According to what Paul wrote in Colossians 1:5-7, those who have
heard and believed “the word of truth of the gospel” have “realized the grace of God in truth.” These words imply
that the gospel with which Paul was entrusted makes known God’s grace. In
accord with this fact, Paul referred to his gospel as “the gospel of the
grace of God” (Acts 20:24), and referred to the “administration” that
had been given to him for the sake of the gentiles as “the administration of
the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2).
After hearing Paul’s gospel, one’s coming to a realization
of “the grace of God in truth” is inseparably connected with understanding and
believing the message. And insofar as this is the case, a failure to realize
“the grace of God in truth” when hearing the gospel of the grace of God means
that one has not, in fact, believed it. But what, exactly, did Paul have in
mind when he referred to the “the grace of God” that is realized “in truth”
when one believes the gospel of the grace of God?
In order to understand what Paul had in mind here, it would be
helpful to first review the actual elements of the gospel that was entrusted to
Paul to herald among the nations. According to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, this
gospel consists of the following two facts: (1) “that
Christ died for our sins” and (2) “that He has been roused
the third day.” The words “roused the third day” refer, of course, to the
resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:12-16). But what does it mean for Christ to
have “died for our sins?” Answer: This simple statement essentially means
that Christ died so that our sins would be forgiven. That is, Christ died so that our
sins would cease to be “reckoned” to us by God (and would thus cease to be a
source of condemnation).
But for
whose sins did Christ die? We know that whenever Paul
or his fellow-laborers heralded the gospel of the grace of God, the expression
“our sins” would’ve necessarily included the sins of every unbeliever to whom the gospel was proclaimed. We can
therefore understand the words “our sins” as including the sins of all mankind
(which would include the sins of all
who have died without believing the gospel). Thus, to believe that Christ died
for our sins is to believe that Christ died so that the sins of all mankind would be forgiven (and this includes the sins of all who die without
believing the gospel).
This
understanding is confirmed by what Paul wrote in Romans
5:15-19. Here is how these verses read in the Concordant Literal New Testament:
But not as the offense, thus also the
grace. For if, by the offense of
the one, the many died, much rather the grace of God and the gratuity in
grace, which is of the One Man, Jesus Christ, to the many super-abounds.
And not as through one
act of sinning is the gratuity. For, indeed, the judgment is out of one into
condemnation, yet the grace is
out of many offenses into a just award. For if, by the offense
of the one, death reigns through the one, much rather, those obtaining the superabundance of grace
and the gratuity of righteousness shall be reigning in life through the One,
Jesus Christ.
Consequently,
then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus
also it is through one just award for all mankind for life’s justifying. For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were
constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just.
It should be noted that, in verses 15 and 19, both Adam and
Christ are referred to as “the one” and “the one man,” and are both
distinguished from another group of people who are referred to as “the many.”
This makes the contrast that Paul was making in these verses a contrast between
“one” and “many” (and not between “many” and “all,” as is sometimes supposed).
Moreover, the obedience of Christ to which Paul was referring in
the last verse is the same obedience of which we read Philippians 2:8 (where
Paul wrote that Christ became “obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross”). That is, Paul was referring to Christ’s death for our sins
here. And this means that “the grace of God and the gratuity in grace” that
we’re told “super-abounds” to “the many” is something that Christ procured by
means of his death.
But who are “the many” from whom Adam and Christ are being
distinguished in these verses? Answer: a comparison of verses 12 and 15 makes
it clear that Paul used the expression “the many” (hoi polloi) as equivalent in
meaning to “all mankind” (pantas anthrōpous):
Verse 12: “Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world,
and through sin death, and thus death passed
through into all mankind, on
which all sinned…”
Verse 15: “For if, by the offense of
the one, the many died, much rather the grace of God and the gratuity in grace,
which is of the One Man, Jesus Christ, to the many super-abounds.”
Just as the “one man” and “the one” are references to the same
individual (i.e., Adam), so also “all mankind” and “the many” refer to the same
group of people. In other words, those referred to as “the many” (and who are
being distinguished from “the one”) in v. 15 include every human who has been negatively affected by the disobedience of
Adam.
