1 Tim. 2:6
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Solo Christo
Puritan Board Freshman
Jew and Gentile.
Elect-of-every-race/identification
The Bible gives us no warrant to speak of hypothetical universalism (a universally sufficient atonement--but not universally efficient). This is a speculative doctrine, fraught with problems.
Reading the context:
Paul is speaking (v.1) about all kinds of men. Pray without exceptions (this would be wrong: "that guy/race/occupation I just thought of, I'm not praying for him/them!"). V.4 then speaks of "all men," which in the context surely cannot mean every individual man, but rather a general will that mankind generally, all manners of men, might be saved (thus justifying an indiscriminate gospel call). Finally v.6 indicates that Jesus was given as a ransom for "all"--yes, wider than just Jews, Gentiles too; but I think that Paul is not thinking of "mankind without traditional distinctions" here, but more precisely of the elect-of-every-race. I think this because 1) the blood of Christ has particular application, not general; and 2) in the next verse he refers to his special calling to the Gentiles; the sending of God and the calling of God are each quite particular. We are sent to gather in the elect, we just don't know who they are.
The Bible gives us no warrant to speak of hypothetical universalism (a universally sufficient atonement--but not universally efficient). This is a speculative doctrine, fraught with problems.
Reading the context:
Paul is speaking (v.1) about all kinds of men. Pray without exceptions (this would be wrong: "that guy/race/occupation I just thought of, I'm not praying for him/them!"). V.4 then speaks of "all men," which in the context surely cannot mean every individual man, but rather a general will that mankind generally, all manners of men, might be saved (thus justifying an indiscriminate gospel call). Finally v.6 indicates that Jesus was given as a ransom for "all"--yes, wider than just Jews, Gentiles too; but I think that Paul is not thinking of "mankind without traditional distinctions" here, but more precisely of the elect-of-every-race. I think this because 1) the blood of Christ has particular application, not general; and 2) in the next verse he refers to his special calling to the Gentiles; the sending of God and the calling of God are each quite particular. We are sent to gather in the elect, we just don't know who they are.
WrittenFromUtopia
Puritan Board Graduate
If you apply a universalistic hermeneutic to 'all' in the NT, then you have some weird things to explain elsewhere where 'all' is used.
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