Okay, today now we want to take
a look at these verses in 1 Timothy chapter 2. 1 Timothy chapter
2, and I'm taking the title for the message from verse 5 and
6. 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 5 and 6. There is one God. One
God. We're monotheistic. There's one
God. One mediator. There's one way. There's one savior, one mediator
between God and men. Notice it doesn't say man, men. Who is it? The man Christ Jesus. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. Who? The God-man mediator who
gave himself. He didn't bring the blood of
bulls and of goats. He gave himself, his own blood,
his life, a ransom, a payment made in full under God's law
and justice for all, that is, all of those whom he represented. to be testified. And that's what
we do when we preach the Gospel. We testify of the effectual blood
atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. One God, one Mediator, one Redeemer. One way of salvation. One Lord,
one faith, one baptism. As it says in Ephesians chapter
4. Now according to the Word of God, and that's all that matters. That's all that matters. That's
all that counts. It doesn't matter about the opinion of men. According
to the Word of God, there is one God who is the true and living
God. From everlasting to everlasting,
He says, I am God. We've been turned by the Gospel,
we've been turned to God from our idols to serve the living
and true God. In Isaiah 45, many times, He
says in chapter 45, 46, and other places in the book of Isaiah,
He said, I am God. Besides me, there is no other. He is the only, just God and
Savior. And that being so, one God, one
gospel, one way, he said, look, look to me and be saved. All the ends of the earth, I
am God, beside me there is no other. Now according to the word
of the Lord, there's but one God and there's but one Savior.
There's but one mediator, one way. between God and men, and
that is the man, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's called
in the book of Hebrews as our great high priest. A great high
priest is one who is a mediator. He's called the surety of a better
covenant. He's also called the mediator
of a better covenant established upon better promises. Now, there's
just one. He is God, our Savior. There's just one way God saves
sinners. There's just one way God reconciles
sinners to Himself. And that one way is Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself
is the ransom price that God demanded of our sin. And the
Lord Jesus Christ paid the debt in full. His atonement wasn't
a down payment. His atonement was an offer, was
not an offer unto God. His atonement was complete satisfaction,
complete payment for all the sins of God's people laid upon
Him. He appeared once in the end of
the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. By that
one sacrifice, He obtained forever for us, His people, the all that's
mentioned here, eternal redemption in Him. The Lord Jesus Christ
is not one way among many, He's the only way of salvation. Our
Lord plainly said when the apostles asked Him, Lord show us the way.
He said, I am the way, the way, the truth, the life. No man comes
to the Father but by and through me, one mediator. He's the only God and Savior. Neither is there salvation in
any other, nor the name under heaven, given among men, whereby
we must be saved. Now, there are many preachers,
believe me, There are many preachers in this county and in this state
and in this country, in this world. There are many false preachers
and churches and religious people who would use these verses to
teach what they say is universal redemption, universal atonement. They will say, well, it says
here, He gave Himself a ransom for all. I know that's what it
says. That's not what it means. It
means that he gave himself a ransom for those for whom he represented
in Christ Jesus. Now, the redeeming blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ is a ransom that he paid for his elect. The
redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a ransom for all
men everywhere without exception. And they often use this verse
along with other verses as we read in Hebrews chapter 10 where
it says, he by the grace of God takes the death for every man.
Well, I told you what that meant for the whole, for those for
whom he represented, the many sons, the church, the brethren,
the children. If you just read on, it describes
those for whom he died, his chosen. He by the grace of God tasted
death for his covenant people, his covenant sheep. Now, if we
go back to verse 1, 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 1, Paul said,
I desire therefore, I exhort, I desire therefore that first
of all, when you come together, and when you come together in
a worship service, Make prayers and supplications and intercessions
that we pray for one another. Love one another. And help one
another. Giving thanks. We have so much
to be thankful for. And everything give thanks for
this is the will of God concerning you in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Be made for all men. All sorts of men. Now, how long
would it take us? I find myself overwhelmed in
just thinking about the very few people that I know, and the
requests that people have made for us to pray for them, I find
myself overwhelmed when I set aside a time to pray and thinking
about all the people that I know and all the people that need
help. But if we were to pray for all
men everywhere, all the time, we would be totally taken up
with 24-7 all the time every day. So, he's talking about here
all sorts of men, as it says in verse 2. For kings, we pray for those
in authority, for all that are in authority or have a place
of preeminence, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and honesty. The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed
a people out of every kindred, tribe, nation, tongue, and people
under heaven. We're to pray for those who are
young, those who are old, those who are black, those who are
white. We pray for those who are Jew, those who are Gentile.
