There Is No One Greater
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It is tempting, as Christians, to think of Christ only in terms of salvation, the work he completed on the cross, once and for all, so many years ago. We might easily forget that he is still working, as High priest, on our behalf. Article 26 of the Belgic Confession reminds us why this is important.
Jesus, when he ascended into heaven, didn’t stop working for us. He has continued ever since. His ongoing intercession on our behalf serves our sanctification, as well as our continuance or perseverance in the faith. Jesus mediates for us, as our advocate, our friend, interceding before the father for us.
Article 26, a very long article, focuses on Christ’s priestly office. This is vital, especially during the tumultuous time in history when this confession was written. In this article, the Biblical teaching on Christ’s priesthood, that he continues in that office, he is our high priest, his work is essential for all Christians, without his prayers, no one would grow in sanctification, no one would last their whole lives in the faith, no one would remain in the fold, not one. Only Christ, acting presently, everlastingly as our priest, keeps us.
This doctrine, this teaching concerning Christ divided the Protestants from the Roman Catholics almost as much as baptism and Lord’s Supper did. That Jesus is the only priest had to be carefully explained to those living in the time of the reformation. The converts to Reformed Christianity were used to having priests, professional mediators, ‘go-betweens’, people who stood between the Holy God and sinful people. God acted through his agents, the priests, dispensing grace in the seven sacraments.
Naturally, out of this new teaching, several pastoral questions came up. If we don’t need these priests, how can we approach God? How can we relate to him? What about the saints? What about the Virgin? All these questions are answered in the priestly work of Jesus.
Under the covenant of grace, Jesus is the only mediator between God and his people. Jesus is our advocate, present with God, after his ascension, he speaks to the father in our defense, whenever we sin. Jesus prays for all whom the father has given to him. Jesus is the one who was tempted exactly like we are tempted, but without sin. He is the perfect and only high priest, able to do far more than any other priest can do.
This article makes four main points about Christ. It identifies him as our intercessor and defines what that’s like. Second, it focuses on the reality of Christ’s access to God’s throne. Third, it explains how Christ is sufficient as our intercessor, having suffered and been tempted in all the ways we are, he gave himself for us, and prays for us. Fourth, the article talks about the hope and encouragement we have knowing that Christ is our advocate and high priest.
1. Christ as intercessor, and the nature of his interceding
The confession begins article 26, with “We believe that we have no access to God except
through the only Mediator and Advocate Jesus Christ the righteous. For this purpose He became man, uniting together the divine and human nature, that we men might not be barred from but have access to the divine majesty.” This echoes 1 Tim. 2.5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”—and 1 John 2.1-2:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Not only does Jesus mediate this covenant of grace, he is our heavenly defense attorney, his sacrifice removed the guilt caused by our sin. Because of this, no priest is necessary. No priest needs to offer bread and wine in order to turn God’s wrath away from us. It is unnecessary because Christ has already taken the wrath in our place, we are already perfected in him! This is supremely comforting because the very one who offered himself is fully human (and as fully human he can relate to us, and empathise with us, having been reckoned as guilty for our sins) and fully divine (so that his sacrifice is all that God needed to pay our debt to him).
Since he is fully human, still, fully human, before the Father it means that he represents all humans given to him by the father, because he is human! The advocate for us is one of us! But because he is also fully God, there is nothing to prevent him from always being before the father, having ascended to heaven!
Eph. 3.12 says, “In Jesus and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” This freedom and confidence is based on Christ’s priestly work, therefore we don’t need a sacrificing priesthood today. 1 Pet. 2.5 echoes this, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Because of Christ, we also participate as priests. When we worship, when we pray, we bring sacrifices which please God. They are pleasing to him only because of the continuous priestly work of Christ, not because we’ve somehow removed all our or sin.
Apart from Christ, there is no access to heaven. Without Christ, no matter how eloquent the prayer, no matter the sincerity, without the power of the Holy Spirit, they are mere words. God doesn’t hear them. But prayer through Christ, no matter how pitiful, inarticulate, tainted by sin, these will be heard by the father, answered by his will, because of Christ, God himself. Thus, no fear accompanies prayer or approach to God. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit helps us pray.
