Question 15: What kind of mediator and savior, then, should we expect?

 

Question 15: What kind of mediator and savior, then, should we expect?

Answer: He must be truly human, truly righteous, and truly God, possessing power greater than all creatures.

1 John 4:14-15 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they in God.

Jesus was God before the creation of the world, but when he came to the world as Christ after the creation of the world, he came as the Son of God. The reason for this was to lead sinners back to repentance and make them sons of God.

1 John 4 describes the relationship between God, God's Son, and the saints. "We" refers to the group of disciples, including John. They are those who directly saw Jesus Christ. Those who confess that he is the Son of God are those who abide in Christ, and God the Father dwells in the saints. Here, we see the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and the saints. The Trinity signifies the unity of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the saints in the Holy Spirit.

The Mediator and Savior must be a blameless lamb. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:7, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God's grace."

"Redemption, the forgiveness of sins," means that redemption is necessary for forgiveness of sins. "Redemption" here is a quotation from Leviticus 4:20. "Redemption" is also used as "substitution" or "redemption." It means that a servant is purchased and then delivered. It's not about cleansing sins first, but about purchasing the sinner and then being freed. This concept is Yom Kippur.

Genesis 6:4 says, "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in it and cover it inside and out with pitch." The noun form of Yom Kippur is pitch. The word "cover" is kaphar. In the Old Testament, there was a bronze altar in the courtyard of the sanctuary. By laying hands on the lamb, all sins were transferred to it. This is also the word "redeem." Thus, the dead lamb and the sinner become one.

This is the atonement that happens to those who repent. Afterwards, they wash their hands and feet at the laver. After washing their hands and feet, the priest could enter the sanctuary. Inside the sanctuary, there is a covering, and this covering is the word for it. The priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year (on the 10th day of the 7th lunar month). Inside the Most Holy Place is the Ark of the Covenant, and above it is a covering (in Hebrew, kopherth, meaning "covered with grace"), also called the Mercy Seat or the Mercy Seat.

Yom Kippur was the day when the sins of all sinners were covered. Therefore, once a year, the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat, and the blood covered them. In the New Testament, for this to happen, God purchased sinners with the blood of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross (rending the veil) and was resurrected, and as high priest, he approached God on His throne. Therefore, God purchased sinners from Satan with His blood when they repented and turned from Him.

The word "covered" means "covered" (kaphar). It means to be covered from God's judgment. Therefore, there is no forgiveness of sin without redemption. God lives only when sinners repent and turn back, and He lives by sending His Son to die in their place. This is an amazing grace. He pays the price of His Son's death only for those who repent. God's love is given to those who repent. Therefore, they become God's.