Let us turn again to the Word
of God in the portion we were considering this morning in 1
Timothy 2. We considered verse 5. I want
to read now that verse together with verse 6. So in 1 Timothy
2 and reading verses 5 and 6. For there is one God and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for
all to be testified in due time. It's a single sentence here in
our authorized version. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave
himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time and tonight
concentrating really on verse 6 where we see Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer the one who pays the great ransom price this
morning we were thinking of what we're told in verse 5 and considered
something of Christ as the mediator and I said there now that this
verse is often misquoted Instead of the plural men, it's
read with a singular noun, man. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and man. That's how many would quote it. But it doesn't say that, does
it? It says one mediator between God and men. And there is a difference. because the singular would suggest
he is the mediator for all of mankind whereas the plural as
we have it here indicates that he is the mediator for some men
but certainly not for all men and we know how in his great
intercessory prayer recorded in John 17 the Lord makes it
quite clear there who it is that he would pray for as he comes
before the Father just previous to that great priestly work that
he will accomplish as he makes the one sacrifice for sins forever
as he pays that ransom price just previous to the record there
in chapter 18 and the following chapters at the end of John's
Gospel in chapter 17 We have the Lord praying to his Father. And what does he say? Verse 9,
I pray for them, his disciples. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they
are thine. And then at verse 20 again he
says, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which
shall believe on me through their words. and who are those who
believe they are those of the election of grace he is praying
then for a particular people and as a priest intercedes for
that people so as a priest he also dies for the same people
his priestly work be it in making the sacrifice or be it in making
intercession is for the same people In Romans 8 and verse
34 we are told, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that
died, yea, rather that he is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And there
those two aspects of his priestly work are brought together. The
one who is now risen again is the one who died. there can be
no condemnation because Christ died for his people then there
isn't again he makes intercession for that same people it is for
a particular people then well we were thinking of Christ as
the one mediator, the only mediator between God and man, the man
Christ Jesus and I said then we would go on and look at the
following verse verse 6 where we read of the ransom and the
same Christ who makes that payment of the ransom price. He is the
Redeemer who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due
time. So as we come to look at this
verse I want to say something with regards to this ransom price
and Christ the Redeemer and just two things as many things we
could say with regards to it but I just want to concentrate
on two things in particular that by this price he has made satisfaction
to think of the satisfaction that he has made and then secondly
to see the importance of his substitution it's not for himself
that he's paying this price he's a substitute He is making the
payment on behalf of others. Of course, satisfaction really
lies at the very heart of redemption. In the redemption there is satisfaction. To whom was this ransom price
paid? And there's, in some people,
a deal of confusion really with regards to what is meant. they seem to think that it is
the devil who is paid the ransom price well it's not the devil
it's not the devil the devil we know is a usurper and remember
how Paul goes on to speak of him when he writes there in that
second epistle in that second epistle to Timothy at the end
of chapter 2 he speaks of those that may recover themselves out
of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his
will he is that one who is the tempter he is that one who is
the accuser of the brethren he is that one who is a liar and
he is the father of lies he has no rights at all he presumes
But he's really that one who is the terrible usurper and the
price is not paid to Satan. He has no claims really. He is
but a fallen angel, always a mighty angel. But he is not a creator,
he's a creature, a rebellious creature who would usurp the
very throne of God. And so, we're not for a moment
to think that the price is being paid to Satan. Who then is the
price being paid to? Well, it is to God Himself. It's
to God Himself because God, the Holy One of Israel, is a just
God. And His justice must be satisfied. Back in Exodus 34, in verse 7,
we are told, aren't we, that He will by no means clear the
guilty. All His justice demands that
the guilty pay the price, receive the punishment that is their
just due. We are told, aren't we, that
the soul that sinneth, it must die. The Lord God said to Adam
there in the Garden of Eden, the very paradise of God, concerning
that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that he must not
eat of it. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die. And God, the Just One, is a faithful
God. He is true to Himself. He is
true to His words. The wages of sin is death. and God reveals himself in his
law and that law is holy and that
commandment is holy and just and good we are told and that
law must be satisfied the law condemns the sinners the law
pronounces a curse on those who transgress it Oh, remember the
language of Galatians chapter 3 and verse 10. It is written,
Cursed is everyone. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things written in the book of the law to do them. If we don't continue in all things,
everything, every detail, every commandment, if we keep all the commandments
and defend in one point, James says, we are guilty of all. It is written, Cursed is everyone
that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law
to do them. And it's but an echoing really
of what we have back in the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul of
course was well aware of the Old Testament Scriptures. He'd
been schooled in the Torah and all the writings of the Old Testament.
