What if we told you there's one absolute path to salvation, standing firm amidst a sea of religious pluralism? In this episode, we promise you'll gain a deeper understanding of the core tenets of Christianity, grounded in the exclusivity of faith in Jesus Christ. We begin with an insightful reading from 1st Timothy 2:1-7, highlighting the unique role of Christ as the sole mediator between God and humanity, and we tackle contemporary questions about religious relativism with scriptural clarity and historical context.
Next, we underscore the critical importance of truth in Christianity. The church, described as the pillar and ground of truth, teaches salvation through grace alone—an idea that sets it apart from the world's myriad religions, which often emphasize human effort. We'll explore how the rejection of relativism and the fallacy of "all paths lead to God" can lead to a moral and spiritual awakening. Through Paul's writings to Timothy, we affirm that the truth of salvation is a non-negotiable foundation for eternal life, and it's our duty to convey this singular message for mankind’s salvation.
Lastly, we delve into the profound belief in the oneness of God, a concept foundational to both Old and New Testament theology. We explore the mystery of the Trinity and the irreplaceable role Jesus Christ plays as our mediator. Our discussion includes personal anecdotes and biblical illustrations, like the cities of refuge and the brazen serpent, to emphasize that while Christ's atoning death is universally offered, it must be individually accepted. We conclude by encouraging listeners to embrace and openly proclaim their faith, highlighting the ongoing mission of the church to share this essential truth with all nations. Join us for this transformative journey and be inspired to share your faith boldly and without shame.
What if we told you there's one absolute path to salvation, standing firm amidst a sea of religious pluralism? In this episode, we promise you'll gain a deeper understanding of the core tenets of Christianity, grounded in the exclusivity of faith in Jesus Christ. We begin with an insightful reading from 1st Timothy 2:1-7, highlighting the unique role of Christ as the sole mediator between God and humanity, and we tackle contemporary questions about religious relativism with scriptural clarity and historical context.
Next, we underscore the critical importance of truth in Christianity. The church, described as the pillar and ground of truth, teaches salvation through grace alone—an idea that sets it apart from the world's myriad religions, which often emphasize human effort. We'll explore how the rejection of relativism and the fallacy of "all paths lead to God" can lead to a moral and spiritual awakening. Through Paul's writings to Timothy, we affirm that the truth of salvation is a non-negotiable foundation for eternal life, and it's our duty to convey this singular message for mankind’s salvation.
Lastly, we delve into the profound belief in the oneness of God, a concept foundational to both Old and New Testament theology. We explore the mystery of the Trinity and the irreplaceable role Jesus Christ plays as our mediator. Our discussion includes personal anecdotes and biblical illustrations, like the cities of refuge and the brazen serpent, to emphasize that while Christ's atoning death is universally offered, it must be individually accepted. We conclude by encouraging listeners to embrace and openly proclaim their faith, highlighting the ongoing mission of the church to share this essential truth with all nations. Join us for this transformative journey and be inspired to share your faith boldly and without shame.
Let's take our Bibles now and we'll turn to 1st Timothy again today, to the second chapter, picking up where we left off, and we're going to be reading one more time, god willing, the first seven verses of chapter 2. 1st Timothy, chapter 2, picking up with verse 1. Therefore, I exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 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, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Let's pray together, our Father, as we come before you this morning, and we thank you for your holy word and the opportunity that we have again today to exercise our minds, our thoughts, our hearts upon the scriptures. And once again we come before you, o Holy Father, acknowledging our complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us, to give us hearts to believe your word, to embrace it fully, for our thinking and our living to be shaped by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. So we look to you, our Father, for the help of your Spirit. We thank you that you have taught us, through the words that your Son spoke, recorded for us in the gospel of Luke, that if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will you give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? And so this is what we do today. We ask, I pray you'd help my voice, that my cold would not be a hindrance to the proclaiming of your word today and that you would receive glory and honor in all that's said and done. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:Before the coming of Christ, with the exception of the people and that little small piece of land of Israel, the entire world was in complete darkness, except for a Gentile remnant here and there that we see in the Old Testament, like Rahab and Ruth and a few others. But with the coming of Christ, with his death and resurrection, and with the great commission that was then given to the church. The gospel then began to go out to the nations, challenging and exposing the idolatry and the perversions of all other man-made religions as false and damning lies. The light shone in the darkness, and that light has now to be taken to all peoples, nations, tribes and languages. However, even so, today, in our modern world, there's a question that's often asked sometimes it's puzzling to people and that question is which of the world's religions are right and which is wrong? Of the world's religions are right and which is wrong? Now, in earlier times in history, certainly before the coming of Christ, but even after the coming of Christ, this question may not have come up as much as it does today.
