2:5-6 Compact teachings, as in this passage, occur throughout the letters to Timothy and Titus (see also 1 Tim 3:16; 2 Tim 1:9-10; 2:8, 11-13; Titus 3:4-7). They might be adapted bits of creeds, hymns, or prayers that were known to the churches. The doctrines referenced probably relate to Paul’s trouble with the false teachers; it appears that their teaching undercut the universal appeal of the Good News and the effectiveness of the Gentile mission. The false teachers also had a deficient understanding of Jesus and his salvation. 2:5 There is one God and therefore one mission encompassing all people (Rom 3:29-30; Gal 3:26-29). Using the phrase one God suggests a fundamental declaration of Christian faith, analogous to the basics of Jewish faith (Deut 6:4). • There is one Mediator of God’s covenant, the man Christ Jesus. He is fully human and fully God, and thus able to reconcile God and humanity (see 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:5-6).