1 Timothy 2:5 - The Man Jesus -- Still a Man?
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times; . -- 1 Timothy 2:5,6, World English.
The above is often quoted by many trinitarians, many unitarians, as well as many oneness believers in an effort to prove that Jesus is still, today, "the man Christ Jesus." Actually, this is done by stopping the quote at the end of the verse, and taking the quote out of its context, since the apostle Paul is actually saying: "the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom [offsetting price] for all. -- 2 Timothy 2:5,6.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:6 who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times.
1 Timothy 2:6 who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times.
The man, Jesus, did indeed give himself as an offsetting price to pay the price of sin in Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:21,22; Romans 5:15-19) It is only because he, as a human, did give himself as that offsetting price that he is now exalted above the angels, and is no longer a human being, a little lower than the angels, that he thus becomes the mediator between God and man. (Psalm 9:5; Hebrews 1:4; 2:9; 1 Peter 3:22) It was his human blood that was given for mankind that provides the means of mediation between man and the God of Jesus. Paul is not saying that Jesus is now a human being, but rather that it was the human being who died for us as mediator of the new covenant. (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; 1 Corinthians 11:25) It is that sacrificed human body of flesh and blood that makes Jesus the mediator. (Hebrews 12:24; 13:20) If Jesus has not sacrificed his humanity, then he likewise is not the mediator of that new covenant, and the very basis of redemption in the blood of Jesus is removed. No, Jesus is not now a man, but as a man, he became the mediator in that he, as a man, gave his humanity, including his human blood, flesh, body, and soul, as a ransom sacrifice.
Jesus is most certainly not confined today with his God and Father in heaven to a body having the terrestrial glory a little lower than the angels. (1 Corinthians 15:40; Hebrews 2:9) Jesus is today no longer a human being; he was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. He sacrificed his flesh (John 6:51), his blood (Matthew 26:28) representing his human soul (Deuteronomy 12:23 -- consisting of body of dust and the spirit of life from God -- Genesis 2:7), his human body (Hebrews 10:10), once for all time for sin. As a human being, he is indeed dead forever, else there has been no sacrifice, there has been no price paid for sin. (1 Timothy 2:5,6) The whole basis of the ransom sacrifice, as given in the Bible, depends on this redemption. -- Romans 5:1-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22.
Addendum:
One complains that Charles Taze Russell said, "the man Jesus is dead, forever dead.'' (The At-one-ment Between God and Man, Studies Vol. 5, p. 454) And it is claimed that this statement is blasphemy. Our response is: Yes, Brother Russell is indeed correct in that statement, in harmony with what we have presented above; if the man who gave himself as a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5,6) is now alive, then he either did not sacrifice himself for us, or else he took the sacrifice back; either way, we are left without a savior. The act of the man Christ Jesus, in giving his body of flesh and blood for our sins (Hebrews 10:10), is what makes him mediator between God and man. Without that sacrifice, we have no mediator, and the man Jesus never gave himself as a ransom (offsetting price, corresponding price) for all. There is nothing at all in the statement that Brother Russell said that should give one reason to imagine that the statement is blasphemy (speaking evil).
Jesus, of course, was raised bodily from the dead, but the body that God gave to him was not that of a physical, terrestrial, earthly body of dust, but rather it was a spiritual, heavenly, celestial body. -- 1 Corinthians 15:12-19,20-22,35-45.
One insists that Jesus is still a man, according to 1 Timothy 2:5 (verse 6 is left out his discussion).
We hope we can make this clearer:
We hope we can make this clearer:
To say that he is still a man of flesh would be tantamount to saying Jesus never offered that body of flesh with its blood to his God, which, in effect, would constitute a denial of the purpose for which he came in the flesh, that is to give that flesh in sacrifice to offset the condemnation in Adam.
Luke 22:19 - And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
According to our Lord, the bread symbolized the bread from heaven—his flesh, which he offered as a sacrifice to atone for the world's sins. He extends an invitation to all of his disciples to consume it, and we partake of his flesh when we appropriate for ourselves the grace, mercy, and blessings that come from the breaking of his body. As a result, we claim the advantages of the sacrifice that ensures our reconciliation with the Father and the forgiveness of our sins.
According to our Lord, the bread symbolized the bread from heaven—his flesh, which he offered as a sacrifice to atone for the world's sins. He extends an invitation to all of his disciples to consume it, and we partake of his flesh when we appropriate for ourselves the grace, mercy, and blessings that come from the breaking of his body. As a result, we claim the advantages of the sacrifice that ensures our reconciliation with the Father and the forgiveness of our sins.
John 6:51 - I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
Here, Jesus again tells us that he gives his flesh for the life of the world. He likens his flesh to living bread that came down from heaven. Hebrews 10:5 shows that it is God Himself who prepared the body of flesh for his Son, thus his body is not of Adam, and thus his body of flesh was not under the condemnation of Adam. Nevertheless, to maintain the glory of God in his flesh, Jesus had to remain without sin. Thus, we read that he was indeed obedient even to death on the cross. It was by means of his death as a man of flesh and blood that we are redeemed. Only such provides the price necessary to offset what Adam did. But if Jesus is flesh today, as many claim, then Jesus never gave his flesh for the life of the world.
1 Corinthians 11:24 - and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Our partaking of Christ's flesh represents four things:
Recognition that, as a man, he lived without sin and was the perfect sacrifice for us.
Faith that, as a man, he truly gave himself as a ransom for all.
Confidence that the Heavenly Father accepted his sacrifice as a man, proven by Christ's resurrection, and by the Father's acceptance of believers through him and the giving of the holy spirit, which began at Pentecost and continues today.
Our acceptance of eternal life through his human sacrifice, and for the purity that was in Christ. It shows we are turning away from sin, rejecting our connection to the first Adam, and embracing the life we hope for through the second Adam — a life made possible by his flesh given for the world.
Yet if Jesus remained a man of flesh, as many claim, none of this would stand. It would mean that when he ascended to heaven as our priest, he did not present his flesh and blood to God for our sins, as Hebrews 9 and 10 describe. The idea that Jesus is still flesh and blood would completely undermine the Bible’s entire foundation for the atonement.
Hebrews 9:26 - else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 10:10 By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:12 - but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.
Obviously, if Jesus still has his body of flesh, then there never was an offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Unlike the offerings made for sin under the Law, the man, Christ Jesus, had to only offer himself once for all time. This is because God has condemned all mankind in the sin of Adam, and thus only one man is needed to be a propitiation for the whole world now dying in Adam. -- Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; 1 John 2:2.
Obviously, if Jesus still has his body of flesh, then there never was an offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Unlike the offerings made for sin under the Law, the man, Christ Jesus, had to only offer himself once for all time. This is because God has condemned all mankind in the sin of Adam, and thus only one man is needed to be a propitiation for the whole world now dying in Adam. -- Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; 1 John 2:2.
1 Peter 2:24 - who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
Here Peter corroborates the apostle Paul, in effect, showing that Jesus did sacrifice his body of flesh upon the tree for our sins. Contrary to what many claim, the Bible nowhere tells us that the price needed to pay for our sins is God Almighty. Applied to this verse, it would mean that the body of Jesus was God Almighty and that now God Almighty is now dead forever, since God Almighty sacrificed himself to God Almighty to pay for our sins.
1 Peter 3:18 - Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.
Jesus' sacrifice included his whole being as a man. It was a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom (price to correspond) for all who are dying in the one man, Adam. -- Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.
The Greek of 1 Timothy 2:5,6 is often rendered and punctuated in such a way as to make it appear that "man, Christ Jesus" is connected in the words before, whereas, in reality, "man, Christ Jesus" is connected with the one who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is in the past.
We believe a better rendering would be:
{1 Timothy 2:5} For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men. [A] man, Christ Jesus,
{1 Timothy 2:6} [was] the [man] who gave himself [as] a ransom for all, [to be] witnessed in [its] own times,
The Greek in verse 5 contains no verb at all; however, unlike English, Koine Greek does not need a verb to form a sentence. In translation, however, a verb has to be supplied, or else the wording would appear rather nonsensical. Please note also that all punctuation and capitalization are also supplied either by copyists or translators. In verse 6, we find two verbs in the Greek text, one which is obviously referring to the past and is rendered as "gave" above, and another which is referring to the future, rendered as "to be witnessed" above. The verb supplied with "one God' is obviously referring to the present tense, but the verb referring to "man Christ Jesus" of verse 5 should be governed by the verb rendered as "gave" above, which is in the past. The thought is that it was a man -- in the past -- who gave himself as a ransom for all.
For related studies, see our resource page
Is Jesus Now Flesh?
Is Jesus Now Flesh?
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