Moreover, since the “many” who died as a result of “the offense
of the one” are the same “many” to
whom we’re told God’s grace “super-abounds,” it follows that this same group of people (i.e., all
mankind) will be obtaining the “superabundance of grace and the
gratuity of righteousness” of which we read in v. 17. In the
same way, since “the many” who we’re told were “constituted sinners” in v. 19
are identical with those referred to as “all mankind” in verses 12 and 18, it
follows that this same group of people
(i.e., all mankind) “shall be constituted just” because of
Christ’s death on the cross.
In accord with the fact that everyone negatively affected by
Adam’s sin is ultimately going to be justified because of Christ’s sacrificial
death, we read the following in 1 Cor. 15:20-22:
Yet now Christ has
been roused from among the dead, the
Firstfruit of those who are
reposing. For since, in fact, through a man came
death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in
Christ, shall all be
vivified.”
To be
vivified in Christ is to be made immortal (1 Cor. 15:53-55) and receive the
same kind of body with which Christ was roused – i.e., an incorruptible,
glorious, powerful and spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:42-44; Phil. 3:21). Thus, being
vivified in Christ involves being permanently saved from the condemnation of
which sinners are deserving (Rom. 1:32) and of which we’re told sin is the
“wages” (Rom. 6:23).
Moreover, the parallelism of v. 22 indicates
that the same individuals who are included within the first “all” are included within
the second “all.” That is, the individuals
referred to by the two uses of the word “all” are identical, and the scope of the
first “all” thus determines the scope of the second “all.” And since the first
“all” is comprised of all mankind (i.e., everyone into whom “death passed
through,” according to Rom. 5:12), it necessarily follows that all mankind shall be vivified in Christ.
The blessing of being vivified in Christ is, therefore, in no
way restricted to the relatively small number of humans who die as believers
(and who are later
referred to as “those who are
Christ’s in his presence”). Rather,
this future blessing embraces the same individuals who we’re told in Romans
5:12-19 were negatively affected by Adam’s sin, and who shall be justified as a
result of Christ’s obedience.
The fact that all mankind shall be justified (and thus vivified in
Christ) does not mean that all people have already
been justified (or that all people are being justified now). Only believers – i.e., those who have believed the gospel of
the grace of God – have been justified at the present time. However, since Christ died for the sins of all mankind, it
remains the case that all mankind shall
be justified (and thus saved from death).
But when will all mankind be justified and saved? Answer: At the end of
Christ’s reign. After revealing that the same “all” who are dying in Adam shall
be vivified in Christ, Paul went on to write the following in 1 Corinthians
15:23-28:
Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruits, Christ; thereupon those
who are Christ’s in His presence; thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to
His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and
all authority and power. For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death. For He subjects all under His feet. Now
whenever He may be saying that all
is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him. Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be
subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.
The fact that Christ is eventually
going to be “giving up the kingdom to his God and Father” means that he is
eventually going to cease reigning over the kingdom. This is confirmed by
Paul’s use of the word “until” in v. 25 (which expresses the idea that,
when all of Christ’s enemies have been subjected to him, he will cease to
reign). This same idea is also being expressed in the words, “then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who
subjects all to Him…” It is by
giving up the kingdom to his God and Father that Christ becomes subjected to
God. When this occurs, God will become the sole ruler of the future kingdom.
Notice,
also, that the same term “subjected” in v. 28 is used in
reference to both Christ and those
who are to be subjected to Christ. Since Christ’s subjection to God
will involve his becoming a subject of the kingdom that he’ll be giving up to
God (and of which God will become the sole ruler), we can conclude that the
“all” who are to be subjected to Christ will also be becoming subjects of this kingdom. This is confirmed by the
fact that the “all” who will be
subjected to Christ before he gives up the kingdom to God are the same “all” in
whom God will be “All.” And since the “all” who are going to be subjected
to Christ will include all mankind (and thus everyone who dies in unbelief), we
can conclude that the “all” in whom God
is going to be “All” will include all mankind (and thus everyone who dies
in unbelief). We also know that, before God becomes “All in all,” death is
going to be abolished by Christ, and all mankind are going to be vivified. We
can therefore conclude that, when all people become subjects of the kingdom
that Christ is going to be delivering up to God, all people will be justified.
Most
Christians, of course, do not believe that Christ secured the salvation of
every human being who has been negatively affected by the disobedience of Adam.
