CHRIST OUR MEDIATOR "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man ChristJesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” A mediator is a person who intervenes between two parties,—which are either atvariance or separated for any reason,—for the sake of making reconciliation andfellowship. Before the Fall of man, there was no need for a mediator between God and mansince there was no variance between them though their distance in nature isvery great. But after the Fall, man is alienated from God by his sin andsubjected to God’s judicial wrath. A mediator became absolutely necessary.Christ was appointed the Mediator. Thus the Apostle Paul says: “there is oneGod, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Now, byreferring to Christ as man, Paul is not denying that He is God, which heelsewhere affirms unreservedly (1 Tim 3:16; Rom 9:5; Col 2:9); rather he isemphasising the fact that the mediatorial office of Christ could only beeffectively carried out if Christ is also a man, for otherwise, the infinitedistance between God and man cannot be breached. The fact is that in order forChrist to be the mediator between God and man, He has to be fully God and fullyman. How is Christ a mediator? We can think of the necessity of a mediator invarious situations in life. For examples, (1) a mediator-messenger is needed tobring the message of a king to his subjects in the way that his subjects canunderstand and appreciate it; (2) a mediator-advocate is needed to plead thecause of an offending party with the offended party, especially when the latteris of great significance, whereas the former is insignificant by comparison;and (3) a mediator-arbiter is needed to restore order by subjugating persuasionand execution of justice in such situations as a civil riot where the riotershave been led astray to rebel against the government. In which of these situations is Christ a mediator between God and men? Theanswer is: All three! These three functions or meanings of the term “mediator,”in fact, correspond to the threefold mediatorial office of Christ, namelyProphet, Priest and King. All these three functions of Christ are clearlytaught in the Scripture. For example, Moses speaks of Christ as a Prophet likeunto himself (Deut 18:15, 18; cf. Acts 3:22; 7:37); David speaks of Christ as aPriest of the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4; cf. Heb 7:17; etc.); and Paulspeaks of Christ as the “the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim 6:15; cf.Isa 9:6; Rev 17:14). In this article, we would like to discuss briefly thisthreefold office of Christ, that we be better acquainted with Christ our Lord,and appreciate the great work of mediation that He has done and is doing on ourbehalf to reconcile us to God.
In a general sense, a prophet is a man appointed by God to speak on His behalf,and given authority to explain and interpret the message if necessary. We havean interesting allusion of what a prophet is when God appointed Aaron to be amouthpiece of Moses (Ex 4:15–16; Ex 7:1–2). Moses was to appear to Pharaoh as agod (Pharaoh being polytheistic), whereas Aaron was to be his prophet. Thisprobably explains why Pharaoh did not attempt to arrest Moses. But the point wewant to highlight is God’s description of Aaron as a prophet: “He shall be tothee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God” (Ex 4:16). A prophet, in other words, is to be a herald of God. Foretelling of futureevents is only incidental. We have already seen that the Scripture explicitly speaks of Christ as aProphet like unto Moses. But what is the difference between Christ and theother prophets whom God has appointed, such as Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, oreven Moses himself? The difference is that all the other prophets speak about Christ (Lk 24:27)whereas Christ speaks about Himself. Christ alone is God and Prophet at thesame time. Moreover, all the other prophets received their message only throughthe “Spirit of Christ” who revealed to them concerning Him and the plan ofredemption (1 Pet 1:11). Christ, in other words, is prophet parexcellence. Malachi tells us the Christ is “the messenger of the covenant” (Mal 3:1). Healone, among men, was present as a representative when the everlasting Covenantof Grace was made between the persons of the Godhead. He alone has originalknowledge to tell us concerning the Covenant by which God condescends to grantmen “any fruition of Him as their blessedness and reward” (WCF 7:1).In that sense, He alone has “the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). Not only so,but Christ declares that He alone knows and reveals the Father(Mt 11:27), for no finite man may know the Father, but Christ who is theGod-Man. Thus the Apostle John calls Him “the Word” (Jn 1:1) and the “teachercome from God” (Jn 3:2). How does Christ execute the office of a Prophet? From the Scriptures we seethat He executes this office in two modes. Firstly, He exercises His prophetic office immediately (1)through His own Person, such as when He was on earth preaching to His disciplesand when He appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–6); and (2) bybeing the light of the New Jerusalem, the church made perfect: “And the cityhad no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory ofGod did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev 21:23). Secondly, His prophetic office is exercised mediately (1) byinspiring His prophets and the human writers of the Scriptures through HisSpirit (1 Pet 1:11; 2 Tim 