Mediator between God and Man

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:5

         

A mediator is only effective when both sides have confidence in their go-between. Divergent sides with no common ground cannot be brought together unless there is someone standing with one foot firmly in each camp - unless someone takes seriously the interests of both.

Job had many problems but he was afflicted most of all by his loss of fellowship with the living God. Feeling frustrated and rejected he cried out to his maker, “Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33). Job longed for a mediator who could get things settled.

Holy God and sinful man - a great gulf separated the two. The vast expanse was uncrossable so a cross was provided. The Creator took on his creature's form and bridged heaven and earth at the moment of the incarnation. Christ Jesus having both the divine and human natures became the true mediator between God and man.

                            God

                            Holy Omnipotent

                            All-seeing Ruling Judging

                            Jesus Christ Savior Lord

                            Feeling Searching Thirsting

                            Living Breathing

                            Man
                                                                         R. Khol

I AM

Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

John 8:58

Talk about conversation stoppers. The Pharisees were shocked. They couldn’t believe their ears. Jesus of Nazareth had just called Himself “I AM.” Just moments before He said that He was older than Abraham and now, in effect, He was saying that He was the God of Abraham. They immediately picked up stones to throw at Him.

         

This was no inside joke or subtle allusion. Jesus had blatantly applied one of the most powerful names of God to Himself. They knew the scripture: “God declared to Moses ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'” (Exodus 3:14).

The Jewish leaders didn’t believe the Lord. They refused to have Him rule over them and by doing that, they were guilty of the crime of rejecting the Living God.

When Jesus called Himself the great I AM, He calls all humanity to respond to His claim. To reject or ignore the deity of Christ is to choose not to believe the Master. Believing Him is to praise, worship, and honor Him as the everlasting God.

 By the Spirit all pervading,

 Hosts unnumbered round the Lamb,

 Crowned with light and joy unfading,

 Hail Him as the great “I AM.”

                                 J.N. Darby (1800-1882)

Invisible

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17

          INVISIBLE. Now isn’t that an odd title to give to the Lord Jesus Christ? After all, He is the second person of the Trinity and by definition, He has a real body and can be seen and even touched. It’s not surprising then that some preachers view this verse as a doxology - a song of praise to God in general and it doesn’t really refer to Jesus in particular.

         

Wait a minute! These praises are addressed to the King Eternal and that’s clearly a reference to Christ who is the King of Kings. Another thing, in reading the first chapter of 1 Timothy, the main focus is the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus. By the time Paul reaches verse seventeen it seems like he just bursts into praise and thanksgiving for his wonderful Lord.

         

But how is Jesus invisible, if he has a body? Well, He doesn’t stop being God even though He has a body.

The Lord Himself said “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). Christ is the unseen guest at the table of every Christian home. He is always there at prayer meeting even when the numbers are down and His invisible presence is felt every time believers remember Him in the Breaking of Bread.

         

When the Lord gave the Great Commission, He ended it with the promise “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). That means that the Master is very close at all times to His disciples no matter their situation. He is there in the prison cell, in the desert, or even with a saint who is lost in the woods. He is the Invisible friend that is always near and dear.

Son of God

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 4:15*

The title is a statement of faith, the distinguishing creed of all true believers. Peter admitted to Jesus “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”(Mathew 16:16). Martha, Nathaniel, the Roman centurion, and the Ethiopian eunuch also acknowledged the same. In fact, true faith for anyone is based on whether or not a person reaches this conclusion.

         

Phony Christians might employ the phrase in one way or another but they don’t understand it or at least they refuse to accept its true meaning. That is because the title is a declaration of the deity of Christ and that is something counterfeit converts don’t wish to accept.

         

In Bible times, the phrase “son of...” clearly meant “being one with”, as in the “sons of the prophets” or “sons of the singers.” When Jesus declared, “I am the Son of God” the Jewish leaders were immediately offended and ready to stone Him for blasphemy. To them, by saying God was His father, He was making Himself equal to God (John 5:18).

