just like ours just like we are and they probably didn't want to pray for certain people remember these the same people that had issues with Samaritans and different people that they considered half -breeds and all this different stuff this prejudice and different things that were going on this would be the same thing nowadays if we said why ain't praying for that that couple down the road they need to just die and go to hell you know

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Paul's gonna establish here that you have no choice in the matter when it comes to that you are to pray for all types and kinds of men and women and children boys and girls of all ages you can't say well

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I'm not gonna pray for those evil tyrannical politicians you know I draw the line they're like Paul says no you can't do it that's what's being discussed and taught here the principle that we are to pray for all people and as it pertains to salvation and election this is a passage that you can go to to demonstrate the fact that the election of God is secret we don't know who the elect are we don't know those who will be saved so therefore we have no judgments that we can make in terms of evangelism

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I can't say well I'm evangelize that guy over there I'm a vangelize that guy over there but the other person down the street

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I don't like we'll just pretend like they're not the elect you know we don't know who they are people don't walk around with an

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E marked on their head oh they're elect we better evangelize them oh they don't have an E I better not waste no time over there we don't know that hasn't been revealed to us but we are commanded to call all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel we are commanded to evangelize so this this whole notion that Calvinists don't want to evangelize oh they don't evangelize they don't put no effort they're lazy they just don't care about praying to anybody well

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Paul says right here that we're not to do that we're to pray for everybody pray that all men would come to salvation and God's decree

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God will do what he's gonna do to bring glory himself it's not in our purview to make those determinations that's why we can never say well you know they're too far gone

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I'm not gonna pray for them he says let your petitions your prayers your requests and thanksgivings be made for all men what men though okay all men which men well the text clearly defines it for us notice he says for kings and all who are in authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity so Paul answers the question of which men yes all men in a sense but then specifically he notes some categories so this is all about categories kings people in authority meaning it's assumed here because just like we do today you don't have to tell somebody to pray for someone they love or care about people naturally even though those that are hardcore atheists if something good happens to them they say oh thank

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God or this or if they're in real big danger at all please Lord help me people don't have no problem praying for themselves they certainly don't have problem praying for those who love it's the ones that you don't love the ones you don't want to pray for that he has in mind here so if for these people he didn't have to tell them you know make sure you pray for your loved ones that's assumed he brings up kings and those are in authority because these people had a huge issue with that they didn't want to see these tyrants come to know

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Jesus they wanted to be judged you know they were very self -centered so he's reminding us look you have your prayers for all men but also kings and those in authority because you want to live in a place that's peaceful and free so like in America there are certain politicians

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I don't want an office and some I do if there's tyrants in office I'm gonna pray against that I you know even if my leaders are not the same

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Christian worldview I want to pray for them that they would be saved or at least if they're not gonna be saved that their tyrannical sinful

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Satanic dealings would be held back by the grace and mercy of God but it doesn't mean

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I can't pray for them I'm supposed to pray for them that they'd come to a full knowledge of the truth why well he says there's a benefit for you being under sinless godless tyrants is a horrible way to live being under people that love

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God is a much better way to live that's that's the context that Paul is establishing here he says

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I need you to pray pray for sinners pray for those that you love but also pray for Kings pray for those in authority because it will help you live and remember he's writing here to people we're leading up to and getting to 70

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AD when you know Dero is gonna kill all these Christians and destroy the temple again and there's gonna be horrible horrible trial and suffering and Paul's saying even in the midst of all that you don't have a choice when it comes to praying for all men even and including those in authority he said this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our

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Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth he says it's good and acceptable he says that God desires all men to be saved in context with what he just said about how we are to pray the context the ultimate context of this section is about prayer not salvation it's about prayer and how we're to pray for all kinds of men and women those in authority those not in authority those we love those we don't know and he says what the reason we do this because God desires all be saved all men so it's all men we can't take verse 4 here and all of a sudden say well all men means every single human being that has ever lived when the context earlier when it said let your prayers and petitions be made for all men and then he defines that the all men is all types of men that sets the guideline of the context so when you get down to verse 4 and it says

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I desire all men to be saved you now can't retroactively say well that means every single human being there's no capitalism is evil wrong and then put that back on top of what was said in verse 1 see

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I'm saying the cut you cannot do that the context is set as the categories and all types of men and women all types of people that we pray for you can't limit your prayer life to just those you approve of so we interpret verse 4 in light of verses 1 2 & 3 so what is actually being said is that God desires men and women from all walks of life all kinds of men and women there's no type or category of person that God would say

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I'm not saving those kinds of people the dividing laws but the dividing walls broken down no

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Jew no Greek we're all in Christ black people white people Asian people Hispanic people all men all types of people will come to the full knowledge of the truth why verse 5 & 6 explain why we're to pray for every all being everywhere and why it's acceptable to the

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Lord and why he desires to see this happening because there is one

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God and one mediator mediator meaning an arbiter a go -between a person or a body that would settle a dispute so Jesus Christ we have the dispute of sin

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God has accused us of sin because we've broken his law we're in the position of the ones that's committed the sin we need somebody to go between us to make things right and that's

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Jesus Christ the mediator between God and men this is general language it's not saying one mediator between God and every single human being that's ever lived no it's between God and men between the infinite and the finite between the

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Creator and the creature that's what's being conveyed there's a mediator an arbiter that is between God and mankind which would include kings those are in authority the people you love all races all types of people for all those that have repented of their sin placed their faith in Christ they have the same mediator to the same one

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God the man Christ Jesus so in terms of salvation soteriology when we speak of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ you can point to this passage there's only one mediator that can make you right with God in terms of the

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Calvinism debate we this does not disprove anything in terms of election but it does demonstrate that election is secret we don't know who the elect are so we're instructed here by Paul to pray for all men and we're to call all people to repent and the reason

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Jesus Christ is this only qualified mediator is he's the one that gave himself as the ransom or in exchange for the witness for this proper time for I this

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I was appointed a preacher and apostle and telling the truth I'm not lying as a teacher of the Gentiles and faith and truth therefore

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I want the men in every place to pray lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension so this paragraph here this section when you take it for what it says and don't add things into it you see a very plain foundational context laid out that Paul's instructing these people to pray for all types of men not just Jews not just those you like but for Gentiles for those in authority for all people whether either tyrants if they're the most

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God -hating person you've ever met in your life you can pray for them because whether or not you know they're elect or not does not matter whether or not they end up being saved or not does not determine whether you should pray for them the point in which why you should pray for all people and evangelize all people because if they are to repent of their sin put their faith in Christ they have the same mediator and the same

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Savior as you do and that mediator that Savior that saves you is just as powerful enough to save them that's the point amen well thank you for joining me today

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I hope you have learned a lot here and just remember I am your superhero Calvinist man here to lead you into a better understanding of Reformed theology specifically