Hard
Scriptures
By John Gill
God
has provided the church with many great Theologians. There is no doubt that
John Gill was one of those. O that the church of Jesus Christ would repent and
return to the teaching held by the New Testament Church, and by our fathers in
the faith. I provide John Gill's Commentary on various passages for your
enjoyment!
IICor 5:19 "To wit, that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."
Ver. 19. To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the
world unto himself, &c.] This expresses and
explains the subject matter of the ministration of the Gospel, especially that
part of it which concerns our reconciliation with God; and declares the scheme,
the author, the subjects, the way, and means, and consequence of it. The
phrase, "in Christ", may be either joined with the word
"God", as in our version, "God was in Christ reconciling";
that is, he was in Christ drawing the scheme, fixing the method of reconciliation;
his thoughts were employed about it, which were thoughts of peace; he called a
council of peace, and entered into a covenant of peace with Christ, who was
appointed and agreed to, to be the peacemaker. Or with the word
"reconciling", thus, God "was reconciling in Christ"; that
is, by Christ; and so it denotes, as before, actual reconciliation by Christ.
God, in pursuance of his purposes, council, and covenant, sent his Son to make
peace; and laid our sins, and the chastisement of our peace upon him; this is
the punishment of sin, whereby satisfaction was made for it, and so peace with
God: or with the word "world", thus, "God was reconciling the
world in Christ"; by whom are meant, not all the individuals of mankind,
for these are not all in Christ, nor all reconciled to God, multitudes dying in
enmity to him, nor all interested in the blessing of non-imputation of sin;
whereas each of these is said of the world: but the elect of God, who are
chosen in Christ, whose peace Christ is, whose sins are not imputed to them,
and against whom no charge of any avail can be laid; and particularly the
people of God among the Gentiles are here designed, who are frequently called
"the world" in Scripture; being the world which God loved, for whose
sins Christ is the propitiation, and of the reconciling of which mention is
particularly made, #Joh 3:16 1Jo 2:2 Ro 11:12,15. And
this sense well agrees with the context, which signifies, that no man is
regarded for his natural descent; it is no matter whether he is a Jew or a
Gentile, provided he is but a new creature: for Gospel reconciliation, and the
ministry of it, concern one as well as another. Moreover, this reconciliation
must be considered, either as intentional, or actual, or as a publication of it
in the ministry of the word; and taken either way it cannot be thought to
extend to every individual person in the world: if it is to be understood
intentionally, that God intended the reconciliation of the world to himself by
Christ, and drew the scheme of it in him, his intentions cannot be frustrated;
his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure; a scheme so wisely
laid by him in his Son, cannot come to nothing, or only in part be executed;
and yet this must be the case, if it was his design to reconcile every
individual of mankind to himself, since a large number of them are not
reconciled to him: and if the words are to be understood of an actual
reconciliation of the world unto God by Christ, which sense agrees with the
preceding verse, then it is out of all question, that the word
"world" cannot be taken in so large a sense as to take in every man
and woman in the world; since it is certain that there are many who are not
reconciled to God, who die in their sins, whose peace is not made with him, nor
are they reconciled to the way of salvation by Christ: and should it be
admitted that the ministry of reconciliation is here designed, which is not an
offer of reconciliation to the world, but a proclamation or declaration of
peace and reconciliation made by the death of Christ; this is not sent to all
men; multitudes were dead before the word of reconciliation was committed to
the apostles; and since, there have been great numbers who have never so much
as heard of it; and even in the times of the apostles it did not reach to
everyone then living: besides, the text does not speak of what God did by the
ministry of his apostles, but of what he himself had been doing in his Son, and
which was antecedent, and gave rise unto and was the foundation of their ministry.
