Question 18: Who then is this Mediator, who is truly God and truly man, and truly righteous?

 

Question 18: Who then is this Mediator, who is truly God and truly man, and truly righteous?

Answer: Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to make us completely free and just before God.

Since Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and sinners, Jesus is not God, but the Son of God. If Jesus were God, sinners would not be able to stand before Jesus, because sinners cannot stand before God. Therefore, a mediator who brings reconciliation is necessary. Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, a true man, and truly righteous.

As the sole mediator between God and humanity, Jesus confesses humanity's sins to God and conveys God's will to humanity. Through Jesus' death on the cross, God is reconciled with sinners, and repentant sinners can be freed from sin and restored to their relationship with God. By atoning for the sins of repentant sinners on the cross, Jesus broke down the barrier of sin between God and humanity. Therefore, as the mediator entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, Jesus Christ is the only way to restore our relationship with God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, all things have become new. And all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Becoming a new creation means entering into a new relationship with God. Before being in Jesus Christ, we had no relationship with God. Our flesh was weak and unable to approach God. We were stained with sin, incapable of uniting with God, a state of despair itself. Furthermore, we were enemies of God, living in a body of death, completely mastering ourselves. These sinners were reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because sinners could not come to God, God came to sinners in the form of Christ.

"God who sits on the throne in the highest heaven" abandoned his throne in heaven, took on human flesh, emptied himself, took the very nature of a servant, came down to this sinful earth, embraced all the sins of the world, and was obedient even to the point of death on the cross. After his resurrection and ascension, he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in believers forever, thereby bringing about perfect reconciliation and unity with those who were weak, sinful, and enemies.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Question 64. What is the invisible church?

  Question 64. What is the invisible church? Answer. The invisible church is the total number of the elect who are gathered together and will be gathered together in the future under Christ, the head. In the catechism, the doctrine states that the invisible church is "the total number of the elect who are gathered together and will gather together in the future under Christ, the head," so it can be understood as those who make heaven in Christ. However, the invisible church can be said to be an invisible church community, but this was only used as a means to divide the visible church and the invisible church, and dividing them into visible and invisible is not biblical. The church is the church of the saints, and the church community is the gathering of the saints. The expression "true member" is also ambiguous.  
Read more

Question 28. What is the punishment of sin in this life?

  Question 28. What is the punishment of sin in this life? Answer. The punishment of sin in this life is inwardly, hardening of the heart, corrupted senses, strong temptations, stubbornness of the mind, fear and shame of conscience, lust, and the like; and outwardly, the curse of God upon all things for our sakes, and all other evils that come to our bodies, names, positions, relations, and occupations, and so forth, which lead to death.   In this world, the punishment for sin is the spirit being imprisoned in the flesh. Original sin is when evil angels want to be like God in the kingdom of God, so they oppose God and die with their spirits imprisoned in human flesh. This is hell. The world is like a prison, and life is like a wanderer. All people who do not know God are suffering spiritually. That is why their hearts are broken. No matter how much you enjoy material blessings in life, there will surely come a day when your body dies. The day of judgment will surely co...
Read more

The tradition of the elders

  The tradition of the elders   Mark 7:5-9  『 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? He answered and said to them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 』 In the Galilee region, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus. They came with accusations against Jesus. This is because Jesus' disciples neglected washing their hands, a Jewish ritual of purification. They called it  “ the tradition of the elders. ”  The Jewish leaders ...
Read more