15. The Mediator of the Covenant
15. The Mediator of the Covenant The counsel of redemption is not a human design, contingent upon all manner of unforeseen circumstances and therefore inherently uncertain. Rather, it is infallibly certain, being the decree of God's gracious and omnipotent will. As it was determined in eternity, so it is accomplished in time. The doctrine of faith's task, therefore, is to delineate the manner in which the unchangeable counsel of the Lord concerning the salvation of His elect is executed and applied. This counsel primarily concerns three major elements: the Mediator through whom salvation is procured, the Holy Spirit through whom it is applied, and the people to whom it is given. Consequently, instruction in the Christian faith must address these three topics.
Firstly, it must deal with the person of Christ, who procures salvation through His suffering and death. Secondly, it must explain how the Holy Spirit applies the person of Christ and all His benefits to the elect. Thirdly, it must give attention to the recipients of this salvation, speaking of the church or congregation as the body of Christ. Finally, this teaching naturally leads to the consummation of the salvation that awaits believers hereafter. Throughout this treatment, it will become evident that the counsel of redemption is well-ordered and assured in all its parts; the unspeakable grace, the manifold wisdom, and the almighty power of God are manifest therein.
These virtues shine forth most clearly in the person of Christ. Faith in an intermediary is not unique to Christianity. All men and peoples, conscious of their separation from salvation, carry the
conviction in their hearts that this salvation must be mediated to them by certain persons. It is widely held that man, as he is, cannot approach God and live in His presence; he needs a mediator to open the way to God. Hence, in all religions, there are mediators who reveal divine truths to mankind and convey the prayers and offerings of mankind to God.
Sometimes these intermediaries are lower gods or spirits, but often they are individuals endowed with supernatural knowledge and power, perceived to be especially holy. These figures hold a prominent place in the religious life of the people and are consulted on significant occasions, such as disasters, wars, diseases, and ventures. Whether acting as soothsayers, magicians, saints, or priests, they show the way that, according to their belief, man must follow to obtain divine favor. However, they are not the way itself.
The religions of the peoples are independent of these persons. Even in those religions founded by particular individuals, such as Buddha,
Confucius, Zarathustra, and Mohammed, the founders are not the substance of the religion and are related to it in an external and somewhat incidental manner. Their religions could remain unchanged even if their names were forgotten or their persons replaced by others.
In Christianity, however, the situation is wholly different. It has sometimes been claimed that Christ never sought to be the sole
Mediator and would be content to see His name forgotten, provided His principles and spirit lived on in the congregation. Yet, even those who have severed ties with Christianity have often contested and refuted this notion in an unbiased manner. Christianity's relationship to the person of Christ is entirely unique compared to
the relationship of other religions to their founders. Jesus was not merely the first confessor of the faith that bears His name; He was not merely the foremost Christian. Rather, He holds a unique and unparalleled place within Christianity. He is not merely the founder of Christianity in the usual sense; He is the Christ, the Anointed One of the Father, who established His Kingdom on earth and continues to extend and preserve it until the end of the ages. Christ is
Christianity itself; He is not apart from it but is central to it. Without His name, person, and work, Christianity ceases to exist. In essence,
Christ is not merely a guide to salvation; He is the way itself. He is the sole true and complete Mediator between God and man. What other religions have anticipated and longed for in their belief in a mediator, is perfectly and wholly realized in Him.
To fully grasp the unique significance of Christ, we must begin with the scriptural assertion that He did not commence His existence at His conception and birth, as we do, but that He existed long before and was from eternity the only-begotten and beloved Son of the Father. In the Old Testament, the Messiah is referred to as the "Father of eternity," who is an eternal Father to His people (Isa. 9:6), and whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2).
The New Testament affirms this, expressing the eternity of Christ even more clearly. This is evident in all those passages where Christ's entire earthly life is presented as the fulfillment of a divine commission. While it is true that John the Baptist is described as coming in the spirit of Elijah (Mark 9:11-13; John 1:7), the emphasis and frequency with which Christ is said to have come into the world to accomplish His work indicate a special and unique mission.
It is not only stated generally that He went forth from the Father to preach (Mark 1:38) and that He came to call sinners to repentance and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 2:17; 10:45). It is explicitly stated that He was sent to preach the Gospel (Luke 4:43), that it was the Father who sent Him (Matt. 10:40; John 5:24, 30, 36), that He came from the Father and in His name (John 5:43; 8:42;
13:3), and that He descended from heaven to proclaim the Gospel (Mark 1:38). Jesus understood Himself to be the only Son, who loved the Father and was sent into the vineyard after many other servants
(Mark 12:6). He, who is the Son of David, was already David's Lord (Mark 12:36), existed before Abraham (John 8:58), and shared glory with the Father before the world was (John 17:5, 24).
