The
First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Timothy
Chapter
2:5
5
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man,
which is the man Christ Jesus,
The
unity of God with respect to men, as that there is but one God, who
is the Creator of all men, and who, in a providential way, is the
Saviour of all men; and in a way of special grace is the one God, the
one covenant God of all sorts of men, of Jews and Gentiles; for he
has taken of the latter into the covenant of his grace, as well as
the former, and has loved them with a special and distinguishing
love, has chosen them in Christ to salvation, and has sent his Son to
redeem them; and of these he calls by his grace, regenerates,
sanctifies, adopts, pardons, and justifies. therefore all
sorts of men, Gentiles as well as Jews, are to be prayed for, that is
to say for all, by all one for the other.
Now
also a Mediator is of more than one, and has to do with two parties;
and these at variance among themselves, between whom he stands as a
middle person; his business is to bring them together, and make peace
between them; and such an one is Christ: the two parties are God and
his elect, who in their natural state are at a distance from God, and
at enmity to him, and who have broken his law, and affronted his
justice; Christ stands as a middle person, a daysman between
them, and lays his hands upon them both; has to do with things
pertaining to the glory of God, and makes reconciliation for the sins
of the people; brings them that were afar off nigh to God, and makes
peace for them by the blood of his cross, by fulfilling the law, and
satisfying justice for them; in consequence of this he appears for
them in the court of heaven, intercedes and pleads for them, is their
advocate, and sees that all covenant blessings, of which he is the
Mediator, are applied unto them, and preserves their persons, which
are committed to his care and charge, safe to everlasting happiness.
This
Mediator is the man Christ. Make note that He is not a mere man, for
he is truly and properly God; or that he is a Mediator only according
to the human nature: it was proper indeed that he should be man, that
he might have something to offer, and that he might be capable of
obeying, suffering, and dying, and so of making satisfaction in the
nature that had sinned; but then, had he not been God, he could not
have drawn nigh to God on the behalf of men, and undertook for them,
and much less have performed; nor would his blood, righteousness, and
sacrifice, have been available to cleanse from sin, to procure the
pardon of it, justify from it, make atonement for it, or make peace
with God: the reason why he is particularly mentioned as man, is,
with a view to the argument in hand, praying for all men; since he
who is the Mediator between God and man, has assumed a nature which
is common to them all: and this Mediator is said to be one, not so
much in opposition to other mediators, angels or saints departed,
though it is a truth, and stands full against them, but with respect
to men; there is but one Mediator between God and all sorts of men,
through whom both Jews and Gentiles have an access to God, and peace
with him
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