         

To call Jesus the Son of God is the same as acknowledging Him as God, the Son. It concedes that He has power and authority to judge and punish sinful man. Calling on the Lord by this title implies submission and obedience to His will. It concludes that no surrogate savior could ever redeem God’s lost creation. Only God Himself in human form could be capable of bringing complete salvation.

*Matthew 27:54; John 1:49, 11:27, 10:36; Acts 8:37; Daniel 3:25; plus 38 other references.

Son of Man

(The favorite title of Christ for Himself).

"I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.

Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

Daniel 7:13,14*

The husband was an American and his wife Canadian. The child was both. He wasn’t a little of each, but 100% a citizen of both countries.

         

Jesus Christ is the God-Man. Conceived through the Holy Spirit, He is all that the Almighty ever was or is. Born of a woman, He is fully human and is a credit to His race. Not half God and half man, the Lord Jesus combines deity and humanity without diluting either.

         

As Son of God, Christ is of the family of God and the possessor of God’s nature. As Son of Man, the Lord couldn’t have been more human. There wasn’t an emotion or experience that He couldn’t feel.

Of the two titles, it was Son of Man that He chose to use the most. It was such a special title that with only one exception in the New Testament it always comes from the Lord’s own mouth. The term is powerful and most often refers to a time when the God-Man will reign forever over the human race. However, the Savior made it very clear that first, the Son of Man had to be lifted up, suffer, and die for His creation before this would be possible.

                                    Son of Man, His incarnation

                                    Opened first the tale of grace;

                                    Son of Man, in new creation

                                    Leader of a chosen race!

                                    Well may glory, well may glory,

                                    Give to Him the honored place!

                                                                                    Thomas Kelly

*see also Mark 14:62; Matthew 20:28; John 3:14; Acts 7:56 plus 80 other New Testament references

True Vine

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

John 15:1

          The Old Testament repeatedly refers to Israel as a vine. Taken out of Egypt and transplanted in Canaan, God labored to enable His tender plant to grow (Psalm 80:8,9). However, the experience was disappointing because instead of something worthwhile, the vine produced only wild grapes (Isaiah 5:2). The seed was good. God started with only the best but somehow it degenerated into an alien plant that had to be rejected (Jeremiah 2:21).

         

Today, not everyone will understand the depth of meaning in this imagery but it was clear to the people in the Bible times who were very familiar with vineyards. They knew that grape production was a labor-intensive industry and a worthless harvest after years of effort would be more than disappointing.

         

For centuries, God nurtured and cared for Israel. He called the nation His, giving it not only His blessing and protection but also His law, His prophets, and many works of wonder. Yet for all this expense of concern, Israel’s fruit was bitter and useless to the owner. Every new effort to produce a crop of faithfulness resulted in new regret. Finally, it came time to uproot and cast off the wild hybrid vine and replace it with something true and productive.

         

Jesus is the True Vine and the Father will never be disappointed in Him. He is the perfect fulfillment of the plans and purposes of God.

         

When Israel sought life through law keeping and ceremony, they found none there. They became withered and worthless. However, Christ Himself is the True Vine. He is the source of life and grace so that all those who abide in Him can expect to live a life that is fruitful and productive.

The Vine

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

Dismal! That’s the best way to describe a vineyard in the late fall. Contorted log-like trunks about six to eight feet long lie on the cold barren ground stripped of limb, leaf, and presumably even life. It’s hard to believe that this place was fruitful just a few months before. Only a very few would even expect that those chunks of weathered wood could produce abundantly again.

         

Each of those naked stumps is a vine and within them is the promise of next year’s harvest. In the spring the empty field turns green with life. The vine sends out branches and then leaves. The clusters of fruit that form are not so much a reflection of the quality of the branches as much as a tribute to the productivity of the vine.

         

When Jesus said that He was the vine, His disciples understood that He claimed to be the source of fruitfulness to those abiding in Him. Christ did not have material wealth, comfort, or a large following while He was on this earth, so spiritual fruit can’t be construed as meaning these things. Rather, the character that people saw in Him is what He offers.

The Lord Jesus told his followers: “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9). “"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11). “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). The fruit of the spirit just happens in a believer’s life when he is very close to Christ (Galatians 5:22-23).