There was a scheme of reconciliation drawn in the counsels of God before the
world began, and an actual reconciliation by the death of Christ, which is
published in the Gospel, which these words contain the sum and substance of:
and this reconciliation, as before, is said to be "unto himself"; to
his offended justice, and for the glory of his perfections, and the reconciling
of them together in the affair of salvation:
not imputing their trespasses. This was what he resolved upon from all eternity, that inasmuch as
Christ was become the surety and substitute of his people, he would not impute
their sins to them, or look for satisfaction for them from them; but would
reckon and place them to the account of their surety, and expect satisfaction
from him; and accordingly he did, and accordingly he had it. And this will, not
to impute sin to his people, or not to punish for it, which existed in God from
everlasting, is no other than a justification of them; for to whom the Lord
does not impute sin, he imputes righteousness, and such are properly justified.
And hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation; or put it in us, as a rich and valuable treasure;
for such the doctrine of peace and reconciliation, by the blood of Christ, is;
a sacred deposition, committed to the trust of faithful men, to be dispensed
and disposed of for the use and purpose for which it is given them.
ITim 2:1-6 "I exhort therefore, that,
first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be
made for all men; 2 For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may
lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this [is]
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth. 5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself
a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
Ver.
1. I exhort therefore, that first of all, &c.] The two principal parts of public worship, being the ministry of
the word and prayer; and the apostle having insisted on the former, in the
preceding chapter, in which he orders Timothy to charge some that they teach no
other doctrine than that of the Gospel, gives an account of his own ministry,
and call to it, and of the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, which was
committed to his trust, and stirs up Timothy to the faithful and diligent
discharge of his work and office; now proceeds to the latter, to prayer, and
exhorts unto it; either Timothy in particular, for so read the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, "I exhort
thee", or "desire thee"; or else the church in general; unless
it should rather be thought to be a charge to Timothy to exhort, and so Beza's Claromontane copy reads,
"exhort thou therefore": but it is commonly considered as an
exhortation of the apostle's, which he was very urgent in: it was what lay much
upon his mind, and he was greatly desirous that it should be attended unto; for
so the words may be read, "I exhort first of all", or before all
things; of all things he had to say, this was the chief, or it was what he
would have principally and chiefly done by others: for this does not so much
regard the order of time, that prayer should be made early in the morning, in
the first place, before anything else is done, and particularly before
preaching, which seems to have been the custom of the primitive saints, #Ac
4:31 but the pre-eminence and superior excellency of
it; though the words may be rendered, "I exhort, that first, the
supplications of all be made": and so may regard public prayer, the prayer
of the whole church, in distinction from private prayer, or the prayer of a
single person; which is expressed by different words,
supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks: the first of these, "supplications",
signifies such petitions for things that are wanted by men, either by
themselves or others; and that either for their bodies or souls, as food and
raiment for the one, and discoveries of pardoning love, supplies of grace,
spiritual peace, comfort, &c. for the other: and the second word,
"prayers", signifies good wishes and desires, directed and expressed
to God for things that are in themselves to be wished for, and desired of God,
either for ourselves or others: and the next word, "intercessions",
intends either complaints exhibited in prayer against others that have done
injuries; or prayers put up for others, either for the averting of evil from
them, or for the bestowing some good thing on them: and the last word,
"thanksgivings", with which requests should always be made known to
God, designs that branch of prayer in which thanks are given to God for mercies
received, whether temporal or spiritual: and these are to
be made for all men; not only for all the saints, for all the churches of Christ, and,
ministers of the Gospel; nor only for near relations and friends, according to
the flesh; but for all the inhabitants of the country and city in which men
dwell, the peace and prosperity of which are to be prayed for; yea, for
enemies, and such as reproach, persecute, and despitefully use the saints, even
for all sorts of men, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, high and low, bond and
free, good men and bad men: for it cannot be understood of every individual
that has been, is, or shall be in the world; millions of men are dead and gone,
for whom prayer is not to be made; many in hell, to whom it would be of no
service; and many in heaven, who stand in no need of it; nor is prayer to be
made for such who have sinned the sin unto death, #1Jo 5:16 besides, giving of
thanks, as well as prayers, are to be made for all men; but certainly the
meaning is not, that thanks should be given for wicked men, for persecutors,
and particularly for a persecuting Nero, or for heretics, and false teachers,
such as Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom the apostle had
delivered to Satan. But the words must be understood of men of all sorts, of
every rank and quality, as the following verse shows.
