1 Timóteo 2

1 Timóteo 2

Ironside - 1 Timothy 2:5–6 Sinful man feels the need of One who can stand for him in the presence of God. The realization of this troubled Job. He cried, “Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33). This is exactly what we find in Christ Jesus, the Mediator whom God has provided. He is both God and man in one glorious person, hence He can act for both the offended Majesty of Heaven and the guilty sinner. On the cross He gave Himself a ransom. It was for this He came into the world. “Not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Yes, that ransom is available for all, both Jews and Gentiles, who will come to Him in faith. If any are lost now, it is because they refuse to avail themselves of the provision made for their salvation. Through the one Mediator all who desire to know His saving grace and power may now draw nigh to God. None like the ransomed host That precious blood have known; Redemption gives faith’s holy boast To draw so near the throne. TODAY IN THE WORD On November 4, 1979, rioting students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage. For the next fourteen months, direct communications were cut off between the United States and Iran's newly formed revolutionary government. Contact with the hostages was only possible through other countries, such as Canada. Despite military rescue attempts, in the end it was the work of intermediaries, such as an Algerian diplomat, that brought about the hostages' release on January 20, 1981. The Iranian hostage crisis illustrates the key role that intermediaries play in resolving seemingly insurmountable hostilities. When face-to-face negotiations aren't possible between two parties, a third party can act as a bridge. This understanding of mediation is helpful in order to grasp Christ's role as the mediator of the new covenant. We might think of fallen humanity and a perfectly holy God as two parties that cannot meet face-to-face without some type of mediator. The old covenant made with Moses at Sinai offered some provisions to bridge the gap. Even so, human inability to keep this covenant (Heb. 8:7-8) pointed toward the need for a new covenant that would be completely effective in removing sin (v. 12). Just as the new covenant is superior to the old one, so also the mediator of the new covenant, Jesus Christ, is superior to the old covenant's mediator, Moses. The change of covenants doesn't imply that God somehow changed His mind, but rather that God graciously provided one means of dealing with sin that was provisional until His final means, the perfect sacrifice of His Son, could be enacted. In this way, Jesus' blood accomplished what animal blood could not, namely a truly cleansed conscience (Heb. 9:14). Thus the new covenant guarantees our eternal inheritance. Jesus as our mediator is one example of His present ministry on our behalf. Tomorrow we'll see that Jesus is also our High Priest. APPLY THE WORD One of the unique aspects of Christianity is that it emphasizes a personal relationship with God, only possible because of our mediator Christ. Christianity isn't an external set of do's and don'ts, but an internal change in which a person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and fully reconciled to God the Father through Jesus' atoning work. With this in mind, ask yourself if you've fallen into the trap of viewing your faith as rules to obey instead of a relationship that transforms from the inside out. Contact With The Almighty The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. —John 1:14 Today's Scripture: John 1:1-14 After spending millions of dollars in a 40-year project, scientists have still made no contact with extraterrestrial beings. But their search continues. Robert Jastrow, director of the Mount Wilson Institute, says that he expects to find “beings superior to us . . . , not only technically, but perhaps spiritually and morally.” Jastrow and his fellow scientists hope that an alien civilization billions of years old will be able to tell us why we are here and how to overcome our destructive tendencies, which make advances in weapons technology so terrifying. This fear that humanity might destroy itself, as well as the innate desire for meaning in life, may account for the many popular books and movies about extraterrestrial beings. In his book Show Me God, Fred Heeren says of this interest in alien beings: “People want a higher companion, but not too high. . . . People are looking for an intermediate, . . . but someone who can still identify with us as a fellow creature.” Who's Going To Heaven? We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. —Romans 3:28 Today's Scripture: Romans 3:21-28 A poll for U.S. News & World Report asked 1,000 adults their opinion about who would likely make it into heaven. At the top of that list, to no one’s surprise, was a well-known religious figure. Several celebrities were also listed. But it was surprising to me that of the people being surveyed, 87 percent thought they themselves were likely to get into heaven. I can’t help but wonder what qualifications for admission into heaven they had in mind. People have many erroneous ideas about what God requires. Is it virtuous character? Giving generous contributions to deserving charities? Following an orthodox creed? Attending church and being involved in religious activities? Commendable as these qualities may be, they miss by an eternity the one thing God requires for entrance into heaven—a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 1:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). Although faith in Jesus will no doubt be seen in a person’s actions (James 2:14-20), charitable living or religious activity