The Only Mediator

The Greek word for mediator is, mesites (mes-ee’-tace) and means a go-between, i.e. (simply) an internunciator, or (by impl.) a reconciler (intercessor):–mediator. Wester defines mediator thus, “One who mediates; esp., one who interposes between parties at variance to reconcile them.”

There is a mediation that takes place concerning legal matters where one party offends another party. A marriage councilor, among others, is a mediator. When we come to the Word of God we find a need of mediation as well. It is a matter of the greatest importance, for it has to do with the eternal destiny of your soul. Let’s consider who are the parties involved, what needs to be worked out between the two parties and who is the mediator?

I. WHO ARE THE PARTIES INVOLVED?

1. God is the offended party.
   

   Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. (Galatians 3:20)

2. Mankind is the offender.
   

   Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

3. What does the Law say?
   

   And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
   (Exodus 20:1-17)

4. On the one hand we have an holy and righteous God.
5. On the other we have vile and wretched mankind.
6. We tend to think we are not that bad, however, when we look honestly at the holiness God requires, we soon see our inability to measure up to God’s standards.
7. God’s holiness and righteousness requires His wrath and judgment.
   

   But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (Matthew 3:7-8)

II. WHAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT BETWEEN GOD AND MANKIND?

1. The question of sin, for all of mankind is in sin.
   

   Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)

2. Sin has separated us from God.
   

   But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)

3. We are at opposite ends of the issue.
   1. God is holy, we are unholy
   2. God is righteous, we are unrighteous.
   3. God is pure, we are impure.
   4. God is good, we are evil.
   5. You get the picture!

III. WHO IS THE MEDIATOR?

1. There are some who will tell you Mary is a mediator.

   ILL> There is a Catholic church that has an image of the Lord hanging on a cross and when you go around to the back of it, there is Mary on the other side. This implies that she is also a mediator on your behalf. This is totally foreign to the Word of God.

2. Some will act as if their so-called church is a mediator, for according to them you cannot get into heaven without being a member of their church.
3. But God says there is only One mediator between Him and man and that is the man Christ Jesus.
   

   For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
   (I Timothy 2:5-6)

   ILL> Some time ago I heard a man talking about mediating between a Union and a company. The first thing he had to do was hire body guards to protect him, probably from both sides. Then he went where he needed to be to negotiate an agreement that both sides could ratify.

4. Jesus had body guards.
   

   Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
   (Matthew 4:5-6)

   Peter in the garden,

   Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?(Matthew 26:53)

5. He came to earth where He needed to work out the details.
   

   Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

6. He negotiated and ratified a new covenant between God and man and sealed it with His own blood, we call it the New Testament.
   1. His offering for sin is better than Abel’s.
      

      And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)

      For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
      (Romans 5:10, 18-21)

   2. He has mediated a greater covenant than Moses which has eternal benefits.
      

      And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:15-28)

   3. He is a greater High Priest than any other.
      

      But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 8:6; 2:17)

   4. He sits at the right hand of God to intercede for us.
      

      Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:33-34)