Answering Synergism — 1 Timothy 2:4

1Ti 2:4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I have talked to a number of people concerning the topic of Arminianism, or perhaps better titled for people I know as ones who hold to  “Semi-Pelagism”.

It is also worth mentioning to people reading this article and the usage of the terms I am using. When the terms are used about someone holding the beliefs, (Arminianism, basically meaning man has complete free will and has the ability to reject Christ whenever they feel like it, including the ability to lose their Salvation. While Semi- Pelagistic people would lean towards the teaching of, an unsaved person can turn their back on Christ after He has called them, yet can not lose their salvation. The believe we are fallen, and simply need God’s assistance to be saved, but are capable of believing on their own. “Calvinist”, also is used mainly about the personal election aspect for many calvinists do not hold to infant baptism, nor do they hold to covenant theology.) I am not saying that the person is exactly like Pelagis, etc for he held a number of wrong teachings, but that the name is now used mostly to identify someone to the theology they hold to.

Ok with that said, let us look at this verse.

ARMINIAN VIEW

The Arminian view is that this verse is very clear in what it is saying. It is saying that God desires everyone to be saved, so therefore it is very obviously that if He desires all to be saved then all have the ability to be saved.

CALVINIST VIEW

Scripture makes it clear that we are to study the scripture, to ensure it flows with the rest of scripture so let’s do that. Let’s take a closer look at this verse….

DESIRE/WILL(KJV)

What does it mean to have a desire of something? Is it scriptural to jump from “since God desires/wills it then, that means everyone has the opportunity to get it? Does that verse really say that? Let’s look closely at it…

There are around 4 different words used about God concerning the term “Will/Desire”. They are:

Thelo — This is the term used here and, is an emotional element

Thelema — notes desire other then the resolve

Boulomai — the deliberate determination, the result of Thelo. A desire, and then it is acted upon, whether it is in accordance with the original desire or not.

Boulema — This is more then just a wish or desire as “Thelo” but is a worked out resolve.

If we were trying to support Universalism (everyone would be saved). The ideal word would be Boulema, where it would be used to show that God’s ultimate desire and His ultimate work would be to save everyone in the end. It is not for universalism is not a sculpturally supported teaching.

To support the idea with this word that God’s wish is that everyone would be saved, and therefore everyone will, none of the words can be used, simply because the verse is not saying that.

The term used here is THELO, and has the thought that God is fond of doing such a thing. But it doesn’t say He is doing it. At times God’s eternal purpose may not be the same as His ‘THELO”.

Let’s look at THELO for a minute. Some people may attempt to say that everytime THELO (2309) is used, it shows people acting upon it. But does it? Look at:

Matthew 8:2 — The man tells God that if He desires to cleanse him, God can do it, yet it has to start with the desire before it can be done. In verse 3, you can see God acting upon it.

Matthew 14:2 — A desire to put John to death, did not happen because of a reason.

Mark 1:41 — Here we see God desiring to heal a man, but then you see an action on it.

So the word DESIRE/WILL here indicates that there is a desire that people will get saved, but requires some type of action. The action though would require that every human would be saved, because the desire is for all. The reason to the word DESIRE here is either opposite or like it, and since we know ALL won’t be saved, therefore, God’s desire does not match his decree.

Who will have all men to be saved You read in 1 Timothy, “Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”; it is not “will” in the sense of purpose and desire, but it is good will as to His own nature and love. It is the character of God, not His purpose; and the two are very distinct, what God is, and the way He deals. — J.N. Darby

ALL

How does Paul use the term ALL in chapter 2 here? The word is used 7 times in this chapter. In verses 1,2,4,6 and 11.

v. 1 — first of ALL

pray for ALL men

v. 2 — ALL that are in authority…

ALL godliness

v. 4 — ALL men to be saved

v.6 — ransom for ALL

v. 11 — ALL subjection

The Greek word for ALL is PAS and has a range of usage from EVERYTHING, ALL PEOPLE to ALL KINDS, EVERY RESPECT, ALL MANNER, and SOME OF ALL TYPES.

All is not really the issue here on the debate between free will and personal election. For we know from above that God may desire all to be saved, but His desire and decree are two different things. This is simply a verse speaking about the desire of God, yet we know in many other places that will be touched on that God’s decree is to save the chosen.

With that said though, if you wish to think on the term ALL/WORLD etc, some words that will be touched on later. Here’s a quote to read and think about:

Acts 5:34 nobody disrespected Gamaliel…not even one?
Acts 7:22 Moses knew everything the Egyptians knew, completely?
Acts 9:21 Every single person said the exact same words?
Acts 9:35 Every single person in Lydda and Sharon both saw Peter and converted? Not a single exception? Entire villages converted without a single unconverted person?
Luke 14:29 Every single person who observes, without exception, will mock?
Matt 2:3 Every single person in Jerusalem was troubled? Including Anna and Simeon, for example?
Matt 3:5 Every single person in all of Judea, young and old, went out to John?

Those are just a few examples that could be given. All is defined in its context. It can mean all extensively (Colossians 1), it can mean all of a particular group, at a particular time, etc. And yes, all can mean all the elect, if the context indicates it to be so. The same is obviously true of world, where you can find more than a dozen different uses of the term in John alone, let alone elsewhere. — James White