It sat at the feet of Gamaliel. He was a diligent student of
the Word of God and his language, of course, at times is soaked
in Old Testament Scripture. And think of those words in Galatians
3.10, Cursed is everyone, that fails to continue in all
things written in that law. Doesn't it remind us also of
language in Deuteronomy 27 and verse 26? where we read these words, Cursed
be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them,
but to confirm all the words of the Lord of God by doing them. And if these things are not done, there is curse and condemnation. But by his death, Christ has
redeemed His people from that dreadful curse because He has
paid the ransom price. He has paid that that was demanded
by the Holy Lord of God. Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the Lord being made a curse for us. For it is written,
Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3.13 This is how the Lord Jesus redeems
His people. He satisfies all that is demanded
by the Holy Lord of God. And it's not just Paul who declares
these great truths of the Gospel to us. It's there in all the
writings of the New Testament, all the apostles. They all speak
with one voice, the same message. Remember the language of Peter
there in 1 Peter 1.18, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Oh, there is the price. And what
is that ransom price? It is the bloodshedding of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is Christ pouring out His
soul unto death. Ephesians 1 and verse 7, in whom
we have redemption through His blood. It's through His blood. Without shedding of blood there
is no remission. We read the words. We read the
words there in Hebrews 9 the shedding of blood, Christ pouring
out His soul unto death, and all this in order to save His
people. By His death He makes that full
satisfaction to the Lord of Gods. And so when He He's given that charge to the
Ephesian elders, remember in Acts chapter 20 he's leaving
them, he's going to Jerusalem and he's persuaded he'll never
see them again. And he gives charge to them and
at the end of that charge what does he say? He reminds them
of the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood.
it's a wonderful statement, a remarkable statement the church of God purchased with
his own blood, God is a spirit God doesn't have a body if he's a spirit he doesn't have a body, he can't
bleed but of course he's referring to the Lord Jesus Christ who
is who is the God-man, God manifest in the flesh as he goes on to
say later in chapter 3 and verse 16 of this epistle without controversy
great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh and it is because of who the
person that died is he's God-man and that gives efficacy to that
work that he did when he gave himself as that great sacrifice
for the sins of his people. Oh, he has made satisfaction
because of who he is, the person. We can't separate the person
from the work, we can't separate the person from that obedience
unto death, even the death of the cross. throughout his life,
in every action, in every deed, in all that he is doing, he is
always God-Man. That's the person. And that's
hypostatic union, as the theologians call it, that in that one person,
there are always those two distinct natures. But in everything he
does, he is God-Man. And what is he doing? Well, he's
doing all of this as a substitute. And so, having tried to say something
with regards to the satisfaction that he has made by that great
sacrifice, the shedding of that precious blood, the pouring out
of his soul, his dying. Well, let us now turn to the
fact that all of this is substitutionary. Substitutionary atonement, that
great doctrine of the gospel. What does it say here in the
text? He gave himself a ransom for all, it says. He gave himself
a ransom for all. Now what are we to make of that
expression, for all? Are we to understand that in
an absolute sense? Does that mean everybody? All
people who ever lived upon the face of the earth? from Adam
and Eve down all the generations as the Lord Jesus Christ in an
absolute sense died for every person that has ever lived or
ever will live. Well if you answer that in the
affirmative and say yes it must mean that it must mean that,
doesn't it say that? He gave himself a ransom for
all Well, remember, when the Lord Jesus Christ made that great
sacrifice, there were Old Testament unbelievers who had died, and they'd gone
to their appointed place. God says, doesn't He, of all
the families of the earth, He only knows the descendants of
Jacob, the children of Israel. There were multitudes of Gentiles
who had died throughout the ages. But there were those dreadful
characters that we read of in the Old Testament Scriptures.