Ver. 2. For kings, and for all that
are in authority, &c.] For supreme governors, as the emperor
of Rome, and kings of particular nations; and for all sub-governors, or
inferior magistrates, as procurators or governors of provinces, and proconsuls,
and the like; all that were in high places, and acted under the authority of
those that were supreme; these are particularly mentioned, the then governors,
whether supreme or subordinate, who were avowed enemies, and violent
persecutors of the saints; and it might be a scruple with some of them, whether
they should pray for them, and therefore the apostle enjoins it; and this in
opposition to the notions and practices of the Jews, who used to curse the
Heathens, and pray for none but for themselves, and those of their own nation:
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life, in all godliness and honesty; which does
not merely design the end of civil government by kings and magistrates, which
is to preserve the peace and quiet of the commonwealth; to protect the persons
and properties of men, that they may possess their own undisturbed; and to
secure to them their civil and religious rights and liberties, that they may
have the free use and exercise of religion, signified by "all
godliness"; and to encourage morality and virtue, expressed by "honesty";
and so is an argument for prayer, taken from the advantage of civil government:
nor does this clause only point out the duty of saints to live peaceably under
the government they are, and not disturb it; to mind only their religious
exercises among themselves, and behave honestly and morally among men, as they
generally speaking are, the quiet in the land; but also expresses the thing to
be prayed for; and the sense is, that since the hearts of kings are in the
hands of the Lord, and he can turn them as he pleases, prayer should be made to
him for them, that he would either convert them, and bring them to the
knowledge of the truth, they now persecuted; or at least so dispose their
hearts and minds, that they might stop the persecution, and so saints might
live peaceably under them, enjoy their religious liberty, and be encouraged in
their moral conversation. The Arabic version renders it, "that they may be
preserved": that is, kings, and all in authority. It is a saying of R. Hananiah, or Ananias, the sagan
of the priests {s}, `pray for the peace or safety of the kingdom (one of their
commentators on it adds {t}, even of the nations of the world, which is
remarkable, and agrees with the exhortation of the apostle); for if there was
no fear of that, men would devour one another alive.''
{s}Pirke
Abot, c. 3. sect. 2.
{t}Bartenora in Pirke Abot,
c. 3. sect. 2.
Ver. 3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight
of God our Saviour.] Not only to live
peaceably and quietly under the government men are, since that is the
ordination of God, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, which his grace
teaches; but to pray for all sorts of men, and for those who are set in the
highest place of government, even though enemies and persecutors: this is good
in itself, and in the sight of an omniscient God, who sees not as man seeth; and it is acceptable unto him through Jesus Christ,
by whom every sacrifice of prayer or praise is so; for by God our Saviour is meant God the Father, who is the Saviour of all men, in a way of providence, and the Saviour of all the elect in a way of special grace; see
Gill on "1Ti 2:1".
Ver. 4. Who will have all men to be saved,
&c.] The salvation which God wills that all men
should enjoy, is not a mere possibility of salvation, or a mere putting them
into a salvable state; or an offer of salvation to them; or a proposal of
sufficient means of it to all in his word; but a real, certain, and actual
salvation, which he has determined they shall have; and is sure from his own
appointment, from the provision of Christ as a Saviour
for them, from the covenant of grace, in which everything is secured necessary
for it, and from the mission of Christ to effect it, and from its being
effected by him: wherefore the will of God, that all men should be saved, is
not a conditional will, or what depends on the will of man, or on anything to
be performed by him, for then none might be saved; and if any should, it would
be of him that willeth, contrary to the express words
of Scripture; but it is an absolute and unconditional will respecting their
salvation, and which infallibly secures it: nor is it such a will as is
distinguishable into antecedent and consequent; with the former of which it is
said, God wills the salvation of all men, as they are his creatures, and the
work of his hands; and with the latter he wills, or not wills it, according to
their future conduct and behaviour; but the will of
God concerning man's salvation is entirely one, invariable, unalterable, and
unchangeable: nor is it merely his will of approbation or complacency, which
expresses only what would be grateful and well pleasing, should it be, and