Instead, it is commonly believed among Christians that the majority of the sinners for whom Christ
died will never be saved (and that all unsaved sinners will remain forever
“separated from God” in a place of unending torment). However, in addition to
what has already been demonstrated in this article, there are several reasons
why this commonly-held Christian belief is incompatible with the gospel of the
grace of God. Consider the following:
1. Christ
died as a sin-offering for all mankind
Elsewhere
in his letters, Paul referred to Christ’s death using words and imagery derived
from the sin offering (Rom. 3:24-25; 8:3; Eph. 5:1-2). Not only this, but in 2
Cor. 5:21 Paul explicitly stated that Christ was made a sin offering for our
sakes. Moreover, the use of the preposition “for” (huper) in connection
with the word “sins” occurs several times in the letter to the Hebrews in
connection with the sin-offering (see Heb. 5:1, 3; 7:27; 9:7; 10:12). We
can therefore conclude that the expression “Christ died for our sins” points to
the fact that, when Christ died for us, he died as a sin-offering.
But what
is a sin-offering? Answer: a sin-offering is a sacrifice offered
to God that has, as its design and intended purpose, the elimination of the
sins of those for whom the sacrifice is offered (such that the sins cease to be
reckoned to the sinner by God, and thus cease to be a source of
condemnation). It’s further evident that, when the work of the priest
making the sin offering has been completed, the sin-offering secures
the forgiveness of the sins of the one on whose behalf it was offered (see,
for example, Lev. 4:26, 35; 5:10).
It therefore
follows that the sins of everyone for whom Christ died – which is all mankind –
shall be eliminated as a source of condemnation, and that all
mankind shall thus be justified and saved from the condemnation of death. Therefore, to
believe that “Christ died for our sins” is to believe that, through his death,
Christ secured the justification of all mankind, and that the sins of all
mankind shall be (and not merely “may be”) eliminated/taken
away. One cannot, therefore, believe that Christ died for our sins and not believe that everyone for whose sins Christ died shall be saved. To believe that only some sinners for whom Christ died will ultimately be saved means that one doesn’t believe that Christ died for our sins.
2. Christ
gave himself a ransom for all mankind
The next
consideration that supports the above understanding of what the words
“Christ died for our sins” communicate is based on what Paul wrote in 1
Tim. 4:3-7. In these verses we read the following:
“God…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.”
The word
“all” in the expression “ransom for all” refers to every member of the category
of people who are in view. And according to the immediate context, the
“all” for whom Christ gave himself a ransom is everyone who belongs to
“mankind” (anthrōpos) – i.e., “all mankind” (v. 4).
In other words, the “all” for whom Christ gave himself a ransom includes every
human being who is in need of being saved (and whom we’re told God wills to
save).
The word
translated “correspondent Ransom” in verse 6 (or simply “ransom”) is antilutron,
and denotes the payment by which
someone’s release from captivity is
secured. It thus follows that the salvation of everyone for whom Christ
gave himself to God as a ransom – i.e., all mankind – was secured when Christ died on the cross in obedience to God. And this
means that all mankind shall be saved and come into a realization of the truth.
3. Christ
acquired the authority to save all mankind through his death
Another
consideration that supports the above understanding of what we read in 1 Cor.
15:3 is what Paul wrote in Romans 14:9. In this verse we read the following:
“For to this end
Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead
and of the living.”
According
to what Paul revealed in this verse, Christ’s being “Lord both of the dead and
of the living” is the reason why he
“died and lived again.” And since every human being
is either living or dead, it necessarily follows that Christ is Lord of the
entire human race. And this, of course, includes
everyone who has died (or who will die) in unbelief. And since Jesus’
God-given status as Lord involves having “all
authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt.
28:18), it means that, through his obedient death on the cross, Jesus acquired
the power and authority to save every
sinner for whose sins he died.
Although Scripture
is clear that unjustified sinners will face divine judgment (with some being
cast into the lake of fire and undergoing “the second death”), it is equally
clear from Scripture that, through his obedience unto death, Christ acquired
the authority to save all sinners. As Lord of the dead and the living, Christ can
easily resurrect everyone who must undergo the second death, and subject them
to himself by bringing them to a realization of the truth (and thereby transforming
them into loyal, obedient servants of God). But will Christ actually use his
God-given authority to save all mankind?
