This fourfold intercession is on behalf of "all men". How are we to understand the

Apostle's reference to "all men"?

Lifted out of its context, severed from the chain of reasoning, of which it forms a link,

or handled by those who decry the place of "logic" in the understanding of any

proposition human or divine, the passage could be made to support almost any phase of

doctrine, but the only honest method of interpretation is that which keeps the explanation

of any separate detail within the scope of the whole.

The Apostle returns to the subject of "all men" of 4: 8:

"All things" here refer both to life now, and the life to come. He continues:

While God is the Saviour of all men without distinction, He is the Saviour in a special

way only of those that believe. The passage contrasts those whose only enjoyment is

reserved to "the life that now is" and "for a little time", and those whose salvation is

"special" and looks to the life to come. In like manner the term "all men" in I Tim. 2: is

not left undefined; the expansion immediately follows "For kings, and for all that are in

authority". Now numerically, "kings and all that are in authority" make up a small

minority. In a nation of millions today, there is but one sovereign, and "all that are in

authority" make up a small percentage of the whole population. It is therefore most

certain that the Apostle is not in this passage discussing universal salvation, he is using

the words "all men" to mean "all men without distinction" not "all men without

exception". The hesitation to pray for kings and rulers that was evidently felt by many,

can be understood when we remember what sort of men they were that sat in the seat of

authority, nevertheless, even for Nero and those like him, prayer was to be offered and

not withheld. In the light of this we must read the words "who will have all men to be

saved" as also the words "Who gave Himself a ransom for all" (I Tim. 2: 4, 6).

The unity of purpose that links verses 1 to 7 in this chapter must not be broken for the

sake of any private interpretation. "Thanks for all men" not only introduces the Apostle's

theme, but governs all subsequent references. "All men" indicates "kings" or "all that are

in authority". Prayers must not be limited to likely persons, for God will have "all men"

even kings and all in authority to be saved. "For all" the Son of God gave Himself a

ransom, and for this testimony Paul was appointed, preacher, apostle and teacher of the

That he has by no means forgotten or left the matter of prayer for all men, with which

the passage opens is evident by the resumption of the theme in verse 8,