No one is more precious than Jesus Christ. In this new series of blog posts, I would like to meditate on the office and work of this glorious Person whom the Father sent to be our Jesus—that is, as His name means, the One who saves His people from their sins.
Christ is the Mediator of the covenant of grace. All revolves around Him and depends on Him.
What is a mediator?
A mediator is one who stands between two disagreeing parties to reconcile them. Our Mediator with God is Jesus Christ, the only door and way through the high and thick wall between the holy, triune God and the unholy sinner. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:5–6, “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.”
What difference does it make to have Christ as your Mediator?
It makes all the difference in the world. The Heidelberg Catechism reminds me that my “only comfort in life and death” is “that I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.”
What does that mean on a personal level?
On the one hand, this is a painful confession. It is a painful thing to learn to say, “I am not my own.” It brings the outward pain of persecution. The Heidelberg Catechism was nicknamed “the martyr’s catechism” because of the way those who held to it suffered persecution from wicked men. But it also brings an inward pain, for one must die to self in order to belong to Christ. Christ’s crucifixion becomes my crucifixion, especially the crucifixion of my self-righteousness and self-will. I must see that all my works are stained with sin like filthy rags. I must become a poor, lost sinner so that I can become rich and found in Christ. And I must die to my delusion of independence and learn that I do not exist for myself, but to live unto God.
On the other hand, it is a glorious confession. Falling down at the feet of Jesus with nothing in ourselves, the Holy Spirit reveals through the Word that Christ is everything, the answer to all my dilemmas and fears, all my discomfort and misery, all my iniquity and sin, and all my unrighteousness and powerlessness. There is no greater comfort than to say that I am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. For He becomes my all.
This series, “Heartfelt Questions about Christ,” will explore what it means to belong to Christ in the riches of His grace. May God bless it to your soul.
Oh, this is going to be a good series! I am really looking forward to reading all of the posts. Thank you so much for this first one. We all need to be reminded of these things often.