What about the body of Christ?
Before moving on to the next "ransom" passage (1 Timothy 2:1-7), it should be noted that there are
differing views on who else will benefit from the new covenant that God
promised to make “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” The
predominant view among Christians is that the beneficiaries of the new covenant
will include not only those constituting the “Israel of God” but also the called-out company of saints that Paul referred to in his letters as
“the body of Christ” (which is a company of saints composed of people from both
a Jewish and – primarily – Gentile background).
According to this view, the
saints comprising the body of Christ are seen as either a continuation of
faithful Israel, or as having been incorporated into faithful Israel (in fact, many Christians see no difference at
all between the “Israel of God” referred to by Paul and the “body of Christ”).
Either way, those in the body of Christ are commonly understood as being just as much a
part of the “many” for whom Christ said he came to give his soul a ransom as
the believing Israelites to whom Christ was speaking in Matthew 20:28 (and,
ironically, this view would also mean that the primary recipients of the new
covenant blessings promised in Hebrews 8:7-12 will be of a Gentile background,
rather than Jewish).
The problem with this view is that the new covenant was not made with – and thus does not directly
pertain to – those in the body of Christ. Despite my disagreement with this view, I must emphasize that it is, nonetheless, completely consistent
with the overall position I’m defending in this study. With regard to the
identity of the “many” of Matthew 20:28, the only point that can be said to be
essential to the conclusion at which I’ll be arriving in part two of this
article is this: the “many” for whom
Christ said he came to give his soul a ransom is a definite group of people
whose salvation was procured by virtue of Christ’s death on their behalf.
This point is perfectly consistent with the more popular view that
the “many” of Matt. 20:28 includes
those who are in the body of Christ. After all, it’s certainly the case that the body of Christ consists of “a definite group
of people whose salvation was procured by virtue of Christ’s death on their
behalf.” For example, in Ephesians5:23-25, Paul wrote that Christ is the “Head
of the ecclesia (a “called-out company”)” and “the Savior of the body,” and
that Christ “loves the ecclesia, and gives Himself up for its sake.” In Titus
2:13-14, Paul wrote that “our Saviour Jesus
Christ…gives Himself for us, that He should be redeeming [lutroō,
from lutron] us from all lawlessness and be cleansing for
Himself a people to be about Him, zealous for ideal acts.” A few verses later, Paul went on to write, “Yet
when the kindness
and fondness for humanity of our Saviour, God, made its advent, not for works
which are wrought in righteousness which we do, but according to His mercy, He saves us, through the bath of
renascence and renewal of holy spirit, which He pours out on us richly through
Jesus Christ, our Saviour, that, being
justified in that One's grace, we may be becoming enjoyers, in expectation, of
the allotment of life eonian” (Titus 3:4-7).
So, regardless of whether one
understands the future beneficiaries of the new covenant to consist primarily
of Israelites or primarily of those who are Gentile in background, I think
scripture supports the view that it is the future beneficiaries of this
covenant who comprise the “many” for whom Christ said he came to give his soul
as a ransom.
A CORRESPONDENT RANSOM FOR ALL
In the previous installment of this study, I argued that the “many”
referred to in Matthew 20:28 should be understood as comprised of the future
beneficiaries of the new covenant, and that it is from their sins that these people are ransomed by
virtue of Christ’s death. I also noted that, in regard to the identity of the “many”
of Matthew 20:28, the acceptance of the following point is all that my overall
argument requires: the “many” for whom Christ gave himself a ransom is a
definite group of people whose salvation was procured by virtue of Christ’s
death on their behalf.
Here, again, is the logical (and, I believe,
scripturally-informed) argument I provided in support of this position:
1. Anyone for whom Christ gave himself a ransom will be ransomed as a
result.
2. Anyone ransomed as a result of Christ’s death will be saved.
3. The “many” for whom we’re told Christ gave himself a ransom will be
saved.
Now, in his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote the
following:
“I am entreating,
then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, pleadings, thanksgiving be made
for all mankind, for kings and all those being in a superior station, that we
may be leading a mild and quiet life in all devoutness and gravity, for this is
ideal and welcome in the sight of our Saviour, God, Who wills that all
mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth. For there is one
God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent
Ransom for all (the testimony in its own eras), for which I was appointed a
herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of
the nations in knowledge and truth.” (1Timothy
2:1-7)
The word translated “wills” in verse 4 (thelo)
means just that – i.e., to form a decision, choice or
purpose. Thus, what Paul is telling us in these verses is that, whether a
person has come to such a realization or not, they are embraced by God’s purpose
to save all mankind. Some – in an attempt to limit the meaning of the words
“all mankind” in the above passage – have argued that the word “all” here means
“all without distinction” or “all kinds of humans” instead of “all humans without exception.” However, the literal
meaning of “all” necessarily refers to every member of whatever category of
people or things that are in view – i.e., the entire number or quantity of people or things.
