Imagine someone looking out the window of a burning building, and a fireman climbing up a ladder to save them. He wants to help them down the ladder to safety. He tells them that they need to trust him and let him help them because there is no other way to safety. The person in the burning building is not going to be picky about how they get out of the building. They aren't going to complain that more options aren't being presented to them. Can you imagine someone telling the fireman they aren't going with him until he can offer a more diverse program of deliverance? They are going to be thankful that there is a way to be saved.

A few years ago in Atlanta a crane operator was trapped on the boom of his crane above a big fire. They sent a helicopter in and saved that man with a daring rescue. The nation watched, hoping to see him rescued. Everybody rejoiced when he was saved. No one thought the fire department was being stingy because it offered the man only one way of salvation. They offered Him everything they had. They used the best equipment available because they wanted to save his life.

The issue in this passage is to grab on to the truth which will save us, rather than a lie, or some false God, which can't save us. Don't rely on anything but the true bridge between God and man. The issue here has nothing to do with God being stingy, just like the fire department wasn't stingy. God didn't hold back on us, but gave us the best possible way to be saved. By saying there is only one way, He is caring and wanting us to grab hold of it. Like saying the ladder is the only way out of the burning building, He wants us to see the way of escape clearly so we can get out of the burning building. He wants to save our life. He's the only God. That's just a fact. When we look at creation, it is an obvious, logical conclusion that there is a master designer. So let's help people grab onto the real thing, so they can be set free!

There is one mediator, and He gave Himself for us. How much more could He do? He gave us everything He had- everything. He gave His own life for us. Let's not be picky in a stupid, blind, illogical way and turn down the very best God has to offer.

So what's the big deal? Why should everything we do revolve around this? The reason is that God wants everyone to be saved, and He is the only God who can save people. God is who He is, and our opinions won't change that reality one little bit. Worshipping another god can only provoke the true God to jealousy. Provoking the only true God to anger is a really bad idea. Other gods are just figments in people's minds, which originate from the pit of Hell. The Devil lies to us because he wants us to spend eternity in Hell! How awful to put your trust in a god who comes from Hell!

Because of sin, mankind is separated from God. There is a great gulf between God and us. None of us have the power within us to go visit God in heaven. There is no physical road that will take us to heaven. People have climbed Mt. Everest and heaven is not there. People have traveled in a rocket ship to the moon, and they did not find God's dwelling place. Space probes have traversed our solar system, but heaven is not there either. We have no way on our own to ascend up to God's level. And even if we could, God will still have to decide whether or not to let us stay there. The truth is that our sins separate us from the Holy God.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a way to bridge that gap? But who is powerful and righteous enough to do such a great task? Who can represent man on the one side, God on the other side, and have the tremendous bargaining power to bring the two sides together? Fortunately there is someone who can do that. He became a human being, to represent us, and remained sinless so that His perfect sacrifice could be accepted by God. He and He alone is the Son of Man and the Son of God. Let's not complain about the fact that there is only one qualified mediator; let's rejoice that He was willing to do the job!

Even His name shows us that He is the perfect go-between. "Jesus" means "Yahweh saves", which shows that He is one in purpose with "God our Savior, who wishes all people to be saved". "Christ" also tells us something about Him. Christ means "the Anointed One" ("for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him"), and lets us know that He is endued with special power from God.

"Man" (verse 5) is without the definite article, emphasizing that He was "a man." He was a man by His very nature. He wasn't immune to temptation, pain and sickness, "but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." He was human. It hurt when He hit His finger with a hammer, or dropped a log on his toe, or was nailed to a cross. He was tempted just like us, even facing temptations greater than we will ever face, and overcame every battle. He became a perfect sacrifice, a lamb without blemish, acceptable to God. God has raised Him up to His right hand, because His sacrifice is accepted and His work is finished.

I used to pray to Mary as the main mediator between God and men. When I did something wrong and I was afraid of getting caught, I would rattle of my Hail Mary's. My mom and dad still pray to Mary for help. The Catholic Church is discussing making her co-redeemer with Christ (worse yet, the average Catholic prays to her much more than they do to Jesus). Mary is not our mediator. She has no power to bridge the gap between God and us. She couldn't deliver me when I did wrong. She was a godly woman, but she wasn't on the same level as Christ. She was a sinner like the rest of us. She didn't die on the cross to pay for our sins. If my parents don't change, they will die in their sins. The separation between them and God will not be resolved. No prophet or spiritual leader can pay for their own sins, let alone paying for our sins against God. We must go directly to the man, Christ Jesus, to be made right with God.

Our good works can't make us acceptable to God. They are a joke in comparison to His standards. What a laugh that they can elevate us to His level! Only by God becoming a man and giving Himself a ransom for us can we be justified and made right in His sight.

Because God wants everyone to be saved, and because He is the only God who can save people, we need to practice verses one and two. Our lives should be a prayer that we can help others see the truth and be saved. We need to seek the One God on the behalf of others, because He desires for them to see the truth. We need to line up with His desire for people to be saved, because there is no other way that they can be saved. If they miss this, they miss it all. This is reality. It's like the ladder in the window of a burning building. All other ways of escape are full of flames. There is only one way to be saved, so let's do all we can to help people get on that ladder.