Speaker 1:The world, in a sense, was much larger then, and the knowledge of the peoples of the globe that they had of one another and of one another's religions was much less than it is today. Europeans had their religions and they had no dealings with people outside of their borders. Africans had their religions, asians had their religions, and so on, and each of these geographic areas were relatively isolated from one another, and there was also very little mingling of diverse ethnic groups in the same country or religion. But this has all changed, and dramatically so, in recent generations, due to advancements in technology. The world is much smaller. Due to advancements in technology, the world is much smaller. Also, mobility has resulted in a greater mixing between people, so there is a broader exposure to different peoples and to different religions. We in America live in what is increasingly a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, and we certainly do here in South Florida.
Speaker 1:Well, this greater exposure to other religions again raises for many people the question and the problem which religion is right and which religion is wrong. And there are three major ways this problem tends to be addressed in our society. First, there's the philosophy that all religions are more or less equal. They're all equal and legitimate. So as long as a person follows them, who follows their religion is sincere in doing so, they're all really heading for the same destination. They give that destination different names and they have different routes to it. So the idea is that all religions are equally valid.
Speaker 1:But then there's a second approach to this problem. It's to say that, although all religions probably have some value, some religions are better than others. All have some good, but some are better than others. All have some good, but some are better than others, and it follows from this that probably one is best of all. As someone has put it, this view allows everyone to believe that his or her religion, if not the best, is at least valid and perhaps superior to some others, but at the same time, it allows for seeking out the best, which is what many people think they are doing trying this religion and trying that religion, all of which have value, while seeking to find which one is best, or at least which one is best for me, which one I like the most, and there's even a so called christian form of this that may perhaps acknowledge that Christianity is superior to other religions, but going on to argue, however, that those who don't know the gospel can be saved as long as they're sincere in following whatever religion they do have.
Speaker 1:But then there's a third position, and this is the truly Christian position. This is the position of the Bible, and this third view is that there is only one way to God, one way of salvation for all the peoples in the world, and that one way is through faith in Jesus Christ. And all other religions, rather than being different ways to heaven, are just so many different ways to hell. They are all ways of moving further and further away from the true God rather than closer to Him, which is Paul's argument, really, in Romans, chapter 1. This is the biblical viewpoint. It's not very popular today. It's considered unloving and intolerant to hold such a view, but this is what the Bible teaches and this is one of the driving forces and motivations for evangelism and missions, and also the prayers of the church for all men and for the advancement of the gospel in the world.
Speaker 1:And I mention these things to kind of prepare the way for our exposition this morning, by way of introduction, as we take up where we left off in our study of Paul's first epistle to Timothy. And I remind you that in this epistle Paul is giving instruction to Timothy regarding the supervision of the church at Ephesus. And as we come to this second chapter, he's beginning to urge upon Timothy important guidelines regarding the worship of the church and the regulation of the church's priorities and practice. And the first thing that Paul mentions at the beginning of this chapter is the prayers of the church, the prayers of the church. We've considered this. We've already considered Paul's exhortation to the church to pray in verses 1 to 2. Therefore I exhort first of all and we have the kinds of prayer we are to engage in supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks for whom we are to pray. We are to pray for all men.
Speaker 1:Our public prayers in the church are not to be restricted to me and mine. They're to be expansive. They're to be universal in their scope. They're to take in all kinds, all classes, all categories, all in their scope. They're to take in all kinds, all classes, all categories, all peoples, nations, tribes and tongues, and whoever God may bring to our attention or into our lives at any given time. And this includes, as Paul goes on to underscore, kings and all who are in authority. We are to pray for our government and for our civil officials. Is that my mic that's making that noise? Do I keep hearing? Okay, all right, I keep hearing some kind of crazy noise. You guys aren't hearing it? Okay, as long as you're not hearing it, that's great. And then Paul tells us that the immediate goal of our prayers for our civil officials is that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence. But then we saw last week that this immediate goal is in the service of a higher goal.