There were people like Cain, Esau, Ahab, Manasseh, wicked
people who had gone to hell and were suffering there. the consequence
of their sinful lives. Now, if God's a just God, is
it really possible that he could smite the Lord Jesus Christ as
their substitute? Is it right to smite the sinner
with the sword of justice and then also to smite his substitute. Is it right to smite the shepherd
and then to go on and smite those who are really the sheep? Well,
we know that not all are the sheep because there are some
who are goats, but you see what I mean here. That would be unjust. And of course, the top lady brings
it out so forcibly in the hymn, doesn't she? 227 payment God
cannot twice demand. First at my bleeding surety side
and then again at mine. That would be unjust for God
to require the payments from the surety, the one who is the
substitute. and then also for that person
whom he is standing for. So what are we to make of the
words? For whom is the Lord Jesus Christ a substitute? For whom
has he made a ransom? Well, we have to look at the
context. And I did when I mentioned this this morning. It's always
important, isn't it, to look at the context. There's another passage we could
look at. There's that portion in Hebrews chapter 2, at verse 9 following. Maybe we could
just look at that briefly this evening. Remember what's said there in
verse 9? And then in the following verses,
we see the context. But Hebrews 2 verse 9, we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the
grace of God should taste death for every man. Here we have another
expression, it says he tasted death for every man. Who is every
man? is that to be understood in terms
of all in an absolute sense no man excepted every man no we
look at the context and we see it in the following verses it
became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in
bringing many sons unto glory so every man is now spoken of
as many sons being brought unto glory and then he goes on in verse
11 both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all
of one so now we are told that they are the sanctified there
are many sons being brought to glory they are the sanctified
and then at the end of verse 11 he is not ashamed to call
them brethren they are his brethren again at verse 12 I will declare
my name thy name unto my brethren and then in the end of verse
12 they are referred to as the church in the midst of the church
I will will I sing praise unto thee these various names are being
given to explain to us just who every man is there are the many
sons being brought unto glory there are those who are sanctified
they're brethren they're the church and then verse 13 behold
I and the children which God hath given me they're the children
which God hath given him and so the context tells us that
we're to be careful that we understand God's word of right and we don't
just take a text and rip it out of context and make a pretext
of it to satisfy our own erroneous views the context is important
and the context is important here we said this this morning
we have mention of all men well we have all here in verse 6 but
we have all men spoken of in verse 4 who will have all men
to be saved who are the all men to be saved?
Well, it's exhorting, isn't it? A prayer. That's the context. I exhort therefore that first
of all supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks
be made for all men. All men in verse 1. All men again in verse 4. And
then all in verse 6. what is the context? well he's
not speaking of all men in that absolute sense he is speaking
of all sorts of men for kings and for all that are in authority
this is the context he's speaking of all different types and classes
and sorts of men not every individual that has ever lived that's not
what he's saying he's simply speaking of different categories
of men and he speaks particularly of those who are in authority,
kings, the great men of the earth we know that not many mighty,
not many noble are called that's what Paul says right into the
Corinthians not many mighty, not many noble, but he doesn't
say not any It says not many, there may be
some, and we're to pray. We're to pray for those in authority.
God might even save those men. God certainly is at one, and
I said this morning that we have to see it all in the context
of God's absolute sovereignty. He is over all the affairs of
men and nations. And so we can pray to Him, but
we can pray to Him to save different types of men, even men who the
world looks to as the greatest of men, God might yet humble
them and save them and bring them to that knowledge of Himself. Well, what is it to be saved?
It's to come unto the knowledge of the truth, as we have it there
at the end of verse 4. And what is that knowledge of
the truth? It's what the Lord speaks of in that prayer of John
17. It's life eternal to know Thee.
the only true God, and Jesus Christ to whom they were sent.
It's that knowledge, to know God, and to know God as He has
revealed Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, to
know God as we see Him in that One who is the Christ, His office,
remember we spoke of His office this morning, there's His person,
He is God, we refer to Him as Lord, And what is his office? He's the mediator, he's the Christ,
we speak of him as Lord Christ. What is his human name? His human
name is Jesus, we refer to him as Lord Jesus Christ. And it's to know Him. We can
only know God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, no
man has seen God at any time. It's this man who is the image
of the invisible God. And Paul's great desire, as he
expresses it there in that third chapter of Philippians, that
I may know Him. All he wants to know Him, that
person, Jesus Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship
of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. And so when we have this expression,
a ransom for all, in the text tonight, we are to understand
it to mean all sorts, ranks, states and types of men. For
even the Son of Man came, not to be ministered unto, but to
minister and to give his life a ransom for many. and they are
so many, they're such a multitude that we might refer to them as
all. It's a great, vast company that the Lord has come to say
out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. Oh, that's
the wonder of the gospel, isn't it? And although they be so many,
yet they are a particular people. and you scarcely need me to remind
you of that how Paul brings it out so forcibly in that great
opening chapter of the Ephesian epistle speaking of God's purpose
according as he has chosen us in him that is in Christ according
as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that
we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved, and then in whom we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace." All this redemption you see. It's at the God purpose
and predestinated for a particular people from before the foundation
of the world. All the ransom pricing has been
paid and Christ has paid it as that one who is the substitute
for his people. He stands as their surety. It's
interesting because the word that we have here, that's rendered
ransom in our authorised version, does have a prefix. And the force
of the prefix that it has here is simply to emphasise the fact
that it's a ransom instead of, or in place of, The word ransom
really includes in it the idea of substitution. It's not for himself, it's for
someone else. Christ suffered the just for
the unjust. He is the just one. And those
whom he suffers for, they are the unjust. He is the Saviour,
they are the sinners. or the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ, how He has come and identified Himself with His people in order
that He might stand as their substitute. Verily He took not
on Him the nature of angels. He took upon Him the seed of
Abraham. That's interesting. The seed
of Abraham. It's those who are the children
of Abraham that he has come to pay the great ransom price ransom
price for well as we as we draw to a conclusion just want you
to notice the word himself in the text he gave himself it says what does that indicate to us
well Surely we are to think of himself in terms of his humanity,
his human body. Body and soul. It was his human life that he
gave when he died upon the cross. Again, we see it, don't we, in
the language of prophecy. Those familiar words of Isaiah
53. And verses 10 and 11, He pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see of the trouble out
of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquity. How
is he bearing their iniquities? By making his soul and offering
for sin. And he is the surgeon of the
travail of those sufferings. When we think of man, man is
made of body and soul. When God creates a first man
he forms his body out of the dust of the ground and breathes
into his nostrils the breath of life and he becomes a living
soul. And what is death? Death is the separation of the
soul from the body. And do we not see it in the death
of the Lord Jesus? He experiences a real death.
