For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, – 1 Timothy 2:5
On November 4, 1979, in Tehran, Iran, the United States Embassy came under the attack of a group of rioting students. Forty-six Americans were taken hostage. The State Department immediately began to try to resolve the situation, but the new revolutionary regime cut off all communications for four months. The hostages were held for 444 days in what was described as an “entanglement” of “vengeance and mutual incomprehension.” President Jimmy Carter worked to secure the hostage release with no success, and the continued standoff may have played a part in him losing a second term. Ultimately, the diplomatic work of Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher and a number of Algerian diplomats secured the hostages release. The Algiers Accords were signed on January 19, 1981, and the hostages were released the next day—within minutes after Ronald Regan was sworn in as president and while he was still giving his inaugural address. Tremendous hostility still remains between the United States and Iran.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot” (Romans 8:7). The sage says in Proverbs 5:22, “The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.” Other translations say it is your own sin that holds you captive. Paul again reminds you that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). You are a hostage who cannot escape no matter how hard you try. It took a single mediator to resolve the insurmountable hostility that existed between you and God. That mediator, as today’s verse tells you, was and is Jesus Christ.
If you know Jesus, you recognize that He became the necessary “go-between” that could connect you to the Father. Only His sacrificial death and resurrection could establish your path to freedom. He continues to serve as your advocate (1 John 2:1). You are no longer sin’s captive (Romans 6:6). Give thanks for His release from your captivity. Today, in Gaza, the terrorist group Hamas continues to hold hostages, including some who are Americans. The BBC reported in an August 2 article that “more than 40 Americans are unjustly being held abroad” in places like China, Iran, and Russia. Pray for them and for the negotiators who are working to secure their safe release.
Today’s Verse: 1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Romans 6:15-19
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