is not a substitute for trusting in Jesus’ sacrificial death for our sin. There aren't many ways into heaven; The Bible says there's only one: Confessing Christ Jesus as Savior, Believing in God's only Son. —Sper Jesus took our place on the cross to give us a place in heaven. One Sacrifice There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. — 1 Timothy 2:5 Today's Scripture: Hebrews 10:5-10 Journalist Jill Neimark wrote an article titled “Shaman in Chicago” about her very unconventional uncle. A well-educated, prosperous commodities trader, he has become a high priest in the Ifa religion, which practices animal sacrifice as its highest act of worship. Formerly an atheist, he is now a convinced believer in a divine energy that he insists cannot be experienced in traditional religion. Neimark thinks her uncle is an extreme example of those millions of questing Americans who crave a firsthand experience with dynamic supernaturalism. As one of Neimark’s friends put it, “We want to dial God direct; we don’t want to go through the operator.” Or as Neimark says, we’re “beating our own path to God.” The cross of Christ is all we need To take our sins away; He is our perfect sacrifice— The life, the truth, the way. —Sper Salvation is achieved by Christ’s atonement, not by our attainment. QUESTION - What does it mean that there is one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5)? ANSWER - A mediator is an official “go-between” who acts as a link between two parties to reconcile their differences. The term literally means “one who stands in between.” In legal disputes, a mediator represents the interests of both parties, working as an intercessory agent to negotiate a settlement. In global conflicts, a mediator intervenes between opposing world powers to try to achieve peace. The apostle Paul writes In 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Humanity is born into sin (Psalm 51:5). Sin is a problem because it stands in the way, blocking the relationship between humans and God. All people enter this world separated or estranged from the Holy God (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 5:10, 12) and deserving of His wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death, not only physical death but spiritual, eternal death (Revelation 20:11–15). Because of our sinful condition, human beings need a mediator to negotiate peace with God—and that person is Jesus Christ: “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1NLT). Scripture reveals Moses as mediator of the Old Testament covenant (Galatians 3:19; cf. Exodus 20:19, 21–22; Deuteronomy 5:5, 22, 23, 27, 31; Acts 7:38). Moses entered God’s presence on behalf of the people of Israel. He drew near to God, speaking and interceding as their representative. Moses was God’s chosen mediator to lead the Israelites in the way of salvation through a relationship with God. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ became the mediator of a new, superior covenant: “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6NLT). Jesus, God’s incarnate Son, is the perfect intermediary, better than Moses because He alone is appropriately qualified to be the one mediator between God and man. Only Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine (John 1:1, 14; Hebrews 2:17). As man and God, Jesus is uniquely equipped to represent both sides. He alone stands in the gap between God and man. He alone meets the righteous requirements of the law, opening the way into God’s presence once and for all through His death on the cross and resurrection to life (John 1:17; Hebrews 3:1–6; 9:15, 22; 10:10; 12:24). Only the sacrifice of the sinless, spotless Lamb of God could fully pay the ransom required to set people free from sin and eternal death. Jesus took our punishment on Himself, making it possible for us to experience forgiveness of sin and freedom from its destructive control. There is one mediator between God and man means that Christ is the only way to God the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). If we want to experience peace with God and a restored relationship of joy in His presence, we must come “by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” (Hebrews 10:19–20). Jesus Christ is the one mediator—the one and only Savior of the world (John 1:29; 1 Timothy 1:15). There is no other go-between. We come to God through faith in His Son, who is the only means of salvation. Religion cannot save us. Good works won’t make us right with God. Nothing but faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a Holy God. As the one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ now rules in the hearts of believers and “is at the right hand of God . . . interceding for us” (Romans 8:34ESV). We can live in the secure knowledge that, in the end, Christ will put every enemy “under his feet,” including “the last enemy,” which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24–27).GotQuestions.org Related Resource: What does it mean that Jesus is our mediator? | GotQuestions.org J C Philpot - 1 Ti 2:5 - That he is God, is the very foundation of his salvation; for it is his eternal Godhead that gives virtue, efficacy, and dignity to all that as man he did and suffered for his chosen people. If he were not God, God and man in one glorious Person, what hope would there be for our guilty souls? Could his blood atone for our sins, unless Deity gave it efficacy? Could his righteousness justify our persons, unless Deity imparted merit and value to all the doings and sufferings of his humanity? Could his loving heart sympathize with and deliver us, unless "as God over all," he saw and knew all that passes within us, and had all power, as well as all compassion, to