Jesus: Our Only Mediator

November 6th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

1 Timothy 2:5-7 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The “for” that begins v. 5 is explanatory, explaining to Christians why they should pray for “all men” in v. 1. Since there is only “one God,” and “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all,” then prayers should be offered for all. Since Christ died for “all,” the idea that Christ only belongs to some is a lie. Jesus is to be proclaimed to every nation, and every nation must be prayed for without exception.

That there is only one God is the most basic and fundamental teaching in Scripture: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4). God’s name is Yahweh, signified in Hebrew by the letters YHWH (rendered Lord in the English text, aka, Jehovah). He is “holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3), and His throne thunders with flashes of lightning (Rev. 4-5). Though one God, He exists eternally in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God in three persons. He is “eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim. 1:17).

The one true God has made Himself known through a mediator: Jesus Christ—the “one mediator between God and man.” “Mediator” refers to a go-between for two or more parties to reconcile their differences. Since the difference between God and man is that God is holy and man is sinful, a mediator is essential to bring peace between them, and peace is what Jesus brought (Rom. 5:1). Since Jesus is both God and man, He can represent both sides. The arbitrator Job longed for (Job 9:33) Jesus is. Now man, through faith in Christ, can come boldly to the very throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). This makes the Christian faith very exclusive since it is the only true faith by which a man can be saved. There is no other mediator between God and man—not dead saints, Mohammed, Mary, or the pope. None of them were designated as mediators between God and man. That exclusive position was for Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man.

It was God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth, “who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” “Ransom” denotes a price paid on behalf of another in order to gain freedom from something, in this case freedom from the penalty of sin. Jesus paid that price Himself. Since “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), it has now been paid by Jesus. This was sufficient payment to satisfy God’s wrath (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 7:22-23)—a propitiation (1 John 2:2), and no one was excluded. Man’s freedom was obtained by God with this price (Gal. 4:3-5), and it is granted only to those who trust in Christ. Christ’s payment is effectual for all who believe: “…God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe” (4:9-10). Yet this is only a statement of the sufficiency of Christ’s death, not its efficiency. Christ’s death for all does not save all (universalism). His shed blood was unlimited as to its sufficiency, but it was limited in application only for those who trust Christ. Yet since His death was for all, “all men” are to be prayed for to receive it.

Paul makes the point in v. 7 that since he, a Jew, was chosen to be an apostle to the Gentiles that this is proof that God desires not only Jews but Gentiles to be saved. This points to the likelihood that the Ephesian church where Timothy served was predominately Jewish believers, and it is likely they were excluding Gentile believers. Paul told Timothy to put an end to that.

Food For Thought
With all the talk of racism today, how refreshing to be reminded of the Bible’s stance on “all men”: all are made in the image of God, all are loved by God, all can be saved through trusting in Christ, and all Christians are to pray for all people everywhere. Now go pray for them!