3:16); (2) by illuminating our minds and hearts whenwe read the Scripture or hear His Word expounded: “And we know that the Son ofGod is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that istrue, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is thetrue God, and eternal life” (1 Jn 5:20; cf. 1 Jn 2:20; 1 Cor 2:9–16); (3)through the officers of the Word whom He appoints in His Church, for “He gavesome, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastorsand teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11–12). Thank God for Christ our Prophet. Were it not for Him “revealing to the Church,in all ages, by His Spirit and Word, in divers ways of administration, thewhole will of God” (WLC 43), neither we, nor anyone throughout theages would know anything about God for our edification and salvation. Christ Our Priest While a prophet is God’s representative to men, a priest is a man who isqualified and authorised to represent men to God (cf. Ex 28:9, 12, 29) byoffering up sacrifices and making prayers on their behalf. This office isdescribed by the writer of Hebrews who speaks of his appointment and duty aswell as his sympathy which enables him to intercede for his people: For every high priest taken fromamong men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offerboth gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant,and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed withinfirmity (Heb 5:1–2; cf. 5:7). The priest, in other words, is essentially a mediator, admitted from among mento stand before God, firstly to offer propitiation by sacrifice for men, andsecondly to make intercession for them. This is what Christ, as the Great High Priest, does for His Church throughoutthe ages, for as the WSC 25 expresses beautifully: “Christexecuteth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself asacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God; and in makingcontinual intercession for us” (emphasismine). The writer of Hebrews tells us that this was one of the chief reasons why theLord Jesus took on the nature of man rather than of angels, for only as man canHe represent us as a merciful High Priest (Heb 2:16–17). But how could Jesus be a priest when He is descended from Judah rather thanLevi? The answer lies in the fact that He was anointed a priest in the order ofMelchizedek, with an oath (Heb 5:6; 7:15–17; cf. Ps 110:4). By God’s design,the Melchizedek priesthood is already a higher priesthood than the Aaronicpriesthood since Abraham, who was the ancestor of Levi, gave tithes toMelchizedek (see Hebrews 7:1–10). But more than that, Jesus’ priestly ministryis far superior to the ministry of the Aaronic priests. Firstly, rather than offering animal sacrifices which are but shadows and typeswhich cannot take away sins (Heb 10:4), Christ offered Himself (Heb 9:14, 28),thereby propitiating the wrath of God by vicariously taking the punishment forsin that is due us upon Himself, and reconciling us to God (Heb 2:17; Eph2:16). Christ, being the God-man, is the only one who may offer Himself in thismanner, for only the blood of God (Acts 20:28) is sufficient to pay for sinagainst an infinite God, and besides, there can be true forgiveness of debtonly if the aggrieved party suffers loss in Himself (Mt 18:23–27). Moreover, by offering Himself, Christ fulfilled and gave meaning to all the OldTestament sacrifices (Col 2:17). It is only in this way that all the OldTestament sacrifices, which were made by faith, could be efficacious. In other words,even while the Aaronic priesthood was still functioning, Christ was the trueGreat High Priest of His people. Secondly, unlike the Aaronic priests, the Lord continues ever to makeintercession for us (Heb 7:24–25; 12:24a). Moreover, He does not intercede forus on earth as the Aaronic priest would have; rather, He is exalted to theright hand of God the Father, and He intercedes for us there (Rom 8:34). What does He intercede for? As our Advocate, He pleads with God that on accountof the merit of His death our sins may be pardoned; our consciences quieted andour souls preserved: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 Jn 2:1). At the same time, Christ beautifies ourprayers by removing all impurities and sin, and then presenting them to theFather and pleads that such as made in His name and in the will of God may beanswered: “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (Jn 14:14).Moreover, the Spirit of Christ also “maketh intercession for us with groaningswhich cannot be uttered” by forming thoughts and desires within us which areconsistent with the will of God (Rom 8:26–27). Thank God that we have Christ as our Great High Priest, for through Him alonewe may freely enter into the Holy of holies and “come boldly unto the throne ofgrace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb4:16). Thank God that we need not any other priests. Pastors and elders are nopriests, they are but appointed teachers and rulers in the church (Eph 4:11–12,etc.). We may indeed call them to pray for us (Jas 5:14–16), but it wouldgreatly dishonour the name of Christ if, for whatever reason, we take them aspriests to pray on our behalf when we remain prayerless. The Aaronic priesthood has been abolished through fulfilment by the Antitype,Christ (Heb 10:1, 9, 18). Let no man therefore pretend to be a priest, whetherin place of Christ or to mediate between man and Christ, for Christ is our onlymediator and way between God and man (1 Tim 2:5; Jn 14:6); and He teaches usemphatically that we can and must