We pray for those who've been given the privilege and authority
to lead our nation, our state, Our city, our county, knowing
that they are in a place of authority by the will of God. The powers
that be are ordained of God. We know this, the king's heart
is in the hands of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turns
it. However, He pleases, however He wills. Now, we should pray
for those who are in authority over us, that we may have a peaceable
and quiet life, that we may live in peace and godliness and honesty
before men and God, that we may freely preach the gospel and
worship God without being persecuted for doing so. Now, I enjoy the
freedom and liberty that we have They say it's guaranteed by the
Constitution. I don't go along with it. The guarantees we have are by
the Word of God. Now the Constitution is fine
as a document of men, but we don't look to that for our hope
of anything. We look to God our Savior as
a hope of all salvation. But he's saying here that we
should pray for those and give thanks always in praying for
those given the responsibility and privilege of leading the
community, the city, the county, the state, the government, whatever.
Verse 3 said, this is good and this is acceptable in the sight
of God our Savior. It's right. It's right to pray
for one another and to forgive one another. This is good and
right and acceptable to preach His gospel, to pray for the leaders
of our country, and to worship a true and living God who is
called in the book of 1 Timothy and in Titus, He's called God
our Savior. as it says down there in verse
3, in the sight of God our Savior. You remember back to chapter
1, 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus
Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior, the commandment
of God our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ our hope. We can read
it that way. God our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ,
our hope. He is our hope. He's God, our
Savior. Now, look at verse 4. 1 Timothy 2 verse 4, "...who
will have all men to be saved." Now does that mean all men everywhere
without exception? No, that simply means all sorts
of men, all kinds of men. God has an elect in every tribe,
kindred, nation, tongue, or heaven, as I mentioned just a moment
ago, who will have all men. Now notice, who will. Now whose
will is going to be done? His will is going to be done.
He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, who
will have all men to be saved, all sorts of men, all different
kinds of men, and to bring them to the knowledge of the truth. Knowledge of the truth. Now there
are many that use this verse and others to promote their theory
that the Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood to save all men or
at least to make salvation possible for all men if they meet certain
conditions. Now that's what's preached in
what we call mainstream Christianity. But my friend, we do not have
a theory of atonement. We have an atonement, a complete
perfect atonement By the Lord Jesus Christ, making complete
satisfaction for the sin of God's elect laid upon Him, Jesus Christ
laid down His life for His people, His church. He loved the church
and gave Himself for it. He bought the church with His
own blood. Now, why make this an issue? It's the gospel issue that needs
to be understood. And this is what He does when
He brings us to the knowledge of the truth. He teaches us the
truth of His atonement, who He is and what He did and why, to
His glory. Now, if it's the Lord's will
to have all men everywhere without exception to be saved, If that's
His will, then all people would be saved with an everlasting
salvation. Isn't that so? If it's His will
that all men everywhere be saved without exception, then we have
to say, well, then they're all saved. Right? If it's His will. and would be brought to the knowledge
of the truth of salvation by his grace. We know that his will
cannot be changed because his decrees cannot be changed. He
said, I've spoken it, I've bring it to pass, I've purposed it,
I will do it. So then, who are the all men
who will be saved and brought to the knowledge of the truth?
Now, we know it's not all men ever without exception. That
cannot be so. The Scriptures do not teach that.
We'll see in just a minute. Hold your place there. I want
you to turn to John chapter 6. Now, people like to use the word
all and world to try to promote their idea of universal atonement. John chapter 6. Turn over there.
John chapter 6. Look at verse 37. How does verse
37 start? All. Now, who are these people? who have all men to be saved.
Verse 37, John 6, all that the Father giveth me, shall come
to me. And him that comes to me, I will
know why he is cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again
at the last day. This is the will of him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. All that the Father giveth to
me, All those people will be brought to a knowledge of the
truth. The truth. The all here is all
for whom He represents. Now turn to Romans chapter 5.
As I said this morning in the Bible studies, the best commentary
on Scripture is the Scripture. That is the all for whom Christ
represents. We have a great high priest.
