Word of Salvation – Vol.52 No.10 – March 2007

 

Christ the Only Mediator

A Sermon by Rev Martin Geluk on 1 Timothy 2:5

(Sermon 3 on ‘Christ Alone’)

Scripture Readings:  Hebrews 10:1-25; 1Tmothy 2:1-5

Suggested Singing:  BoW 470; 89b; 117

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In our series on the five solas of the Reformation we’re up to the third sermon on Christ alone. Firstly it was Christ the only Saviour, and we saw there that Christ is unique with regard to His claims and teaching. The second sermon was about Christ the only Sacrifice, and there we emphasised Christ as the Substitute. We now once more look at Christ alone, and in this sermon we see Him as Christ the only Mediator.

What is a mediator? What is his role? What does a mediator do? Well, the function of mediator is to intervene, to come in between two parties in order to fix up their relationship because one or both parties are unable, or unwilling, to do that themselves. The two parties are alienated or separated for some reason and a mediator tries to bring about reconciliation.

For example, we read in Genesis 18 that God intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. God, as one party, is holy and pure, and Sodom and Gomorrah, the other party, were extremely sinful. The depravity of the people living in those cities had alienated them from God. God informs Abraham what He is about to do, and Abraham, apparently not aware of the full extent of the people’s wickedness, and also concerned about Lot and his family living there, begins to plead with God to not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Would God destroy the cities if fifty righteous people live there? No God, wouldn’t do it for the sake of fifty but there were not fifty righteous people. Abraham continues to plead with God and went as low as ten righteous people. But there were not even ten, and the cities were destroyed after God had rescued Lot and his family. You see what Abraham was doing? He was a mediator. He was mediating on behalf of righteous people living in those cities.

Another example of a mediator is Jonathan. He was the son of King Saul and David’s best friend. Jonathan was troubled by his father’s dislike for David and tried several times to have his father accept David, but to no avail (1 Sam 19).

So that’s what a mediator does. He seeks to bring two parties, who for some reason are alienated, together. And that’s what Christ does. He is the Mediator between God who is holy and man who is a sinner.

1. How do we receive the benefits of Christ’s death on the cross?

There is, then, a big gulf between God, who is absolutely holy and pure, and man who has sinned and is inclined to continue to sin. Here you have two parties, God and man, and sin has alienated us from God. Now we have already heard in the previous sermon that Christ was willing to be a sacrifice for us. God, in His love and compassion, gave up His only Son to death on the cross for us. Christ became the Substitute. God punished Him for sins we have done. We deserve to die but Christ died our death.

But the question now is: how does what Christ did on the cross flow on to us? How do the benefits of Christ’s death bridge the gulf between God and us? We will say: by us repenting and believing. Whilst that is true, we still have to see clearly that our turning away from sin, which is what repentance means, and having faith in Christ as the Substitute, do not in themselves bridge the gulf between God and us. Repentance and faith, however necessary, do not by themselves close the gap. God does not say: okay, my Son Jesus has died on the cross for you, let’s now see how much you repent and how well you believe what Jesus did and then I’ll pass on the benefits of Jesus’ death to you. That would make our repenting and believing a reason for God saving us and passing on to us the benefits of Christ’s death. And the more we repent and the more faith we have, the better our chances of getting saved. But that’s not how it works.

What we need is Christ the Sacrifice and the Substitute to also become Christ the Mediator. Christ has to be willing to put the benefits of His suffering and death on the cross before His Father and say: Father, accept my sacrifice and make those for whom I died your very own people. The ones for whom I died were separated from you because of their sin but I am now reconciling them back to you.

Here we also have to keep in mind that God is one. As Father and Son and Spirit He is not three gods but remains one God. But within the one God, the Father, the Son and the Spirit, each do their respective work in ways that we cannot fully understand. Each Person in the Trinity does a specific work, yet it overlaps and is all integrated. It is not three gods but one God who brings about our complete salvation. God is both the offended One, on account of our sin, and the Sacrifice, the Substitute, and Mediator. Our text, 1 Timothy 2:5, says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” And Hebrews 7:25 says of Christ the Mediator, “He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.”

So to whom do I turn to receive what I need from God? Who helps me in my search for forgiveness of my sins? Who helps me in my search for peace of conscience? Do I turn to my repenting and faith in order to receive God’s blessing? Do I see how well I have repented and how great my faith is in order to find forgiveness and peace of mind?

No, repentance of sin is commanded by God, but it’s not a means to earn forgiveness. Faith is believing what Christ has done, but not a tool to have God love and accept me. I need to turn to Christ the Mediator. I need to believe that He will bring the benefits of His suffering and dying for me to the Father and thus bring about reconciliation between God and me. I was alienated from God because He is holy and just, and I am a sinner. Now Christ has closed that awful gap by dying for me and He has made me right with God by presenting His sacrifice to His heavenly Father.