exert on our behalf? We are continually in circumstances where no man can do us the least good, and where we cannot help or deliver ourselves; we are in snares, and cannot break them; we are in temptations, and cannot deliver ourselves out of them; we are in trouble, and cannot comfort ourselves; are wandering sheep, and cannot find the way back to the fold; we are continually roving after idols, and hewing out "broken cisterns," and cannot return to "the fountain of living waters." How suitable, then, and sweet it is, to those who are thus exercised, to see that there is a gracious Immanuel at the right hand of the Father, whose heart is filled with love, and whose affections move with compassion; who has shed his own precious blood that they might live; who has wrought out a glorious righteousness, and "is able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by him." QUESTION - How and to whom did Jesus pay our ransom? ANSWER - A ransom is something that is paid to provide for the release of someone who is held captive. Jesus paid our ransom to free us from sin, death, and hell. Throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are found God’s requirements for sacrifices. In Old Testament times, God commanded the Israelites to make animal sacrifices for substitutionary atonement; that is, an animal’s death took the place of a person’s death, death being the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23). Exodus 29:36a states, "Each day you must sacrifice a young bull as an offering for the atonement of sin." God demands holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16). God’s Law demands holiness. We cannot give God full holiness because of the sins we commit (Romans 3:23); therefore, God demands satisfaction of His Law. Sacrifices to Him satisfied the requirements. This is where Jesus comes in. Hebrews 9:12-15 tells us: "Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant." Also, read Romans 8:3-4, "The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." Clearly, Jesus paid the ransom for our lives to God. That ransom was His own life, the shedding of His own blood, a sacrifice. Due to His sacrificial death, each person on earth has the opportunity to accept that gift of atonement and be forgiven by God. For without His death, God’s Law would still need to be satisfied—by our own death.GotQuestions.org 1 TIMOTHY 2:5–6—Does the fact that Christ is the mediator between humanity and God mean that Christ himself is not God? MISINTERPRETATION: The Jehovah’s Witnesses say that, since Christ is the Mediator, he must not be God, for the Mediator must be separate and distinct from those who need mediation (Should You Believe in the Trinity? 1989, 16). CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: If Jesus as mediator cannot be God, then, by the same logic, he cannot be human. Such reasoning is clearly faulty. From a scriptural perspective, Jesus can mediate between God and man precisely because he is both God and man. It was only as a man that Christ could represent all humankind and die as a man. However, since Christ was also God, his death had infinite value sufficient to provide redemption for the sins of all humankind (see Heb. 2:14–16; 9:11–28). Thus, only the death of the perfect God-man can truly mediate for sinful humanity to God. (Norman Geisler - When Cultists Ask) QUESTION - What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? SEE ALSO RELATED VIDEO ANSWER The most difficult thing about the Christian concept of the Trinity is that there is no way to perfectly and completely understand it. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also teaches that there is only one God. Though we can understand some facts about the relationship of the different Persons of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does not mean the Trinity is not true or that it is not based on the teachings of the Bible. The Trinity is one God existing in three Persons. Understand that this is not in any way suggesting three Gods. Keep in mind when studying this subject that the word “Trinity” is not found in Scripture. This is a term that is used to attempt to describe the triune God—three coexistent, co-eternal Persons who are God. Of real importance is that the concept represented by the word “Trinity” does exist in Scripture. The following is what God’s Word says about the Trinity: 1) There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5). 2) The Trinity consists of three Persons (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for “us” is used. The word "Elohim" and the pronoun “us” are plural forms, definitely referring in the Hebrew language to more than two. While this is not an explicit argument for the Trinity, it does denote the aspect of plurality in God. The Hebrew word for "God," "Elohim," definitely allows for the Trinity. In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, the Son is speaking while making reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes the event of Jesus’ baptism. Seen in this passage is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are examples of three distinct Persons in the Trinity. 3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from another in various passages. In the Old Testament, “LORD” is distinguished from “Lord” (Genesis 19:24; Hosea 1:4). The LORD has a Son (Psalm 2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). The Spirit is distinguished from the “LORD” (Numbers 27:18) and from “God” (Psalm 51:10-12). God the Son is distinguished from God the Father (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). In the New Testament, Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). This shows that Jesus did not consider Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also all the other times in the Gospels where Jesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to another Person in the Trinity—the Father. 4) Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16). 5) There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity. This is simply an area which our finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see Luke 22:42, John 5:36, John 20:21, and 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, and especially John 16:13-14. 6) The individual members of the Trinity have different tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father initiates all of these things. The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1); and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent. The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit. There have been many attempts to develop illustrations of the Trinity. However, none of the popular illustrations are completely accurate. The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple are parts of it, not the apple itself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each of them is God. The water illustration is somewhat better, but it still fails to adequately describe the Trinity. Liquid, vapor, and ice are forms of water. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not forms of God, each of them is God. So, while these illustrations may give us a picture of the Trinity, the picture is not entirely accurate. An infinite God cannot be fully described by a finite illustration. The doctrine of the Trinity has been a divisive issue throughout the entire history of the Christian church. While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented in God’s Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly clear. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Beyond that, the issues are, to a certain extent, debatable and non-essential. Rather than attempting to fully define the Trinity with our finite human minds, we would be better served by focusing on the fact of God’s greatness and His infinitely higher nature. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34). Below is the best symbol for the Trinity we are aware of (GotQuestions.org) Dr Wayne Grudem on the Trinity - Chapter 14 God in Three Persons: The Trinity How can God be three persons, yet one God? - Systematic Theology. (Below is an excerpt from the 30+ page article). It is important to remember the doctrine of the Trinity in connection with the study of God’s attributes. When we think of God as eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and so forth, we may have a tendency to think only of God the Father in connection with these attributes. But the biblical teaching on the Trinity tells us that all of God’s attributes are true of all three persons, for each is fully God. Thus, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are also eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely loving, omniscient, and so forth. faith. To study the Bible’s teachings on the Trinity gives us great insight into the question that is at the center of all of our seeking after God: What is God like in himself ? Here we learn that in himself, in his very being, God exists in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet he is one God. EXPLANATION AND SCRIPTURAL BASIS We may define the doctrine of the Trinity as follows: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God. (see more discussion in Systematic Theology) Below are some resources Dr Grudem quotes that are available to be borrowed at archive.org: God in three persons - Beisner, E. Calvin (172 pages, 1984) The Trinity By E H Bickersteth (87 pages, 1892) The battle for the Trinity : the debate over inclusive God-language Bloesch, Donald G. (172 pages, 1972) Why you should believe in the Trinity : an answer to Jehovah's Witnesses - Bowman, Robert M (164 pages, 1989) Heresies : the image of Christ in the mirror of heresy and orthodoxy from the apostles to the present - Brown, Harold O. J (512 pages, 1984) Logic and the nature of God - Davis, Stephen T. (188 pages, 1983) Jesus as God : the New Testament use of theos in reference to Jesus - Harris, Murray J (392 pages, 1992) Understanding the Trinity - McGrath, Alister E. (160 pages, 1988) Knowing God - Packer, J. I. (page 64 - chapter "He Shall Testify", 1993) Related Resources: Do Christians believe in three gods? | GotQuestions.org How is the doctrine of the Trinity not tritheism? | GotQuestions.org What is the Athanasian Creed? | GotQuestions.org What is the ontological Trinity / immanent Trinity? | GotQuestions.org What is the economic Trinity? | GotQuestions.org What is the origin of the doctrine of the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org Is the Trinity taught in the Old Testament? | GotQuestions.org What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? | GotQuestions.org How can there be subordination / hierarchy in the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org Mediator (3316) mesites from mésos = middle, in midst) is one who stands in the middle between two people and brings them together. It is basically a neutral and trusted person in middle (mesos), a so called "middle Man" (arbitrator). It is one who works to remove disagreement and thus serves as a mediator, go-between or reconciler. J D Watson - A Word for the Day - Mesites - Mediator is mesitēs, which is derived from mesos, “in the middle, in the midst,” and therefore means “one who finds himself in the middle between two parties or bodies.” In Classical Greek, mesos became a legal term denoting neutrality (hence the Latin and English neuter, “neither of two”), as in one