John Calvin Commentary 1 Timothy 2:5

"For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus," — 1 Timothy 2:5 (ASV)

For there is one God. This argument might, at first sight, appear not to be very strong—that God wishes all people to be saved because He is one—if a transition had not been made from God to humanity. Chrysostom—and, after him, others—view it in this sense: that there are not many gods, as idolaters imagine. But I think that Paul’s design was different, and that here there is an implied comparison of the one God with the whole world and with various nations. Out of this comparison arises a view of both, as they mutually regard each other. In the same way, the Apostle says,

Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, it is one God who justifies the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith (Romans 3:29).

Therefore, whatever diversity might have existed among people at that time—because many ranks and many nations were strangers to faith—Paul reminds believers of the unity of God. He does this so they may know that they are connected with all, because there is one God of all, and so they may know that those who are under the power of the same God are not excluded forever from the hope of salvation.

And one Mediator between God and men. This clause has a similar meaning to the former. For, as there is one God, the Creator and Father of all, so Paul says that there is only one Mediator, through whom we have access to the Father. He also says that this Mediator was given not only to one nation, or to a small number of persons of some particular rank, but to all, because the fruit of the sacrifice by which He made atonement for sins extends to all. More especially, because a large portion of the world was at that time alienated from God, Paul expressly mentions the Mediator, through whom those who were far off now approach.

The universal term all must always be referred to classes of people, not to individuals—as if Paul had said that not only Jews but Gentiles also, not only persons of humble rank but princes also, were redeemed by the death of Christ. Since, therefore, He wishes the benefit of His death to be common to all, an insult is offered to Him by those who, by their opinion, shut out any person from the hope of salvation.

The man Christ Jesus. When Paul declares that He is “a man,” the Apostle does not deny that the Mediator is God. Rather, intending to point out the bond of our union with God, he mentions the human nature rather than the divine. This ought to be carefully observed. From the beginning, people, by devising for themselves this or that mediator, departed further from God. The reason was that, being influenced by the error that God was at a great distance from them, they did not know where to turn. Paul corrects this problem when he represents God as present with us, for He has descended even to us, so that we do not need to seek Him above the clouds. The same thing is said in Hebrews 4:15:

We have not a high priest who cannot sympathize within our infirmities, for in all things He was tempted.

And indeed, if it were deeply impressed on the hearts of all that the Son of God extends to us the hand of a brother, and that we are united to Him by the fellowship of our nature, so that out of our low condition He may raise us to heaven—who would not choose to stay on this direct path, instead of wandering on uncertain and stormy paths! Therefore, whenever we ought to pray to God, if we recall His exalted and unapproachable majesty, so that we may not be deterred by its awesomeness, let us at the same time remember the man Christ, who gently invites us and, so to speak, takes us by the hand, so that the Father, who had been an object of terror and alarm, may be reconciled by Him and made friendly to us. This is the only key to open for us the gate of the heavenly kingdom, so that we may appear in God’s presence with confidence.

Hence we see that Satan has, in all ages, pursued this strategy to lead people astray from the right path. I say nothing of the various devices by which, before the coming of Christ, he alienated people’s minds, causing them to devise methods of approaching God. At the very beginning of the Christian Church, when Christ, with so excellent a pledge, was fresh in their remembrance, and while the earth was still ringing with that delightfully sweet word from His mouth:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Nevertheless, there were some persons skilled in deception who thrust angels into His place as mediators, which is evident from Colossians 2:18. But what Satan devised secretly at that time, he carried to such an extent during the times of Popery that hardly one person in a thousand acknowledged Christ, even in words, to be the Mediator. And while the name was buried, the reality was even more unknown.

Now that God has raised up good and faithful teachers, who have labored to restore and remind people of what ought to have been one of the best-known principles of our faith, the sophists of the Church of Rome have resorted to every scheme to obscure a point so clear.

First, the name is so hateful to them that if anyone mentions Christ as Mediator without taking notice of the saints, he immediately falls under suspicion of heresy. But because they do not dare to reject altogether what Paul teaches in this passage, they evade it with a foolish explanation that He is called “one Mediator,” not “the only Mediator.” This is as if the Apostle had mentioned God as one among a vast multitude of gods, for the two clauses are closely connected: “there is one God and one Mediator.” Therefore, those who make Christ one out of many mediators must apply the same interpretation when speaking of God. Would they reach such a level of shamelessness if they were not driven by blind rage to suppress the glory of Christ?

There are others who consider themselves more perceptive and who make this distinction: that Christ is the only Mediator of redemption, while they pronounce the saints to be mediators of intercession. But the folly of these interpreters is refuted by the context of the passage, in which the Apostle speaks explicitly about prayer. The Holy Spirit commands us to pray for all because our only Mediator admits all to come to Him, just as by His death He reconciled all to the Father. And yet those who thus, with bold sacrilege, strip Christ of His honor wish to be considered Christians.

But it is objected that this appears to be a contradiction, for in this very passage Paul commands us to intercede for others, while in the Epistle to the Romans, he declares that intercession belongs to Christ alone (Romans 8:34). I reply: the intercessions of the saints, by which they help each other in their prayers to God, do not contradict the teaching that all have only one Intercessor. For no one’s prayers are heard, either on behalf of himself or on behalf of another, unless they rely on Christ as their advocate. When we intercede for one another, this is so far from undermining the intercession of Christ as belonging to Him alone, that the primary reliance is placed, and the primary reference is made, to that very intercession.

Someone might perhaps think that it will, therefore, be easy for us to reach an agreement with the Papists, if they place all that they attribute to the saints below the unique intercession of Christ.

This is not the case, for the reason they transfer the office of interceding to the saints is that they imagine that otherwise we lack an advocate. It is a common belief among them that we need intercessors because in ourselves we are unworthy to appear in God’s presence. By speaking in this manner, they deprive Christ of His honor.

Besides, it is a shocking blasphemy to attribute to saints such excellence as would obtain God’s favor for us; and all the prophets, apostles, martyrs, and even the angels themselves—are so far from making any claim to this that they too need the same intercession as we do.

Again, it is a mere fantasy, originating in their own minds, that the dead intercede for us. Therefore, to base our prayers on this is entirely to withdraw our trust from calling upon God. But Paul establishes, as the rule for calling on God correctly, faith grounded on the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, everything that people devise from their own thoughts, without the authority of God’s Word, is rightly rejected by us.

But not to dwell on this subject longer than the explanation of the passage requires, let it be summarized in this way: those who have truly learned the office of Christ will be satisfied with having Him alone, and no one will create mediators according to their own whim except those who know neither God nor Christ. Hence I conclude that the doctrine of the Papists—which obscures, and almost buries, the intercession of Christ, and introduces false intercessors without any scriptural support—is full of wicked distrust and also of wicked rashness.