1 Timothy 2:1-7 - For Every Nation and Every Station

There are many themes throughout the Old and New Testaments. The same ideas come up again and again. One of those themes is the surprising reach of God’s grace. His saving mercy extends far beyond the boundaries we naturally draw.

The OT prophet Jonah was disgusted that God would spare the evil Ninevites. The Pharisees couldn’t understand why Christ would interact with immoral social and religious outcasts. Another example is in the Lord Jesus’ parable about workers in a vineyard, where those who arrive early to work complain about those who come at the end of the day but receive the same paycheck. And then in His parable about the prodigal son, an older brother is furious when his corrupt younger brother is shown grace after leaving home with his family inheritance and returning with nothing.

Many who you think could never come to Christ will, in fact, before the end. In Matthew 8. Jesus says, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.” And in Matthew 21, Jesus tells the Jewish chief priests and elders, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.”

You may think you are beyond God’s grace. You may think others are. We naturally think God only saves a certain kind of person. But Isaiah 55 notes that God doesn’t think like we do. He extends His grace to people from every nation and every station in life. God’s Word confirms that reality, and it must shape and inform our prayers.

But with this knowledge shaping our prayers, what will happen?

These next verses in 1 Timothy tell us that as we pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people, God’s power will be displayed, His purpose will be fulfilled,
and His Son will be glorified. And as those things happen, we will see just how far God’s grace can go.

Now, after addressing false teaching and Timothy’s pastoral charge in chapter 1, Paul moves into instructions for worship, leadership, and life in the covenant community.
Look again at verse 1. He writes, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made.”

It’s no coincidence that Paul begins with the subject of prayer. The Shorter Catechism explains that biblical “prayer is an offering up of our desires to God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Jesus Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.”Prayer would be central to Timothy’s pastoral work. It would be central to the life of the church. Prayer is not secondary in the work of ministry.

Notice that Paul uses four different terms for prayer here. Why is that? Well, a “supplication” is a request based on an immediate need. A “prayer” is a general term for words addressed directly to God. An “intercession” is a petition made on someone else’s behalf. And “thanksgivings” are expressions of gratitude to God for all the blessings He gives. Various kinds of prayers are to be prayed regularly by and with God’s people.

Notice Paul’s next phrase. He says various prayers should be made “for all people.” This is the first time in this chapter that we see this important phrase. Now, to this, Paul adds, “for kings and all who are in high positions.” The sense here is that no group of people is exempt. No one should be seen as unworthy of prayers: Jews and Gentiles, subjects and rulers, poor and rich, men and women.

But then Paul gives part of his rationale for the command to pray for rulers. He says, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” God’s work in and among the powerful and influential – such as kings and other leaders – would benefit all people, and especially the life of the church and the proclaiming of Christ.

Yes, God works in times of persecution, but He also works in times of peace. Even today, when God changes the hearts of powerful leaders, or when evil leaders are removed from power, new doors open for the gospel. What Paul has in mind here is, as Dr. Bill Barcley puts it, “All kinds of prayers…offered for all kinds of people.”

As the shepherds and members of the church pray these prayers, immediate needs are met, and God works in us and those for whom we pray. As we pray these prayers, our hearts are transformed by the Spirit as we address God with praise and thanksgiving. We proclaimed earlier that we have “encouragement to pray” and should display “boldness, strength, and hope of the acceptance of our prayer” because of who Christ is and what He has done for us.

God works through prayer. He changes hearts through prayer. And as you pray, the first heart you can expect to see changed is your own. In Philippians 4, Paul told the church, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

As we pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people, God’s power will be displayed – in our world and in our hearts. Please listen closely, because this is biblical Christianity: our desires begin to align with the desires of God, our pride dwindles, and humility takes its place, fears and worries give way to a strange but assuring peace within, the Holy Spirit of God transforms our affections, so that we love what He loves, and deep spiritual communion with the living, triune God occurs, and all we did was pray.

We prayed for people from every nation and every station in life. God calls all of us to pray, both separately and together. Prayer is perhaps the most underestimated of God’s ordinary means of grace. The effects of prayer in the world are not quickly measurable. This is one reason why special seasons of prayer are sometimes called for.

But fervent prayer is to be a regular part of covenant community life. Long pastoral prayers from the pulpit in the worship service, as well as times of confession and thanksgiving from everyone present. Times of gathered prayer, like our weekly time in Sunday morning Bible study, and our biweekly times of Life Group prayer, as well as other times with believers, and your daily and continual “offering up of your desires to God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Jesus Christ, with confession of your sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.”

My friends, we must pray. Do you hope to see God’s power displayed? Then you must pray.

Now look at verse [3]. Paul writes, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” Important to note: he’s referring to the prayers for all kinds of people. Yes, God is glad for us to have “peaceful, quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way.” That won’t always be the case, but all works together for the good of God’s people.

Scholars agree that Paul is continuing his urging toward prayer. He says, “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Many mistaken claims have been made using this verse.

For example, it’s often used to make a case for universalism – the belief that every single person will ultimately be saved. The idea is that God desires everyone to be saved, so in the end He will save everyone. We reject that belief on biblical grounds. The whole of Scripture refutes that belief. In fact, just two chapters after this, Paul says God is the Savior of those who believe.

Now, this verse is also used to make the case for synergism – the belief that salvation from sins is a cooperation or working together of God and human beings. The idea is that God desires everyone to be saved, and so the choice to accept or reject Christ is left up to the will of the individual. We reject that belief on biblical grounds.

