Here’s our latest Bible study extract taken from Timothy.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV)
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”
Though some people believe that there are many ways to God, each individual must choose a single way. It is an individual choice as to how you make your way to a destination. It may be true that our intended destination is the same but we may choose a multitude of ways in which we get there and we may also choose to follow other individuals in the belief that the route they are taking is the best route. Ultimately, we have to commit to taking a specific route in order to arrive.
In our faith the route is the same for each and every person, the route to God is through Jesus. There is no other way.
In this passage Paul is reiterating what the disciples were taught by Jesus in John 14:6. The fact is, that in our faith, the route is the same for each and every person, the route to God is through Jesus. There is no other way. This concept is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, it rests on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and that only He could pay the price that was owed to redeem us from sin. It doesn’t matter how ‘good’ or ‘kind’ we are if we miss this point.
Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
Many people ask the question;
Why does God not make several ways? We saw in last weeks verses that God desires all people to come to Him. So why not make it even easier?
If we look at things from that viewpoint we are again missing the most magnificent part of Jesus’ sacrifice. The one person who was fully man but also fully God, the only person that could both fully understand the life of man but also the heart of God, a perfect sacrifice, the complete opposite of sin. If we are asking God to make several ways for us to come back to him then surely we are discrediting the person of Jesus Christ? If we truly believe that Jesus was who he said he was then we must take what he said as perfect truth in the same way we take the words of God as perfect truth which means that the passage in John 14:6 mentioned above is either the complete truth of the way to God.
We must grasp the wonder and beauty behind the sacrifice that Jesus made and in that we can find a peace and fullness of life.
One of the other amazing things about this section of scripture is that we can see that Jesus’ humanity remains with Him. When he fulfilled his divine purpose through the resurrection and redemption of humanity he was still Jesus, fully man, fully God and he now sits enthroned in heaven in this way. This again is why he is the perfect mediator, he bridges the gap that we cannot.
“who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
Again we are reminded here that Jesus made the choice to sacrifice himself for us. We are also again reminded that this sacrifice was a covering for all people as we have covered in the previous weeks and verses.
The second part of this verse also reminds us that God has a perfect plan and that in that perfect plan He has perfect timing. Jesus was born at the perfect time, he died at the perfect time and was resurrected at the perfect time. God had a perfect plan in place and He assembled the right people at the right time in order to witness to this glorious miracle.
In the same way God has a perfect plan for our lives - but it is our choice as to whether we follow that plan. Sometimes it can feel difficult to ascertain or see the plan that God has for you, but the best way I have found to do this is to press closer and closer to God. To seek Him more and to love Him more. Through that I have found the most clarity in what God’s plans are for me, but more than anything else I have found a peace in the fact that God’s plans are the right ones for me, which means that despite my frustrations and impatience, I don’t always have to know what His plans are.
Why not add your thoughts to the comments section?
I pray that these verses bless you and challenge
you and that through them we might collectively gain a deeper understanding of God’s word and heart.