“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (1 Tim 4:10).
I've had a problem with this verse for years now because it seems to say that Jesus is the savior of all people, not the elect. Both sides have offered various interpretations. One thing I am sure of is that it is not teaching that every person is saved regardless of what they believe. I have thought about it and realized the problem was is that it may seem to be saying that those who believe are a subset of those who Jesus is the savior of. Until now, I just thought it was saying that Jesus is the savior of all people because it is only through him we can be saved. I'm just not happy with that interpretation. Something is missing.
Instead, I really like the exegesis Alan goes through in his post. He advances an interpretation that I have never seen before. He suggests that the verse has been mistranslated. He wrote:
The term for "especially" is malista. George W. Knight III argues that this term here should be rendered, "that is," thereby functioning as an explanation or further clarification of the preceding statement. The translation would be as follows: "who is the Savior of all people, that is, of those who believe." So this interpretation does not view "those who believe" as a subset of "all people"; instead, "those who believe" identifies who the "all people" are.
I think this is viable and would fit with the rest of scripture. Only those who believe are saved.
http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=3523
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