Now the high priest of old, when he went in on the Day of Atonement,
whom did he represent? He didn't represent the Malachi,
the Hittite, the Jebusites, and all the otherites. He represented
Israel. And that's true of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He represents His covenant people
as the Great High Priest, the Israel of God. Those for whom
He represents. Romans chapter 5. I want you
to look at verse 19. For by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. There was Adam, a representative
man. So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Who is that obedience there? The Lord Jesus Christ. He represents
us before God. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. So, it's all for whom the Lord
Jesus Christ represents. The all for whom we're given
to Him in that covenant of grace. Now, turn just a few pages over
to Hebrews chapter 7. It's the all for whom He stood
as a surety of the covenant. Hebrews chapter 7. Let's begin at verse 19, Hebrews
7, 19. For the law made nothing perfect,
but bringing in of a better hope did by which we draw nigh unto
God. And as much as not with out an oath, he was made a high
priest. For those priests were made without
an oath, but this was an oath by him that swear unto him, the
Lord swear and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. For by so much where Jesus made
the surety, verse 22, of a better testament. And they were truly
many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason
of death. But this man, this man, the Lord
Jesus, the God-man, one God, one mediator, who is it? The
God-man. This man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, wherefore he is able to save
them. to the uttermost that come to
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
For such a high priest became us, who was holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens. Turn back a
couple pages to Hebrews 2 again, verse 17. Wherefore, in all things that
behoove him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be
merciful and faithful high priest and things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation and atonement for the sin of the people." Definite
article, the people. So, those to whom He will have
saved, will have saved by His grace, His decree, and come to
the knowledge of the truth, are those given to Him in the covenant,
those for whom He is the mediator, those for whom He is the surety
of the covenant, all those given to the Lord Jesus Christ, who
have ears to hear, all those who are ordained to eternal life,
who are brought to Christ in saving faith. You remember from
Acts chapter 13, as many as were ordained to eternal life, they
believed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are brought
to the knowledge of the truth. The truth. Now, let's turn to
a couple of pages here. Find a couple of references.
2 Timothy. 2nd Timothy chapter 2. 2nd Timothy
chapter 2. They're brought to the knowledge
of the truth, of the true and living God. Now here's what repentance
is. This is 2nd Timothy 2 verse 24. The servant of the Lord must
not strive, but be gentle unto all men, able to teach in meekness,
instructing those that oppose himself. If peradventure God
would Give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. That God is God. Beside Him there
is no other. And one other reference here
I want you to look at. Turn to one page. Titus chapter
1. Titus chapter 1. He will bring
them to the knowledge of the truth. Knowledge of the true
living God. Our Lord, when He prayed in John
17, He said, Father, I thank You for giving me power over
all flesh. that I should give eternal life
to as many as you've given me, and this is eternal life, that
they might know Thee, the only true God, Jesus Christ. Now,
Titus chapter 1, look at verse 1. Paul, a servant of God, an
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect,
and the acknowledging of a truth. He brings us to the knowledge
of Himself, who is the truth, Christ is the truth. In hope
of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the
world began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching,
which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our
Savior. Now, turn back one page, 2 Timothy
chapter 3. There are some who have a form
of godliness, you remember 2nd Timothy 3 verse 5, having a form
of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn
away, for of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead
captivity, silly women laden with sin, led away with diver's
lust, ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the
truth. You see, He brings His people whom He saves unto the
knowledge of the true and living God, how He saves sinners by
this one atonement, this one God. Now, look at verse 5 back
in our text. Here's this truth that repentant
and faith both acknowledge and love. We love the truth. They
love not the truth that they might be saved, it says in another
place. For there is one God, you see that? There is one mediator
between God and man. Who is it? The man, the God-man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here is the knowledge of
saving faith. We know that saving faith is
not born of ignorance, is it? Saving faith is born of truth.
Our Lord said you shall know the truth and the truth will
set you free. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of truth. The apostle said I know whom
I have believed. I know whom I have believed.
I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which I've committed unto
him against that day. There is one God Deuteronomy
6, here of Israel, the Lord our God is one God. John writes, there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These three are one. There's one God. One God. One
God. And there's one Mediator who
is both man and God in one person. Now, we're going to look at this
next week, but look right across the page. 1 Timothy 3, verse
16. 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. And without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?
He's the one God, the one Mediator. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified or vindicated by God the Holy Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in this world, and then received
up into glory. One God, one mediator. The God-man. You see that in
verse 5 of our text. The man. He's the only real man. The second Adam. The man. Christ anointed Savior, the Lord
Jesus. He's both God and man in one
blessed person. Our Lord said, you've seen me,
you've seen the Father. I and my Father are one. He's
a God-man mediator, man to suffer. He said, I was tempted in all
points like as we are, yet without sin, wounded for our transgression,
bruised for our iniquity, man to suffer, God to satisfy. Now, turn back to the book of
Philippians. Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. You see, man alone cannot satisfy,
and we know God alone cannot suffer, but the God-man did both,
suffered and satisfied. And this is what we read of in
Philippians chapter 2. Verse 5, Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross, wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at
that name every knee should bow, and things in heaven, earth,
and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He brings
us to the knowledge of the truth. One God, one Mediator, and our
salvation was accomplished by Christ, who is the God-Man, Savior,
God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 6 in
closing. Who? Now that's a big who. Who is this One who dies for
us? The whole thing of His atonement rests upon who He is. If he's
just a mere man, a mere religious man from Galilee, we have no
hope. Who, the God-man, the Lord Jesus,
gave Himself a ransom for all. That is all given to Him to be
testified, to be declared in God's due time. Who gave Himself
a total and complete payment for our sin. He obtained for
us eternal redemption with His own blood. A ransom for all. For all. Hold your place there,
and I want you to turn and read this, and I want you to mark
this in your Bible. Turn over here to Matthew 20,
Matthew 20, 28. Matthew 20, chapter 20, verse
28. Our Lord said, whosoever will
be great among you, let him be your minister, and whosoever
will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Now look
at verse 28, Matthew 20. even as the Son of Man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life
a ransom for..." What does it say there? Many. Now, why didn't He say, "...all
the sins of all men?" He gave himself a ransom for many. Is
he teaching something different than what Paul was teaching over
here in 1 Timothy chapter? No. The ransom is for all given
to him in that covenant. That makes up the many. For the
many. You see what he's saying there?