If I say "everyone needs to take vitamin C", you may or may not listen to me. Now what if I say "wait, you don't understand, everyone who doesn't take vitamin C will die next week from a deadly plague that can only be prevented by this one particular vitamin." It matters a lot more when I put it that way. It's a matter of life and death, so you better listen to me. God is doing the same thing here. He's saying this is really really important. He is the only true God. He made heaven and earth, and He wants us to listen, because there is only one way to be saved. He chose the best way for us to be saved, and we need to line up with His one way.

How awesome that Jesus Christ gave "Himself" to be our ransom. Think about how much He gave. He's not a puppet who was forced to take God's wrath (as the JWs teach). Jesus gave Himself for you and me. As God with us, He willingly offered Himself.

He gives us the wonderful gift of His life. Neither the soldiers nor the Jews took His life. He willingly gave it up. Forgiveness is a gift of God. We don't have any money to buy this kind of gift. It's grace. We can't earn it and we don't deserve it. This is the most beautiful gift anyone can give us.

Jesus is just like the Father. He wants our best, and He gave. He paid our price. When Peter started to fight for Jesus, Jesus told him to put up his sword. He didn't want 12 apostles to intervene, or 12 legions of angels for that matter, because He "came into the world to save sinners". (12 legions under Augustus is thought to be more than 80,000 angels.)

People complain that it's unfair to only have one way to God, as if God is too stingy. When we consider the facts, it actually shows us just the opposite. God is not stingy! Jesus didn't withhold anything from us. He gave everything that He had to suffer in our place. The Father and the Son are one in purpose, and they offer us the very best way to be saved.

It's easy to give a Christmas present to your best friend, knowing they will also give you one. But it's hard to send a Christmas present to your enemy, who steals from you and calls you ugly names. We sin against God, yet He suffered to pay for our sins. We stole, and yet He gave us everything He had. As He hung there dying a torturous death, with people making fun of Him, His prayer was "Father forgive them."

For those who complain that it's unfair to only have one way, I ask you, why is there any way at all? What makes us so special to have a way to be forgiven for our sins? Actually, it is unfair. It's unfair that He should pay for our sins. Why should He pay for them? To imply that He held back from us because we deserve better is an insult against His goodness, and an insult against reality. If we don't think He is offering a good deal, then we are automatically signed up for the "pay for your own sins" plan, with it's extended payment plan.

Aside from being the best way, I don't believe there was any other way for our sins to be forgiven. Our sins are that bad that they had to be paid for by His suffering and death! Our flesh wants to rebel against this truth and reject it, but we need to humbly face up to the facts. Just before He suffered, Jesus asked the Father to provide another way if it was possible, but there is no other way. It was terrible what Jesus faced, but we are more important to Him than His own torture. Our sins demand payment, and He was the only One worthy to pay it for us.

Let us not forget that God is just, and for justice to be done, our sins had to be paid for. We want God to be just. We want Him to be fair, and do what's right. We want our government to be just. We don't want a world where there is no accountability for doing evil. Imagine the horror of a world where anybody can drag off you wife or your daughter and no one will do anything about it. We want a government that stops evil doers and punishes them so that evil can be controlled. God can not ignore our sins and be just. It's just not fair. The only way that God can be just, and we can have a way of escape, is for the sinless lamb of God to die in our place. That's it. There is no other way. There is only one way.

Hebrews tells us that the blood of animals was never enough to forgive sins. It was only a picture of the One who was worthy to redeem us. Only Jesus is worthy to really take away our sins. He was slaughtered in a slow and painful death, as a substitute to pay for our sins. If you have ever studied the details of how He suffered and died, you know it was a horrible, horrible death. It's a good thing Jesus gave Himself to be our ransom, or we would be in really bad shape. Don't pay for your own sins…yikes!

As it is God's will for ALL men to come to the knowledge of the truth and to be saved, so Jesus gave Himself a ransom for ALL. Don't buy the garbage of limited atonement. Jesus died for every single person out there. If you are not saved, Jesus died for you!

This needs to effect our lives, and the way we view others. We need to see people as people that Jesus died for. We need to intercede for others, because they desperately need our help. God help us to mold our interactions with lost people around their need of salvation.

Who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times / seasons (plural).
ASV: who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony (to be borne) in its own times.
KJV: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
They seem to say the same thing, although ASV is more literal.

Jesus' sacrifice is the testimony or the evidence of God ("the testimony", noun with def. art.). This is the ultimate evidence that bears witness that He wants us to be saved.

His testimony is not just in words, but in the action of giving Himself a ransom for us. This is an incredibly powerful testimony. If your house burns down, is it a greater witness to tell you that I'm sorry, or to share my home with you until you get back on your feet? Which gives more evidence that I care? Jesus doesn't just tell us that He loves us, but shows us by suffering in our place. He doesn't make a feeble attempt, but rather goes all out and does what it takes to get the job done.