Speaker 1:After giving this exhortation to prayer, paul follows by giving an explanation for his exhortation. He gives the basis of this exhortation or the reason for it, and it's very clear in the verses that follow that these prayers are to be driven by an evangelistic and missionary concern. We are to pray for all men. We are to pray that the civil authorities Will establish and maintain peaceful and stable societies within which the church may function, and we're to do that because of God's plan of salvation for the world Verses 3 to 4. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And those two verses were the focus of the message last week. God desires all men to be saved. We're able to address the issue of the free offer, of the gospel and so on, but for this to happen, god desires all men to be saved, but for this to happen, they must come to the knowledge of the truth, the truth of the gospel.
Speaker 1:Now, let's think about that again just a moment. For men to be saved, they must come to the knowledge of the truth. Indeed, as we saw last week, this is the primary purpose and function of the church, according to chapter 3, verse 15,. There we're told that the church is the pillar and the ground of the truth. That's what the church is. It's that entity that God has established for this purpose to uphold and to preach and to teach and to make known and to defend the truth. And one of our great concerns as churches is not to be that men and women might be entertained by us, but that men and women might be saved by coming to the knowledge of the truth.
Speaker 1:Now, what's the implication of that statement? Well, the implication is that there is such a thing as truth. The truth, and knowing and believing the truth is a matter of utmost importance. It's a matter of heaven and hell, being saved or being eternally lost. The truth, not many truths by which men can be saved, but one truth the truth. Now, this alone really exposes the folly of the all paths lead to God, idea that's so popular in our day.
Speaker 1:Unless there is no such thing as the truth, it cannot possibly be true that all religions are true, because all other religions disagree with respect to what the problem of man really is. They disagree with respect to who God really is, they disagree as to what salvation is and how salvation is to be obtained. But every religion in the world does agree upon one thing they all agree that salvation, or heaven, or nirvana, or some kind of better state or bliss of some sort is somehow, in some measure and to at least some degree, to be obtained by means of human effort. All religions with the exception of one. And that one exception is biblical Christianity, which alone teaches that salvation is all of one, and that one exception is biblical Christianity, which alone teaches that salvation is all of grace and by grace alone. Free, unmerited favor. That is not based on anything I do. It's based upon what Christ has done for us and what God freely gives to sinners who put their trust in Christ.
Speaker 1:So all religions cannot possibly be true unless there is no such thing as truth, the truth. And to say that there's no such thing as absolute truth is a completely meaningless statement. Think about it If there's no such thing as absolute truth, then to say that there's no such thing as absolute truth is itself untrue. You see, a philosophy that says everything is true cannot possibly be true, for if everything is true, that means that nothing is true and that, my dear friends, is the empty void of meaninglessness and nonsense which our society is rushing headlong in its rebellion against God. Think about it.
Speaker 1:If we adopt the idea that all that matters is that a man is sincere in what he believes, a philosophy that truth is just a matter of preference, where does that leave us? Well, we have no basis to make any moral judgments at all about anything, and that's really where we've come to as a culture and society. Well, you know, let's use the one, the guy we always people like to use Hitler. Let's think about Hitler Now. If Hitler believed that what he was doing was good and right and better for society, who am I to say he was wrong? Or if my religion tells me that, in the service of my God, I need to fly airplanes into the Twin Towers in New York City and kill hundreds and thousands of people, well, who's to say that that's wrong? On what basis is that wrong? Or if my understanding of life is that gender and sex are nothing but social constructs, with no objective basis to them at all, well, who am I to say that that's wrong? That's your way of thinking, and as long as you're sincere, then that's okay. I trust you get the point. If there's no objective standard of truth, then we live in a world of meaningless chaos.
Speaker 1:The Bible is either true or it's not, and if it is true, then every other religion and philosophy of life but that which is based on what it teaches is a lie that, if believed and followed, will lead men to hell. And there's no other way for people to be saved but by coming, as Paul tells us here in our text, to the knowledge of the truth. But as we press on today to consider what follows in this passage, paul now begins to tell us what this truth is that men must come to the knowledge of the truth, that we must bring to men, that they must understand, that they must put their trust in in order to be saved. Now, he's not exhaustive here, but he gives it to us in a nutshell, we might say. He very succinctly summarizes the truth for us, beginning in verse 5. He gives it in a very clear, in a very condensed form, a synopsis, as we might call it, of the truth All men must come to know if they will ever be saved. He says it's God's desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth verse 5 and 6, for there is one God. So I'm going to say. This is very important.