Yes. The fact that Christ died for the sake of all mankind means that he is
committed to saving all mankind (for Christ is necessarily committed to saving
everyone for whose sake he died, and of whom he became Lord).
Objection: “There are some
verses of Scripture that reveal that some people will never be saved.”
If there were any verses that revealed that some people will
never be saved, then such verses would contradict the gospel of the grace of
God. However, there is not a single verse of Scripture that, when better understood
(and, in some cases, more accurately translated), can’t be harmonized with the
truth of the gospel. For every verse appealed to in support of the
commonly-held Christian doctrine of “hell,” I believe there is a grammatically
valid and contextually-informed way of understanding it that is perfectly
consistent with the truth of the gospel of the grace of God.
One example of a verse that is commonly thought to contradict
the truth that everyone for whom Christ died is going to be saved is Matthew
25:46. Although most Bible versions have the
expressions “eternal punishment” and “eternal life” in this verse, the Greek
word translated “eternal” in such versions (i.e., aiónios) doesn’t
actually mean “without end.” Instead, this word is the adjectival form of
the noun aión (“eon”
or “age”). As the adjectival form of a noun that means “eon” or “age,” aiónios always refers to one or more eons/ages (for a more in-depth defense of this point, click here for part two of my article
on John 3:16). Instead of “eternal punishment” and
“eternal life,” a more accurate translation of the Greek expressions found in
the original text of Matthew 25:46 would be “eonian
chastening” and “eonian life” (with the “eon” or “age”
in view being that which Christ referred to elsewhere as “the eon to come” –
i.e., the eon that will begin when Christ returns to earth).
Moreover, the immediate context in
which these expressions occur indicates that the people whom Christ had in mind
(and whom he figuratively referred to as “sheep” and “goats”) will be gentiles
who will be alive on the earth after Christ has returned to earth and begun to
reign from “the throne of his glory” (Matt. 25:31; cf. 24:30). The righteous “sheep” (i.e.,
those gentiles who show kindness to the persecuted Jewish saints during the
time of “great affliction”) will receive an allotment in the geopolitical
territory of the kingdom that will be established on the earth at this future
time (see Ezekiel 47:21-23; cf. Isaiah 14:1-2; 61:5; Amos 9:11-15). In
contrast, the wicked “goats” are gentiles who, because of their ill-treatment
and neglect of God’s persecuted people, will be excluded from the geopolitical
territory of the kingdom. These gentiles will comprise “the nations” whom the
faithful saints among God’s covenant people will, during the eon to come,
be “shepherding…with an iron club, as
vessels of pottery are being crushed” (Rev.
2:26-27).
For a more in-depth examination of
what the eonian destiny of the “goats” will involve, click here for part six
of my study on Matthew 25:31-46.
Objection: “Only those who
believe on the Lord Jesus before they die will be saved (Acts 16:30-31). Those
who die in unbelief will never be saved.”
To believe on Christ is to believe the gospel concerning him.
But we’re not told in Acts 16:30-31 (or anywhere else in Scripture) that those
who don’t do this before they die will “never be saved.” Not only this, but –
as has been demonstrated in this article – the
gospel of the grace of God flatly contradicts the idea that those who die in
unbelief will never be saved. To believe the gospel of the grace of God is
to believe that Christ died for the sins of all mankind (which means that all
mankind are going to be saved by virtue of Christ’s death). Moreover – and as
I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (see, for example, “Therefore
they could not believe”) – it is God alone who determines who believes on Christ and who doesn’t;
thus, those who believe that only believers will be saved must also believe that God doesn’t will the
salvation of all mankind. However, this view is explicitly contradicted by the
inspired testimony of Paul.
Moreover,
if only those who believe on Christ before they die will ever be saved, then it
would follow that all who die as infants/young children (as
well as adults who live and die without the mental capacity to believe)
will never be saved. But I’ve never heard any Christian affirm
or defend this view (even those Christians who claim that they can’t be
“dogmatic” on the subject of the salvation of infants or mentally handicapped
people seem entirely open to the possibility – and are in fact inclined
to believe – that such people will,
in fact, be saved by virtue of Christ’s redemptive work).