Other people can’t make us right with God; angels can’t, the church can’t, ministers of the gospel can’t. They can teach us about Christ, but they can’t do for us what Christ does for us. Christ alone justifies, Christ alone forgives, Christ alone makes me holy in God’s sight. Christ alone has adopted me into the family of God. Christ alone mediates to me the blessings of Him saving me. It is Christ alone, for no one else can do what Christ does.

In the Bible Christ is also described as our Advocate, which is similar to what a mediator does. An advocate is someone who speaks in our defence. It’s what a lawyer does for us when we stand accused in court. In his first letter John the apostle wrote to the Christians, “My dear children, I write this to you, so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defence (i.e., an advocate) – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins…” (1 Jn 2:1-2). And listen to the beautiful words of Romans 8:33-34. It asks, “Who will bring any charge against those God has chosen?” The answer is, “It is God who justifies.” In other words, when God has justified you, Christ has died for your sins and whatever people accuse you of cannot undo God’s justification of you. The next question asks, “Who is he that condemns?” Well, whoever he or she is, let it not trouble you, because the answer that is given says, “Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” To intercede is to speak on our behalf. It’s what a mediator does.

Knowing this also enables us to handle the devil when he accuses us. He might work on your conscience and say: you’ve got to be kidding yourself if you think that, because of what Christ has done for you on the cross, God now looks at you as if you have never sinned. Let me, the devil who accuses you, remind you of some of your sins. And then the devil fills our memory with things we wish we had not done, things we would rather forget. And it is true, we have done these sins, and by being reminded of them we are burdened again. The guilt is back on our heads and we become unsure if God has forgiven us. But the Lord quickly comes to our aid, and like what we read in Zechariah 3, He rebukes Satan, and says that you are like a burning stick snatched from the fire. You almost perished but the Lord saved you. That means He has taken the filthy clothes of sin from you and put the righteous clothes of Christ on you. And in so doing the Lord has taken your sins away. Therefore, to handle the devil when he reminds you of your sins, remember that Christ has saved you and made you clean before God by being your Mediator.

2. As Mediator Christ makes our salvation certain

Despite the fact that our times are plagued with easy believism, Christians can still be insecure. Easy believism is where sinners believe they are Christians without turning away from sin and not really knowing who Christ is and how He saves. People, who should know better, have told them that all they need to do is to accept Christ and then they are saved. But serious Christians, who do not fall into the easy believism category, know their sin brought about Christ’s suffering and death. They believe that the cross has saved them and in thankful service to Christ seek to live godly lives. But then they may have fallen into serious sin and now they wonder if God still sees them as His saved children.

What they need to hear is that Christ as mediator has made their salvation certain. Romans 4:24 says that Christ “was raised to life for our justification.” What does that mean? Many times the New Testament says that Christ died on the cross for our justification but now here it says “raised to life for our justification.” It means that in order to justify us before God, which is what Christ’s death achieved, He could not remain dead. He had to be raised to life in order to apply the benefits of His death to us.

Look at it in this way. Christ died for all those whom God in His plan of salvation intends to save. These are the elect. But how will the elect, in whatever time they live, receive the benefits of what Christ has done for them on the cross? Well, they need to hear about it. Then they have to be brought to God in order for them to receive the salvation Christ has secured for them in His death.

It’s like me knowing about John and Peter having fallen out with each other. Peter has done wrong things to John and there is now a gulf between them. I am willing to go to John and repair whatever damage Peter has done. John is willing to accept my offer. My fixing the damage has made John accept Peter again. But I still need to go to Peter and tell him all about it. I have to get Peter and John to be friends again because whatever drove them apart is now fixed.

That’s how Christ is Mediator to those for whom He has died. He causes them to hear of His sacrifice on the cross. As Christ brings the gospel He then causes them to believe that He is the Saviour, the Substitute. He calls them to repentance and justifies them, adopts them into God’s church. He sanctifies them, and then helps them to persevere as Christians. In fact, Christ makes sure no one will ever pluck them out of the Father’s hand, and so ultimately Christ will glorify them. Now all these wonderful things is what Christ the Mediator does.

And we may pray when we have doubts, when we have burdens to carry, when we have sinned. We have been taught to pray in Jesus’ name. Why? Because He is our Mediator. Prayers in Jesus’ name are guaranteed to be heard by our Father in heaven. Christ has died for us. He has made us right with God. God will not turn His face away from those whom Christ has saved. It’s impossible for God to do that. He will not go back on His promise to eternally hold on to those whom He has saved. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

You see, Christ as Mediator is now also our High Priest. In Old Testament times the high priest once a year went into the Holy of holies in order to mediate between the sinful people and the holy God. Before going into the Holy of holies there was a goat over whom the high priest confessed the people’s sins and then the goat was killed and its blood sprinkled on the altar. The whole thing was a symbol of what Christ would do when He came. And now Christ has come and He shed His own blood and as our High Priest is always in God’s holy presence to mediate for us. The prayers of God’s children are always heard when they ask God to be merciful to them and forgive them their sins, because Christ has died for them and was raised to life for their justification.

