ββ¦the living Godβ¦is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believeβ (1 Tim.Β 4:10).
βHow is Christ the Savior of all men, specially of them that believe?β
ββ¦the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the worldβ (1 JohnΒ 4:14), but βit pleased Godβ¦to save them that believeβ (1 Cor.Β 1:21). So God is theΒ potentialΒ Savior of all, and theparticularΒ Savior of all that believe. Righteousness is offered βunto all,β but it only comes βuponΒ all them that believeβ (Rom.Β 3:22).
But in the context of 1 TimothyΒ 4:10, it is possible Paul had even more than this in mind. In Verse 16, he told Timothy:
βTake heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear theeβ (1 Tim.Β 4:16).
Since Timothy was already saved from his sins, Paul must be saying he could save himself and his hearers from all the misery and heartache thatΒ notΒ taking heed to Pauline doctrine always brings. Unsaved men can benefit fromΒ thisΒ kind of salvation as well.
Remember, a few verses earlier, Paul told believers that βgodliness is profitableβ¦Β having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to comeβ (1 Tim.Β 4:8). Every believer knows that living a godly life will yield the profit of rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ in the life to come. But godliness also profits richly in this life as well.Β Berean Bible SocietyΒ founder Pastor C. R. Stam used to say that if he died and found out that Christianity was all a lie, that there was no life after death or rewards in the life to come, he wouldnβt regret a moment of the life he had lived, for it is the richest, most rewarding and satisfying life that can be lived.
But even unbelievers know by experience that βthe way of transgressors is hardβ (Prov.Β 13:15), and that βvirtue is its own reward.β So Christ can saveΒ themΒ from misery and heartache as well, as they inadvertently take heed to βthe doctrine that is according to godlinessβ (1 Tim. 6:3).
And so, just as the sun and the rain that God gives all men can save unsaved men from the deprivation they would know without these things in life (Matt.Β 5:45; ActsΒ 17:17), adhering to Christian principles can save unsaved men from misery and heartache in life. That makes God βthe Savior of all men,β but specially of them that believe, for them that believe willΒ also be saved from an eternity in the lake of fire in the life which is to come. source
[β¦] died for our sinsβ, God can justly forgive us β and He will, IF we but acknowledge our sin and our need of a Saviour, and do not join the self-righteous who keep βgoing about to establish their own righteousnessβ [β¦]