The whole of Scripture refutes that belief, but two passages in particular come to mind: John 6, where Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” Romans 9, where Paul says, “it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy,” and Ephesians 2, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

However, dealing only with this verse, to make a case for either universalism or synergism requires isolating this sentence from its context. We must understand Paul’s words here within the rest of his words, before and after. And when we do that, the meaning becomes clear. Paul commands prayer for all kinds of people because God’s saving purpose extends to all kinds of people.

God desires for all types of people, from all walks of life, from all races and nationalities “to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The gospel was not only for the Jewish people, or only for the common people, but “for all people,” even “for kings and all who are in high positions.”

Many other places in the NT inform our understanding of the meaning of “all.” For instance, in Luke 2, Luke writes, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” “All the world” meant the Roman world, not every single person on planet Earth.

And in John 12, Christ speaks of His own crucifixion, saying, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Yet we know that not every single person who has ever lived has been drawn to Christ. However, we also know that God draws people from every nation and station in life. All kinds of people – even the ones we see as beyond the reach of God’s grace. Even evil leaders.

One wicked ruler was the Roman emperor Nero, who ruled at the time Paul wrote this. Nero was a tyrant. Infamously cruel. He took enjoyment from inflicting pain on others. Not long after the writing of 1 Timothy, he began severe persecution of Christians. Yet Paul urged the church to include emperors in their prayers. And if the church must pray for a man like Nero, then no person should be left out of our prayers.

All kinds of people – even the ones we see as unsavable or unworthy. None of us are worthy. But in Revelation 5, the apostle John writes these words of a song sung in heaven: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

The God of the Old and New Testaments is the only hope. Look at verse [5], “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

This further refutes universalism. A ransom is a substitutionary payment that redeems a specific people. John 10 and Ephesians 5 expressly state that Christ died for His sheep – for the church. Not every person will be saved. In Matthew 7, Christ says many will perish.

Verses 5 and 6 also further refute synergism. A ransom is not a potential payment merely making release possible. Christ did not just create the possibility of redemption. He accomplished redemption. If the work of Christ only produced the possibility for the salvation of everyone, then it didn’t actually secure salvation for anyone.

A ransom is a price paid that actually and effectively secures release. In Romans 9, Paul affirms this – which the OT repeatedly demonstrates: God has mercy on some and gives others over to their desire to harden their hearts.

But Christ has saved many, and will save many more. All types of people, from both Greeks and barbarians, with good reputation and bad reputation, from the worldly successes and the worldly failures, from the so-called good and the bad, from the supposed innocent and the guilty, from those who are addicts and those who are clean, from those who are mentally sick and those who are mentally well, from those whose lives are in order and those whose lives are in ruins.

This is the redemptive purpose of God, Revelation 7: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” For this God calls us to pray.

And as we pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people, God’s purpose will be fulfilled. In Matthew 24, Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” Do you hope to see God’s purpose fulfilled? Then you must pray. By ourselves, and together, we must pray, my friends.

Now look finally at verse [7]. Paul adds, “For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” What is “this” for what was Paul “appointed?”

It was His apostolic ministry to another type of people – the non-Jewish ethnicities, generally referred to as “gentiles.” Paul literally says he was “made” a preacher and apostle. By whom? By Christ. Christ made him a preacher to all kinds of people – to all types.

Now, notice the parentheses. He writes, “I am telling the truth, I am not lying.” That’s an interesting statement to put in a letter to a friend who is your protege. But as I said before, this letter would be read to the church and other churches, and it’s likely that Paul’s credentials were questioned by the false teachers.

He was an easy target for questioning, given his shameful background. In Acts 7, the Lord’s servant Stephen proclaims Christ and is put to death by stoning. Luke writes that “Saul approved of his execution.” This is Saul who would later be known by the Greek form of his name, Paul.

After Stephen’s death, Acts 8 says, “there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem...Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” But then in Acts 9, Saul is converted. He comes face to face with Christ, his eyes are opened, and he believes. He trusts in Christ. He then repents of his sins.

Now we have no explicit evidence in Scripture that the church was praying for Saul, but we do know that during times of intense persecution in the early church, they prayed intensely. In fact, in Acts 9, when God calls Ananias to minister to the recently-converted Saul, Ananias was likely praying. And God tells Ananias to go to Saul, and that when arrives, he will find Saul praying.

So, we can’t say for sure that the believers were praying for Saul before His conversion, but we can say for certain that during his ministry, Paul called the believers to pray for people like him. Christ had done a great work in him. The Spirit of God had regenerated his dead soul. God had opened his eyes, showing him mercy and grace. And Paul longed to see this same work done among the non-Jews, among every type of people, because you see, Christ was glorified before Paul’s very eyes during a time when he was not the type of person to whom you would expect God to extend His grace.

As we pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people, God’s Son will be glorified.
Do you hope to see Christ glorified before the lost? Then you must pray. By ourselves, and together, we must pray.

So there are many reasons to pray for those least expected to be saved. But there is no greater reason than this: praying for them causes you to reflect on who you would be apart from God’s grace. After all, your only hope was a mediator, and there is no other mediator but Christ.

Some people think they are too sinful for Christ to save them. Others think they are too respectable to need saving. But if the suffering of Christ was so severe, then how high the price must have been!

Why would you not trust only in Christ today? He paid your price. He broke the power of sin, so that you have peace with God and live His way. And because of Christ there is no more price to pay, but there are prayers to pray. All kinds of prayers for people from every nation and every station in life.

And those who are in Christ can be confident that in and through Him, our prayers are heard, and God has determined to use our prayers as accomplishes His holy will in our world and in our hearts.

Let’s bow in prayer together before we go to the Lord’s table.