Survey
of the Letters of Paul: 1 Timothy 2:3
1 Timothy 2:3
For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Saviour;
| be made for all
men - not only for all the saints,
for all the churches of Christ, and,
ministers of the Gospel; nor only for near
relations and friends, according to the
flesh; but for all the inhabitants of the
country and city in which men dwell, the
peace and prosperity of which are to be
prayed for; yea, for enemies, and such as
reproach, persecute, and despitefully use
the saints, even for all sorts of men, Jews
and Gentiles, rich and poor, high and low,
bond and free, good men and bad men: for it
cannot be understood of every individual
that has been, is, or shall be in the world;
millions of people are dead and gone, for whom
prayer is not to be made; nor is
prayer to be made for such who have sinned
the sin unto death, 1 John 5:16 besides, giving
of thanks, as well as prayers, are to be
made for all men; but certainly the meaning
is not, that thanks should be given for
wicked men, for persecutors, and
particularly for a persecuting Nero, or for
heretics, and false teachers, such as
Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom the apostle
had delivered to Satan. But the words must
be understood of men of all sorts, of every
rank and quality, as the following verse
shows. ~John Gill Quoted Verse: 1 John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. |
Now from the Matthew Henry commentary for verse
3:
As a reason why we should in our prayers concern
ourselves for all men, he shows God's love to
mankind in general, 1 Timothy 2:4.
1. One reason why all men are to be prayed for is
because there is one God, and that God bears a good
will to all mankind. There is one God (1 Timothy
2:5), and one only, there is no other, there can be
no other, for there can be but one infinite. This
one God will have all men to be saved; he desires
not the death and destruction of any (Ezekiel
33:11), but the welfare and salvation of all. Not
that he has decreed the salvation of all, for then
all men would be saved; but he has a good will to
the salvation of all, and none perish but by their
own fault, Matthew23:37. He will have all to be
saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to
be saved in the way that he has appointed and not
otherwise. It concerns us to get the knowledge of
the truth, because that is the way to be saved;
Christ is the way and the truth, and so he is the
life.
Quoted verses
1 Timothy 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Ezekiel 33:11
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the
wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye
from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?
Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee,
how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, and ye would not!
2. There is one Mediator, and that mediator gave
himself a ransom for all. As the mercy of God
extends itself to all his works, so the mediation of
Christ extends itself thus far to all the children
of men that he paid a price sufficient for the
salvation of all mankind; he brought mankind to
stand upon new terms with God, so that they are not
now under the law as a covenant of works, but as a
rule of life. They are under grace; not under the
covenant of innocence, but under a new covenant: He
gave himself a ransom. Observe, The death of Christ
was a ransom, a counter-price. We deserved to have
died. Christ died for us, to save us from death and
hell [meaning the grave
forever]; he gave himself a ransom
voluntarily, a ransom for all; so that all mankind
are put in a better condition than that of devils.
He died to work out a common salvation: in order
hereunto, he put himself into the office of Mediator
between God and man. A mediator supposes a
controversy. Sin had made a quarrel between us and
God; Jesus Christ is a Mediator who undertakes to
make peace, to bring God and man together, in the
nature of an umpire or arbitrator, a days - man who
lays his hand upon you both, Job 9:33. He is a
ransom that was to be testified in due time; that
is, in the Old Testament times, his sufferings and
the glory that should follow were spoken of as
things to be revealed in the last times, 1 Peter
1:10, 1 Peter 1:11. And they are accordingly
revealed, Paul himself having been ordained a
preacher and an apostle, to publish to the Gentiles
the glad tidings of redemption and salvation by
Jesus Christ. This doctrine of Christ's mediation
Paul was entrusted to preach to every creature, Mark
16:15. He was appointed to be a teacher of the
Gentiles; besides his general call to the
apostleship, he was commissioned particularly to
preach to the Gentiles, in faith and truth, or
faithfully and truly.
Quoted verses:
Job 9:33
Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might
lay his hand upon us both.
Commentary:
daysman - Margin, One
that should argue, or, umpire. The word daysman in
English means ” “an umpire or arbiter, a mediator.”
Webster. ~Barnes Notes
1 Peter 1:10
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace
that should come unto you:
1 Peter 1:11
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of
Christ which was in them did signify, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and
the glory that should follow.
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature.
Note:
(1.) It is good and acceptable in the sight of God
and our Saviour that we pray for kings and for all
men, and also that we lead a peaceable and quiet
life; and this is a very good reason why we should
do the one as well as the other.
(2.) God has a good will to the salvation of all; so
that it is not so much the want of a will in God to
save them as it is a want of will in themselves to
be saved in God's way. Here our blessed Lord charges
the fault: You will not come unto me that you may
have life, John 5:40. I would have gathered you, and
you would not.
(3.) Those who are [to one
day be] saved must come to the knowledge
of the truth, for this is God's appointed way to
save sinners [bring them to
salvation]. Without knowledge the heart
cannot be good; if we do not know the truth, we
cannot be ruled by it.
(4.) It is observable that the unity of God is
asserted, and joined with the unity of the Mediator.
(5.) He that is a Mediator in the New Testament
sense, gave himself a ransom. Vain then is the
pretence of the Romanists that there is but one
Mediator of satisfaction, but many of intercession;
for, according to Paul, Christ's giving himself a
ransom was a necessary part of the Mediator's
office; and indeed this lays the foundation for his
intercession.
(6.) Paul was ordained a minister, to declare this
to the Gentiles, that Christ is the one Mediator
between God and men, who gave himself a ransom for
all. This is the substance of which all ministers
are to preach, to the end of the world; and Paul
magnified his office, as he was the apostle of the
Gentiles, Romans 11:13.
Quoted verse:
Romans 11:13
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Here is the commentary on, "I
magnify mine office":
I esteem it of great importance; and by thus showing
that the gospel is to be preached to the Gentiles,
that the barrier between them and the Jews is to be
broken down, that the gospel may be preached to all
people, I show that the office which proclaims this
is one of signal honor. A minister may not magnify
himself, but he may magnify his office. He may
esteem himself as less than the least of all saints,
and unworthy to be called a servant of God Ephesians
3:8, yet he may feel that he is an ambassador of
Christ, entrusted with a message of salvation,
entitled to the respect due to an ambassador, and to
the honor which is appropriate to a messenger of God
To unite these two things constitutes the dignity of
the Christian ministry.
~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse:
Ephesians 3:8
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,
is this grace given, that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
(7.) Ministers must preach the truth, what they
apprehend to be so, and they must believe it
themselves; they are, like our apostle, to preach in
faith and verity, and they must also be faithful and
trusty.
Let us finish in the Treasury of Scriptural
Knowledge
For this is good and
acceptable:
1 Timothy 5:4
But if any widow have children or nephews, let them
learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite
their parents: for that is good and acceptable
before God.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
Romans 14:18
For he that in these things serveth Christ is
acceptable to God, and approved of men.
Ephesians 5:9-10
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness
and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Philippians 1:11
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which
are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of
God.
Philippians 4:18
But I have all, and abound: I am full, having
received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent
from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
Colossians 1:10
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God;
1 Thessalonians 4:1
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and
exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have
received of us how ye ought to walk and to please
God, so ye would abound more and more.
Hebrews 13:16
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for
with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
1 Peter 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:20
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for
your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if,
when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God.
of God our Saviour
1 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment
of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is
our hope;
Isaiah 45:21
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take
counsel together: who hath declared this from
ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have
not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me;
a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Luke 1:47
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
2 Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according
to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began,