This self-consciousness of Jesus regarding His eternal existence is further unfolded in the apostolic testimony. In Christ, the eternal
Word became flesh, who in the beginning was with God and was God Himself (John 1:1, 14). He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, superior to all the angels, and deserving of their worship. He is an eternal God and an eternal King, who remains the same, and whose years will never end (Heb. 1:3-13).
He was rich (2 Cor. 8:9), existing in the form of God, equal to the Father not only in essence but also in position and glory. Yet He did not consider equality with God something to be exploited for His own advantage (Phil. 2:6), but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming human (Phil. 2:7-8). In this way, He was exalted as the Lord from heaven, in contrast to Adam, the man from the earth (1 Cor. 15:47). In short, Christ is, like the Father, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End
(Rev. 1:11, 17; 22:13).
The activity of this Son of God, made flesh, did not begin with His appearance on earth but reaches back to the creation. Through the Word, all things were made without exception (John 1:3; Heb. 1:2,
10); He is the firstborn, the head, the principle of all creatures (Col.
1:15; Rev. 3:14), existing before all things (Col. 1:17). The creatures were not only created by Him but also continue to exist in and through Him (Col. 1:17), being sustained by the word of His power
(Heb. 1:3). Ultimately, they were created for Him (Col. 1:16), for God appointed Him, the Son, as heir of all things (Heb. 1:2; Rom. 8:17).
In Him was life, the full, rich, inexhaustible life, the source of all life in the world. This life was the light of men, illuminating them with divine truth to be known and practiced. Though mankind became darkness through sin, the light of the Word continued to shine in that darkness (John 1:5); it enlightened every man who came into the world (John 1:9). The Word was in the world and continued to work in it, though the world did not recognize Him (John 1:10).
Therefore, the Christ who appears on earth in the fullness of time is not merely a man among other men, nor the founder of a new religion or a preacher of a new moral doctrine. He occupies a wholly unique place. He was the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things; in Him was the life and light of men. When He appears in the world,
He does not come as a stranger but as its Lord, intimately connected to it. Recreation is related to creation, grace to nature, the work of the Son to the work of the Father. Salvation is built upon the foundations laid in creation.
The significance of Christ for us becomes even clearer when we examine His relationship to Israel. The Word dwelt and acted in the entire world and among all mankind. However, although the Light
shone in the darkness, the darkness did not comprehend it; and although the Word was in the world, the world did not recognize
Him (John 1:5, 10). Israel was His own, and He did not come to Israel as He did to the world, but deliberately and after centuries of preparation. Christ is of the fathers according to the flesh (Rom. 9:5).
Though He was rejected by His own—the world did not know Him (John 1:10), and the Jews did not accept Him, rejecting and refusing
Him—His coming was not in vain. Those who received Him were given the right and power to become children of God (John 1:12).
When John 1:11 speaks of the Word coming to His own, it undoubtedly refers to the Incarnation, to Christ coming in the flesh.
However, it also implies that the relationship of ownership the Word had with Israel did not begin with the Incarnation but existed long before. Israel was His, and thus, the Word came to His own in the fullness of time. At the moment Jehovah claimed Israel as His own, a special relationship between this people and the Word (the Logos) was established. He Himself is the Lord whom Israel sought, the Angel of the Covenant, who would soon come to His Temple (Mal.
3:1), and who had dwelt and worked among Israel from ancient times.
In many places in the Old Testament, we find references to the Angel of the Covenant or the Angel of the Lord. Through this Angel, as previously demonstrated in the doctrine of the Trinity, the Lord reveals Himself in a special way to His people. Although distinct from the Lord, He is so united with Him that the same names, attributes, works, and honors are ascribed to Him as to God Himself.
He is the God of Bethel (Gen. 31:13), the God of the fathers (Exod.
3:2, 6), who promises Hagar the multiplication of her seed (Gen.
16:10; 21:18), who guided and redeemed the patriarchs (Gen. 48:1516), and who gave the people the gift of God. The Angel of the Covenant assures Israel that the Lord Himself is in their midst as the God of salvation and redemption (Isa. 63:9). His appearance was a preparation and announcement of the complete self-revelation of God, which would occur in the fullness of time through the Incarnation. The entire Old Testament dispensation was an evercloser approach of God to His people, culminating in His dwelling among them forever in Christ (Ex. 29:43-46).
