For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 NLT
The Context and Focus:
Through the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul is credited with the words of today's verses, and these words are addressed to one of his proteges, Timothy. Here was a young man whose mother was a Jew, but his father was a Greek. In those days, that was an 'unspeakable' offence, and Paul had to circumcise him, in order to make his message acceptable to the Jews at the time. Paul was careful to note that circumcision was not the same as salvation, but was a necessary tool at the time, in order to help the spread of the gospel. For us today, what sacrifices are we willing to make in order to advance the kingdom of God? Would I insist on rghts and privileges, or would I be willing to take a hit if it advances the message of Christ? I note again that the focus is on Christ and his finished work on the cross. Every other thing is secondary to this work. I cannot preach or teach salvation by labour or by works; it is first and last by faith in Jesus, then the works that align with salvation must follow. If good works could guarantee salvation, we won't need the blood. The blood is that cover that gives access to the mercy and grace God had made available to all men, without any favouritism.
The Message:
By the blood, the chasm that sin caused, where God was separated from man, and man lost his place in the Garden of Eden, has now been bridged. The blood of bulls and goats was good only for a season, because that blood could not provide atonement, or pay the price that sin demanded from its adherents. You cannot take the imperfect, and seek to achieve a perfect work with it, without the input of the perfect God. Jesus, the perfect and sinless One, is the only One who could offer a perfect sacrifice for sin, and by His blood, He paid the full and final price for sin, by dying on the cross, and a shameful one at that. There is no other God who could lawfully demand this price; there is also no other person who could pay the price that was demanded. We have this One God, and we have this One Mediator; both working to reconcile men back to God. I cannot pick and choose one truth, and then reject the other truth. If I know and accept that God is real, I will also know and accept His Son Jesus as the only way to the Father; the One God has made the Saviour of the world. Whether I accept or not becomes my sole decision, but my decision does nothing to change the process God has laid down for the salvation of mankind.
The Conclusion:
For all that God does, He does not miss the mark. Man calculates delays based on his expectations, and when these expectations are not met at his own time, he calls that a delay. God is not man. That is a truth that must run through our hearts and minds as we seek to see God's hands in our lives. He does not always work with our human timetables, and it is easy to think that there is a delay if things don't work according to our plans. God does as He pleases, but it is also noted that God does what will glorify Him on the earth. He seeks to bring glory to His Name, and how else can you do this other than to do an eternal work in the lives of mortal men? He has sent him Son down to earth, in the likeness of the people He was sent to save, so he could walk in their shoes and feel what they felt. He knows our pain and struggles with sin, and is able to provide the right kind of help to enable us stand. The One God, has sent his One Son, Jesus, to reconcile fallen man back to Him. This includes all of us, no matter how bad our past may be. The blood is powerful enough to forgive, cleanse and restore. Would I take God up on His offer? Remember, eternity lies at the end of my decision. God's time of favour is here.
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