“For There is One God, and Mediator also between God and Men!”

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”   (1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)

Scripture clearly shows that Jesus is the only mediator between God and us (v 5-6). We do not need to go to anyone else to “confess” our sins so we can be forgiven.

As Scripture says, only God can forgive sin, not some other human who would have you do “Penance” to pay for the sins you have committed. This is such an affront to the gospel of Grace, having someone “work” or do some action to pay for their own sin. I know it’s popular and what people want to hear, we all like to think we deserve forgiveness, and we all want to show how sorry we are for committing sins, by performing some activity demonstrating just how sorry we are. That is not God’s way of dealing with sin.

We don’t deserve forgiveness, we can’t bargain with God, even though many of us have tried to do this. Remember that time when you said, “God, if you will only do this, then I’ll never do that again, or I’ll start doing this instead of that.” God the Father is neither a negotiator nor is Jesus the Son.

Forgiveness of sins comes only from God because the price for committing sins has been completely paid for by God’s Son, the Lord Jesus. Just look at Romans 5:8, where we are told that Christ died for us (to pay the penalty for our sins) while we were “still sinners”. Nothing that we have, can presently do, or will do, will have any bearing on our receiving salvation. Only faith and acceptance of God’s grace as a gift will be able to do that.

So, what is a “mediator” anyway? A mediator means “in the middle”, or one who will guarantee the performance of all the terms stipulated in a covenant (an agreement). Jesus is not a negotiator, taking the position to see what kind of deal of forgiveness He can get for us. There is no plea bargaining with God. Any sin, no matter how hideous or how subtle, deserves the penalty of death, separation from God for all of eternity. Jesus isn’t negotiating with God, He is going between God the Father and me and saying, “Father, this is Jerry, he has accepted me as His personal Savior, and He believes in me with all his heart. Please place any sin, past, present, or future that he has or will commit on my account, because my account has been paid in full.” Jesus guarantees that the terms of God’s New covenant (the covenant of Grace) is completely and perfectly fulfilled. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

Jesus is the only one who could guarantee the fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace because He and He alone fulfilled every detail. Believer, how should this truth change your life? It should free you from living under any and all legalism or obligation to “earn” God’s love and forgiveness. If you are a believer in Christ, you already have God’s love and forgiveness. Jesus, our mediator, has guaranteed it.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"