In 1 Timothy 2:3-6, St. Paul wrote that there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. But how do we understand the relationship between this “one God” and this “one man Christ Jesus”? Must of us automatically hear this relationship through the doctrine of the Trinity, one God in three persons, but this doctrine itself is not found in Scripture, and not all Christians today, basing their faith on Scripture alone, believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. So how should we understand the relationship of God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? This is what we discuss today on Deep in Scripture.
1 Timothy 2: 3-6
3: This is good, and it is 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 there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6: who gave himself as a ransom for all,
the testimony to which was borne at the proper time.
Footnote in Harper’s RSV Study Bible:
2.5 A mediator is a “middleman,” or one who stands between two opposing parties. Christ is pictured in Scripture as a mediator between God and guilty mankind. By His shed blood He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile; between God and man (Eph 2.14). Through Him the redeemed have access to the Father (Rom 5:2; Eph 2:18; 3:12). Apart from Christ there is no mediator and ho hope of eternal life (Acts 4:12). This passage rules out all other mediators, whether angels, saints, priests, or relatives of Jesus Himself. None of these has any validity before God.
