The Saviour of all men

“... we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10
This verse is one that is frequently misunderstood. At a first reading, it seems to imply that everyone will be saved. But there are two problems with this: firstly, it is not consistent with the rest of Scriptures, and secondly, what of the next part of the verse: ‘especially of those who believe’?
To understand this, we need to read an earlier verse in the same letter by Paul to Timothy: “[God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). God’s desire is that all people would come to salvation. Thus, He has provided sufficient atonement for all mankind, by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, we know that not all are saved. Through our own free will, we either accept or reject the provision God has made for us. God’s desire is that we will accept, but He does not force us to.
An analogy might be a ship that has enough lifeboats for everyone on board. During the voyage, the ship sinks. There were enough lifeboats for everyone to be saved, but some people chose not to use them, and drowned.
So, today’s verse can be understood to mean that God has provided salvation for all people, but only those who believe will actually see it manifested in their lives.