Your Way Matters || 1 Timothy 2:5-6 || Manna for the Mind #35

Welcome to Day 35 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us. 

1 Timothy 2:5-6

5             For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.

6             He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

Though some people think there are many ways to reach God. In practice, each person must choose one way. We can stand on the side of a gorge and discuss the bridges across the abyss. Still, if we want and are determined to cross, we must realize that only one bridge needs to be connected to the other side. This reminds me of one of Jesus “I am” statements.

John 14:6

John 14:6         Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the way to get a relationship with God. Jesus provides the truth about what a relationship with God will provide. Jesus shows us the life to live a godly life and how to receive eternal life. Paul tells Timothy that Jesus is the only one who can reconcile the relationship with God and humanity. How did Jesus do this? Through the sacrifice he made on the cross. That sacrifice was the ultimate sin offering that broke the chain that kept humans away from an intimate relationship with God. Scripture states that the curtain that separated the people and the priests from the Holies of Holies was torn. This curtain was approximately 40 feet long, around a foot thick, and torn as simple as printer paper.

Getting back to the bridge analogy, those who insist that there are many bridges we can build to reach God usually fall into one of these areas:

They have not personally committed to any “bridge.” Their belief that there are multiple ways does not force them to choose one. If there’s a noncommittal attitude toward our relationship with God, then we have a one-sided relationship. You wouldn’t be in a relationship with your significant other without committing to it. Relationships with God can all be about understanding the relationship’s concepts and believing the truth and facts about God, but if we’re not acting it out, what’s the reason for the relationship.

Their belief, in many ways to God, hides their genuine belief that finding God doesn’t really matter at all. These are people who go through the motions of being a Christian. They attend church because it’s on Sunday morning, and it is routine. They pray because that is what they are taught and shown. They go to Bible study because they enjoy the company and conversation. They are walking the Christian path, but they are not putting their heart into the intentionality of the walk.

They are convinced that arguing in many ways ensures they won’t be wrong. If their belief in God is included in the multiple ways to get to God, then their belief is sufficient. To me, these people are set in their foundational teachings of God that they learned decades ago when they were growing up and are afraid to see that their beliefs could be wrong or skewed incorrectly. It reminds me of the saying, “God says it. I believe it. That settles it.” That’s true that the Bible is God’s spoken word written through his chosen people, which has been sustained for thousands of years, but we struggle to believe it with all our hearts. We need help walking through the book of Leviticus, believing every rule and command given to the Israelite nation, and thinking that we must follow it all. We struggle when another Christian discusses a subject from a different perspective and contradicts our beliefs. We see them as the enemy because they are “attacking us.” No attacks are happening when this happens. It provides a different perspective on the interpretation of scripture that can lead us to common ground and mutual understanding of what God’s word is honestly telling us.

They have decided that believing in many ways requires less work. Hearing this perspective is interesting because our belief doesn’t require work.

Romans 11:6

Romans 11:6                And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is – free and undeserved.

Believing in who God is doesn’t require more work but an intentionality into what believing in God means.

Here are some core beliefs that come with being a Christian that we will hang on to throughout the rest of this devotional:

• Humans are separated from God by sin, and we need a savior.
• Only one person can serve as our mediator. Jesus, who is both God and man.
• The sacrifice of Jesus brings new life to all who believe and accept him.

With those beliefs in mind, listen to what Paul says to the church members in Galatia in Galatians 2:19-20.

Galatians 2:19-20

19          For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law – I stopped trying to meet all its requirements – so that I might live for God.

20          My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When we are crucified with Christ, it means that we are agreeing to surrender to Jesus every single ounce of our sinful lives – our goals, plans, ideas, and everything else with Jesus on the cross. After we do that, we must live a life of surrender to the author’s life. Because Jesus was resurrected and lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. He fills up all the empty places we have surrendered to him, which all our old pursuits couldn’t really fill. It’s time to begin our new Christ-centered way of life. Let’s believe in Christ and continuously deny our sinful desires.

Now, how have our old selves been crucified with Christ? It actually happens in a couple ways. Legally, God views us as if we died with Jesus on the cross. Because Jesus suffered the penalty for our sins when he died, we are no longer condemned to it. Relationally, we have become one with Christ; his experience is ours. Our Christian lives begin when joined with Jesus. We die to our old selves (as mentioned earlier) and start our new Christ-first life. Daily, we must resist the temptations that approach us consistently and regularly put to death those desires that are not from God that hold us back from following God to our total capacity.

The focus of Christianity is not on dying but instead on living. It’s easy to view Christianity as a sacrificial, no-fun, rule-based religion, but that’s not it at all. It’s a freedom to live and love as we have been loved through our heavenly Father, who wants the best for us all around. Because we were crucified with Christ, we were also raised with him. We received a new, resurrected life with a new inner power, vision, and community. We have been forever forgiven by God. We have been set free to continuously work to be more like Jesus. We can continue fighting the sinful temptations that want us back. We are no longer alone. Christ lives in us always – our power for living and our hope for the future.

Father God, thank you for everything you do for us. We often take it for granted and don’t settle in and reflect on how good you are for us. We could have been the ones on the cross suffering a painful punishment for our sinful decisions, but you said that it wasn’t going to happen like that. You bore the pain we’d feel by sending your son in our place so that we could have a right and eternal relationship with you. Thank you, God, for everything. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.