For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Christ Our Mediator

The tragedy of sin is the separation of God and man. It was not the desire of the Father to be without His creation as He formed him to be in His own image and to dwell with Him in glory. Satan destroyed the union of the divine and the creation and the need for reconciliation was demanded. Animals were used for sacrifice to appease the wrath of God but the limitation of a creation not formed in the image of God could never take away sins. Further, the sacrifice of animals could not establish a relationship of communion between man and God without the thing offered being like that which was being redeemed. Sacrificing animals was nothing more than killing a creation that was not eternal. Human sacrifice was an abomination in the sight of God prohibited from the beginning of time but it would take the killing of a man to redeem man. The Son of God was made in the form and image of a man that He might taste death for everyone. Through His life and death, Jesus would Himself suffer, being tempted to aid those who are tempted. This could not be accomplished through animal sacrifice. As the Son of God and the embodiment of the divine in human form, Christ became the mediator between God and man fulfilling the desire of the Father to save all men. Only through the death of Jesus can a man find redemption lost in the garden. Mediation comes only through Jesus Christ as there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. A mediator is one who arbitrates between two parties seeking peace and reconciliation. The blood of bulls and goats could never accomplish this. Only when the divine Son of God took on the form of human flesh experiencing all of the trials of carnality and living without the stain of sin could a full offering be made without blemish. The sacrifice of Jesus was not just that none of His bones were broken but the man from Nazareth redeemed man from the curse of the law, having become a curse as one who is hung on a tree and a man without sin. To mediate between God and man Jesus had to possess the attributes of the divine and the man. W. E. Vine writes, “Only by being possessed both of deity and humanity could He comprehend the claims of the one and the needs of the other.”

There is only one mediator. As there is only one God, Jesus said He was the only way, the one truth, the only life that men would find in coming to the Father. He further clarified there is no other avenue whereby men could redeem themselves from sin. As a sole mediator, Jesus removes the trappings of religious dogma seeking to elevate any man to a place of mediation. Abraham, Moses, David or one of the prophets could not take that role as they were sinful men. What separates the mediation of Jesus with the failed attempts of men to mediate is sin. The emphasis of the mediation of the Christ is that He was divine who lived as a man experiencing all of the temptations of the flesh yet without sin. No man has ever come close to living a perfect life. All men sin is the declaration of the word of God and regardless of the attempts of men to establish their own righteousness, sin defiles every man. The one mediator is the one who lived for more than three decades and never transgressed the law of His Father. This gives Jesus the divine right to rule as King of Kings and be the lamb without spot or blemish sacrificed for all men. The blood of Jesus was the nature of the divine and the carnal shed on a Roman cross outside of Jerusalem so that all men could find the grace of the Father. The Jews killed Jesus for envy and hatred but His sacrifice brought reconciliation as the one mediator between God and men. All of the glory of grace is found in the death of Jesus. His willingness to die for all men gives Him the eternal right and authority to be head over all things establishing His word as the only means that man can find salvation.

Jesus gave Himself to be a ransom for all to show the world there is one God and one mediator. He became the surety of a better covenant and a guarantee of God’s love. Salvation can come only through Jesus Christ. There are many religions, faiths, and dogmas in the world that exalt men pretending to include Jesus but none of these can mediate between God and men. There is only one God and He is the only divine that man should worship. As there is one God there can only be one mediator and that is the man Jesus Christ. He was given all authority both in heaven and in earth and the words of Jesus mediates the will of the Father. Whatever is spoken by Jesus is the word of God and to refuse to follow the words of Jesus is to deny God. As there is one God there is only one truth. Jesus is the personification of that truth. His life, teaching, miracles, and His death testify to His authority to serve as the one mediator. He and only He speaks for the Father to men. The Holy Spirit declares the will of the Father through the words of the one mediator Jesus Christ. When men refuse to heed the words of the Bible they reject the redemption of man. From Genesis to the Revelation Jesus Christ is the subject, the focus and the purpose of declaring the word to all men. His mediation began in the Garden of Eden and is fully declared in the divine garden revealed by the apostle John. There is one mediator – Jesus Christ.