How do you understand 1 Timothy 4:10?

"To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:10

There are a few different ways of understanding this, depending on where you come from in your theology:

-God is the savior of everyone in the sense that He may potentially save everyone, but especially the believing ones because they are the ones actually saved.

-God is actually the savior of all people (Universalism)

-God is the savior of everyone in some type of sense, giving them common grace, food, sunshine, water and things like that, but in another way He is the savior of believers, in the eternal sense of the word.

-Insert your view here if it differs from the ones given above.

Salvation has been made available to all men, but the condition is that man must believe.

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.

This translation is misleading because it is contradictory. If God is the Savior of everyone, then everyone is a believer!

However this translation tells us that God would save all men, but He saves only those who believe: 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.

"Everyone" is not even an accurate translation. Both the Critical Text and the Received text have panton anthropon which means "all men" not "everyone".

Westcott and Hort / [NA27 variants]
εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ κοπιῶμεν καὶ ἀγωνιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ θεῷ ζῶντι, ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα πιστῶν.

Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550
εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ κοπιῶμεν καὶ ὀνειδιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ θεῷ ζῶντι ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα πιστῶν

I believe the overall meaning of the third part also includes the idea of God being the only one who is able to save any-or-all men...

So then: able / willing / potential

He is the only one able to save - He is willing to save - He offers/supplies the potential to save

(excerpt)

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 ( Psalms 17:7 ) where he is called (Myowx eyvwm) , "the Saviour of them that trust", or believe.

(here)

1 Timothy 4:10 - Bible Verse Meaning and Commentary - Bible …

Thanks Komentaja for your question about 1 Timothy 4:10:

"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. "

Here is a possible explanation. The term 'all' is used in the Bible to mean those who are saved. When the Bible says 'all men' here it is meaning all saved men, but it is not meaning all of humanity generally.

We get that meaning from places like Hebrews 5:9: "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; "

Again, we apparently get that meaning from 1 Timothy 2:4: "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. "

So, when the verse 1 Timothy 4:10 that you are interested in says that God is the savior of all men, that is the same group mentioned next as the ones who believe.