Our purpose at the Omega Institute is to help the believer understand and appreciate the doctrines of Scripture in a way he or she can truly digest and apply. This series of devotionals cover the spectrum of Evangelical biblical doctrine in such a way that the Christian can meditate each week on a different truth from Scripture so as to master the essentials and better know and serve his or her Lord.
Key Verse(s):
“...5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
—1 Timothy 2:5
“12 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
In our last few devotionals, we have been covering five principle ideas in Evangelical theology which makes our theology distinctly evangelical; the five Solas of the Reformation outline some of the most precious truths of Scripture. This week we are covering the fourth of the five Reformation principles which pertains directly to the Son of God and deals with two main issues: salvation in Him alone and that He is our sole Mediator. You’ll notice that there are two main passages I have chosen for us to consider this week – normally; I restrict these devotionals to one, however, since there are two main components to this point of doctrine, I would like for you to consider what the Word of God has to say on these important truths.
When we consider what the believer is to think of Jesus Christ, the bottom line concerns both who He is objectively and who He is to us personally. First of all, Jesus is God. That is huge; especially considering what God is able to do in terms of our salvation and how a relationship with the Almighty is made that much more intimate by the fact that God came near in the Person of the God-Man. The deity of Christ points to who Jesus is objectively, and as God, He is Judge (John 5:22); Savior (Titus 2:11-14); High Priest and Mediator (Hebrews 7:17; Hebrews 12:24), among other things. In Christ, God is not only willing to save us, but He is able to. He can summon all the powers and authority of the Almighty because He is limitless in what He can accomplish.
Second, Jesus is our Mediator, our go-between who stands between God and man and functions as our singular Source of spiritual life. The principle of Solus Christus points to the truth that salvation is found in Him alone and that He alone is the Mediator through which we get to God. This is significant as so many who claim to be Christian pursue false mediators to function as their access to God. For some, it is the Church – “the dispenser of all graces” as some communions consider it. Salvation, for these unfortunate souls, is found only through the Church and her sacraments. Her officers are seen as possessing the authority to bind and loose saving graces and are sought out as mediators in the place of Christ.
For some, devotion to Mary and/or the saints replaces the singular trust in Jesus that the Scriptures demand. God is seen as functionally distant, Jesus as a harsh Judge who need to be appeased by His mother, who alone, in their view, acts as the compassionate mediatrix for all souls who come to her for mercy. The saints are also viewed as functioning in a mediatorial office; ensuring that the requests of the faithful are successfully and effectively brought to God.
Yet, the Scriptures loudly and consistently declare what Hebrews 4:15, 16 declares:
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need.”
Salvation is through Christ alone, He alone is our Mediator, He is our all in all. No one can replace what Christ alone can do nor can any man, idea or institution supplant His place in our lives as Lord and Savior. I believe that Philippians 2:1-11 expresses best the power of Solus Christus: that someday, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
—Larry Carrino
