“For this [is] good and acceptable in sight of the Savior, our God, who all people he is desiring be saved and into knowledge of the truth to come.” 1 Tim 2:3-4
:: Upon a cursory reading of the second chapter of 1 Timothy, the first six verses are easily passed over far too quickly; either as simply an extended exhortation to prayer en route to many further exhortations regarding all manner of doctrine and practice, or as a straightforward build-up on the way to more difficult and/or controversial passages. To do so, however, is to bypass the heart of all that Paul proceeds to say afterwards; the foundation and wellspring of his passion for these matters at hand. Most simply put, upon deeper examination of these few verses, I find the Gospel itself, hidden in plain view; with no less than the heart of God presented as the reason and resource for all that the Church is called to be and do. God desires the salvation and restoration of all people, because in Jesus Christ he has ransomed all people; as such he calls forth his Church, in witness, teaching, ministry and prayer, to purpose itself unto the benefit of all people. God’s heart is ever and presently bent in love towards the whole world; in the outworking of the transformation of redemption upon our own hearts, the same ought be true of us.
Too often, whether through fear, discouragement or simple apathy, I find that it is easy to pursue the eternal benefit and healing of those around me in a half-hearted manner, if at all. Too easily I resign myself to the foregone conclusion that not everyone will respond positively to the gospel; I set my expectations low, as not to be disappointed. I do not risk myself – my pride, my time, my reputation – for those around me. I call it “reality”; at the heart of my inaction, however, the truth is that I simply cannot surrender myself and my self interest enough to care – or at least, not to care enough. I build this inactive response upon my ‘knowledge’ and my own experience, and while I might honestly say that this subconscious pessimism is simply realistic, it is ‘realism’ of this sort that brings death to our compassion. It is this subtle line of thought that leads people, and churches, to insularity; gradually setting our sights and hearts only upon those who we naturally find in our midst on the basis of easy affinity, with little thought or capacity to care about those we don’t.
Paul’s words here regarding the nature of God’s longing draw a stark contrast on this point. This God, who due to his infinite knowledge and boundless foresight has infinitely greater justification for pessimism and resignation than I, is yet defined, in God’s very character, by hope. Some will reject, many will refuse his love, yet knowing this more clearly than I will ever have the capacity to know, this God even now continues to desire for the salvation, the healing and redemption of every person. Is this simply divine naïveté, or is something deeper at work here? Is God eternally unrealistic? No, God is more realistic than we can ever hope to comprehend. In fact, it is this reality, this “knowledge of the truth” that God most longs for every person to take hold of. To be saved, in this light, is to repent of our unreality – to turn from the lies in which we live that tell us that we are alone, hopeless, un-vouched for and unloved. To “be saved” is simply to come into knowledge of the truth that we HAVE been saved; ransomed, paid for, and set free. To remain in darkness is simply to refuse to open our eyes. To remain in slavery is simply to refuse to accept that we have been ransomed out from it.
As such, God himself is perpetually moved in compassion and desire for all people; in heartbreak for their self-deception and in hope for their redemption in the truth. And, in those of us who have been brought to life and freedom, the heart of God compels us into compassion, action and witness, for the sake of all people, in resonance with the hope and desire of God himself; in prayer, teaching, and action.