This teaching about the existence and activity of the Word before He appeared in the flesh as Christ is of utmost importance for a proper understanding of human history and for a correct consideration of the people and religion of Israel. It allows us to recognize all that is true, good, and beautiful in the heathen world while upholding the special revelation given to Israel. Although the Word and the wisdom of God were active throughout the world, they manifested among Israel as the Angel of the Covenant, as the manifestation of the Lord's name. In both the Old and New Testaments, the covenant of grace is one; the believers of the Old Testament were saved in the same way as we are now. It is the same faith in the promise, the same trust in the grace of God, that opens the way to salvation then and now. The same benefits of forgiveness, regeneration, renewal, and eternal life were given to the faithful then as they are now. They all walk the same path, though the light that shines upon it differs in brightness between the Old and New Testaments.
There is, however, another significant peculiarity here. Paul says of the Ephesians that in former times, when they lived as Gentiles, they were without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel,
strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:11-12). They had no promise from God to which they could cling, they lived without hope in the world, and they had no God in their hearts whom they could know and serve.
The Apostle does not mean that the Gentiles believed in no gods; elsewhere he acknowledges their religious nature, as seen in his address to the Athenians (Acts 17:22), and speaks of a revelation given to them by God (Acts 17:24ff). Yet, knowing God, they did not glorify or give thanks to Him as God; they were corrupted in their reasoning and served gods that by nature are not gods (Rom. 1:21ff;
Gal. 4:8). Paul does not deny that the Gentiles had various expectations about the future, both in this life and beyond the grave.
However, he emphasizes that all these expectations, as well as the gods they served, were in vain because there was no firm, unquestionable promise from God in Christ.
Among Israel, the situation was different. God accepted them as His children, dwelt among them with His glory, and bestowed upon them successive covenant gifts—the Law, worship, and especially the promises concerning the Messiah, indicating that He would come forth from Israel according to the flesh. Yet, although Christ, as far as the flesh is concerned, is of the fathers, He is more than a mere man;
He is God over all, blessed forever (Rom. 9:5), and existed and worked even in the days of the Old Testament. The Christians in Ephesus lived without Christ as long as they were Gentiles, but the Israelites of old were connected with Christ—the promised Christ— who already existed and was active as their Mediator. He was engaged not only in distributing His benefits but also in preparing for His own coming in the flesh, through word and deed, prophecy
and history, casting a shadow of the spiritual goods He would bring about in the fullness of time over all Israel.
The Apostle Peter expresses this thought clearly and unambiguously in the first chapter of his first letter. When he speaks of the great salvation, which the faithful already possess in principle and which they can fully expect in the future, he highlights the glory of this salvation by noting that the prophets of the Old Testament made it the subject of their study and reflection. All the prophets share this common trait: they prophesied about the grace now given to believers in the New Testament era. They received knowledge of this through revelation, but this revelation did not render them passive; rather, it spurred them to investigate and inquire. They did so not as philosophers seeking to uncover the mysteries of creation through their own understanding, but as holy men of God, focusing on special revelation and the future salvation in Christ, guided not by their own thoughts but by the Spirit of God. They sought to know when and how the Spirit of Christ within them would reveal the sufferings
Christ was to endure and the subsequent glory (1 Pet. 1:10-11). The testimony that Jesus breathes into the hearts of His own and bears about Himself is the proof that they partake in the Spirit of prophecy
(Rev. 19:10).
Through this revelation of the Spirit, Israel developed those rich and glorious expectations summarized under the name "Messianic."
These Messianic expectations are typically divided into two groups.
The first concerns the future of the Kingdom of God. These are of great significance and closely related to the promise of the covenant of grace. That promise implies that God will be the God of His people
and their seed, and therefore pertains not only to the past and present but also to the future. It is true that the people are continually guilty of unfaithfulness, apostasy, and breaking the bonds with the Lord. But because it is a covenant of grace, the unfaithfulness of the people cannot nullify the faithfulness of God.
By its very nature, the covenant of grace is eternal, continuing from generation to generation. If the people do not walk in the way of the covenant, God may abandon them for a time, subject them to chastisement, judgment, and exile, but He cannot break His covenant. It rests solely on His mercy, independent of human conduct. He cannot break the covenant, for His own name, fame, and honor are bound to it. Thus, after wrath, God's goodness is always revealed; after judgment, His mercy; after suffering, His lordship.
