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The One Mediator
No.1.
The spirit of Mediation (I Tim. 2: 1 - 6).
pp. 128 - 132
In the series of articles entitled The Sign of the Times which have appeared in
Volume XXXV of the Berean Expositor, we gave reasons for believing that the essence
of the apostasy that is spoken of in I Tim. 4: 1, 2, was the departure from the great
central doctrine of the Mediation of Christ. That doctrine is implicit in the early use of
the word "demon" (`devils' in A.V.), and in the juxtaposition of the mystery of godliness
of 3: 16 with the beginnings of the mystery of iniquity discoverable in the apostasy of
I Tim. 4: 1, 2. The subject is so vital, so central, so basic, and the way in which it is
being ignored or denied on all hands more than justifies any attempt on the part of those
who know and believe the truth to witness to this glorious and essential doctrine of the
Christian faith.
We propose therefore taking I Tim. 2: 5, 6 as the "text" for the present series.
"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" (I Tim. 2: 5, 6).
It is clear that this great passage stands in logical sequence to what has gone before,
namely verses 1-4; but verse one is connected with the preceding chapter by the
conjunction "therefore". We are driven back to chapter 1: 18 "This charge I commit
unto thee", for the commencement of the Apostle's argument. Verse 18, however, picks
up the exhortation with which the epistle opens in ch. 1: 13, for the words "Thou
mightest charge" translate parangello, and "This charge" translates parangelia, which
word is also found in verse 5 where it is rendered `commandment'. If we credit the
Apostle with but ordinary reasoning faculties, w shall be obliged to attend to this
sequence of thought; and if we moreover believe that this epistle forms a part of inspired
Scripture, it will be our delight thus to recognize the links in the Divine chain. His
opening theme is, according to the Revised Text, `a dispensation of God', which is put
over against `fables and endless genealogies'. The end of this `charge' is love, and is a
sacred trust (verse 11). Timothy is especially exhorted to see to it that the conduct of
those who gather to worship in the church shall be in harmony with their calling
(I Tim. 2: 1-15), as also he was to see to it that those who sought and exercised the office
of either bishop or deacon should be worthy, and Paul concludes this part of the epistle
with the words:
"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I tarry long,
that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God"
(I Tim. 3: 14, 15).
Coming closer to the passage which forms the basis of this series, we commence a
more careful examination at verse one of the second chapter: