"This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man CHRIST JESUS; WHO GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:3-6). "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Ok let's talk about those two passages: I want to note I am quoting from the New King James as it is a more modern translation and put into our current language. This is important because people today don't talk now like they did 400 years ago in England. So what they would have said at the time when they translated a text may or may not be how WE would translate that today, and thus the meaning can sometimes get lost. I will also examine the verses you quoted in a few other dependable translations, as well as a very important Greek word that is at the heart of that text. I believe it is critical that we don't misquote a verse or pull it out of context.
A verse by verse look at the passage:
1 Timothy 2:1-7
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
Paul is saying that prayer should be made for all men! We
should pray for ALL men why? He shows in verse #2:
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
So he is saying to pray for all men, for kings, and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peacable life in all godliness and reverence. :think:
Many people don't pray for their government and those who are in authority over them, and they ignore the Apostle's clear instruction.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
Here is the verse that I believe Universalists get wrong, and why they always START with this verse when they quote this passage. I know you didn't do it intentionally, but I have seen it done by Universalists and in Universalist literature over and over again. Correct me if I am wrong, but they are asserting that the part that says "For THIS is good and acceptable" is talking about what Paul says in verse #4, as if to say this is good and acceptable that God will have all men be saved. But that isn't what the verses say SQ. If you look at it in context, one thing that we have to keep in mind is that the Greek did NOT have the commas and periods that we see in our translations today. So to assume that Paul is continuing in verse 4 what he said in verse 3 is a faulty assumption.
Let me break down for you what I believe the Apostle is saying:
If you put verses 1-3 together he says:
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior
What is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior? That we lead quiet and peacable lives in all Godliness and reverence. (And that we pray for all men in light of this goal)
So if you consider it this way, it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior for us to lead quiet and peacable lives. Why? Because our living quiet and peacable lives will help lead men to the Gospel! That is why Paul says:
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Do you see that? The better translation put in our venacular today is that God DESIRES all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. A few other translations of these verses will bear this out:
I am not normally a big fan of the NIV, but it is spot on with translating this verse:
1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
New American Standard:
1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The NLT renders it thus:
1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,
4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
Now the Amplified Bible is not always the most reliable translation at times either, but in this instance they have done a good job of getting the sense of the Greek.
1FIRST OF all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,
2For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.
3For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior,
4Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth.
In their interpretation they say "Such praying" is good and right, and THAT is what is pleasing and acceptable to God. I have no problem with this view either. It falls right in line with the rest of the text.
Further, the word "Will" in this text is the Greek word
Thelo which has as its meaning
to will, to wish, to want, to desire. So all of the translations that say that God wants, God desires, God wishes all men to be saved are right. That is what God wants. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Now if the Universalist could prove that man cannot and does not violate the will or the desires of God, then they might have a point. However, when we read the Bible, what do we see?
PKQ5: When we read the Bible, by and large, do we see men ALWAYS doing what God wants them to do? When you look around you at the world today, do you think that men are doing what God wants them to do?
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
There is no other way to be made right with God except through the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what this verse is saying. Christ is our mediator. We cannot approach God without Christ because we are wicked and sinful beings. When we trust in the Lord Jesus, He becomes our Mediator, our Advocate with the Father! Praise the Lord!
6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all men. But this does not say that all men will be saved. His sacrifice is sufficient for ALL men who WILL come to Him. This is made clear in other sections of Scripture. John 3:16-18 for example:
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son
Condemnation is an important term and one that needs to be understood. He who believes is not condemned, but he who does NOT believe stands condemned already because he has not believed!
7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Paul was appointed a preacher and an apostle by God and given a specific and unique ministry: to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. God revealed to Paul what had been a great hidden Musterion (mystery) (see Ephesians 3) and that great mystery was that God had now taken away His special favoritism towards the nation of Israel and had made salvation equally open to all men. Before this, if a man wanted to be saved, he had to become a proselyte Jew. Paul repeatedly declares that God's salvation is now open to all men, and Paul was appointed to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
I will end this post for the sake of length and address your next Scripture in a follow up post.
God bless!