which is not always fulfilled; but it is his ordaining, purposing, and
determining will, which is never resisted, so as to be frustrated, but is
always accomplished: the will of God, the sovereign and unfrustrable
will of God, has the governing sway and influence in the salvation of men; it
rises from it, and is according to it; and all who are saved God wills they
should be saved; nor are any saved, but whom he wills they should be saved:
hence by all men, whom God would have saved, cannot be meant every individual
of mankind, since it is not his will that all men, in this large sense, should
be saved, unless there are two contrary wills in God; for there are some who
were before ordained by him unto condemnation, and are vessels of wrath fitted
for destruction; and it is his will concerning some, that they should believe a
lie, that they all might be damned; nor is it fact that all are saved, as they
would be, if it was his will they should; for who hath resisted his will? but
there is a world of ungodly men that will be condemned, and who will go into
everlasting punishment: rather therefore all sorts of men, agreeably to the use
of the phrase in #1Ti 2:1 are here intended, kings and peasants, rich and poor,
bond and free, male and female, young and old, greater and lesser sinners; and therefore
all are to be prayed for, even all sorts of men, because God will have all men,
or all sorts of men, saved; and particularly the Gentiles may be designed, who
are sometimes called the world, the whole world, and every creature; whom God
would have saved, as well as the Jews, and therefore Heathens, and Heathen
magistrates, were to be prayed for as well as Jewish ones. Moreover, the same
persons God would have saved, he would have also
come to the knowledge of the truth: of Christ, who is the truth, and to faith in him, and of all the truth
of the Gospel, as it is in Jesus; not merely to a notional knowledge of it,
which persons may arrive unto, and not be saved, but a spiritual and
experimental knowledge of it; and all that are saved are brought to such a
knowledge, which is owing to the sovereign will and good pleasure of God, who
hides the knowledge of Gospel truths from the wise and prudent, and reveals
them to babes: whence it appears, that it is not his will with respect to every
individual of mankind; that they should thus come to the knowledge of the
truth; for was it his will they should, he would, no doubt, give to every man
the means of it, which he has not, nor does he; he suffered all nations to walk
in their own ways, and overlooked their times of ignorance, and sent no message
nor messenger to inform them of his will; he gave his word to Jacob, and his
statutes unto Israel only; and the Gospel is now sent into one part of the
world, and not another; and where it does come, it is hid to the most; many are
given up to strong delusions to believe a lie, and few are savingly
and experimentally acquainted with the truths of the Gospel; though all that
are saved are brought to the knowledge of such truths as are necessary to
salvation; for they are chosen to it through sanctification of the Spirit, and
belief of the truth.
Ver. 5. For there is one God,
&c.] This does not so much regard the unity of God, with respect to
himself, or his divine essence, though that is a truth; but does not carry in
it any apparent and forcible reason why all men should be prayed for, for which
it is produced; but the unity of God with respect to men, as that there is but
one God, who is the Creator of all men, and who, in a providential way, is the Saviour of all men; and in a way of special grace is the
one God, the one covenant God of all sorts of men, of Jews and Gentiles; for he
has taken of the latter into the covenant of his grace, as well as the former,
and has loved them with a special and distinguishing love, has chosen them in
Christ to salvation, and has sent his Son to redeem them; and of these he calls
by his grace, regenerates, sanctifies, adopts, pardons, and justifies; see #Ro
3:29,30 and therefore all sorts of men, Gentiles as well as Jews, are to be prayed
for: another argument follows,
and one Mediator between God and men; a Mediator is of more than one, and has to do with two parties; and
these at variance among themselves, between whom he stands as a middle person;
his business is to bring them together, and make peace between them; and such
an one is Christ: the two parties are God and his elect, who in their natural
state are at a distance from God, and at enmity to him, and who have broken his
law, and affronted his justice; Christ stands as a middle person, a daysman between them, and lays his hands upon them both;
has to do with things pertaining to the glory of God, and makes reconciliation
for the sins of the people; brings them that were afar off nigh to God, and
makes peace for them by the blood of his cross, by fulfilling the law, and
satisfying justice for them; in consequence of this he appears for them in the
