MEDIATOR

1 Tim.2:5 – For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus…

This became one of the most important passages during the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. For centuries it had been taught that the so called saints could pray in heaven for you and serve as a mediator. This comes from two misunderstandings of the work of redemption. First, Christ has clearly completed the work of redemption through His death on the cross. He is the only man qualified to serve as a mediator for us. Secondly, each of us have been declared righteous by faith in the blood of Jesus. We have access to intimacy with God by faith in Christ. Jesus serves as the minister of the sanctuary to bring us to the Father. Here is how Vine’s Word Book describes the word mediator in this passage.

“Mediator – “a go-between” – is used in two ways in the NT, “one who mediates” between two parties with a view to producing peace, as in 1 Tim. 2:5, though more than mere “mediatorship” is in view, for the salvation of men necessitated that the Mediator should Himself possess the nature and attributes of Him towards whom He acts, and should likewise participate in the nature of those for whom He acts (sin apart); only by being possessed both of deity and humanity could He comprehend the claims of the one and the needs of the other; further, the claims and the needs could be met only by One who, Himself being proved sinless, would offer Himself an expiatory sacrifice on behalf of men.”

Christ being our mediator is one of the basic and critical teachings of the New Testament. There is a man in heaven who has gone before us to bring us into this new life. Recognizing Christ as your mediator opens you up to the incredible world of the Holy Spirit. This is the source of our fellowship, answered prayer, power, and spiritual revelation. I have access to the throne of grace because of this man, Jesus Christ. I can pray with confidence in His name knowing that He hears and responds to my prayers. His work as mediator also brings me into the awareness of His presence. No matter what I face He is there with me. The world has gotten very bizarre these last couple of years, with Christ as my Mediator I don’t face anything alone.