2. Christ’s access to God’s throne
Christ has access to God’s throne because, as article 26 says, “this Mediator, however, whom the Father has ordained between Himself and us, should not frighten us by His greatness, so that we look for another according to our fancy. There is no creature in heaven or on earth who loves us more than Jesus Christ.” The father chose Jesus as our mediator, so why would we look for another?
Approaching a perfect, holy, almighty God is daunting. But let us remind ourselves of Christ, who said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11.28). In John’s gospel, Jesus says, “greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” which is exactly what Jesus did do, for us!
Jesus said of himself, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out” (Matt. 12.20). Speaking of prayer, he says,
which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11).
John says, “this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Jesus hears our prayers; he intercedes for us. God is mindful, always of our situations, and he is merciful beyond measure.
How is this possible? The confession says this about Christ, our mediator: “Though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself, taking the form of man and of a servant for us, and was made like us in every respect.” Jesus is fully human, thus he knows our weaknesses, and thus he is compassionate. What other intercessor can live up to Christ, who laid down his life for us? No one, no one is greater than Christ is!
Consider these words from answer 26 of the Heidelberg Catechism: “I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul. He will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.” God’s proof that he’s both loving and all-powerful is seen in the mediator he sent. Jesus sits at God’s right hand.
3. Christ is sufficient
Since all that we’ve looked at so far is true, this is why prayer to saints and the virgin is wrong. No one else is fully human and fully divine. No one else makes intercession for us.
Further, prayer to the saints actually dishonours them. They never asked for it. Jeremiah 17:5-10 says, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. `But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Why is this true? Jeremiah says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ‘I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduce, according to what his deeds deserve.’” The saints, no matter how good, were sinners just like us!
Remember how the apostles kept keeping people from worshipping, even putting their trust in them? Peter rejected Cornelius’s reverence, saying, “I am only a man myself.” Paul rebuked the people who thought he and Barnabas were the gods Zeus and Hermes saying, “Why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.’
If the apostles acted this way when they were on earth, they wouldn’t want it now. They’d be like, “Seriously? You’re praying to me? What a useless waste of time. You have access to Christ, pray only to him!”
4. Christ is our advocate, he’s our hope
Because of who Christ is, we can be confident that prayers through him are heard. “Here one ought not to bring in our unworthiness, for it is not a question of offering our prayers on the basis of our own worthiness, but only on the basis of the excellence and worthiness of Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is ours by faith.” Isn’t that great news? Our sinfulness, our unworthiness isn’t an issue. The doctrine of Justification lays the foundation upon which we can do good works, not to be justified, but because we are justified, and it is the foundation of our prayer life. “Prayer,” says Calvin “is the chief exercise of faith.” Prayer is not about our worthiness, but rather about Christ’s worthiness.
Knowing that Christ’s intercessions, continual intercessions before the Father, is the basis of our prayers, the Belgic Confession quotes from Hebrews, “Therefore, with good reason, to take away from us this foolish fear or rather distrust, the author of Hebrews says to us that Jesus Christ was ‘made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he Himself has suffered and been tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted’” (Heb. 2.17-18). And “Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Hebrews 4:14-15).
A bit later on it says, “Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:19, 22). Also, ‘Christ holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever. Consequently He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:24-25).”
Christ is the perfect mediator, there is no one greater, and we need look nowhere else. What more is needed? The confession reminds us of Christ’s words, “Christ Himself says: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me’ (John 14:6). Why should we look for another advocate? It has pleased God to give us His Son as our Advocate. Let us then not leave Him for another or even look for another. For when God gave Jesus to us, He knew very well that we were sinners.”
As we saw this morning, Jesus is the foundation of our Christian life. Just as we come to him in repentance in faith, so too we come to him for life. He is our life! He lives in us! This is chiefly expressed in prayer, “I cannot, you can!” Amen.