What testimony do we (the human race) give to God? We lie, commit perjury, and take advantage of others. We're selfish and perverted (chap 1). A lot of times it's hard to trust humans, but we can trust God. His testimony is true, as we see from the clear objective evidence of Him giving Himself a ransom for us.

We each must decide if Jesus Christ is worthy to follow. Is He fit to be the boss (Lord) of our life? If we don't submit to Him, we don't really believe He's worthy. We should see it as a great privilege to allow Him to be the King, Shepherd, Master, Ruler, Lord and God of our life. Seeing His love for us, our fitting response is to beg Him to be the Lord of our life. If we were in the stock market, we would love for the most brilliant and successful stock advisor to tell us what to do. It wouldn't be drudgery for him to take control of our finances, but rather a great privilege, especially if he would do it for free. What an incredible deal that Christ offers, as a free gift, to take control of our lives!

Before we marry someone, we want to know that they really care about us. Jesus Christ wants to be our husband, and we know He really cares about us. If Jesus Christ is to be put on trial in our minds as to whether He really loves us and wants our best, than this is His testimony. What more is there to say. He laid His life down for us. If this doesn't convince us, than nothing will be good enough for us. There is no greater witness of love. He gave us everything. He gave Himself a ransom for us. This is unbeatable evidence. He didn't even do anything wrong. We did the wrong and He paid for it by the horrible sacrifice of Himself.

The facts are plainly set before us. We are the judge and jury for our eternal soul. If we turn away from this, what are we going to tell God when we meet Him? Are we really going to tell Him the evidence and testimony He provided for us wasn't good enough? It's so much better to face the facts and come under His mercy before it's too late.

Jesus became our ransom to bridge the gap between God and us. If we don't take this bridge we are fools, and we will not get to heaven. There is no other way to be forgiven of our sins. If we don't think this is good enough for us, then we are correct. It's not good enough for us because it's too good for us! Our ship is sinking, and we ought to be thankful just to have a spot on a life raft, and yet He comes to rescue us with a luxury liner much better than the first ship. Think about what you are doing if you won't accept Christ. If we don't take Him than we shall perish in our sins, the penalty not having been paid. We will have to pay for it ourselves in Hell. It will be totally our fault. Don''t let this happen to you!

We have been kidnapped and taken hostage, but He came and paid the ransom note (for ALL of us). Now it's up to us to act on it. We must choose to walk away from our captors and follow Him. If we don't want to leave our captors than the ransom won't benefit us personally, even though He paid it in full. Our captors don't care about us. They are liars and cheats. They only want to destroy us.

For being such a no-brainer, it's hard to explain how we can be so bent on continuing in sin. How can we not accept Jesus, and the gift of Himself, and be saved from our sins? Humans can be like a dumb animal that stares into the headlights and won't move out of the way. We stare at the light and don't respond. What's worse is that we are shown how to escape, and we still stand there. If an animal understood what was happening and how to avoid being hit, it would immediately move out of the way.

We should be bold, knowing that we are offering people the wonderful truth. Their ship is sinking and we offer a luxury liner. There's no need to apologize for that. There is no need to back off or be timid, because we have the most awesome gift to offer.

For there is "one mediator" Who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony to be rendered in its own due times. Whereunto I was appointed a preacher...

Inter: Who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony [to be rendered] in its own times
ASV: who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony (to be borne) in its own times;
KJV: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Wuest: "Who gave Himself a ransom on behalf of all, the testimony of which was to be given in His own strategic seasons, to which I was appointed an official herald"
Robertson: "{In its own times} … 'the testimony in its due seasons' (plural)."

To add clarity, different translations add that the testimony is "to be borne" or "to be rendered". The KJV can be taken this way, saying it is "to be testified". Combining this with the context of our need to share the gospel (see vs. 7, 4), it makes sense why time is in the plural. The testimony was Christ's sacrifice on the cross, but we are to keep that testimony effective by presenting it to others. The evidence of God's love and redemption is just as relevant today as ever, and people need to hear about it. It needs to be proclaimed many times, and not just one time. It is "due time" (KJ) to testify to what God has done.

If the main issue regarding time is the timing of the cross (that at the right time God testified on the cross), then why is "times" plural (why does it refer to more than one time)? We also have the next words, which tell us that Paul is a preacher of this great testimony. I could be wrong in the way I take this, but fortunately we end up with the same application either way we take this phrase. The context makes it clear that 1) God bore witness at Calvary and 2) we are to preach the message of the cross.

In its own times, In its due seasons:
"Times" or "seasons" comes from kairos (2540). It is not the plain word for "time". It is a "suitable time" (Berry), a "set or proper time" (Strong).

God cares, and provides us fitting times to share His love (verse 7). He works behind the scenes tugging on people, and putting them in our path so they can hear the really good news. God cares that we speak to the right people at the right time. Let's pray that we don't miss God ordained opportunities, for He wishes for all men to be saved and know the truth.