Man’s need and God’s desire
Ever since Adam’s sin alienated mankind from God, man has needed a mediator: someone who could bridge the gap between man and God. Conscious of his own inability to accomplish this, Job longed, “For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.” (Job 9:32f)
That is the essence of a mediator: one who can stand between two opposing parties, lay his hand on both of them and be the bridge between them. In fact, the New Testament word for mediator, mesites, comes from the Greek word for “middle.”
The Bible tells us that there is one, and only one, such mediator. “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 2:5) When we examine the Scriptures, we discover that Christ is the mediator in various ways.
Between God and man
There are several senses in which Christ is the mediator between God and men.
The Lord Jesus is the one and only way in which sinful men can be reconciled to a holy God. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
But not only is Christ man’s only way to God, He is also the way God manifests Himself to man. “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (Jn. 1:18). Christ is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15).
These two ideas speak to us of Christ’s priesthood, in which He represents men to God and God to men. As such, He is the mediator of a new and better covenant (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
It is important to note that Christ is not only the mediator by which sinful men come to God for salvation, but He is also the only mediator by which believers come to God. Job was already saved when he expressed his need of a mediator. Similarly, it is only through the Lord Jesus that believers have the right and privilege to come into the presence of the Lord. This is made clear for us by the wide variety of activities which we are to perform in Christ’s name.
We also see His roll as mediator pictured in the offerings. God’s heart and man’s heart met in the offering. Both looked upon the offering as that which satisfied them and brought them together.
Lastly, the reason that the Lord Jesus could function as mediator between God and man is that He, and only He, is fully God and fully man. The fullness of deity is forever united with perfect humanity in the person of the Lord Jesus. “For in Him all the fulness of deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9). Men can have perfect peace with God through the Lord Jesus because deity and humanity meet together in Him in perfect harmony.
Between heaven and earth
There are a variety of instances in the Bible where we see Christ between heaven and earth. Jacob dreamed of a ladder linking heaven and earth, a ladder by which angels travelled between the two locations (Gen. 28:12). When Christ came to earth, He declared Himself to be that very link (Jn. 1:51). He is the angels’ Lord, and they come and go at His bidding.
The sons of Korah wrote, “Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth; And righteousness looks down from heaven.” (Ps. 85:10f) When we read those words, how can we help but think of Calvary. As the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, truly truth sprang from the earth and righteousness looked down from heaven.
Asaph said, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.” (Ps. 73:25) Whether in heaven or in earth, all that is worthwhile comes to us through Christ.
Between the living and the dead
After Korah was judged for his rebellion, the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:41). Had Israel been left on her own at this point, she would have been instantly consumed (v.45). But Aaron, the high priest, took his stand between the dead and the living and the plague was checked (v.48).
We, too, were all deserving of instant judgment. But we can be righteously spared because our great high priest has taken His stand, enduring the judgment of God on our behalf.
Again we see a picture of this great truth at Calvary. The cross of the Lord Jesus wasn’t the only cross that day. He was crucified between two thieves. Although both of the thieves began by ridiculing Christ, one of them looked closely enough to notice that the Man on the center cross wasn’t a criminal, but a king—the King—and he turned to Christ in faith and was gloriously saved. Although both thieves suffered a similar physical fate, their spiritual destinies couldn’t be more different—one was spiritual dead, the other was regenerated and spiritually alive. We look back on that scene and, by faith, see the Lord crucified between the living and the dead. To this very day and on into eternity, mankind is divided into the living and the dead by how we view Christ.
Between Jew and Gentile
In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul points out the horrible plight of the Gentiles: they were without God, and without Christ, and without hope in the world. However, he goes even further than that. Not only were the Gentiles cut off from God, they were also cut off from God’s people and all of the blessings that the people of God enjoy. Sin formed a wall between the Gentiles and God. But there was a second wall: the wall dividing Gentiles from Jews (v.14).
There was no deeper division among men than that between Jew and Gentile. But the work of Christ broke down that wall and abolished the enmity between the two. It was sufficient to make the two into one new man (v.15) so that, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal. 3:28).
This has more than a technical significance. If God can abolish the barrier between Jew and Gentile (and He has!), then surely He can deal with other barriers between men as well. This speaks to the very practical issue of unity in the local church. Left to ourselves, we have more than enough problems and faults to alienate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ. But Christ is more than sufficient to overcome those barriers and bring us together. However, it is crucial to note that it is Christ who brings about this unity. If we truly desire to enjoy unity in our local churches, it won’t happen through programs or creeds or gimmicks. Genuine harmony will only come through believers fixing their eyes on Christ. As we all draw near to Him, we automatically draw near to each other.
Between the Old and New Testaments
Very briefly, we note that Christ is the mediator who brings the two testaments together. How often do we hear those who don’t know Christ demonstrate vast ignorance of the two testaments, suggesting, for example, that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament? Yet the believer delights to see Christ as the great, unifying theme of both testaments. Apart from Him, both are inexplicable. But in Him, both find their fullness and unite in a testimony to the divine origin of the Bible.
We began by mentioning that men, like Job, long for a mediator between God and men. But the Bible also tells us that God longed for such a mediator. “And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it” (Ezek. 22:30a). He found no such man on earth (v.30b). So, in the fullness of time, He sent forth His beloved Son as the One who would fulfill both man’s need and God’s desire.