Reading First Timothy again this morning, I was struck by 1 Tim. 4:9-10:
This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
The first thing that struck me was the source of our hope: the living God! How often do I try to keep God distant and abstract? But He is the living God; in His love, justice, holiness, power and goodness pervades all of history and the inhabits the story of every life.
The second thing I noticed were the implications of this passage for our theories of the atonement. What does it mean for the livng God to be “the Savior of all men”? Some brief research suggests three major interpretations: (1) universalism — everyone will be saved; (2) salvation is available to all who believe; or (3) in this part of the passage, “Savior” is used to refer to general grace — all men benefit from God’s general protection and care. The second and third views seem to divide along Arminian (view 2) and Calvinist (view 3) lines.
Without having done a truly careful study, I’d tentatively suggest a fourth view. I don’t think universalism is consistent with the whole of scripture, but I also think the second and third views require too many hermeneutical gynmastics. It seems to me that a better view is that this passage reflects a Christus Victor model of the atonement. The living God is the Savior of all men in that He conclusively defeated the world, the flesh and the Devil on the cross. He is the Savior “especially of those who believe” in that those who believe participate fully in the eschatological blessings of that victory. This isn’t to spurn a substitutionary view of the atonement, but simply to suggest that a Christus Victor model may also be present alongside the subsitutionary model.
And this hermeneutical excursion brings us back full circle: our hope is in the living God, who already is victorious over sin, whose reign and promised blessings are sure, and with whom all who believe will have joyful, perfect fellowship when His Kingdom comes.