Spirit Driven said:
I herald the Evangel of Good, for those that have ears to hear..... nothing more..... and I can assure you.... nothing less.
There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
for all..... to be testified in due time
Peace
Sprit driven
It appears that your entire theology is based on 1Tim 2:5-6 based on how many times you have quoted this verse. I have decided to spend some time explaining this part of scripture to you, so that atleast you will understand it when you quote it.
1 TIM 2:5-6
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle-I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying- a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. NKJV
OK, now if you notice the scripture you quote has a ‘’for’’ to start verse 5. In this context, is a conjunction. This section of scripture is regarding prayer and starts in verse 18 of chapter 1 and ends in verse 7 of chapter 2
18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. 2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle-I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying- a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Paul has concluded his first charge to Timothy concerning the false teachers, and now he moves on to the subject of prayer. It is generally agreed that this passage has to do with public or corporate prayer, although there is nothing in it that would not be equally applicable to one’s private devotional life.
2:1 Prayer for all men is both a privilege and an obligation. It is a sheer privilege for us to have audience with God in behalf of our fellow men. And it is an obligation, too, for we are debtors to all with reference to the good news of salvation.
The apostle lists four aspects of prayerâ€â€supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. It is rather difficult to distinguish between the first three. In modern usage, supplication has the thought of strong and earnest pleading, but here the thought is more that of specific requests for specific needs. The word here translated prayers is a very general term, covering all kinds of reverent approaches to God. Intercessions describe those forms of petition in which we address God as our Superior in behalf of others. Giving of thanks describes prayer in which we rehearse the grace and kindness of our Lord, and pour out our hearts in gratitude to Him.
We might summarize the verse, then, by saying that in praying for all men, we should be humble, worshipful, trustful, and thankful.
2:2 Special mention is made here of kings and all who are in authority. These must occupy a special place in our prayers. Elsewhere, Paul has reminded us that the authorities that exist are ordained of God (Rom. 13:1) and that they are ministers of God to us for good (Rom. 13:4).
This verse takes on special color when we remember that it was written in the days of Nero. The terrible persecutions which were inflicted on the Christians by this wicked ruler did not affect the fact that Christians should pray for their governmental heads. The NT teaches that a Christian is to be loyal to the government under which he lives, except when that government orders him to disobey God. In such a case his first responsibility is to God. A Christian should not engage in revolution or in violence against the government. He may simply refuse to obey any order that is contrary to the word of God and then quietly and submissively take the punishment.
The reason the apostle gives for praying for rulers is that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. It is for our own good that the government should be stable and that the country be preserved from revolution, civil war, turmoil, and anarchy.
2:3 That we should pray for all men, including kings and those in authority, is good and acceptable in the sight of God. It is good in itself and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. The title which Paul gives to God here is significant. God’s desire is for the salvation of all men. Therefore, to pray for all men is to promote the will of God in this regard. This does not mean ALL WILL BE SAVED AS IS TAUGHT BY THOSE PROMOTE UNIVERSAL SALVATION OR UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION.
2:4 This explains further what I have already pointed out in verse 3. God desires all men to be saved (Ezek. 33:11; John 3:16; 2 Pet. 3:9). Therefore, we should pray for all men everywhere. Yes its Gods desire for all to be saved, but we know this is not true.
This verse sets forth clearly the divine and the human aspects of salvation. The first half of the verse indicates that man must be saved. The verb here is passive; man cannot save himself but must be saved by God. This is the divine side of salvation.
In order to be saved, man must come to the knowledge of the truth. God does not save men against their will. He does not populate heaven with rebellious subjects. Man must come to Him who said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.†This is the human side.
From this, it should be clear that this verse does not teach universal salvation. Although God desires that all men should be saved, yet not all men will be saved. It was not initially God’s will that the children of Israel should wander for thirty-eight years in the wilderness; yet they did it just the same. He permitted it, but it was not the pathway of blessing which He had planned for them.
2:5 The connection of this verse with what precedes is not entirely clear. However, the thought seems to be this: God is one; therefore, He is the God of all men, and prayer should be addressed to Him in behalf of all men. As the one God, He desires the salvation of all men. If He were one of many gods, He might be concerned only about His own worshipers.
Secondly, One is Mediator between God and men. This being so, no man can come to God in any other way. A mediator is a go-between, a middleman who can stand between two and communicate with both. Through Christ, Himself Man, God is enabled to approach men with forgiveness of sins. Consequently any poor sinner can approach Him, and will by no means be rejected.
Paul identifies the Mediator as the Man, Christ Jesus. This does not deny the deity of the Lord Jesus. In order to be the Mediator between God and men, He must be both God and Man. The Lord Jesus is God from all eternity, but He became Man in Bethlehem’s manger. He represents the whole race of humanity. The fact that He is both God and Man is indicated in the name Christ Jesus. Christ describes Him as God’s anointed One, the Messiah. Jesus is the name given to Him in Incarnation.
The verse effectively answers the teaching so common today that the blessed Virgin Mary or angels or saints are mediators between God and man. There is only one Mediator, and His name is Christ Jesus. At this point we also must look at Romans 8:26
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
So to you and others who deny the trinity, this would seem like a bible contradiction. The answer is quite simple. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity and thus affirming the Triune God .. How awe some is that. The very verses you quoted out of context to try and build your theology and beliefs on have just went up in smoke.
Verse 5 summarizes the messages of the OT and NT. One God was the message of the OT entrusted to Israel; one Mediatorâ€â€the message of the NT entrusted to the church. As Israel failed in her responsibility by worshiping idols, so the professing church has failed in her responsibility by introducing other me diatorsâ€â€Mary, saints, clergy, etc.
2:6 The emphasis is on the fact that God desires the salvation of all men. Here this is further shown by the fact that Christ Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all. A ransom is a price paid to release or set another free. Notice that the ransom is for all. This means that the work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary’s cross was sufficient to save all sinners. It does not mean that all will be saved, since man’s will is also involved.
This verse is one of many which teach that the death of Christ was substitutionary. He died in behalf of all. Whether all will accept it is another question, but the fact remains that the redemptive work of Christ was sufficient in value for all.
To be testified in due time means that the testimony concerning Christ’s substitutionary work was to be borne in its own time. The same God who desires the salvation of all men and provided the way of salvation for all men, has decreed that the gospel message should go out in this age in which we live. All of this is designed to demonstrate the overwhelming longing on the part of God to bless mankind.
2:7 As a final demonstration of God’s desire for the salvation of all men, Paul states that he was appointed a preacher and an apostle to the Gentiles. Then, as now, Gentiles constituted the greater portion of the population of the world. It was not to one small segment of mankind, such as the Jews, that the apostle was sent, but rather to the Gentile nations.
He speaks of himself as a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. A preacher is literally a herald, a proclaimer of the gospel. The duties of an apostle may be somewhat broaderâ€â€he not only preaches the gospel but plants churches, guides local churches in matters of order and discipline, and speaks with authority as one sent by the Lord Jesus Christ. A teacher expounds the word of God in such a manner that it will be understood by the people.
To give added emphasis to what he is saying, Paul confirms his claim to be a teacher of the Gentiles by the words “I am speaking the truth in Christ, and not lying.†The words “in faith and truth†may describe the faithful and honest way in which the apostle carried out his teaching ministry, but more probably they describe the contents of his teaching. In other words, he taught the Gentiles in matters pertaining to faith and truth.
Spirit. Now you know what this portion of scripture means. I pray that you and others will take it to heart. Tha pastoral epistles are some of my favoroite part of scripture.
