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1 Timothy 4:10
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10 For [gar] therefore [eis] [touto] we [kopiao] both [kai] labour [kopiao] and [kai] suffer reproach, [oneidizo] because [hoti] we trust [elpizo] in [epi] the living [zao] God, [theos] who [hos] is [esti] the Saviour [soter] of all [pas] men, [anthropos] specially [malista] of those that believe. [pistos] KJV-Interlinear
10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. NASB
Why do we teach or study doctrine? Because it is our hope, our present hope and our future hope, of achieving the highest level of spiritual growth that we can possibly achieve, namely spiritual maturity.
Why? Because it is there where our spiritual life is maximized and completed, and it is our maturity on which our future rewards and blessings are based.
One day, we will stand before Christ, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, 2 Cor. 5:10, and it is at that point in time that we will receive our eternal reward. Those who achieve spiritual maturity, combined with production, will receive phenomenal rewards and blessings.
Those who ignore their spiritual life, pretend to pursue a spiritual life, make up their own rules of spirituality, ignore instruction, reject the teaching authority of a legitimate instructor, become an authority unto themselves, think that they know better than you, and so forth, will be very disappointed when they stand before Christ.
Therefore, it is for this future hope, that we endure, that we labor, that we suffer during this life, because of the promise of the next life.
This is not inordinate suffering, above and beyond what others are exposed to in life. Life in this world comes with suffering regardless of your circumstances.
One of the biggest reliefs that a person can have comes when they die, and the burdens of this world are immediately lifted from them. But we endure, and continue in this life because there is a huge reward available in the next life.
One of the most used examples in this life to symbolize the potentials of the next life is wealth. That is what most people can understand. Would you prefer to be a billionaire or a peasant? And again, most ‘normal’ folks would rather be the rich dude. Who among you would turn down a billion dollar inheritance? Not one of you. Unless you are a fool of course. Many of the parables speak to this example.
But our hope is more than just wealth, it is wrapped up in many things that bring us an eternal life without burdens, without disappointments, without all of the negatives that exist in this world.
The words for labor, and suffer or strive, refer to working to the point of exhaustion, to struggle against huge odds. And that is what life is. It is a huge uphill battle just to gain an inch in life, and when you have that inch you will probably lose it. With but a few exceptions in this world, the vast majority of people struggle with finances, with just trying to make a living, with trying to keep caught up as best they can.
But there is no shortage of folks out there, who will go overboard to bring you down, who will try to make you stumble, who will gossip against you, who would love to see you fail. And for what reason? Simply because they are nothing more than the agents of evil. This we studied not too long ago.
If you have been following along in the Revelation study, then you are well aware of the phenomenal, repeat, phenomenal rewards that are available to those who advance to, and maintain, their spiritual maturity status. The rewards of simply pursuing truth, are mind boggling. And those who refuse to pursue truth, pursue what? Lies.
We pursue a living God, 1 Sam 17:26; 2 Kings 19:4, 16; Ps 42:2; 84:2.
We do not pursue a dead god, an idol, a made up god, an invented god, an invented philosophy, or things that cannot and do not provide anything except lies. We do not respect anything that promotes lies. We tolerate the opinions of others and their beliefs, but we do not respect them. Why would you respect something that will send someone to the Lake of Fire, and/or destroy their entire eternal future?
There are far too many folks out there who think you are intolerant if you do not allow them to enter their compromised beliefs into your beliefs. There are folks who think you intolerant if you do not agree to disagree. There are folks that believe that all beliefs (all roads) lead to the same pearly gates and beyond.
You are to be pure in your spiritual life, and that means free of all taints and flaws and falsities that others have. Your entire future depends on your objectivity and discernment, and your adherence to truth.
And for that, you will be exposed to all sorts of burdens from life, burdens from your own thoughts, from other people, from bureaucracies, from the natural events and circumstances of the world.
Jesus Christ is the savior. This verse is the most abused and distorted verse of them all. Other religions will tell you that everyone is saved, simply because of this verse, but they only do this to tease you and to twist truth.
The Bible must be read in its entirety, not by cherry picking a verse or two for convenience, or making the words to mean what you want them to mean.
And this verse does not say that all people are saved, only that Jesus Christ (God), is the savior. And the savior of who? He went to the cross and paid the price for the sins of the entire human race. Therefore, making salvation available to all people. It is for people to believe in Him, and thus accept the salvation promise, before they are saved.
The Bible clearly teaches that those who reject Christ will be sentenced to hell, Rev 20:11-15. That the duration of that punishment will be eternal, Matt 25:41, 46.
Christ spoke of the extreme danger of hell, Matt 8:12; 13:41-42, 49-50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28.
Therefore, salvation is available to everyone, but it is only possessed by those who actually believe in Christ.
And that is why this verse says, especially believers. For it is only they, who have accepted, through faith, the work which Christ did on the Cross, who will be saved.
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