The Word became flesh (6)

[John 1:1-4, 9-14]

            The second purpose for God the Son, “the Word,” to become “flesh” (man) is to be the mediator between God and us.

                Originally, there was no need for a mediator between God and us.  Originally, God had fellowship with Adam.  Look at Genesis 2:7 – “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”  God created man (Adam) from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living being.  In other words, the man Adam was created to have fellowship with God.  And God made a garden east of Eden and put the man Adam there and had fellowship with him (v. 8).  Also, God made a covenant with Adam.  Look at Genesis 2:16-17: “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’”  When God made the covenant with the first man, Adam, He commanded Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The reason is because God wanted to continue fellowship with Adam.  In other words, if Adam had not eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in obedience to God's command, he could have continued fellowship with God.  Also, God created a family for Adam.  Look at Genesis 2:18-24: “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’  Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.  The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.  The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.  The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”  God created a helper for Adam so that he could have a family.  In Genesis 2, there was no need for a mediator between God and Adam.

                However, when Genesis came to chapter 3, a mediator was needed between God and Adam.  The reason is because the woman fell for the serpent's temptation and saw that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable to make one wise, so the woman took and ate the fruit and gave it to her husband Adam who was with her, and he ate (3:6).  As a result, their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings (v. 7).  “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (v.8).  And Adam was cursed: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.  ‘Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return’” (vv. 17-19).  So in the end, God and Adam became enemies: “For if while we were enemies …” (Rom. 5:10a).  God regards us as enemies and is angry with us and opposes us.  That is why we need a mediator.

                The mediator should not be for one side only, but for both sides and be reasonable.  God the Son, the mediator, has the nature of God and can do all that God can do.  And God the Son, the mediator, became a man [“The Word became flesh …” (Jn. 1:14)] and He is the perfect man.  God the Son, the mediator, is without sin.  If He is guilty, He cannot be a mediator.  The reason is because God is holy.  Look at Romans 8:3 – “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.”  If Jesus Christ, God the Son, had come as “sinful flesh,” then He could not be the mediator.  However, the Bible says that He came “in the likeness of sinful flesh”.  It means that Jesus Christ, God the Son, came with a weak body (hungry, thirsty and tired). This itself is not a sin.  At that time, Satan tempted Jesus, but Jesus defeated it with the word of God.  So He did not sin.  Jesus took all the temptations, but He is innocent because He overcame all of them.  Therefore, Jesus is the only one who can be the true mediator between God and us.

                The only mediator between God and men is the man Christ Jesus.  Look at 1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”  Jesus Christ, God the Son, has the ability to intercede well.  Look at 1 Timothy 2:6 – “who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”  He gave himself as a ransom to atone for our sins.  He is the one and only great mediator.  When we were enmity with God, Jesus Christ reconciled us to God by dying on the cross (Rom. 5:10).  So now we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have reconciled (v. 11).  Look at Ephesians 2:11-13: “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands-- remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Here, “formerly” (v. 11) or “at that time” (v. 12) refers to the time when we were God’s enemies (Rom. 5:10), when we were sinners (v. 8) and the problem of our sins was not resolved.  “At that time” (Eph. 2:12) or “formerly” (v. 11) we did not know Christ and were outside of Christ (v. 12).  We were without God (v. 13).  We were God’s enemies.  We had no hope (v. 12).  But “now” (v. 13) (“now” expresses very strong emphasis) we, who were once far off, have been brought near in Christ Jesus by the blood of Christ (v. 13).  In other words, through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, He broke down the barrier between us and God, and made peace with God (vv. 14-15).  Because the veil in the holy place that separated the holy place from the holy of holies was torn in two (Mt. 27:51), people were able to enter the holy of holies.  Also, God, who was in the holy of holies, is also in the holy place, so He dwells with people, fellowships, and makes peace.  Look at Ephesians 2:16-19: “and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.”  Through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, He destroyed our enmity with God and reconciled us to God.  From now on, we are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God's household.  Here, "God's household" means that we have become members of God's family.  So now Jesus is our eldest brother (Rom. 8:29), and Jesus, the eldest brother, is not ashamed to call us “brothers” (Heb. 2:11).  In this way, we, who were enemies of God, became reconciled to God through the crucifixion of the Holy Son God Jesus Christ, the mediator, and became members of God's family.  And since Jesus became our eldest brother and we became Jesus' younger brothers. How are we so glorified?  Therefore, we must always be thankful for this great grace and go to Heavenly Father by relying only on the merits of the cross of Jesus Christ, the mediator.