Speaker 1:As I pointed out last week, one of the greatest problems at least I think so in America today is that there's so much confusion in the churches, even about the most basic questions, questions like what is the church, what is the purpose of the church, what is the intended function or functions of the church in society? And the first epistle to Timothy addresses many of these questions. But perhaps the greatest confusion of all in the churches today has to do with this question what is the message of the church? What is our message? If we're wrong about that, we can do no good at all. The church is doomed to failure. The church becomes worthless. Really, what is to be the message of the church To this lost, confused, messed up and dying world? Well, this is where this text before us can help us.
Speaker 1:If men are to be saved, they must come to the knowledge of the truth. Without the knowledge of the truth, mankind is hopeless, and every individual member of mankind is hopeless. Why is that, and what is this truth of which Paul speaks? Well, let's look at these verses in the time remaining. First of all, paul says at the beginning of verse 5 that there is one God For one God, he says.
Speaker 1:Now, first, when you read this statement, you might, in your devotions or something you may, wonder well, what does this have to do with praying for all men and with God desiring that all men be saved by coming to the knowledge of the truth? How does this fit in Paul's argument? For there is one God. Well, think about it. Think about it carefully, and this is what you need to do when you're reading your Bible. Never think that things are just kind of stuck in there to be filler, just kind of, you know, to take up space.
Speaker 1:No, the fact is that one statement provides a very strong argument for why all men need the gospel and why there is only one truth, the truth that they must come to know in order to be saved. One reason for that is because there is one God, not two or three or several. There's only one true God. Therefore, since there is only one God and not many gods, that one God is the rightful God of all peoples. Also, if there is one God, there is a coherence and a oneness in his identity. In other words, one God cannot be something to some people and something else to other people. This is how I like to think of God and this is how you like to think of God, or these are my gods and this is your God. No, there's only one God. He has fixed attributes. He's not inconsistent with his principles or contradictory in his dealings with men. He is one. And since there is one God, this God is the only true and living God and he is the rightful God of all men.
Speaker 1:This was the foundation of Old Testament theology, but here we're reminded here that it's the foundation of New Testament theology as well. And of course it is Because Old Testament theology and New Testament theology Are essentially the same theology. The new is in the old, in the form of shadows and types and promises. The old is in the new, in fulfillment, when what was promised has come to pass. Well, in the Old Testament, over against all the polytheistic gods and ideas Of the ancient world, old Testament believers regularly cited the polytheistic gods and ideas of the ancient world.
Speaker 1:Old Testament believers regularly cited what is called the Shema Deuteronomy 6.4,. Hear, o Israel, the Lord, our God. The Lord is one. Isaiah 45.5,. God said I am Yahweh, jehovah and there is no other. There is no God besides me, and it was in the context of the idolatry of the heathen, that God said I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God. In other words, he does not tolerate rivals. He will not share with any other, or with anything, the worship and devotion that is due only to him. Isaiah 42, 8. I am yahweh. That is my name and my glory. I will not give to another. Indeed, in the old testament as well as the new, his invitation to the nations to look to him and to be saved, it's based on the fact that he alone is God. Isaiah 45, 22. This is that text.
Speaker 1:Some of you may know that Spurgeon was converted in the context of a man who was preaching on this text Isaiah 42, 45, 22. Look to me and be saved all you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other, no other. In fact, I think it's very possible that Paul had that text in mind when he wrote what we have here before us. In 1 Timothy, god desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, for there is one God. Look to me and be saved all you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. You see, the exact same reasoning is found here in the New Testament, first Corinthians 8, 6,. Paul writes yet for us there is one God, the Father of whom are all things. Ephesians 4, 6,. There is one God and father of all. And Paul uses the same argument that he uses here in our text, in Romans 3, toward the end of that chapter, when he's arguing that all men, both Jews and Gentiles, all are justified in the same way, by faith alone and not by works Romans 3, 29,. Or is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Since there is one God, there's one God. And then he goes on to say therefore, all who are saved are justified in the same way.