come to Him directly (Mt 11:28; Jn 5:40;7:37; Rev 22:17). All the priests of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy are thereforeantichrists (falsely standing in the place of Christ). Christ Our King A king is the ruler of a kingdom. Christ is such a king. His kingship was earlyprophesied in the OT, when Jacob blessed Judah by saying: “The sceptre shallnot depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come;and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen 49:10). Shiloh refersto the one to whom tribute belongs, i.e., an Ultimate King. This prophecy wasmade a little more specific by Nathan the prophet in his delivery of God’spromise to David: And when thy days be fulfilled, andthou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, whichshall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shallbuild an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Sam 7:12–13; cf. Ps 2:7; Heb 1:5b; Isa 55:3; Acts 13:34). David, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recognises that this King who willsit on the throne is his Lord: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at myright hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send therod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies” (Ps110:1–2). Under the ministry of the writing prophets the prophecy of the coming Kingbecame more and more distinct. For example, Jeremiah calls Him “a righteousBranch” and “The LORD Our Righteousness” (Jer 23:5–6; cf. Acts 13:23). Isaiahis even more specific. He not only calls Him the Branch and Root of Jesse (Isa11:1ff, 10; cf. Rom 15:12), but makes it clear that He is God, and to dwell amongman, He would be born of a virgin: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you asign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his nameImmanuel” (Isa 7:14; cf. Isa 9:6–7). It is only when we come to the New Testament, however, that the kingship ofChrist is unveiled completely and proclaimed openly. It becomes clear that HisKingdom is not an earthly, political one, but one in which His subjects are theelect or redeemed people of God (Mt 5:5–10; 6:33; 13:38; Lk 17:20; Jn 1:49; 3:3;1 Cor 15:50; etc.). This does not mean that Christ is not rightly the King ofHis and their enemies. He is (Ps 110:2; 1 Tim 6:15), but His absolute dominionis not presently evident, and will one day become manifest (1 Cor 15:25; Phil2:9–11; Rev 11:15; etc.). In the meantime, Christ executes His kingship in threeways: Firstly, He subdues us to Himself bymaking us willing to obey Him (Col 1:21; Ps 110:3; Acts 15:14–16). This, Hedoes so by effectually calling us by His Word and Spirit and then working inour heart a disposition to yield to Him the obedience He requires (Phil 2:13;Eph 3:16–19; 2 Cor 3:3). Secondly, He rules and defends us by giving us laws to guide and protect us(Isa 33:22; 32:1–2). And then, to implement these laws, He appoints officers inthe Church not only to proclaim the law but to exercise Church discipline wherenecessary (Mt 16:19). Thirdly, He currently restrains and finally puts down all who oppose us andHim, including Satan and the world (1 Cor 15:25; Ps 110). See also WLC 45. Thank God that Christ is our King. Were it not for His subduing us with HisSpirit of regeneration, we would still be in the bondage of sin and constantlyfalling for the deception of Satan to do his will. Were it not for Christ’svictory on our behalf at the Cross, Death would still have his sting and weshould rightly fear death (Heb 2:15), and have no assurance that we will havefinal victory. But thanks be to God, we have victory in Christ our King. Let ustherefore humbly submit to the rule of Christ through obeying His laws and Hisdeputies in the Church, who are faithful to Christ our King. Conclusion The doctrine of the mediatorial offices of Christ is a very comforting doctrinefor believers, if properly understood. Every believer is covenantally andspiritually united to Christ since we are federally represented by Christ andindwelt with the Spirit of Christ. (This is the basis of the union andcommunion of the saintscontra Rome which teaches that each memberis united to the institution of the church, and through the church to Christ).Therefore we may individually say: “Christ is my Prophet, He teaches me thewill of God concerning my salvation; Christ is my Priest, He died for me andintercedes for me; and Christ is my King, He delivered me from Satan and Sin,and rules over me.” What a great privilege and comfort it is to know there isno other mediator between God and me, but the Lord Jesus Christ who is very Godand very man. Moreover, through our union with Christ, every believer is also a prophet, apriest and a king. We are prophets in that through illumination of the Spiritwe may know and proclaim the truth of God (1 Jn 2:20; Jn 16:13). We are priestsin that we may both offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving withour lips unto God, as well as make intercession for others (1 Pet 2:5, 9; Heb13:15; 1 Tim 2:1–2). We are kings not only because we will reign with Christone day (2 Tim 2:12; Rev 1:6, and 5:10), but because the expansion and purityof the Church is committed to our trust (Acts 1:8; 1 Pet 3:15; Mt 18:15–17; 1Jn 4:1; Jude 3; etc.). Let us thank God for Christ our Mediator. And let us seek the Lord’s help thatwe may serve Him in the threefold office committed to us with fear andtrembling mingled with joy and reliance upon Him who is our Prophet, Priest andKing.
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