Those of the Arminian persuasion persist that "all" means every man in 1 Tim. 2:4: who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth. It is quite staggering that many educated believers will persist in this folly! Doubtless, as Christians, it is our will that every person who we would share the gospel with, will be saved, we would like to think that God would be pleased to use us weak instruments for His purposes, or no?
God's will be done, and if it isn't, then how can an Arminian proclaim God to be all powerful and omnipotent? The Saviour said; Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven. Matt. 6:10 (my emphasis). The plain testimony of Scripture is that not every person is saved, and I hardly need to list the names in the roll call of 'honour' thereof. But, not only that, our daily existences bear witness to the veritable fact that many die without saving faith in the Lord Jesus. If it is God's will that every man should be saved, and we know that they are clearly not, then what of His omnipotence?
This very morning going through my yearly Bible reading plan, I read the following:
And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said , God save king Solomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. 1 Kings 1. 39-40 (my emphasis).
I don't think for a moment, that anyone would venture to say that every person in the inhabited earth was joining in the aforementioned joyous celebrations? Not even in Jerusalem! for a few verses later, after Adonijah's failed plot to become king, we read;
And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid , and rose up, and went every man his way. 1 Kings 1.49 (my emphasis).
The above narrative clearly teaches that we must qualify that 'little' word "all" by it's context, and use our God given intelligence, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15, otherwise we might just believe anything!