court of heaven, intercedes and pleads for them, is their advocate, and sees
that all covenant blessings, of which he is the Mediator, are applied unto
them, and preserves their persons, which are committed to his care and charge,
safe to everlasting happiness; and this Mediator is
the man Christ Jesus; not that he is a mere man, for he is truly and properly God; or that he
is a Mediator only according to the human nature: it was proper indeed that he
should be man, that he might have something to offer, and that he might be
capable of obeying, suffering, and dying, and so of making satisfaction in the
nature that had sinned; but then, had he not been God, he could not have drawn
nigh to God on the behalf of men, and undertook for them, and much less have
performed; nor would his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, have been
available to cleanse from sin, to procure the pardon of it, justify from it,
make atonement for it, or make peace with God: the reason why he is
particularly mentioned as man, is, with a view to the argument in hand, praying
for all men; since he who is the Mediator between God and man, has assumed a
nature which is common to them all: and this Mediator is said to be one, not so
much in opposition to other mediators, angels or saints departed, though it is
a truth, and stands full against them, but with respect to men; there is but
one Mediator between God and all sorts of men, through whom both Jews and
Gentiles have an access to God, and peace with him; and therefore prayer
through this Mediator should be made for all. So the Jews say of the Messiah
{u}, that he is yeuma la, "a Mediator,
God", a middle person between God and men. And they call him atyeumad adwme, "the Pillar
of mediation" {w}or the middle Pillar; that is,
the Mediator or Reconciler. And Philo {x}the Jew
speaks of the word, as mesoV, a "middle"
person, and standing in the middle between the dead and the living, and between
God and men. The Ethiopic version here renders it, "there is one elect of
God"; which is one of the characters of the Messiah, #Isa 42:1.
{u}R. Albo,
Sepher Ikkarim, orat 2. c. 28.
{w}Sepher Jetzira, p. 126.
{x}Quis rerum
divin. Hares, p. 508, 509, 510.
Ver 6. Who gave himself a ransom for all, &c.] What the Mediator gave as a ransom
for men is "himself", his body and his soul, which were both made an
offering for sin; and his life, which is the result of union between soul and
body; his whole human nature as in union with his divine person, and so might
be truly said to be himself: this he gave into the hands of men, of justice and
of death; and that voluntarily, which shows his great love to his people; and
also as a "ransom", or a ransom price for them, antilutron,
in their room and stead; to ransom them from the slavery of sin, and damnation
by it, from the captivity of Satan, and the bondage of the law, and from the
grave, death, hell, ruin, and destruction: and this ransom was given for
"all"; not for every individual of mankind, for then all would be
delivered, freed, and saved, whereas they are not; or else the ransom price is
paid in vain, or God is unjust to receive a sufficient ransom price from
Christ, and yet not free the captive, but punish the person for whom he has
received satisfaction; neither of which can be said. But the meaning is, either
that he gave himself a ransom for many, as in #Mt 20:28 for the Hebrew word lk, to which this answers, signifies sometimes many, a
multitude, and sometimes only a part of a multitude, as Kimchi
observes {y}: or rather it intends that Christ gave himself a ransom for all
sorts of men, for men of every rank and quality, of every state and condition,
of every age and sex, and for all sorts of sinners, and for some out of every
kindred, tongue, people, and nation, for both Jews and Gentiles; which latter
may more especially be designed by all, as they are sometimes by the world, and
the whole world; and so contains another argument why all sorts of men are to
be prayed for, since the same ransom price is given for them; as that for the
children of Israel was the same, for the rich as for the poor. We {z}read, that
when the people of Israel comforted the high priest upon the death of his wife,
or any relation, they used to say to him, Ktrpk wna, "we are thy atonement", expiation, or
ransom; that is, as the commentators {a}explain it, by us thou shalt be atoned, for we will be in thy room and stead, with
respect to all things that shall come upon thee; but here the High priest and
Mediator is the atonement and ransom for the people:
to be testified in due time; or "a testimony in his own times"; that is, the sum and
substance of what is before said is the Gospel, which is a testimony concerning
the person, office, and grace of Christ, exhibited in the times of the Messiah,
or the Gospel dispensation. Some copies read, "the
mystery", which is another word often used for the Gospel; for that that
is intended, appears by what follows.