So, on
the one hand, we’re assured by most Christians that the only way people can be “eternally saved” is through faith in Jesus
Christ. On the other hand, it’s also commonly believed by
Christians that a vast number of human beings who die without having
ever believed the gospel will, in fact, be finally saved. However, for
Christians to make any category of human beings an exception to
the requirement that one must believe on Christ in this
lifetime in order to be eternally saved is to completely undermine their
position that only believers will be eternally saved. That is, the exception that
most Christians are willing to make for infants/young children (and many
mentally handicapped people) completely invalidates their belief that only those
who have faith in Christ before they die will be saved.
Rather than affirming that only believers will be saved,
Paul wrote that God is “the Savior of all mankind, especially of
believers” (1 Tim. 4:10). God’s being the Savior of any group of people
necessarily means that they will be saved (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:3-4; 2:13); the
salvation of those whom God wills to save is the very reason why God can be considered their Savior. And since the
word “especially” in this verse doesn’t mean “exclusively” (click here for
a more in-depth defense of this point), we can conclude
that all mankind will
be saved by God. Moreover, since Paul made a distinction between
believers and the rest of “all mankind,” we can conclude that the rest of “all
mankind” consists entirely of unbelievers. This means
that all who die in unbelief will ultimately be saved by God (otherwise, God
wouldn’t be “the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers”; he would
instead be the Savior of believers only).
Thus, in
addition to being contrary to the truth of the gospel, the view that only
believers will be saved is contrary to the fact that God is the Savior of
unbelievers as well as believers. God couldn’t be the Savior of all mankind if
only those who die as believers will be saved by him.
Objection: “It’s ultimately
our choice whether we’re saved or not. Even though God would like for everyone to be saved, God
respects the choice of his human creatures. God is not going to save anyone
against their will.”
This objection not only betrays a lack of faith in the gospel of the grace of God but it elevates the will of the creature over the will of the Creator, and makes
the human will more effectual than the divine will. To see how this is so, we
need only consider what, exactly, God’s will is with regard to mankind’s
salvation.
In 1 Tim. 2:4, Paul wrote that God “wills that all
mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth.” The Greek verb
translated “wills” in this verse (theló) means to decide, intend or
purpose something. Every other time that Paul used this word in his letters to
refer to what God wills, he had in mind something that, by virtue of being
willed by God, will certainly take place, or had already taken
place (Rom. 9:18; 1 Cor. 4:19; 12:18; 15:38; Col. 1:25-26). In no
instance did Paul ever use
this word to refer to something that God would like to occur
(or that God “hopes” or “wishes” will occur), but which will not ultimately
take place. The will of the Creator will ultimately prevail over the will of
the creature; whatever God intends to happen will happen. No one can successfully resist God when it’s his
intention that something occur (Rom. 9:19).
God’s
ability to save anyone he wills to save is completely unlimited. God is just as
able to save people in the future as he is able to save people
in the present. We also know that Christ came to do the will of his Father (John
6:38; Heb. 10:7), and that God’s will “shall prosper in [Christ’s] hand” (Isaiah
53:10). It thus follows that Christ will, without fail, accomplish
what he came into the world do. And since the will of God with regard to the
purpose for which we’re told Christ came into the world is that ”all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the
truth,” it follows that Christ will ultimately use his God-given
authority to save all mankind.
The idea
that God can’t or doesn’t save people “against their will” is completely
unscriptural. As was so clearly manifested in the dramatic calling of the
apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-22), God can, through Christ, bring about the salvation
of any of the sinners whom he wills to save without the sinner having to do or
believe anything beforehand to
“qualify” for his or her salvation. As was the case with Paul, no prior
willingness on the part of those who are yet to be saved is required in order
for Christ to save them and bring them to a realization of the truth. It is
completely within Christ’s God-given power to bring about the circumstances in
which even the most stubborn and hard-hearted of sinners are effectively
brought to repentance and come into a realization of the truth.
Objection: “Even if Christ can save every unbeliever just like he
saved Paul on the road to Damascus, the fact is that he hasn’t done this yet.
And since Christ is clearly permitting people to remain unsaved now,
couldn’t he also permit people to remain unsaved for all eternity?”
