I thought God was (and still is) sovereign, and He had all things. That is true. But I was shocked when I read 1st Timothy 2:4 and discovered the two primary desires of God for all mankind. That is, to see all men saved and then the saved to come to the knowledge of the truth. I’ll be explaining this in greater detail as you read on. But for a moment, why does God have desires for man?
Why God has desires for man
God is all-sufficient. He doesn’t need man to be God because He existed before creating man. But here lies the case He has given this Earth to the children of men to rule and have dominion over (see Genesis 1:28, Psalm 115:16). Therefore, if His will can become fully accomplished on this Earth, He needs men. And this is spiritual. Why? Because even demons need men to possess before they can carry out evil things.
God is the Father of Spirits (see Hebrews 12:9), and all men are spirit beings. Therefore, His two desires for mankind are purposely to ensure that the main reason why He established this Earth, that is, to extend His kingdom through Christ, will get fulfilled.
The Two Great Desires
Now that you understand the doctrine, let me talk about the two primary desires of God for mankind. But before that, let’s read the central scripture for this article: 1 Timothy 2:3-4 NKJV.
[3] “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Before writing this verse, Paul was entreating that prayers should be made for all men. And from that came out these two great desires of God.
#1 To see all men saved
Salvation is necessary for God to extend His kingdom on the earth through men. And so the primary reason God wants all men to be saved isn’t for them to escape hell fire, but to restore them unto their eternal purposes.
Can God work in and with those who’re not His own? Certainly not, because such people (unbelievers) don’t have His Spirit and are hence, wallowed up in sin and all kinds of evil. But God is good, and He never has any evil intention over anyone.
So in order to deal with the corrupt inclination of people’s hearts, He loved the world and sent Jesus to come and die to serve as the propitiation for all men’s sins (see 1 John 2:2). That project has been done. However, it’s left to man to hear it and repent to get reconciled back to God (see 2 Corinthians 5:20). That is why He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to all of His children (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Dear friend, submit to God’s leadership over your life to reach out to someone about the gospel, or else he’ll continue living a wayward life unprofitable to both himself and God.
#2 To see the saved come to the knowledge of the Truth
A careful reading of 1 Timothy 2:3-4 doesn’t really reveal that God wants only the saved to come to the knowledge of the truth. He wants all men to come to know the Truth. But who is the Truth? Jesus. Isn’t it? (see John 14:6).
How can you know Him if you’re not saved? It doesn’t work like that. Even in our human relationships, you cannot know someone intimately if you don’t walk closely with Him for a very long time.
I love how Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3 NKJV. He said,
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
So life in Christ is all about knowing God intimately. And through that intimacy build-up, you receive multiple revelations of why God brought you into the world. From there, you will receive the divine enablement to fulfil your special calling by His grace. So that your part to play in God’s eternal agenda to extend His kingdom on earth will get done, whether in your private life, family, academics or all other life endeavours.
But there’s more. How can you know God if He doesn’t help you? That is why the Holy Spirit is in you, the Church is functional, and you belong to the family of believers locally in your congregation and globally.
In Jeremiah 3:15 NKJV, God said,
[15] “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
Today, God has provided and keeps providing more people He had called to shepherd His own sheep in various churches. If your pastor is sent of God, He’s inclusive. If you’re pastoring others, you’re inclusive.
Listening to the Word of God from His servants helps disciple you in Christ. And the more you listen to or read the Bible and Christian books authored by the Lord’s servants (with no doctrine controversy), the more your mind will be transformed by more divine knowledge acquisition.
Above all, never neglect attending church gatherings, practising personal Bible study and praying for yourself. These are all spiritual disciplines that would help you to know Jesus.
You’re a blessing.
