GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JUNE 04, 2022

TOPIC: GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED

BY T. O. BANSO

“[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 New King James Version).

There are mainly two groups of people on earth today: those who are saved and those who are not yet saved. Nevertheless, God plans that everyone will be saved. That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of the world. But salvation is not by force; it is by choice because God has done what He needed to do to save the world.

God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). “[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 New King James Version). The New Living Translation says He wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. But God is not going to force anyone.

Sometimes some people wish that because the evil on earth is too much, God should destroy all the wicked people who are perpetrating evil and, many times, make the innocent ones suffer unnecessarily. Some have even prayed fervently that certain wicked people should die. But this hasn’t happened. That doesn’t mean God supports their wickedness. He is only giving them the opportunity to repent. Some do repent while others eventually die in their sins. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (New King James Version).

God has no pleasure at all that the wicked should die but that the wicked should turn from his ways and live (Ezekiel 18:23). Ezekiel 33:11 also reiterates this. God is giving sinners the opportunity to repent and sending His servants or children to go and preach His word. Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved (Romans 10:13). But somebody must first tell them about the Lord. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14-15 New King James Version). Also, there is no way they shall preach unless they are sent (verse 15a).

Believers have been sent to preach to those yet to be saved. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16 New King James Version).

In Matthew 28:19-20a, Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that He had commanded them. Why did Jesus say this? It is because God wants everyone to be saved. And if you’re born again, you have a role to play in this.

God is both the God of the Jews and the God of the Gentiles (Romans 3:29). He is the Saviour of all, not the Saviour of only those who are currently saved. Others must also be saved and become His children. Paul said, “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10 New King James Version).

There are other people whom Jesus also died for but are yet to believe in Him. Those who have believed must strive to reach them with the truth of the word of God for God wants everyone to be saved. As Luke 14:23, they must go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that God’s house (the Kingdom of God) may be filled. That does not mean using physical force or coercion but by Holy Spirit inspired persuasive preaching of the Gospel.

The Prophet Isaiah said, “The Lord said to me, ‘I have a greater task for you, my servant. Not only will you restore to greatness the people of Israel who have survived, but I will also make you a light to the nations — so that all the world may be saved” (Isaiah 49:6 Good News Translation). Did you see that? The world must be saved. Jesus died for the world. God wants everyone to be saved. Therefore, you and others must be saved.

Titus 2:11 says the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. The grace is for everyone. The New Living Translation says, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.” The phrase “all people” includes those who are yet to respond to the grace of God. Romans 3:23-24 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (New King James Version).

The grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And as Ephesians 2:8-9 says, by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

God wants everyone to be saved. God wants all your family members, friends, neighbours, and other people around you who are not yet saved to be saved. God said, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22 New King James Version). God wants the world to be saved. And as the Apostle Peter rightly said, there is salvation in no one else; there is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them (Acts 4:12). Turn to Jesus now. “Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is.” (Isaiah 45:22 Good News Translation).

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, don’t delay further. God wants you to be saved. And this is a decision you cannot make just any time. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). You cannot be sure of any other time.

God wants everyone saved. He wants you saved. No matter how you have lived your life, Jesus will accept you if you come to Him in repentance. He said He would by no means cast out anyone who comes to Him (John 6:37b). Don’t be among those who reject the message of salvation and won’t be saved, not because God doesn’t want them to be saved.

As we have seen in 1 Timothy 2:4, God wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth – come to the knowledge of the truth. This is the major assignment of the church. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14 New King James Version). We must preach the truth of the Word of God. Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17-18 New King James Version).

As Jesus said in Luke 10:2, the harvest truly is great but the laborers are few; therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest. While we must pray for more labourers (workers), ensure that you’re a soul winner. God wants everyone to be saved. Play your part. Be a soul winner. Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 New King James Version). Are you witnessing for Him? If you’re not yet saved, surrender your life to Jesus today.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: In the power of the Holy Spirit, I shall be a witness for Jesus. I shall play my part in ensuring that everyone is saved. Help me, Holy Spirit, to be a faithful witness. I pray for the salvation of all those Jesus died for but are yet to be saved. They shall be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth in Jesus’ name.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org