According to the flawed logic of this objection, it would be just as
reasonable to believe that Christ will permit believers to remain sinful and mortal (and permit deceased believers
to remain dead) simply because he’s presently
permitting this imperfect state of affairs to continue. But that’s absurd. The
fact that Christ is allowing an imperfect state of affairs to continue at this
time doesn’t make it reasonable to believe that he will allow an imperfect
state of affairs to continue forever.
Just as there is an infinite difference between the allowing of temporary evil and suffering by Christ
and his allowing of endless evil and
suffering, so there is an infinite difference between Christ’s permitting
people to remain unsaved for a temporary
duration of time and his permitting them to remain unsaved for an endless duration of time. Although the
former is perfectly consistent with Christ’s commitment to carrying out God’s
will to save all mankind (as well as consistent with his love for all sinners),
the latter is not.
The fact is that Christ is not presently
doing everything within his power to save all of the sinners for whom he died
(and this includes completing the
salvation of believers, for no believer has yet been made sinless and
immortal). Although God wills that all mankind be saved, it’s not God’s will
that everyone be saved now (or that
everyone be saved all at once); the
accomplishment of this divine plan is occurring in stages, and over a
relatively long period of time.
Objection: “If everyone is
ultimately going to be saved by God, then it makes no difference whether one
believes the gospel or not. One could be cursing God and Jesus right before they die and they'd still be saved regardless!”
The first point that needs to be made here is that no sinner deserves to be saved. Both the believer and the unbeliever are equally dependent upon God's grace for salvation. Thus, the fact that those “cursing God and Jesus” don't deserve to be saved is no objection to the truth that they're ultimately going to be saved (and it should be noted that, when someone like this is finally saved, they'll no longer be the kind of person who would ignorantly curse God and Jesus).
Now, the above objection assumes that, if
all unbelievers are eventually going to be saved (rather than “going to hell
for all eternity”), then there would be no advantage or benefit to being a believer.
However, such is not the case. Unlike those who live and die in unbelief, those whom God has
chosen to become members of the body of Christ (and to whom he thus gives faith
to believe the gospel) will enjoy the salvation of which Paul wrote in
Ephesians 2:7-9. In these verses we find the salvation of believers described
as follows:
“…yet God, being
rich in mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us (we also being
dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Christ (in grace
are you saved!) and rouses us together and seats us together among the
celestials, in Christ Jesus, that, in the oncoming eons, He should be
displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you;
it is God's approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.”
The “oncoming eons” to which Paul
referred in this passage are the eons of Christ’s future reign (which will
begin when Christ returns to earth to establish the kingdom of God, and will
end at some point in the distant future). And the salvation that believers will
be enjoying during these eons will involve being immortal during (and thus
being alive for the entire duration of) this future time. This salvation –
which is referred to elsewhere in Scripture as “life eonian” (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim. 1:16; Titus
1:1-2; 3:4-7; cf. Luke 18:30; John 3:15-16; Acts 13:48) – is the salvation from
which unbelievers will be excluded. It is in light of this truth
concerning the salvation of believers that Paul could refer to God as “the Savior of all
mankind, especially of believers.” God is the Savior
“especially of believers” because believers are being saved before the rest of
mankind.
In addition to the above
consideration, it should also be pointed out that the motivation for believing
the gospel of the grace of God has nothing to do with what will or could happen
if one doesn’t believe it. No one who has actually come to believe the gospel
of the grace of God has done so based on a consideration of the risks of not
believing it, or because it was thought to be in their best interests to
believe. Instead, those who’ve come to believe the gospel of the grace of God
have done so because God removed their spiritual blindness, dispelled the
darkness in their hearts, and brought them to a realization of the truth (2
Cor. 4:3-6). Faith in the truth is the inevitable
outcome of this work of God in a person’s heart; once God brings someone to
a realization of the truth, it is simply not possible for them to remain in
unbelief.
Conclusion
When one
believes the gospel of the grace of God, one realizes the grace of God in
truth. And as has been demonstrated in this article, realizing the grace of God
in truth involves apprehending the truth that every sinner for whom Christ died
(i.e., all mankind) is going to be saved. That is, by virtue of Christ’s death
for the sake of sinners, the grace of God is going to superabound to the same number of people who were
condemned and made sinners as a result of Adam’s disobedience. It can
therefore be concluded that, despite their claims to the contrary, most
Christians do not actually believe the gospel of the grace of God.
