Daily Bible Verse - 5/23/2007 - 1 Timothy 2:5-6

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men-the testimony given in its proper time.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV)

Commentary

2:5 there is one God. There is no other way of salvation (Acts 4:12); hence there is the need to pray for the lost to come to know the one true God (cf. Deut. 4:35,39; 6:4; Is. 43:10; 44:6; 45:5,6,21,22; 46:9; 1 Cor. 8:4,6).

Mediator. This refers to someone who intervenes between two parties to resolve a conflict or ratify a covenant. Jesus Christ is the only "Mediator" who can restore peace between God and sinners (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). the Man Christ Jesus. The absence of the article before "Man" in the Gr. suggests the translation, "Christ Jesus, Himself a man." Only the perfect God-Man could bring God and man together. Cf. Job 9:32,33.

2:6 a ransom. This describes the result of Christ's substitutionary death for believers, which He did voluntarily (John 10:17,18) and reminds one of Christ's own statement in Matt. 20:28, "a ransom for many." The "all" is qualified by the "many." Not all will be ransomed (though His death would be sufficient), but only the many who believe by the work of the Holy Spirit and for whom the actual atonement was made. See note on 2 Pet. 3:9. Christ did not pay a ransom only; He became the object of God's just wrath in the believer's place-He died his death and bore his sin (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). for all. This should be taken in two senses: 1) there are temporal benefits of the atonement that accrue to all men universally (see note on 4:10), and 2) Christ's death was sufficient to cover the sins of all people. Yet the substitutionary aspect of His death is applied to the elect alone (see above and notes on 2 Cor. 5:14-21). Christ's death is therefore unlimited in its sufficiency, but limited in its application. Because Christ's expiation of sin is indivisible, inexhaustible, and sufficient to cover the guilt of all the sins that will ever be committed, God can clearly offer it to all. Yet only the elect will respond and be saved, according to His eternal purpose (cf. John 17:12). in due time. At the proper time in God's redemptive plan (see note on Gal. 4:4).

MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. 1 Ti 2:5

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Crosses by Brian
Creator of crosses that carry a message to be proclaimed with courage.