For example, when Paul wrote, “all those being in a
superior station” (v. 2), the word “all” necessarily includes every person “in a superior station.” This group of people (on whom Paul placed a special emphasis because of
the degree of influence that they have over the lives of believers) is simply
a subcategory of the “all mankind” referred to in verse 1. Paul
exhorted believers to pray for “all mankind” (i.e., all without exception,
which necessarily includes those in power over us) because of the fact that God
has willed that this very same, all-inclusive group shall be saved and come into
a realization of the truth. In other words, because God is committed to saving all mankind, we should not show any partiality in
our prayers for others, but have the same attitude toward humanity as a whole
that our God and Father has.
Again, the literal meaning of the word “all”
necessarily refers to every member of whatever category of people or things
that are in view – i.e., the entire
number or quantity of people or things. Thus, those arguing that “all” here
should be understood as referring to less than the total number of people
constituting “mankind” are actually arguing that Paul was not using the word literally here. That is, if the word “all” in this verse doesn’t actually include the entire number of people in view (which,
in this case, would be every member of that category of people that is “all
mankind”), then it can only be because Paul was using a figure of speech
(hyperbole) when he used the word “all” here. Although the word “all” is, on
some occasions, used hyperbolically in scripture, there is no good reason (that is, no non-question-begging reason) to understand it in this
non-literal sense here.
Moreover, when Paul used the same expression “all
mankind” later in his letter to Timothy, it’s pretty clear that he meant all humans
without exception (for he considered “believers” to be a subcategory of this
larger group):
“Faithful is the
saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached),
that we rely on the living God, Who is
the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers. These things be
charging and teaching.” 1 Timothy 4:9-11
It should come as no surprise that many Christians
– both Calvinists and Arminians – have tried to make 1 Tim. 4:10 mean anything but what it's actually saying.
“Surely,” some Christians will argue, “Paul didn’t really mean that God is the Savior of all mankind.” And yet, that’s exactly what Paul wrote. As with the
expression “all mankind” in 1 Tim. 2:4, some have tried to argue that the
expression “all mankind” in 1 Tim. 4:10 was simply Paul’s way of saying, “all
kinds of men.” But if that were the case, then it would mean that believers are
one “kind” of men of which God is the Savior. And this, in turn, would mean
that the other kind of men of which
God is the Savior are unbelievers.
But this, of course, would “prove too much” for those who want the expression
“all mankind” to mean “all kinds of men” rather than “all men without exception,”
for a human being is either a believer or an unbeliever.
By virtue of what
is God able to be referred to by Paul as “the Saviour of all mankind,
especially of believers?” Well, we know why God is called the Savior of
believers. It’s because believers have
been, and will be, saved by God. Paul would not (and could not) have referred to God as the “Saviour” of believers if he
didn’t think that we had been, or ever would be, saved. Neither God nor Christ
can be considered the “Saviour” of anyone whom they will never, in fact, save. Now,
regardless of who it is believed will be the recipients of the blessings of the
new covenant after Christ’s return, it is believed by most Christians that only
believers will, in fact, be saved.
Based on the above passage, however, Paul clearly believed otherwise. God is
the Savior “especially of believers,” but not exclusively. He is also the “Savior of all mankind.”
But if God is the Savior of all mankind (and he is), then what did Paul
mean when he called him the Savior “especially of believers?” Whatever
one believes it to mean, the meaning can’t contradict the fact that God is the
Savior of all mankind. To better understand Paul’s use of the word “especially”
here, we need only look to other examples in his letters. In Galatians 6:10 we
read, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all, especially to those who are of the household of
faith” (for more examples of Paul’s use of “especially,” see 1 Cor.
14:1; Phil 4:22; 1 Tim 5:8, 17; Titus 1:10 and Philemon 16).
Is Paul saying that we are to “do good” to those who are of “the
household of faith” to the exclusion of all others? Or, is
Paul saying we are to do good to all people, but that those who are of “the
household of faith” should come first? Obviously,
the latter is Paul’s intent. Those who are of “the household of faith” ought to
come first, though we should make the best of the opportunities God
gives us to help all people who are in need (even those
people who dislike or hate us). Similarly, Paul calls God the Savior “especially
of believers,” since Scripture reveals that those who believe are going to be
saved by God before everyone else. But this early salvation of
believers does not in any way diminish or subtract from the salvation that all
people are certain to receive from God at a later time.
Immediately after declaring that God ”wills that all mankind be saved and
come into a realization of the truth” (1 Tim.