Speaker 1:Now let me mention something very important here. We're reminded here that Christianity is a monotheistic religion. There is one God, not three gods, in our understanding of the Trinity. We must not be confused about this. We believe in one living and true God. Now, in this one divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences or persons equally sharing the same divine essence the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:However, the three persons are not three gods, neither are they three parts of God. Nor are the three persons just various modes by which God manifests himself at different times. No, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Spirit is God. Yet there is but one God. It's a mystery, a mystery that's beyond our comprehension, and yet this is what's revealed to us in Scripture God is one in three, three in one.
Speaker 1:So men must come to the knowledge of the truth in order to be saved, and this truth includes the reality that there is one God, not many, only one One God who has created us, one God who sustains our lives every moment that we live upon this earth. One God who alone has the right to tell us how to live and who alone determines what is right and what is wrong. One God against whom all of us have sinned and have deserved his just punishment. One God, one judge, before whom all mankind must stand to give an account for our lives. Paul doesn't stop there. Secondly, he underscores that there is one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus, verse 5,. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus, verse 5. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus. Now, this truth is also absolutely essential.
Speaker 1:The statement that there is one God, as important as that is, only underscores or proves monotheism, but not Christianity. Christianity is a message about a mediator, the one mediator, the only mediator God has provided between a holy God and sinful men. You see, there are those who might argue and there are those who do argue, that perhaps there is one God, but there are different ways to be saved by him. Quoting from John Stott commenting on this, we might say I agree that there is only one God. I am no idolatrous polytheist, but this does not prove the appropriateness, let alone the necessity, of the Christian mission. After all, jews and Muslims are also fiercely monotheistic. Even some traditional religionists, or animists as they were previously called, look beyond the spirits to a supreme being.
Speaker 1:The unity of God is not really in dispute. Instead, the question may be put thus why should not the one God who wants all people to be saved save them in different ways, some through Hinduism or Buddhism, others through Judaism or Islam, and others through New Age and other contemporary cults? Why should he insist that all people be saved in the same way and come to the knowledge of the same truth? And you'll notice, by the way, the assumption in those words the same truth. The assumption is that there's more than one truth, as though many different, very contradictory ideas and religions can all be true, which would really mean that there's no such thing as the truth. But be that as it may, more to the point, how is this line of argument answered by Paul in our text? Well, paul's answer is that not only is there only one God, there's only one mediator between God and men, and that one mediator is Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:And what's a mediator? A mediator is a go-between, an intermediary, the person in the middle who brings two parties together. And as human beings, we are sinners and our sins have separated us from God. We stand condemned by His law, we are alienated from the life of God and we are subject to his wrath and eternal punishment because of our sins. We cannot bridge the gap, we cannot go directly to him in our own merits and find acceptance. He's too holy.
Speaker 1:This is the problem that Job was struggling with when he said in Job 9, 32 and following for he is not a man as I am that I may answer him and that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us who may lay his hand on us both. Let him take his rod away from me and do not let dread of him terrify me. Then I should speak and not fear him. But it is not so with me. Job was crying out for a mediator between him and God.
Speaker 1:There must be a mediator, or the sinner and God can never come together, and God was careful to communicate this in types and shadows and pictures in the Old Testament, for example, the establishment of the old covenant priesthood. You remember the tabernacle, the Shekinah glory. His symbolic presence, dwelt in the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle, what's sometimes called the Holy of Holies, and no one was ever allowed to enter into that place, and if you did, you would be struck dead on the spot. Only one person could enter it, the high priest Once a year, on the day of atonement, and he was only allowed to enter with blood, the blood of the atoning sacrifice that was offered on the altar for the sins of the people. This was like a picture book lesson for God's people in their old covenant infant stage.
Speaker 1:The high priest acted as a mediator between God and man, and not only on the day of atonement. He had to keep repeating many other sacrifices, over and over, year after year, because, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, it was impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin. It was impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin. All those old covenant sacrifices constantly repeated. And by that repetition God was saying something, he was declaring that the true sacrifice that would put away sin forever, and the true high priest, the true mediator, had not yet come. You see, the Old Testament, high priest, was only a faint picture of the true high priest, the true mediator, the mediator that Job was looking for, the real mediator between God and sinful men.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ, jesus Christ. There is no salvation, no forgiveness, no acceptance with God, no reconciliation with God, no communion with God, apart from the God-appointed mediator. And Jesus is the only one who is qualified. And why is that? Because he alone is both God and man. He is, as Paul says, the man, christ Jesus, god the Son, became man, fully man, while at the same time fully God.
