Does God Want All People To Be Saved? – 1 Timothy 2:4

who desires all people to be saved and
come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:4

Paul says praying for everyone, including those in authority, is good and pleases God, our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and understand the truth (1 Tim 2:1-4).

Their prayers were also so they might live quiet and peaceable lives, free from government harassment. What better way than to pray for the salvation of their political leaders?

God wants all people to be saved, which is why He sent His Son to die for our sins. Salvation is open to everyone.

So, Why Aren’t All People Saved?

People aren’t saved because they don’t want to be saved or haven’t heard the gospel. God may desire it, but in His sovereignty, He also wants people to freely choose the one and only way they can be saved (John 14:6). However, many people will reject Jesus. Salvation is open to all, but only those who believe in Jesus’ atoning work on the cross will be saved.

God’s Desires and His Sovereign Will

God has sovereignly ordained certain things to happen, which most surely will occur (see Is 46:10-11; 55:11). He does what He wants, and all His plans will succeed.

So, it’s safe to say that all of God’s sovereign will are things He desires.

However, He has some desires that are not part of His sovereign will and don’t necessarily happen.

For example, Jesus laments over the people of Israel because they would not come to Him. You can hear His desire when He says in Matthew 23:37, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks, but you were not willing!”

There are also many things God desires for believers. He wants us to love one another, forgive one another, be kind to one another, pray for one another, and serve one another, to name a few of the “one anothers” in the Bible. Unfortunately, Christians don’t always live up to what God desires for them.

God’s Desire for People to Freely Choose

Some think it would be better if God just saved everyone or at least saved all the “good people.” Unfortunately, none of us are good enough because of sin (Rom 3:10-12, 23), and none of us are worthy of being saved based on any good we might do (Is 64:6).

Others wonder why God didn’t just make sure everyone would accept Jesus. But that would make us robots without choice.

God knew that giving us a choice was the only real way that people could love and obey Him. In His sovereignty, God wants people who freely love and obey Him, not robots.

So He sent His Son to die for our sins, and He drew all people (Jn 12:32) . By drawing us all, everyone is able to believe what Jesus did for them on the cross; everyone can understand the gospel message and the choice that is theirs to make.

RELATED > > > > > How Does God Draw All People? – John 12:32

God’s Desire for Believers to Pray and Share the Gospel

Since God wants all people to be saved, it makes sense that believers would pray for the salvation of all people. It also makes sense that you may be the one who will be used to bring someone to salvation.

Some verses I have found helpful and a few thoughts on praying them:

Colossians 4:2-3 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ…

Pray with an attitude of thanksgiving and for open doors or opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers (that open doors would be given to you and other believers).

2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;

Whenever, and by whomever, the gospel is shared, pray that it spreads rapidly (or runs swiftly, as the NKJV puts it) and is glorified (or honored, as it says in the NLT). Remember when the gospel was shared with you and how you responded to it.

Also, keep in mind that God’s word runs swiftly when He gives a command to the earth (Ps 147:15).

Matthew 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Pray in the same way Jesus told His disciples to pray: that God, who is in charge of the harvest, would send out more workers to share the gospel with those who have yet to hear it.

As a disciple yourself, take to heart what Jesus told his disciples before He went back to heaven. Today, we often refer to it as the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20).

Remember what Jesus told His disciples about the harvest in John 4:35: the [mission] fields are already ripe and waiting for harvesters; there is no need to wait.

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

This verse is less of a prayer and more of a way of living prepared to share the gospel and the hope you have in Christ with anyone who asks you to explain your hope.

But you can pray for the right words and boldness–for you and other believers–to proclaim the gospel (Eph 6:19-20) when someone asks you for the hope that is in you.

Romans 10:13-15 for “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!”

The last part of these verses reminds me of one piece of the armor of God: having “your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15).

Pray that you or other believers will tell the unsaved about Jesus and how He came to save sinners. Who knows? It might be you whom God is sending to a specific person.

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Do you have specific people you are praying will be saved?
• Are you alert and looking for opportunities God may give you with these people?
• Are you praying you will be ready should the opportunity arise; that you will be given the right words to share and the boldness needed?
• Do you pray for all people, including those in authority?
• Are you praying that unbelievers will want to be saved when they hear the gospel?
• Do you include thanksgiving when praying for others?

RELATED > > > > > How Can I Pray for Unbelievers Using Scripture?

Final Thoughts

Scripture tells us that God desires for everyone to be saved. However, God wants some things He doesn’t get. For example, not everyone will be saved.

That’s because God’s desires and His sovereign will overlap. Through Scripture, we learn that God will always get what He sovereignly wills to happen.

But God sometimes has two desires for the same thing, such as wanting all people to be saved while also desiring that people freely choose salvation through Jesus. The latter is part of His sovereign will. Since people often do not choose Jesus, God doesn’t get His desire for them to be saved.

God also desires for believers to pray for all people: their salvation, and that those in authority will allow believers to live quiet and peaceable lives.

In other words, when believers live up to what God desires, more people will hear the gospel and have the chance to be saved.