This is no phantom. This is reality. he says to the
father into thy hand I commend my spirit my soul he experiences dying in a very real sense it's
himself that dies but then also when we think of
himself we have to remember that human nature of the Lord
Jesus Christ is in union with the divine nature himself is really the person,
isn't it? we can't say he simply suffered
in his nature no, he suffers in his person, he
suffers as a person that's a remarkable thing It's
interesting how time and again this pronoun himself is used
in reference to his sufferings and his sacrifice. In Hebrews
1 and verse 3. Himself purged our sins when
he had by himself purged our sins. and it's there also in that portion
that we were reading just now in the 9th chapter of the Hebrew
epistle as in chapter 1 so we're going there in chapter 9 now where is it? Is it 14? Yeah, thanks Cliff. How much more shall the blood
of Christ who hath through the eternal spirit offered himself? He offers himself without sparse
to God. That's the person. There are
two natures. One's human, one's divine. There's
one person. And as I've said in everything,
it's the one person. This is This is the great mystery,
isn't it? And who is that person? Well,
when we think of him in his person as God-man, we see him also as
that one who, in his office, as the mediator of the New Covenant,
as the redeemer of his people, when he comes he has a commandment
from the Father. and his commandment is that he
offers himself as a sacrifice the language of John 10,17 therefore
doth my father love me he says because I lay down my life that
I might take it again no man taketh it from me I lay it down
of myself this commandment have I received
of my father? it's a voluntary sacrifice that
he's making and he does this as the person the Christ of Gods
the Son of Gods manifest in the flesh all the wonder of it and
really what we have here of course is the very sum and substance
of the gospel in these two verses there is one God and one mediator
between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom
for all to be testified in due time, it says. Gilth says of it, you see, it
is the sum and substance of the Gospel. And it's to be testified
in due time. What is the due time? Well, it's
the day of grace. It's that day that he is brought
in by his incarnation and his work His ministry, His death,
His rising again, His sending of the Holy Spirit. God says,
I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have
I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. This is the due time. And we
see Paul exercising his ministry. And I've referred to that passage
in Acts 20 where he's giving charge to those elders in the
church at Ephesus. And look at the language that
Paul employs as he speaks to them there in Acts 20. In verse 23 he speaks of how
the Holy Ghost is witnessing in every city that bonds and
afflictions abide in him he's going to Jerusalem and he's persuaded
he'll never see these Ephesian elders again and having spoken
of all that he says none of these things move me neither can't
I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course
with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus
to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold,
I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching, the kingdom
of God shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record
this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have
not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Oh,
this was his ministry. that he had received of the Lord
Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And he has not shunned to declare
all of that counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves,
he says, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased
with his own blood. and he says something quite similar
really when he is writing to the church at Rome and we come
to the end of that epistle to the Romans there in chapter 16 verse 25 now to him that is a
power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching
of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery
which was kept secret since the world began but now is made known,
and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the
obedience of faith." Well, this is the message, you see, that
is to be testified in due time throughout this Gospel day. This is the message we're to
proclaim. Paul says to the Corinthians,
doesn't he, I determine not to know anything among you save
Jesus Christ. and him crucified. Dr. Gill is so right, this is the
sum, this is the substance of the gospel. The Lord Jesus, the
only mediator, the Lord Jesus, that one who is the redeemer
of his people, who has paid the price, the ransom price, has
satisfied God's justice, and who has died as the great substitute
in the room and stead of his people having loved his own which
were in the world he has loved them and loved them to that bitter
end the death of the cross oh God grant that we might see the
wonder then of this gospel that he said before us so plainly
here on the page of holy scripture the Lord Jesus Christ our mediator
our redeemer His name the only name under heaven given amongst
men, whereby we must be saved. For there is one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave
himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. And then Paul can go on, whereunto
I am ordained a preacher and an apostle, I speak the truth
in Christ and lie not a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and
verity. May the Lord be pleased to bless
His gospel to us. Amen.