In his book on the Solas of the Reformation, Terry Johnson wrote, “Christ is the hub around which the doctrines of the gospel revolve…By Solo Christo…we mean three things: he is the only Saviour, his is the only Sacrifice, and he is the only Mediator.”
What I’ll like to do in this second article on the Solas of the Reformation is to briefly consider a familiar verse which clearly teaches us this third aspect of Christ Alone, even 1 Timothy 2:5, which says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
The word ‘for’ connects this verse with the previous verses and the connection is this – that whatever diversity may exist among men, whether of race or nationality or social status or ability, all men are related and connected to each other because there is One God who is over all. There is not one God for this nation and another God for that, and neither is there one God for slaves and another for free men, or one for rulers and another for subjects. No, it is just one God, who is over all.
“For there is one God…” This is a fundamental truth of both the Old and New Testament. The Apostle Paul alludes to that famous verse in Deuteronomy 6:4, which reads, “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD.” And again, in Isaiah 45:5, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:”
But sadly, this is also one truth that the Devil has sought to destroy throughout history. This is seen in the thousands of false gods and religions that have arisen over the years. The Israelites themselves were not spared for we see that during large parts of their history, they compromised on this most foundational truth by turning to other gods and seeking to worship both the Lord their God and other false gods of heathen nations.
Today, this truth that there is only one God, even the God of the Bible, continues to be challenged and denied by many. Besides the many false religions all around, there is also the false doctrine of atheism, which denies the existence of God and the supernatural. Whereas the Bible says there is one God, the atheist says there is no God.
Now, we need to understand that atheism itself is actually a religion or a religious philosophy. It is not merely a lack of belief in God or the supernatural, as is commonly thought, but it is an entire world view and has implications for all of life. In atheism, man replaces God as the final authority. Man is the measure of all things. He, not God, will determine for himself what is good and what is evil, what is true and what is false, and what is real and what is imaginary etc.
But against all these false religions and ideas, our text affirms the truth that there is one God or as our Shorter Catechism puts it – there is but one only, the living and true God.
Then besides reminding us that there is only one living and true God, Paul tells us that there is only one mediator between God and men. The uniqueness of God and the uniqueness of the mediator are two truths that are tightly bound to each other. The Puritan Stephen Charnock wrote, “Christ is said to be the one Mediator in the same sense that God is said to be the one God. As there is but one Creator of man, so there is but one Mediator for men.” In other words, what is true in the realm of nature and creation is also true in the realm of redemption.
And just as the first truth on the uniqueness of God has been attacked by Satan throughout history, this second truth on the uniqueness of the mediator has also come under the attack of the evil one. The Gnostics of old taught that there is an endless series of sub-gods or intermediate deities that stand between God and man. The Roman Catholic Church continues to teach that man needs the intercession and mediation of the angels, the saints and of Mary in order to go to God.
My uncle, who lived in Hawaii for many years, passed away some years ago due to cancer. He was a very staunch Roman Catholic. When he was first diagnosed with a late-stage cancer, he wrote an email to the extended family to share how blessed he was to be able to visit and pray in front of the tombs of two saints and to ask for their intercession. His final words in that email, which was the last one he wrote, were a sad reminder that right at the end of his life, he was still fully committed to that false religion. He wrote, “I am asking you to pray for me. Pray to Our Lady, Mary Mother of God, the mother Jesus gave us before He died on the Cross; to Blessed Damien and to Blessed Marianne. Ask for their intercession so that the Lord will grant me my…miracle, to restore me to good health.”
My uncle placed his hope in these “mediators” and he was disappointed, not only because they could not save him from physical death, but especially because they are powerless to save him from spiritual and eternal death. But my uncle is not alone. There are countless millions of faithful Roman Catholics who continue to seek the intercession of angels and saints and Mary. If only they truly understood and believed what is so clearly revealed in God’s Word, then they would not be in bondage to this false doctrine.
But yet another attack on the uniqueness of Christ as the only mediator is what is known as religious pluralism, which says that all religions are equally valid or that they ultimately lead to the same end or goal, and because of that, it is wrong to exclude or preach against other religions.
What we need to understand is that part of the offense of the cross and of Christianity is that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and that besides Him, there is no other way. All who do not know Christ and who do not trust in Him are lost in their sins and are headed for eternal destruction in hell. It does not matter how good and sincere and lovely a person may be, without Christ, he or she cannot be saved.
Religious pluralists will often accuse us of being arrogant and proud because we claim that only our way is the true one and that only our way will lead to God. But that is not true because that is exactly what Christ Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The apostles echoed this truth when they said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Many years ago, the Pastor of a mega-church was taken to task by the Internal Security Department (ISD) for some careless remarks that he made about Buddhism and Taoism. Now while it is true that we should be wise in what we say and how we say it and that we should never make the gospel more offensive than what it is, nevertheless, we must not be ashamed or afraid to say that those religions are all false, that their gods are all false gods, and that, in contrast to all of them, Jesus Christ is the Only true way.
Yes, as Christians, we must not deliberately stir up strife or unnecessarily create trouble in society. But we are called to faithfully proclaim and uphold the truth of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only mediator between God and man even in the face of opposition and hostility from the world.
Let us often remind ourselves and our children that this idea that all religions are equally valid or that they are all basically the same is false. Instead, let us affirm with all our heart the uniqueness of our God and of our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, and say with the Apostle Paul, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” Amen.
—Linus Chua
Edited by: LPS