The ransom price is paid, and when the ransom price is paid,
the prisoner is set free. Now turn to John chapter 10. Stay with me now. John chapter
10. I'm trying to help us understand what the Scriptures teach. There's
not a conflict between what he's saying here in 1 Timothy 2 and
what's said in Romans 8. For whom He did foreknow, we
also predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Not
at all. Look what our Lord says right
here in John chapter 10, verse 15. As the Father knoweth me,
John 10, 15, even so know I the Father, I lay down my life for
the sheep. Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold, them also I must bring. They shall hear my voice,
they shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father
love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again.
No man takes it from me, but I lay it down on myself. I have
power to lay it down, I have power to take Take it again,
this commandment have I received in my Father. I laid down my
life for the sheep. He gave himself a ransom for
the people. Now there's a scripture over
in Job 33, let me just quote it to you. If there be a messenger
with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto
man his uprightness, righteousness in Christ, Then he is gracious
unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit.
I have found a ransom." Now that ransom is Christ. That ransom
is Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is a complete
ransom, price paid, His redeeming blood and God's holy justice
being totally satisfied with His sacrifice to enable God to
be just and the justifier of those who believe the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That He might be just and the
justifier. Where is that found? Romans chapter
3. I think it's right here. Romans
chapter 3. Turn there with me. Verse 24.
Romans 3, 24. All have seen and come short
of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3.25, whom God
has set forth, that means foreordained, you notice the marginal reference,
foreordained to be the propitiation, the sacrifice for our sin through
faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission
of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, to declare,
I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the
justifier of those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So
when it says here, who gave himself a ransom for all, the all here
are the elect of God, those given to him in Christ. Let me give
you these references. The Lord Jesus Christ died for
the church. Acts 20, 28. He loved the church. He bought the church with his
own blood. For whom did he die? In Ephesians
chapter 5 it said, for his bride, his church. He loved the church
and gave himself for it. And then we just read in John
10, he laid down and gave himself a ransom for his sheep. And then
we know the scripture in Matthew 1.21, his people. Now, if you take the Scripture
and just let the Scripture interpret Scripture, you can't pick out
one word and say, it means this all the way through the Word
of God. You have to interpret Scripture in the light of other
Scripture. His atonement was not an offer
unto God, a full payment for the sin of God's people, not
a down payment, For the transgression of My people, He was stricken. He bared our sin in His own body
on the tree." Now, if I've worn you out, turn to one more Scripture,
Romans chapter 8, and we'll quit. Now, Romans chapter 8, we had
this on the radio this morning. Those who were called according
to His purpose, Romans 8, 28. We know that all things work
together for good. To them who love God, to them
who were called according to His purpose, for whom He did
foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
He foreknows His people, foreordained His people unto eternal life.
And they're conformed to the image of His Son. that they may
be the firstborn among many brothers. Moreover, verse 30, whom he did
predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. That is all for whom he gave
himself a ransom. Now what shall we say to these
things? Thank God. If God be for us,
who can be against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also makes intercession for us. who shall separate us
from the love of Christ, shall tribulation or distress, persecution,
famine, nakedness, peril, or sword, as is written, for thy
sake we're killed all the day long, we're counted as sheep
for the slaughter. They in all things were more than conquerors
through him that loved us, for I'm persuaded that neither death
nor life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things
to come, height, depth, or any other creature, shall be able
to separate us, separate us, that's a particular people, us,
from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
next time someone points to that scripture, There's a local church
here on this road that's had this on their bulletin board
for the last year or so, who gave himself a ransom for all.
And I know what he's trying to say. He's trying to say that
the atonement is universal. It's not.