Speaker 1:We're told in the New Testament that he is the Lord of all, that all things were made by him, that he is the eternal word. John, chapter 1, in the beginning, was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten, of the Father, god. The Son became man and, as the angel said when he announced his birth to Joseph, he came into the world through a virgin's womb to save us from our sins.
Speaker 1:He is the God-man, the only one who has both a divine nature and a human nature and who is able to represent both and to reconcile both together. Not the angels, not the highest of angels, not Mary, Not the saints, not your Roman Catholic priest, not the Pope. No one else is qualified. There is only one mediator between God and men the man, the God-man, christ Jesus. And this is why Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It's only by faith in Jesus Christ. But there's more.
Speaker 1:The message of the church is not only that Christ is the God-appointed mediator. His incarnation alone is not enough. It's not only that his person is unique, not enough. It's not only that his person is unique. His work is unique, by which he frees those who believe from their sins. He's not only a mediator, just some kind of general way, but notice Paul tells us now. Thirdly, he is the one and only mediator who gave himself a ransom for all, a ransom for all, who gave himself a ransom for all. So it's not just the incarnation Jesus could have become incarnate God-man and we would still be lost. It's not just believing in the incarnation of Christ that saves sinners. It is Christ, and him crucified, that saves sinners. It's putting our trust in him and what he did and accomplished on the cross and the language of the text here is very powerful, clear, the fact that it says that he gave himself. That points to the sacrificial nature of his death on the cross. This is a priestly, this is priestly sacrificial language.
Speaker 1:The Lord Jesus was both the priest and the offering at one and the same time, voluntarily offering up himself as the atoning sacrifice for sin, as he said in John 10, 17, and 18,. I lay down my life that I may take it again no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. He was active at the cross. He wasn't merely the passive victim of mean people. He was the high priest entering into the holy place, offering up himself as the sacrifice. After his death, he entered into the holy place, the true holy place in heaven, not without blood, but there on our behalf, having accomplished the redemption of his people. He did it voluntarily, he did it willingly, purposefully, out of love for the Father and out of love for the sinners. He came to save, out of love for you, and notice, he gave himself Paul says his entire self, his entire body and soul to the sufferings and agonies of the cross for our salvation, where he received from the Father the punishment and the hell that we deserve. The fact that he gave himself for others points to the substitutionary nature of his death. He died in the sinner's place. He died the death that we deserve to die. He suffered the wrath and the punishment that we deserve. He suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3.18. He delivers us from the curse of God's broken law. How, having become a curse for us. Galatians 3.13.
Speaker 1:And then we have the word translated ransom. Christ's death is described as a ransom. He gave himself a ransom and the general word for ransom, both in English and in Greek. Well, we know what it means in English and basically the Greek word lutron means the same thing. It refers to a ransom price. A ransom price, a price that is paid to set someone free. But it's interesting here the word lutron is prefixed by the Greek preposition anti. It's a compound word Anti-lutron. He gave himself, as it's hard to translate in English. He gave himself as an instead of ransom, a ransom instead of or an exchange for us. And the text says that this ransom is for all. None are excluded, it's for all people.
Speaker 1:Now, this of all part sometimes confuses reformed folks like us, because we know that when we take the whole of Scripture's teaching, christ's atonement was a particular atonement, it was a definite atonement. This is that it infallibly and victoriously secured the salvation of a definitive and particular people that Christ was sent to save. His elect. Christ ransomed all men from the guilt and condemnation of their sins and he reconciled all men to God by his death and all men will be saved. But remember there's a difference between Christ dying for all men in offer and Christ dying for all men by God's secret electing decree. Christ dying for those God chose to save in his secret electing decree. Christ dying for those God chose to save in his secret electing decree and by which the atonement, those by which the atonement actually secured their salvation. There's a difference. The death of Christ died in the place of sinners is the ransom he paid for all, in the sense that Christ, the Savior, and the salvation provided by his bloody, sacrificial, substitutionary ransoming death is freely and sincerely given to all as a grant from God, given to all as a gift, but it's a gift and a grant that we must accept and receive.
