వ్యాఖ్యానం ప్రస్తుతం ఆంగ్లంలో మాత్రమే అందుబాటులో ఉంది. తెలుగు అనువాదం పురోగతిలో ఉంది.
1 Timothy 2 — One Mediator Between God and Men
Paul urges that prayers be made for all men, including kings and all in authority, that believers may live peaceful lives. God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. Instructions follow on prayer, conduct, and order in worship.
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
— 1 Timothy 2:5
- v.1-7 Prayer for all; one mediator
- v.8-10 Conduct in prayer and dress
- v.11-15 Order in worship
God will have all men to be saved. God's revealed desire is the salvation of all — He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). The gospel is to be offered freely to everyone.
To come unto the knowledge of the truth. Salvation comes through knowing the truth — there is no salvation in ignorance or in a false gospel. God desires people not merely to be rescued but to know the truth as it is in Christ.
One mediator between God and men. A mediator stands between two parties to reconcile them. There is exactly one — Christ Jesus. Not Mary, not saints, not priests, not angels. Access to God is through Christ alone.
The man Christ Jesus. His humanity is stressed because the mediator must represent both sides — truly God and truly man. As man He represents us to God; as God He has the power to reconcile. One person, both natures, the only bridge.
Gave himself a ransom. A ransom is the price paid to free a captive. Christ gave Himself — His own life — as the price to free sinners from bondage to sin and death. The mediator is also the ransom.
Mark 10:45 — the Son of man came... to give his life a ransom for many. The cross was a transaction: His life given in exchange for ours. The mediator did not merely negotiate; He paid the price Himself.
Make intercession a priority, as Paul says — first of all. And pray especially for those in authority, even ones you did not choose or do not like, that you may lead a quiet and peaceable life. The church's instinct under bad rulers is to complain; Paul's instruction is to pray. Try replacing one complaint about leaders this week with one genuine prayer for them.
The chapter places Christ at the only point of contact between God and humanity — one mediator... the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. There is no other way to God, and no other price could be paid. He is both the bridge and the toll, the mediator and the ransom. This is why prayer for all people makes sense: because there is one Saviour offered to all, and God desires all to come to Him through that one mediator.
First of all — prayer is given priority in the life of the church. Four kinds are named (supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings), to be made for all men — the scope is universal.
The breadth is striking. The church is to pray not only for itself but for all people — including those outside, including rulers (next verse), including enemies. Intercession reflects the heart of God toward the world.