For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5
I had a discussion awhile back with one of those groups who believe that Jesus is not God. As we were discussing they brought up 1 Timothy 2:5 as a proof-text for their belief that Jesus is but a man—an important man (the Mediator) but not God. To them the text was clear, there is one God and one mediator and that mediator is a man just like you and I.
I doubt many of my readers are buying the possibility that this text teaches that Jesus isn’t God. But I still thought it beneficial to interact with the question because it can help us sharpen our Bible study skills.
The first thing for us to consider with this passage is that the biblical writers weren’t idiots. If we can find something a few verses later where it claims that Jesus is God then we certainly this ought to inform our understanding of 1 Timothy 2:5. Scripture does not contradict itself.
Though it’s a bit disputed it’s quite likely that Paul equates Jesus with God in 1 Timothy 3:16. He is the one manifested in the flesh and with God being the one in the preceding verses it seems most likely that “He” refers to “God” (as some manuscripts have). But even if this isn’t the case Paul elsewhere clearly refers to the Lord Jesus as God. (Consider especially Titus 2:13).
So the biblical writers weren’t idiots. And even if you want to say that others (like the Nicean council) scrubbed the Bible to make it say what they wanted, it’s unrealistic to believe that they would allow a verse like this to squeeze through. Clearly they too were not idiots. If they didn’t want any place to even reek of saying that Jesus was just a man they wouldn’t have left a verse like this one there, it’d have been clearly scrubbed. The best conclusion is that there wasn’t a vast conspiracy to change the Bible and that’s why this verse is still there.
Secondly, we have to consider the context. Paul is encouraging his readers to pray for everybody. It’s a bit more difficult to pick up in some of our English translations, but notice this:
“First of all, I urge that supplications…be made for all ANTHROPOS…” Paul then goes on to list different classes of people and picks up his argument again in verse 4. “who desires all ANTHROPOS to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and ANTHROPON, the ANTHROPOS Christ Jesus.”
So Paul is saying that there is one God and therefore there is only the need for one mediator. This is not denying His deity but rather confessing His humanity. He is a fitting representative—a fitting mediator—between God and man. He is the one who Job longed for, the one who would be able to “touch us both”. He is fully God and fully man. Paul, likely quoting an early Christian creed, is affirming this.
There is one God. There is one mediator. And this is for all people. Kings don’t come through a different door than the peasants. There is only One who fittingly and accurately represents God and that is God manifested in the flesh—Christ Jesus. Likewise, there is only One who is able to faithfully mediate for sinful humanity and that is the sinless man, the spotless lamb, Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us pray for all people (whether they be kings or commoners) that they would come to know this One true mediator. Because God desires all manner of men to be saved.
So what does 1 Timothy 2:5 proclaim? The same thing that John 14:6 does. “No man comes to the Father except through me”. And because of this truth we must be passionate about praying for every person to come to the only Gate which leads to eternal life.
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