1 Timothy 2:5-6 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony at the perfect time.
These verses are stated in a form of a simple creed about the salvation mentioned in verses 3-4. The Christian claim of monotheism is consistent with the Old Testament and Jewish faith. Verse 5 echoes Deuteronomy 6:4, the great confession of faith known as the Shema that Jews have proclaimed since the time of Abraham. This assertion was significant to make in the Roman Empire, which was full of temples and shrines to various deities. Ephesus was home to the great temple to the goddess Artemis. The earliest Christians saw themselves as part of the story of Israel and worshipped the same God as the Jews. The important difference was that they claimed divinity also for Jesus as Lord.
The man Christ Jesus is the only one who can save because he is the only mediator between God and people. One God has provided one way of salvation. We can pray for the salvation of all people because of the one who provides this salvation. A mediator (mesitēs) is a go-between, negotiator, or someone who brings two parties together into a relationship. A mediator represents one party to another in a covenant. Jesus bridges the gulf of sin that separates humanity from God. He is the only way of salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Rom 3:21-30; Gal 2:15-16; 3:8, 14). Paul may have included the word man (anthrōpos) to stress Jesus’ humanity. What particularly qualified Christ to be mediator was his humanity. He fully identified with the ones he came to save (Hebrews 4:15).
Jesus served as the perfect sacrifice and fulfilled all the requirements for being the mediator between God and humanity. His mediation came by giving himself as a ransom for all. Verse 6 echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 20:28: “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.” Ransom (antilytron) is a rare word occurring only here in the New Testament. The Greek word is made up of two parts: anti meaning “instead of” or “in the place of” and the root lytron, which was used for the price paid to free captives or what is paid to buy freedom.
Jesus took our place and was our substitute by dying in our behalf. According to Titus 2:14, Jesus gave himself for two reasons: “who gave himself for us in order to redeem us from every lawless action, and in order to purify for himself a chosen people, excited for doing good things.” The offer is salvation is for all people as an aspect of God’s free grace, but it is only experienced through faith.
Jesus came at just the right point in history. The incarnation, dear, and resurrection of the Son was part of God’s eternal plan. The Old Testament prophesied about it. This statement of salvation through Christ is what Timothy needed to teach in Ephesus. He needed to teach the Ephesians about the importance of prayer. Prayer would open doors for evangelism by preparing the hearts of those who gave testimonies and those who received them.
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