God does not hear the prayers of sinners who don’t care about Christ. Even to Old Testament Israel, which had forsaken God, the prophet Isaiah had to warn, “even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood” (1:15). And God said the same to the unrepentant through Jeremiah, “Although they cry to me, I will not listen to them” (11:11). But Christ is a comforting Mediator to those who want to be God’s children. Listen to what the Lord said, “Come to me. All you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29).

Are you weary because of burdens you carry in your heart? Well, keep on coming to church to hear the Word and keep on participating in the sacraments. In the Hebrew letter we read, “Let us not give up meeting together…” (Heb 10:25). And continue to talk about what is in your hearts with the church’s office bearers because God has appointed them to take care of His flock. But the church, the preaching, the sacraments, the pastors, elders and deacons can only point you to Christ. They cannot do for us what Christ does. Only He is our real Mediator. Only He makes our salvation certain. The church, the sacraments, office bearers, fellow Christians, can all be a blessing to us, but they cannot match Christ.

Christ as Mediator is for us our chief Prophet, for He alone speaks best from the heart of God to us. As Mediator, Christ is also our only High Priest, for only His sacrifice on the cross has made us right with God. And Christ the Mediator is also our eternal King, for He alone will continue to reign until all of God’s enemies have been overcome, thus securing the future of the people of God on the new heaven and earth.

3. Practical application for the church and individual believers

Because Christ is our Mediator, we see again why the Reformation saw the clergy as pastors or ministers and not as priests. The role of the pastor or minister is not to attempt what Christ has already done. They do not offer sacrifices on the altar. Neither do they stand between the people and God. They do not have special status or exercise special powers. Confessions of sin are not made through them, but directly to Christ. A pastor or minister is called by God and the congregation to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, with Christ in the centre. They are to lead in worship and administer the sacraments.

So a minister or pastor is not to take over the role of Christ as the only Mediator between God and men. Our text says that Christ is the one Mediator between God and men. Although a pastor or minister has a special task, they are not of a different order from other Christians. The Reformers stressed the priesthood of all believers. The New Testament says all believers are to serve God as priests (Rev 1:6). It describes believers as “a royal priesthood”, and as such every believer is to declare the praises of God who has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Pet 2:9). We are “to offer to God a continual sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Heb 13:15-16). Notice in all this how we as believers are to sacrifice ourselves to God. It is part of our thankful service to Christ our Mediator. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Can you see how the priesthood of all believers is the result of Christ being our only Mediator? By giving us the benefits of His death Christ has made all believers equal before God. We may have different tasks in serving God, but we all stand together before Him cleansed and made righteous. Before the Reformation began teaching the priesthood of all believers, the medieval world had priests and monks at the top and shopkeepers at the bottom. But such is the beautiful work of Christ our Mediator, who makes every believer a saint, so that the believing ditch-digger has as much dignity in serving God as the preacher has in his task. In the world there are class distinctions according to the kind of work people do and how wealthy they are. But in God’s church there must not be class distinctions, for we are all made equally precious to God through Christ our Mediator.

John Calvin has written some moving words about Christ being the only Saviour, the only Sacrifice and the only Mediator. He said, and I am simplifying his words a little, that our whole salvation is in Christ. We should, therefore, take care not to go looking somewhere else. If we seek salvation, then we can find it in Christ. If we seek other gifts of the Spirit, then they have been set apart for us in Christ. If we seek strength, then it lies in Christ who rules over all. If we seek to be pure, then it is in Christ for He was born sinless and His blood has cleansed us from sin. If we seek to be humble, then we find it in the circumstances of His birth. If we seek forgiveness, then it lies in His suffering. If we seek to be acquitted, then it’s in Christ being condemned in our place. If we do not want God’s curse on us, then the cross is our escape. If we seek to be reconciled to God, then Christ suffering the agony of hell has done it for us. If we seek to put our sinful nature to death, then Christ being dead in the tomb shows that He died to sin. If we seek newness of life, then we find it in Christ’s resurrection. If we seek eternal life, then it’s there in Christ who is alive for evermore. If we seek to inherit the kingdom of heaven, then Christ being there is our hope. If we seek protection, then it’s there in Christ the King. If we seek security, then it’s there in the many blessings Christ gives. If we seek comfort when we have to stand before God the Judge, then we look to Christ who has already been judged on our behalf. In short, since every kind of good is found in Christ, let us drink from Him and from no other (cf. Institutes, II, xvi.19).

Amen.