Speaker 1:When I was in seminary uh, the first year of seminary I didn't realize there was actually a grant for north carolina students. I think it was sixteen hundred dollars a semester, something that was a lot of money back then. I didn't know about it. It was either the first or or the first year. I didn't know anything about it. I found out about it. There was a grant. It's granted to anybody who's from North Carolina that goes to Southwestern Baptist Seminary. But I didn't know, knowing that, having learned about it, I had to accept it, had to go, sign my name to it and receive that which had been granted to me.
Speaker 1:Well, christ and all the benefits of his atoning death are given to men as a grant from God, given to all as a gift, but it's a gift and a grant that we must accept and receive. It's for all in that, in the gospel, god and his love sincerely offers to all mankind his son, jesus Christ, to be their mediator, who has offered himself up as a sacrifice for sin sufficient for all, the benefits of which any and all may receive for themselves by putting their trust in him. Let me illustrate. Think of the cities of refuge during the time of Moses. Remember that God appointed these cities of refuge in different parts of the promised land, to which any manslayer who had slain someone and it was an accident or something of that nature he could flee to that city of refuge and be saved from the avenger of blood. The next in kin, who could avenge the blood of his dead loved one. So he had to run to the city of refuge. And if you have the city of refuge, then you were safe. And those cities were for all men, in the sense that they gave all the right and the warrant to make use of them for themselves. It's a picture of Christ. Or think of the brazen serpent. During the time of Moses, the bronze serpent was lifted up for all who had been bitten by the fiery serpents because of their rebellion, so that all, every single one of them, were given the right and the warrant to look in faith to this remedy provided by God and to be saved from death. In the same way, christ and his atoning death are for all. All, by gospel invitation, are given the right and the warrant to receive him and to apply the benefits of his death. He died for sinners to themselves, indeed in the gospel. You're urged to do that. God pleads with you to do that. He commands us to do this.
Speaker 1:The Merrill men were fond, I believe, of using the illustration of a town doctor. Calling Jesus a ransom, that's for all, is like calling the local physician in a village, the town doctor. It's a small village, he's the only doctor there is and he is the doctor provided for that village, so that anyone in the village, when they see him walking down the street, can say there goes my doctor. Now. That doesn't mean that they're actually going to him for treatment for whatever sickness they may have, but they can if they will, and he will receive them and he will treat their diseases. Well, you see, like the town doctor, jesus is the Savior of the world. He's the Savior of the world. He is the world Savior. Like the town doctor, he is the world Savior. He is the Savior of all. He is the Savior God has provided for all mankind, who gave himself a ransom for all, for all, in offer, though not in possession. Unless and until we actually come to him and receive this Savior which God has granted to the human race, to you, to me, receive this Savior as your own and close with the offer of salvation, and there's nothing that's keeping you from doing that. There's nothing keeping you from being saved by him and by the death that he died for sinners, by your own unwillingness to come to him and to receive this free gift that God has provided for all, of a mediator who gave himself a ransom for sin. Well, brothers and sisters, this is the church's message to a lost and dying world there is only one God, there is only one mediator between God and men, and there is only one ransom for all, one sacrifice for sin that is acceptable to God. And this Savior and this sacrifice is for all to trust and to lay hold of for themselves by faith, the empty hand of faith, and all who will do so will most certainly be saved. But apart from Christ, there is no salvation for anyone.
Speaker 1:Paul goes on in verse 7 to speak of his own ministry. He says for which? Or it was for this purpose. He says to make this truth known, to proclaim it to a lost world. It was for this purpose that I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying. A teacher not just of the Jews, but a teacher of the Gentiles, the nations, the peoples of every tribe, kindred, nation and tongue in faith and truth. And this ministry continues to be carried on today through the church, the pillar and ground of the truth. And we're to continue this ministry and this mission in the same way that Paul did it Preaching and teaching the truth to those in our community, in our family, in our nation and throughout the world.
Speaker 1:This is the mission of the church, acts 4.12, as we read, the mission of the church, racks 412, as we read speaking of the Lord Jesus. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. And let me just drive home some of the implications of what we've seen in this passage before we go. First of all, because there is one true God and one mediator between God and men, christ Jesus, and one sacrifice for sin. This is why all religions are not equally true and even partly true and saving.
