Chapter 8 - OF CHRIST THE MEDIATOR

1 In his eternal plan, God chose and appointed Jesus, his one and only Son, to be the mediator between God and man. This was done in agreement with a covenant made between them both. He made Jesus the prophet, priest, and king; the head and savior of the church; the heir of all things; and the judge of the world. From the beginning of time, God gave a people to Jesus, who would be his descendants, and in due course, they would be redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified through him.

2 At the right time, the Son of God—who is the second person of the Holy Trinity, eternal and fully God, a perfect reflection of the Father's glory, and equal in substance to the Father who created, sustains, and rules everything—took on a human nature. He became fully human, with all its essential qualities and nor-
mal weaknesses, but without sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. He was born of a woman from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of Abraham and David, as the Scriptures foretold. In this one person, two complete and separate natures—divine and human—were joined together forever, without being changed, combined, or confused. This person is both fully God and fully human, yet he remains the single Christ, the one and only mediator between God and humanity.

3 In his human nature thus united to the divine, Jesus, who is the Son, was filled with the Holy Spirit and granted all the treasures wisdom and knowledge. The Father was pleased to have all of his own fullness dwell in him, so that Jesus, being holy and without fault, and full of grace and truth, would be completely
equipped to serve as the mediator and guarantee of a new covenant. Jesus did not take this role upon himself; rather, his Father called him to it, giving him all power and authority, and commanding him to carry it out.

4 Jesus took on this office willingly. To fulfill it, he was born under the law and followed it perfectly. He took on the punishment that we deserved, becoming sin and a curse for us. He endured immense sorrow in his soul and great pain in his body. He was crucified, died, and remained in the state of death without his
body decaying. On the third day, he rose from the dead in the same body in which he suffered. He then ascended to heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of his Father, interceding on our behalf. At the end of the world, he will return to judge humanity and angels.

5 The Lord Jesus, through his perfect obedience and sacrifice, fully satisfied God's justice. By offering himself once and for all to God through the Holy Spirit, he reconciled humanity with God and secured a lasting place in heaven for all those whom the Father has given to him.

6 Although Christ didn't pay the price for redemption until after he was born as a human, the power, benefit, and effectiveness of that payment were given to God's chosen people throughout all periods of history. From the very beginning, this was communicated through promises, symbolic figures, and sacrifices that revealed him as the one who would crush the serpent's head, and as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world—the same yesterday, today, and forever.

7 In his role as a mediator, Christ uses both his divine and human natures. Each nature performs its own specific function, but because he is a single person, the Bible sometimes credits an action of one nature to the other. For example, a divine act might be attributed to his human nature, or vice versa.

8 Jesus Christ offers eternal salvation to all those he's redeemed. He makes this salvation real and effective for them by: Praying on their behalf; bringing them into a relationship with himself through his Holy Spirit; revealing the mystery of salvation to them through his Word, the Bible; convincing them to believe and obey; guiding their hearts with his Word and Spirit; and using his power and wisdom to defeat all their enemies in ways that are part of his mysterious and wonderful plan. This entire process is an act of God's unconditional grace. It's a free gift and isn't based on anything he foresaw in them that would earn it.

9 The office of mediator between God and man belongs only to Christ. He alone serves as the church's prophet, priest, and king. This role cannot be transferred, either entirely or in part, from him to anyone else.

10 We need these offices in this specific order for a few reasons. Because of our ignorance, we need Jesus's prophetic role. Due to our separation from God and the imperfection of our best efforts, we need his priestly role to reconcile us and make us acceptable to God. Finally, because of our aversion to God and our total inability to return to him, we need his kingly role to subdue us, draw us to him, sustain us, protect us from our spiritual enemies, and preserve us for his heavenly kingdom.