[519 words]
The Master said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Mediator, our High Priest, and our Advocate.
Jesus Christ is our SAVIOR. The angel directed Joseph to “call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). When Peter told the Sanhedrin about Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The word “Savior” (soter) means “deliverer.” Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Jesus Christ is our MEDIATOR. Paul wrote, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The word “mediator” (mesites) literally means “go between.” As our Mediator He is “the one who seeks to resolve the differences between two conflicting parties” – God and us! As God incarnate, He is eminently qualified to do this. He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ is our Mediator!
Jesus Christ is our HIGH PRIEST. In Hebrews 4, “Jesus the Son of God” is identified as our “great High Priest who has passed through the heavens” (verse 14). He can “sympathize with our weakness” (verse 15). Because He is our High Priest we can “hold fast our confession” (verse 14) and “come boldly to the throne of grace” (verse 16). From the shadow of the Levitical priesthood, we learn that the role of the “High Priest” (archiereus) is to offer sacrifice for the people and to mediate on their behalf. As our Savior, Jesus “appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” and as our Mediator He went “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24-26). Jesus Christ is our High Priest!
Jesus Christ is our ADVOCATE. John wrote, “My little children, these I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). The word “Advocate” (parakletos) literally means “called to one’s side.” Jesus Christ is “counsel for the defense.” He is the One who pleads our cause before the Father. He is “the righteous.” Jesus Christ is our Advocate!
He is our Savior! He is our Mediator! He is our High Priest! He is our Advocate! Thus, we see the mediation of Christ. Simply stated, we come to God through Jesus Christ! We express our gratitude to God through Him (Romans 1:8). We glorify God through Him (Romans 16:27). We have victory over death through Him (1 Corinthians 15:57). We are heirs of God through Him (Galatians 4:7). We have access to the Father through Him (Ephesians 2:18). We have eternal life through Him (Romans 6:23). Our response can only be, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Dwight Fuqua
Findlay church of Christ
Sparta, TN