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If God “Desires All Men to Be Saved” (1 Timothy 2:4), Why Doesn’t He Get What He Wants?

Carl Trueman

The following is a transcribed Video Q&A, so the text may not read like an edited article would. Scroll to the bottom to view this video in its entirety. 

"God desires all men to be saved" is a highly contested passage, of course, in the New Testament, in terms of what it means. As a good Five Point Calvinist, I interpret that as meaning God desires men from all ranks of society to be saved. The context in which that occurs is a discussion of social hierarchies, not a discussion of how wide does God's grace in terms of embracing everybody go. So, I take that passage as meaning God desires all men, whatever rank, whatever salary, whatever power, whatever earthly credibility they may have ... He desires people from all ranks to be saved.