Speaker 1:Now, all other religions but the Christian gospel are false religions that are worshiping a false god or gods, and this is one of the reasons that Christianity is a missionary faith and the world may call that unloving and intolerant, but it's truth, the truth, and to proclaim the truth to all is the most loving thing that we can do. There is one God, and this one God is the God of all peoples, and this one God is determined to save sinners from all people among all peoples in one and the same way, and that one way is through his Son, jesus Christ, through faith in Christ and him crucified. Crucified as revealed in the gospel. And it reminds us that the God, our God, is a God who aims to be known by the nations, to be worshiped by redeeming sinners from every tribe and nation and people group in the world.
Speaker 1:In the language of Psalm 96, 1 and 4, o sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name, tell His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all peoples, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. We are to declare his glory to the nations, to all peoples.
Speaker 1:If God is the God of all men and this gospel that we believe and proclaim is the only way any person from the human race can ever be saved, surely that ought to cause us, as God's people, to be deeply burdened for those around us who do not know Christ, and especially for those who do not have the gospel. And we're not to entertain any delusions that those who are without the gospel will somehow be saved anyway. No, they are lost and doomed and without hope. And how are we to feel about that? Well, you know we don't want to offend anybody by telling them that their religion is wrong, but it is wrong. And if we don't tell them, they'll have no hope of ever being undeceived. Oh well, but God is sovereign. If some people don't have the gospel, that's just the way it is. Is that what the scriptures tell us is to be our attitude? No, jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature the church has been given the task of taking the gospel to the world. We can't all be missionaries, but some of us could. Some of you, young men could, young ladies. We can't all be missionaries per se, but missions and evangelism are the task of the whole church and we can all do our part praying, giving, speaking to people, working together for the great cause of the gospel to all. And let me just try to do something on my part right now, before I close this message.
Speaker 1:One other lesson in this passage that I want to underscore, and it's this the fact that there is one God for all, one mediator between God and men for all, one ransom for all. This means that God is indeed listen ready and willing to receive and to save anyone anywhere, whoever it is, who comes to Christ and puts his anyone anywhere, whoever it is who comes to Christ and puts his trust in him. That includes every single person in this building this morning. You are welcomed this morning. Whoever you are, you are welcomed to Jesus Christ. God grants him to you in the gospel. He gives him as a gift. He says come, take him, receive him to yourself as your savior and as your Lord. You are welcome to receive him as God's grant and free gift to you to be your savior and your king, no matter who you are or what you've done, or where you've been or where you're from.
Speaker 1:Believe the gospel and turn from every other trust. Turn from going your own way and come as a needy sinner to Jesus Christ for mercy and salvation, and he will save you. He will not turn you away. He said him who comes to me, I will by no means cast out, and God will forgive you and justify you and accept you as though you had never sinned, and he will put his spirit within you to enable you to live a new life of gratitude and devotion to him. And, having then been saved, my friend, be willing to confess him by making it known to others. Don't be a secret Christian sitting in the pew here on Sunday mornings. Nobody knows whether you're a Christian or not, whether you've believed or not. Don't be a secret Christian. Make it known and also confess him publicly in the God appointed way.
Speaker 1:In the waters of baptism, jesus said go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them what do you do? That's where you become part of a Christian church, where you're under the ministry of the word and you're being taught, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. This is the commission Making disciples, bringing men and women to a right relationship to the son of God, baptizing them, bringing them into a right relationship to the church of God, teaching them, bringing them into a right relationship to the word of God. That's what the apostles did. As they went out, men and women were converted under their preaching. They gathered them into churches. They baptized them. They gathered them into churches when they were taught the word of God.
Speaker 1:Maybe you this morning, maybe you need to come out of the closet in a good sense of that phrase, say I'm a Christian, I believe on Jesus Christ, I receive him as my Savior and my Lord. Don't be ashamed of him, confess it, let it be known. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you for your word this morning. We thank you for your help. We pray that your word continue to work powerfully in our hearts, not only today, but throughout the week and even throughout our lives. Lord, forgive us for our hardness of heart so often, how quickly we forget the calling that you've given to us as a Christian church. Help us, lord, us as a Christian church. Help us, lord, that we will be burdened and that we will be active in taking the gospel to those who need to hear. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen.