Morning Moments

[1Ti 2:5] For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. [7] 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.

In the previous verses we discovered Paul's exhhortation to prayer, but in verse 5-6 Paul show us an example and then follows that by a personal word of encouragement in verse 7.

We have a perfect example in Christ Jesus, who is humbling Himself to become a man , demonstrated what true dependence upon the Father should be. He worshipped the Father in every sense of the word and made Himself, as a man totally dependent upon His Father in heaven. He is our example. It is He who taught us to pray and who offers us access with boldness into the very presence of the Father.

He can do that because He alone is the mediator and intercessor. He alone can bring two parties, God and man, together and keep them together. They are estranged for man has sorely offended God. He and only He can make things right between us and the trice holy God. He makes it possible for our Creator to become our Father who can redeem and reconcile us to Himself. What an example!

Consider all the deed of men for men through the corridors of time in the archives of history. Find those who have done commendably. Select the most honorable ones who have given themselves to causes and cures, to deliver and defend, but you will NEVER find one like THIS One, who was so filled with passion for people that He would take upon Himself all the wrong and rottenness of His enemies. Those who would hate Him and betray Him and revile Him and reject Him - He loves. Hallelujah!

Paul reminds Timothy what the Lord had done in His own life. He (Jesus) had taken one (Saul) who had considered it his sacred duty to war against Christians and saved him and taught him that his true sacred duty is to worship the Christ he persecuted, and do work His work by teaching and preaching and reaching the Gentile world. If God would do that for him, he would have no problem with Timothy. Look at the text again - verse 7
"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."

The word "preacher" is heralder, which is someone who has important news to bring. In the secular, he often announced an athletic event or functioned as a political messenger bringing news or command from the king's court. He was to have a strong voice and proclaim his message with vigor, without lingering to discuss it. He was to faithfully represent the word of the one who sent him. His message was not his own, but the message of the one he represented.

The word "apostle" corresponds to our word missionary which comes from the Latin and means "one sent". The twelve apostles and Paul (one born out of due season), were apostles of Jesus Himself, but there were apostles of the Church, sent out by the Church, such as Andronicus and Junius. Let the Scripture speak to this matter and not tradition.

"faith and verity"
The word faith means "being faithful, sincere".

The word verity is divine truth or the faith and practice of the true gospel is called "truth" either as being true in itself and derived from the true God, or as declaring the existence and will of the one true God, in opposition to the worship of false idols. Hence divine truth, gospel truth, as opposed to heathen and Jewish fables.