{y}Sepher
Shorash. rad. llk
{z}Misna Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 1.
{a}Jarchi & Bartenona in ib.
I Tim 4:9-10 "This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all
acceptation. 10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living
God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe."
Ver. 9. This is a faithful saying, &c.] A
true one, and to be believed, that godliness has such promises annexed to it;
see #1Pe 3:10,11 Mt 6:33 Ps 84:11,12.
and worthy of all acceptation; by all godly persons, to encourage them to the exercise of godliness.
Ver. 10. For therefore we both labour, &c.] Not in the word and
doctrine, though they did; nor in the exercise of internal godliness, though
there is a work in faith, and a labour in love; nor
with their own hands, at their trades and business, to support themselves, and
others; but by enduring hardships and afflictions, as stripes, imprisonment,
weariness, pain, watchings, fastings,
hunger, thirst, cold, and nakedness; see #2Co 11:23-27.
And suffer reproach; with patience and cheerfulness. The Alexandrian copy, and another
manuscript, read, "we strive"; or contend even to an agony, combating
with sin, Satan, and the world, with profane men, and with false teachers; and
to all this they were animated by the promises made to godliness; and therefore
they showed it by their practices, or rather by their sufferings, that they
believed it to be a true and faithful saying; and which is further conferred by
what follows:
because we trust in the living God; for the accomplishment of the said promises, who has power, and
therefore can, and is faithful, and therefore will, make good what he has
promised; and since it is life he has promised, faith is the more encouraged to
trust in him, since he is the living God, in opposition to, and distinction
from, lifeless idols; he has life in himself, essentially, originally, and
independently, and is the author and giver of life, natural, spiritual, and
eternal, unto others. Wherefore there is good reason to trust in him for the
fulfilling of the promises of the present and future life, made unto godliness.
Who is the Saviour
of all men; in a providential way, giving them being and
breath, upholding them in their beings, preserving their lives, and indulging
them with the blessings and mercies of life; for that he is the Saviour of all men, with a spiritual and everlasting
salvation, is not true in fact.
Specially of those that believe; whom though he saves with an eternal salvation; yet not of this, but of
a temporal salvation, are the words to be understood: or as there is a general
providence, which attends all mankind, there is a special one which relates to
the elect of God; these are regarded in Providence, and are particularly saved
and preserved before conversion, in order to be called; and after conversion,
after they are brought to believe in Christ, they are preserved from many
enemies, and are delivered out of many afflictions and temptations; and are the
peculiar care and darlings of providence, being to God as the apple of his eye:
and there is a great deal of reason to believe this, for if he is the Saviour of all men, then much more of them who are of more
worth, value, and esteem with him, than all the world beside; and if they are
saved by him with the greater salvation, then much more with the less; and if
he the common Saviour of all men, and especially of
saints, whom he saves both ways, then there is great reason to trust in him for
the fulfilment of the promises of life, temporal and
eternal, made to godliness, and godly persons. This epithet of God seems to be
taken out of #Ps 17:7 where he is called Myowx eyvwm, "the Saviour of them
that trust", or believe.
Hebr 2:9 "But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man."
Ver. 9. But we see Jesus, &c.] Not
with bodily eyes, but with the eyes of the mind, and understanding; that he is
Jesus, as the Syriac version reads; and that he is
designed in the above words; and that he has all things made subject unto him;
and that he was humbled, and now exalted, as follows:
who was made a little lower than the angels; in his state of humiliation; see Gill on "Heb 2:7"
for the suffering of death: this clause may be considered either as connected with the preceding;
and then the sense is, that Jesus became lower than the angels, by, or through
suffering death; in that respect he was lower than they, who die not; this
proved him to be in a condition below them, and showed how pertinent the above
words were to him, and how they were fulfilled in him: or with the following;
and then the meaning is, that because Jesus suffered death in the room and
stead of his people; humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the
death of the cross, when he was very low indeed, therefore he is
crowned with glory and honour; see #Php 2:8,9 and see Gill on "Heb 2:7".
