Day 1001: A message for everyone - 1 Timothy 2 vs 1 - 7

1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3-4 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5-6 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 English Standard Version

The apostle Paul urged believers to pray for the government of the day, even though the government at that time was Rome, and they weren't that friendly towards Christians. It was also a time when there were many divisions in the world. Apart from different nationalities, there were also different levels in society. Some were in positions of authority, others were slaves. Some were rich, many were poor. The same is still true today. And in a world of so many different groups, who would you say needed to hear the good news of salvation from sin the most? What was Paul's answer in vs 3-4?

Despite speaking in vs 1-2 of kings and those in high positions, Paul pointed out that 'all people' need salvation. Those verses have led to much debate among Christians. Does 'all' mean 'everyone on earth', or people from 'all walks of life'? We know God gave His Son so that ‘whosoever believes’ will be saved. But do vs 1-2 mean something different here?

The fact that he urged believers to pray for those in authority, and the 'upper crust' of society, suggests that the 'all' he spoke of here was to show that the gospel message is intended not just for common people, but for those in power too. The same is true in vs 5-6 where he says “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ‘a ransom for all'.” Jesus didn't only die to save Jews, but gentiles also. He didn't die only for the poor, but for rich people as well. Kings and presidents need salvation just as much as factory workers. And the ransom Jesus made is able to save men and women of all callings.

How often we do what Paul urged? There's a danger that if we live under a bad government, we may not want to pray for them, or we may feel our prayers won't make any difference. But notice that he said that praying for them is 'good and pleasing' in the sight of God. Especially when our prayers are so that there may be law and order in society, so that Christians can also live in peace and be able to share the gospel. As he says in vs 5-6, there is a 'testimony' that needs to be made known to the world.

Paul also spoke of this 'testimony' in the letter he wrote to Titus. He said: “God promised eternal life which, 'at the proper time', has been shown in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour.” (Titus 1:3) And in the same way, he reminds Timothy how God had called him to take the gospel into the gentile world.

The reason he stressed this was because Timothy was facing problems from people who were making the gospel sound as if it was only for Jewish people. In Chapter 1, Paul reminded Timothy that he'd urged him to stay on at Ephesus so that he could ‘charge certain persons not to teach different doctrine, nor devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies’. Some people there wanted to 'teach the law', without really understanding what they were saying.

So, in the same way that the gospel is for kings as well as common people, it is also for gentiles as well as Jews. God calls all such people to be saved, and to the knowledge of the truth. That's the message He sent into the world when the time was right. This should lead us to be eager to share the gospel with people from all walks of life. Wealthy business people need the gospel. NHS workers need the gospel. People in foreign countries need the gospel. And our politicians need the gospel too. Let's not forget to pray for those who set the rules of our nation, so that we can get on with sharing ‘the testimony of Jesus’ with everyone we can in our world.