There is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.
1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), all individuals with disabilities may request a mediator (an impartial third party) to facilitate communication and assist in resolving concerns with another party such as a school or employer in an attempt to reach the resolution of an issue. All states must comply with the mediation process per the requirements of IDEIA.
In the same way, I too require a mediator; not because of any disability but because of my sin. I need someone who is without fault to facilitate communication between me and a Holy God. That mediator is Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 states clearly that there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.
“The difference between none and one is a difference of millions. None means nothing, one means everything. None means failure: one means felicity. None means despair: one means delight. None means perdition: one means paradise. The difference between ‘no mediator’ and ‘one mediator’ is a difference that can never be worked out by arithmetic…. And one is ample. The difference between ‘no mediator’ and ‘one mediator’ is a difference that has all eternity within it.” (1)
Jesus is the only mediator; not man, not some other prophet or spiritual leader. If we could have access to God through someone other than Christ, then His death was in vain. Jesus paid the ransom for my sins – not just in part but all of it. Not 99.9% but 100%.
Having Jesus as my mediator fills me with immeasurable joy and hope. I need not worry that I am insufficient because Jesus is sufficient for me. In the light of eternity, that’s all that truly counts.
Thought: “Don’t ever think that there are many ways to the Divine. Jesus is the one qualified mediator, the only qualified sacrifice, and the only qualified savior.” – Erwin Lutzer
For further reading:
- Hebrews 8:6
- Hebrews 9:15
- Hebrews 12:24
- 1 John 2:1
(1) Frank Boreham, A Handful of Stars; Texts That Have Moved Great Minds, (New York: Forgotten Books, 2012), pg. 75-76.
Excerpt from my devotional, A Year in God’s Classroom