2:4), Paul explained how the salvation of all mankind was secured: Christ gave
himself “a correspondent Ransom for all.” Here’s the key part of v. 6 in six different translations:
New English Translation: “…Christ Jesus, himself human, who
gave himself a ransom for all…”
Young’s Literal Translation: “…the man Christ Jesus, who
did give himself a ransom for all…”
Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible: “…a man - Christ Jesus: Who
gave himself a ransom in behalf of all…”
Concordant Literal New Testament: “…a Man, Christ Jesus, who
is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all…”
Dabhar Literal Translation: “…the man, Christ Jesus, having given Himself as instead-loosening for all…”
Disciple’s Literal New Testament: “…the man Christ
Jesus, the One having
given Himself as a ransom for all…”
The
expression translated as “a ransom for all,” “a ransom in behalf of all,”
“instead-loosening for all” and “a correspondent Ransom for all” are the words
“antilutron huper
pantōn.” The first word – antilutron – is a combination
of the Greek prefix “anti” and the noun “lutron.” The prefix “anti” means,
“instead of,” “corresponding to,” or “serving as the equivalent
of,” while the noun “lutron” is the same word translated as “ransom” in
Matthew 20:28. In the Expositor’s Greek Testament, we read the following
concerning Paul’s use of the prefix “anti”:
“If we are to see any special force in
the ἀντί [anti], we may say that it expresses
that the λύτρον [lutron] is equivalent in value
to the thing procured by means of it. But perhaps St. Paul’s use of the word,
if he did not coin it, is due to his desire to reaffirm our Lord’s well-known
declaration in the most emphatic way possible. λύτρον ἀντὶ [lutron anti] merely implies an
exchange; ἀντίλυτρον
ὑπέρ [antilutron huper]
implies that the exchange is decidedly a benefit to those on whose behalf it is
made.”[1]
Commenting
on the meaning of the words “correspondent ransom,” A.B. Screws remarked as
follows:
“Christ's death is the exact equivalent of the need of the human
family. And that need is more than to simply be restored to the Adamic
“purity.” We need the grace that superabounds - not grace that puts us back in
Adam’s condition. Everything that is needed to affect the salvation of all
mankind (I Tim. 2:4) is supplied in Christ. It is in this sense that He
is ‘the One giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all.’ Nor would it be amiss to consider the
meaning of ransom. It will secure the release of the person for whom it
is paid, unless the one accepting the ransom intends to deceive the one paying
it. If Christ gives Himself a correspondent Ransom for all, and any part
of the human family is not subsequently released, then God has deceived His
Son. In other words, since
Christ gives Himself a correspondent ransom for all, all must be saved, or else
God stands eternally discredited as dishonest. Perish the
thought! No one can read 1 Tim. 2:3-6, and believe every word of it,
without believing in the salvation of all humanity.“ (http://www.theheraldofgodsgrace.org/Screws/17_07_38_02.htm)
Now, in light of Paul’s use of the word “all” in 1
Tim. 2:5, let’s hear again from Calvinist theologian Loraine Boettner concerning Christ’s use of the word “many” in Matthew
20:28: “…this verse does not say that He gave His life a ransom for
all, but for many.” Echoing this statement by Boettner, one Calvinist
pastor (Wes Bredenhof) wrote the following on his blog: “The word “many” tells us that Jesus did not give his life as a
ransom for all. He laid down his life for the sheep. That means that he made
the atonement with the intent of paying for the sins of the elect and the elect
only. Jesus did not die for all people. He died on the cross for his chosen
ones and them alone.“
Bredenhof went on to say, “If Jesus died on the cross
for the sins of all people, then why did the Holy Spirit say, “many” and not
“all” or “everyone”?”[2]
Given their understanding of Christ’s words in Matthew 20:28
- and, it should be emphasized, Boettner and Bredenhof are affirming the
standard, traditional Calvinist view here - consistency would demand that they
admit that, in light of Paul’s use of “all” in 1 Timothy 2:5, all people
without exception will be ransomed by virtue of Christ’s death. For if Christ’s
use of the word “many” “in Matthew 20:28 means that he’s not talking about
“all,” then Paul’s use of the word “all” in 1 Tim. 2:5 means that he’s not
talking about “some” or “many.” The
expression, “there is one mediator of God and mankind” helps us to determine
who is included in the “all” for whom Christ gave himself as a ransom: it is
all persons who fall into the category of “mankind” (anthrōpos), and who are in need of a Savior. Contextually, then, Paul’s clearly talking about all mankind. And since Calvinists admit that the “many” who are in
view in Matthew 20:28 will, in fact, be saved, consistency demands that they also believe that the “all” in view in 1
Tim. 2:5 will, in fact, be saved as well.
Here is a modified form of the argument presented earlier:
1. Anyone for whom Christ gave himself a ransom will be ransomed as a
result.
2. Anyone ransomed as a result of Christ’s death will be saved.
3. The “all” for whom we’re told Christ gave himself a correspondent
ransom in 1 Timothy 2:5 will be saved.
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