Theological Term of the Week

mediator
One who intervenes in order to make peace between alienated parties; “[t]he role that Jesus played in coming between God and us, enabling us to come into the presence of God.“1

• From scripture:

  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:5 ESV)

• From The London Baptist Confession 1689, Chapter 8:

  9. This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God; and may not be either in whole, or any part thereof, transferred from him to any other. (1 Tim 2:5).

  10. This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. (Joh 1:18; Col 1:21; Gal 5:17; Joh 16:8; Psa 110:3; Luk 1:74, 75)

• From Concise Theology by J. I. Packer

  The saving ministry of Jesus Christ is summed up in the statement that he is the “mediator between God and men” (1 Tim. 2:5). A mediator is a go-between who brings together parties who are not in communication and who may be alienated, estranged, and at war with each other. The mediator must have links with both sides in order to identify with and maintain the interests of both and represent each to the other on a basis of good will. …
  

  Every member of our fallen and rebellious race is by nature “hostile to God” (Rom. 8:7) and stands under God’s wrath (i.e., the punitive rejection whereby as Judge he expresses active anger at our sins, Rom. 1:18; 2:5-9; 3:5-6). Reconciliation of the warring parties is needed, but this can occur only if God’s wrath is somehow absorbed and quenched and man’s anti-God heart, which motivates his anti-God life, is somehow changed. In mercy, God the angry Judge sent his Son into the world to bring about the needed reconciliation.
  

Learn more:

1. GotQuestions.org: What does it mean that Jesus is our mediator?
2. R. C. Sproul: One God, One Mediator
3. John Flavel: The Nature of Christ’s Mediation
4. S. Lewis Johnson: The Offices of Christ (mp3 with transcript)
5. Sam Waldron: Christ the Only Mediator (mp3)

Related terms:

• deity of Christ
• humanity of Christ 
• high priestly prayer of Jesus
• priest (as an office of Christ)
• threefold office(s) of Christ

Filed under Person, Work, and Teaching of Christ

1From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

This week’s term was suggested by Becky of On My Way to Heaven.

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it.

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Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

Comments

[Becky]

Thank you!

May His joy abound in you today.