that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man; that is, Christ was made a little lower than the
angels by becoming man, and assuming a body frail and mortal, that he might die
for his church and people: to "taste death", is a Jewish phrase,
often to be met with in Rabbinical writings; see Gill on "Mt 16:28"
and signifies the truth and reality of his death, and the experience he had of
the bitterness of it, it being attended with the wrath of God, and curse of the
law; though he continued under it but for a little while, it was but a taste;
and it includes all kinds of death, he tasted of the death of afflictions,
being a man of sorrows all his days, and a corporeal death, and what was
equivalent to an eternal one; and so some think the words will bear to be
rendered, "that he by the grace of God might taste of every death";
which rendering of the words, if it could be established, as it is agreeable to
the context, and to the analogy of faith, would remove all pretence of an argument
from this place, in favour of the universal scheme:
what moved God to make him lower than the angels, and deliver him up to death,
was not any anger towards him, any disregard to him, or because he deserved it,
but his "grace", free favour, and love to
men; this moved him to provide him as a ransom; to preordain him to be the Lamb
slain; to send him in the fulness of time, and give
him up to justice and death: the Syriac version
reads, "for God himself through his own grace tasted death for all";
Christ died, not merely as an example, or barely for the good of men, but as a
surety, in their room and stead, and that not for every individual of mankind;
for there are some he knows not; for some he does not pray; and there are some
who will not be saved: the word "man" is not in the original text, it
is only uper pantoV, which
may be taken either collectively, and be rendered "for the whole";
that is, the whole body, the church for whom Christ gave himself, and is the Saviour of; or distributively,
and be translated, "for everyone"; for everyone of the sons God
brings to glory, #Heb 2:10 for everyone of the "brethren", whom
Christ sanctifies, and he is not ashamed to own, and to whom he declares the
name of God, #Heb 2:11,12 for everyone of the members of the
"church", in the midst of which he sung praise, #Heb 2:12 for every
one of the "children" God has given him, and for whose sake he took
part of flesh and blood, #Heb 2:13,14 and for everyone of the "seed"
of Abraham, in a spiritual sense, whose nature he assumed, #Heb 2:16.
II
Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Ver. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
&c.] The Syriac version reads in the plural,
"his promises", any of his promises; though the words seem rather to
regard the particular promise of Christ's coming, either to take vengeance on
the Jewish nation, of which coming there was a promise made, and is often
referred to by Christ, and his apostles; see #Mr 9:1 Joh 21:22 #Heb 10:37; and it now being upwards of thirty
years since it was given out, some men began to charge God with slackness and
dilatoriness; whereas the true reason of the delay of it was, that there might
be time for the gathering in of his elect among them by his angels, or apostles
and ministers, sent into the several parts of Judea, that so none of them might
perish, but be brought to faith and repentance; and thus as the time of
Christ's coming was prolonged more than was thought it would, so when the days
of afflictions were come, they were shortened also for these elect's sake: or
this promise regards the second coming of Christ, to judge the quick and dead
at the last day, of which the former was a prelude, presage, and pledge; that
Christ would come again, and appear a second time in person, was promised by
himself, and often spoken of by his apostles; and many of the primitive
Christians thought it would be very soon, and which might be occasioned by the
hints that were given of his coming in the other sense. Now this being deferred
longer than was expected, the scoffers or mockers take upon them to charge the
Lord with slackness in the fulfilment of his promise:
as some men count slackness; as if he had either changed his purpose, or had prolonged it beyond the
appointed time, or was unmindful of his promise, and would never fulfil it; whereas he is in one mind, and none can turn
him, nor will he delay the fulfilment of his promise
beyond the set time; he has fixed a day for his coming, in which he will judge
the world in righteousness, and he will keep it: he is not dilatory,
but is longsuffering to us-ward: not to all the individuals of human nature, for the persons intended by
us are manifestly distinguished from "some men" in the text, and from
scoffers, mocking at the promise of Christ's coming, in the context, #2Pe
3:3,4; and are expressly called beloved, #2Pe 3:1,8,14,17; and God's