who sits between two conflicting parties to arbitrate and settle a matter. The man who sits in the middle, then, is the mesitēs. While the concept of a mediator is not found in the OT—although Paul refers to Moses and the Law as a mediator in a negative sense (Gal. 3:19–20)—its use in the NT is extremely significant. One such occurrence is in 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The backdrop of that statement is the pagan Greek concept of multiple gods and goddesses. In contrast, Paul tells Timothy how vital it is that he proclaim the one and only God who can be reached by the one and only Mediator, Jesus Christ. The same message is desperately needed today as well. Not only do men worship many gods, but false religions such Roman Catholicism teach that a “priest” is a necessary “mediator” between men and God. But Paul makes it clear that it is Christ alone who mediates through His death and resurrection. Most noteworthy again, however, are the uses of this word in the book of Hebrews. As noted yesterday, Christ “obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (8:6). Once again, Christ is better than all things and, therefore, most certainly is an infinitely better mediator than the Law (cf. 9:15 and 12:24). We should also note that while mesitēs itself appears only six times, the concept of Christ as Mediator is reflected many more times. Could the concept be clearer than it is in John 14:6, where Christ is the only way to God? And it is Hebrews again that speaks of Christ as our Great High Priest who goes to the Father on our behalf (Heb 4:14–16; 7:25). Likewise, John declares that He is our Advocate, our wonderful Defense Attorney, who constantly pleads our case (1 John 2:1). Once again, let us rejoice that Christ is better. Christ (5547) Christos from chrio = to rub or anoint, consecrate to an office) describes one who has been anointed with oil, one who has been consecrated. The majority of the NT uses refer to Jesus (exceptions = "false Christs" - Mt 24:24, Mk 13:22). Christos describes one who has been anointed, symbolizing appointment to a task. It is used here as the title "Anointed One" and is the Greek synonym for "Messiah." Christos is used in the Septuagint describing everyone anointed with the holy oil, especially the priesthood (Lev. 4:5+, Lev 4:16+) and it is also a name applied to those who were acting as redeemers like Cyrus. "Hamilton suggests a fourfold significance to such anointing (“māshach,” Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1:530): (1) separation unto God, (2) authorization by God, (3) divine enablement, and (4) the coming Deliverer. Jesus (2424) Iesous is transliteration of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew name Jehoshua (Yehoshua) or Jeshua (Yeshua) which mean Jehovah is help or Jehovah is salvation. Stated another way the Greek Iesous corresponds to the OT Jehoshua (Yehoshua) which is contracted as Jeshua (Yeshua). GOSPEL DOCTRINE - (John Butler - Sermon Starters) 1 Timothy 2:5 “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). This is a great Gospel text. It teaches much doctrine, we note three lessons from the text. FIRST—THE MAJESTY “There is one God.” This is not a text for atheists or polytheist • The existence of God. Our text teaches the existence of God. A number of years ago there was a God-is-dead movement that was not only ridiculous but it died while God is still very much alive. When one considers the entire universe, you can understand better Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 which say “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” Furthermore the Bible says, “he that cometh to God must believe that he is” (Hebrews 11:6). God will tolerate no hypocrites. • The essence of God. “One God,” Polytheism is the favorite idea of the world. They want to make room for the Muslim god, Buddha and other gods of the world. The world does not know God, and their view shows it. The Bible insists there is but one God. He is manifested in the Trinity which the human mind cannot fathom but wise men simply believe it. Israel had habitual trouble with idolatry which was a many-god religion, so the Old Testament had much to say about the fact of one God (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, 1 Kings 8:60; Isaiah 45:5, 6 and Zechariah 14:9). SECOND—THE MEDIATOR “Mediator between God and men.” We note the need and number about the Mediator in our text. • The need. When two parties are at odds with each other it often requires a Mediator to bring peace between the two parties. Since God is faultless, the problem is entirely with man. Man will not talk with God, will not walk with God, will not respect God and will not obey God. This conduct of man invites Divine judgment. Man is in a very precarious position and if he is going to get out of it he needs help. And since he cannot solve the problem himself, a mediator is desperately needed to bring peace between him and God. • The number. Scripture (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) emphasizes that there is but One Mediator. Roman Catholics teach that Mary is the Mediatrix-female word for Mediator) but like many of their teachings, it has no Scripture support. Christ is the only way of salvation. THIRD—THE MAN “The man Christ Jesus.” Two important truths are taught here about the Mediator. • The identity of the Mediator. “Christ Jesus.” The Mediator is Christ. Scripture makes that extremely plain. He alone is the Savior. • The incarnation of the Mediator. “Man.” Christ was both God and man. His first coming to earth manifested His incarnation. He became flesh in order to take our sin-punishment on Calvary 1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.