1 Timothy 2:5

1 Timothy 2:5 says, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;  Paul reminded Timoty that there was but one God and one Mediator, the man Jesus Christ.  So, if anyone proclaims that there can be other gods and that we are closeminded to believe otherwise, then we just need to be closeminded.  If anyone says that there is another way to enter into an everlasting relationship with God other than by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, they are wrong.  Jesus Christ is the only One Who can restore us to a right relationship with God.

Verse six adds, Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.  Paul then said that Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all, and not just for certain people in certain places.  When we start to put more value on certain people than we do on others, then we must not believe what God’s word teaches us.  Jesus Christ died for even those that we see as enemies, and we are to reach out to them with His message of salvation.  Even if they never accept His gift of salvation, He still died for them.  We must reach them while they are living, because once they die, they are forever lost. 

Verse seven continues, 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.  Paul said that he was ordained by God to be an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles.  He said this was true and he wasn't lying about it.  He may have added that because some people didn’t believe that he was an apostle because he had not been a follower of Christ when He was calling disciples Himself, but Paul had encountered the resurrected Lord on the road to Damascus.  Even the other apostles didn’t become apostles until they met the resurrected Lord, so they had no greater claim to be an apostle than Paul did.  Until they encountered the resurrected Lord, they were just a group of defeated disciples, even though they had walked and talked with Jesus daily.  They knew about the physical man Jesus, but not the resurrected Christ, the Savior of all who will put their faith in Him.  We should never feel superior to any other Christian based on where we live and just believing that Jesus Christ lived and was a great prophet will never save us.  We must see Him as the resurrected Lord.

Verse eight concludes, I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.  Paul returns to prayer, asking that people everywhere pray for God’s will to be done in their life, I believe, so that they might reach others with God's gracious gift of salvation.  They were to lift up holy hands to God without wrath or doubt.  Once more, if we are going to claim God’s promise of redemption, we must keep our hands holy, or set apart from the world to do His work for His glory.  We cannot have wrath, or anger, in our hearts toward any other person and effectively follow the will of God. \