JESUS CHRIST, OUR HIGH PRIEST (Part II)

JESUS CHRIST, OUR HIGH PRIEST (Part II)

Acting in His gracious capacity as High Priest, Jesus Christ fulfills three distinct functions to totally secure our redemption from sin and our eternal salvation.  First of all, Jesus Christ is our Atoner.  Secondly, Jesus Christ is our Mediator.  Thirdly, Jesus Christ is our Advocate.  Our previous devotional explored Christ’s priestly ministry as the Atoner for our sins.  Today, we will highlight the life-sustaining ministry of Jesus Christ as our Mediator.

The Word declares that there is “one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all...” (I Timothy 2:5-6)  According to The World English Dictionary, a “mediator”  is one who “intervenes (between parties or in a dispute) in order to bring about an agreement.”  As the Father’s “only begotten Son,” and as the mediator of every believer [mesites in the Greek] Jesus Christ acts as an effective ‘go between’ to the Father. (John 3:16 and I John 4:9)  It is important to note that Christ’s ministry function as our mediator is entirely different from His ministry service as our advocate.  A mediator is impartial and thus represents both parties equally.  Only Jesus Christ could justly serve as this mediator between God, the Father (Who is eternally holy) and the “sons of God” (who are naturally sinful) because only Jesus Christ is both God and man. (Lamentations 5:7 – John 1:12;14 – I John 3:2)

Question: Why would it be necessary for us to have a mediator once salvation has been effectively enacted by Jesus and faithfully embraced by believers?  Answer: Ongoing mediation is necessary because we exist in a fallen and sinful world system, and therefore perpetual spiritual warfare must be waged to sustain our relationships with God. (Ephesians 6:12)  The Word characterizes fallen humanity as “by nature, the children of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:3)  Since our very nature is fallen, humankind has a propensity and predisposition for sin and thus “heads for sin and misery as predictably as flames shoot upwards from a fire.” (Job 5:7, TLB)

The mediation ministry of Jesus Christ results in two definitive blessings for those who believe and receive.  First of all, Christ initiates “the new covenant,” graciously liberating us from the curse and limitations of the Mosaic law. (Hebrews 12:24 – Romans 7:4 – Romans 8:1-4)  Secondly, Christ intercedes continuously for us.  “Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)  To wit, the salvation ministry of Jesus Christ does not cease on Calvary’s cross.  His declaration “It is finished,” merely means that He has accomplished our spiritual deliverance from sin (and its penal effects) by living a righteous life and dying in our place to satisfy the righteous demands of a just and holy God. (John 19:30)

Recognizing his inadequacy to represent himself, Job longed for one who has the power to “plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour.” (Job 16:21)  The intercessory ministry of our High Priest saves us to the uttermost by shielding us from sinful practices – which serves to minimize problems in the Christian life and to cancel potential breakdowns in our relationship with God, the Father. (I John 3:9) 

The High Priestly prayer of Jesus Christ confirms these Kingdom truths:

John 17:5-17

⁵ And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

⁶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

⁷ Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

⁸ For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

⁹ I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

¹⁰ And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

¹¹ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³ And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

¹⁴ I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁵ I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Christ continuously intercedes on our behalf that we might not be victimized and destroyed by sin…yet Christ faithfully advocates for us whenever we stumble and fall prey to sin. (I John 2:1) It is a necessary paradox by which believers eternally benefit.  In our next devotional, we will discuss the advocacy ministry of Christ.  Stay tuned, sisters and brothers, because there is more to come…and be continually blessed!