longsuffering towards them is their salvation, #2Pe 3:15, nor is it true of all
men, that God is not willing that any of them should perish, and that everyone
of them should come to repentance, since many of them do perish in their sins,
and do not come to repentance, which would not be the case, if his determining
will was otherwise; besides, a society or company of men are designed, to which
the apostle himself belonged, and of which he was a part; and who are
described, in his epistles, as the elect of God, called out of darkness, into marvellous light, and having obtained like precious faith
with the apostles; and must be understood either of God's elect among the Jews,
for Peter was a Jew, and they were Jews he wrote to; and then the sense is,
that the delay of Christ's coming is not owing to any slackness in him, but to
his longsuffering to his elect among the Jews, being unwilling that any of that
number among them should perish, but that all of them repent of their sins, and
believe in him; and therefore he waits till their conversion is over, when a
nation shall be born at once, and they that have pierced him look on him and
mourn, and so all Israel shall be saved; or rather of the elect in general,
whether among Jews or Gentiles, upon whom the Lord waits to be gracious, and
whose longsuffering issues in their conversion and salvation. And upon account
of these the Lord stays his coming till their number is complete in the
effectual calling; and for their sakes he is longsuffering to others, and bears
with a wicked world, with the idolatry, superstition, heresy, profaneness, and
impiety, with which it abounds; but when the last man that belongs to that
number is called, he will quickly descend in flames of fire, and burn the
world, and the wicked in it, and take his chosen ones to himself. The
Alexandrian copy reads, "for you", or your
sakes; and so the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic
versions. A passage somewhat like to this is met with in a book of the Jews
{f}, esteemed by them very ancient.
``God prolongs or defers his anger with men; and one
day, which is a thousand years, is fixed, besides the seventy years he
delivered to David the king.--And he does not judge man by his evil works which
he continually does, for if so, the world would not stand; but the holy blessed
God defers his anger with the righteous, and the wicked, that they may return,
by perfect repentance, and be established in this world, and in the world to
come.''
And it is an observation of theirs {g}, that when
God is said to be "longsuffering", it is not written Pa Kra, but Mypa Kra,
intimating, that he is longsuffering both to the righteous and the wicked; but
then he bears with the latter, for the sake of the former: compare with this
passage #Re 6:9-11;
not willing that any should perish; not any of the us, whom he has loved with an everlasting love, whom he
has chosen in his Son, and given to him, and for whom he has died, and who are
brought to believe in him. These, though they were lost in Adam, did not
perish; and though in their own apprehensions, when awakened and convinced, are
ready to perish; and though their peace, joy, and comfort, may perish for a
while, and they may fear a final and total perishing; yet they shall never
perish as others do, or be punished with everlasting destruction: and that this
is the will of God, appears by his choice of them to salvation; by the
provisions of grace for them in an everlasting covenant; by the security of
their persons in the hands of Christ; by sending his Son to obtain salvation
for them, and his Spirit to apply it to them; and by his keeping them by his
power, through faith, unto salvation.
But that all should come to repentance; not legal, but evangelical, without which all must perish; and which all
God's elect stand in need of, as well as others, being equally sinners; and
which they cannot come to of themselves, and therefore he not only calls them
to it, in his word, and by his spirit and grace, but bestows it upon them; he
has exalted Christ at his own right hand, to give it to them; and repentance is
a grant from him, a free gift of his grace; and the Spirit is sent down into
their hearts to work it in them, to take away the stony heart, and give an
heart of flesh; without which, whatever time and space may be given, or means
afforded, even the most awful judgments, the greatest mercies, and the most
powerful ministry, will be of no avail.
{f}Zohar
in Gen. fol. 83. 3.
{g}T. Hieros, Taanioth, fol. 65. 2. T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol. 50. 2.
I hope you enjoy the additions of John
Gill's Commentary on "Hard Passages". I believe that if we will
search the scriptures we will find that the entire witness of the scriptures is
that Christ died for a people, that Christ was their substitute. That He is one
with His people and He has obtained eternal redemption for them.
Christ died for everyone? Then why isn't
everyone saved?