Israel learned all this throughout its history via prophecy. Prophecy provided them with an understanding of the nature and purpose of history, unparalleled among other nations. The Old Testament reveals that the reign of God's will—the Kingdom of God—is the essence and ultimate goal of history. It is His counsel, His good pleasure and redemption, existing forever and destined to overcome all opposition. Through suffering, we attain glory; behind the cross lies the crown. One day, God will triumph over all His enemies and fulfill all His promises to His people. There will come a kingdom of justice and peace, of spiritual and material prosperity. In the glory of that kingdom, both Israel and the nations will share. The unity of God brings with it the unity of mankind and the unity of history.
Then the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and the promise of the covenant will be fulfilled: "I will be your God, and you will be My sons and daughters."
The prophecies and psalms are replete with these expectations, yet they do not merely anticipate a distant future; they also delineate the manner in which the Kingdom of God will be established and consummated. These expectations crystallize into the Messianic hopes, specifically foretelling how God's rule on earth will be instituted by a singular figure, the Messiah. Recent scholarship has attempted to dissociate these Messianic hopes from Israel's original religion, placing them post-exile. However, this notion has been robustly challenged and decisively refuted.
The Messianic expectations revolve around two central ideas: the day of the Lord—a day of judgment for Israel and the nations—and the Messiah, who will bring salvation and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
These concepts did not originate with the prophets of the eighth century but existed long before, later being elaborated and applied by the prophets whose writings we now have.
Scripture itself testifies to the ancient origins of these expectations.
Initially, they are general in nature, underscoring their antiquity, and their gradual development through successive prophecies strongly corroborates this. In the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15, enmity is declared between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, with the promise that the former will crush the latter's head.
According to Calvin, the seed of the woman first refers to the human race, which, transferred to God's side in the covenant of grace, must combat all forces hostile to Him, ultimately finding its Head and Lord in Christ. History reveals that this human race, contending against the serpent's seed, increasingly narrows and becomes more defined, with the promise continuing through the line of Seth.
When the antediluvian world was destroyed by the flood, a division soon emerged within Noah's family—Cham and Japhet on one side,
Shem on the other. The promise became more specific: Jehovah would be the God of Shem, Japheth would expand and eventually dwell in Shem's tents, and Canaan would serve both (Gen. 9:26-27).
From Shem's lineage, when the pure knowledge and service of God were once again endangered, Abraham was chosen. He received the promise that he would be a blessing to many, and that all the families of the earth would seek the blessing bestowed on him and his seed, thus all nations would be blessed in him (Gen. 12:2-3). Among Jacob's sons, Judah was later designated to have preeminence over his brethren. Judah, whose name signifies praise (Gen. 29:35), would be mighty among his brothers (1 Chron. 5:2); his siblings would praise and serve him, and his enemies would bow before him. This reign would endure until the coming of one to whom the nations would obey (Gen. 49:8-10). Though the name "Shiloh" in verse 10 is difficult to interpret, the blessing on Judah is clear: he holds preeminence among the tribes, dominion over his brothers, and from him the future ruler of the nations will emerge.
This promise found its initial fulfillment in David, but also entered a new phase of development. When David sought to build a house for the Lord, the Lord, through Nathan, declared that He would establish David's house by perpetuating the royal line through his descendants. The Lord promised to make David's name great, like the greatest men of the earth. After David's death, his son Solomon would succeed him, and the Lord would be his father. Ultimately,
David's house and kingdom would be established forever; his throne would be secure for all time (2 Sam. 7:9-16; Ps. 89:19-38).
Henceforth, the hopes of Israel's devout were anchored in David's
house, with prophecy frequently reinforcing this expectation (Amos 9:11; Hos. 3:5; Jer. 17:25; 22:4).
History, however, showed that no king from David's lineage met the divine expectations. In light of this, prophecy increasingly pointed to a future where the true Son of David would emerge, reigning on His father's throne for eternity. Gradually, this future David was referred to by the name Messiah as a proper title. Initially, Messiah was a general term applied to anyone anointed to an office in Israel.
Anointing with oil, a common Eastern practice, was used to refresh the body, symbolize joy, and act as a sign of hospitality, friendship, healing, and reverence (Ps. 104:15; Matt. 6:17; Prov. 27:9; 2 Sam.
14:2; Dan. 10:3; Ps. 23:5; 2 Chron. 28:15; Luke 7:46; Mark 6:13; Luke 10:34; James 5:14; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56; John 19:40).
This practice of anointing also acquired religious significance within Israel's worship. Jacob anointed the stone at Bethel to consecrate it to the Lord (Gen. 28:18; 31:13; 35:13). Later, Moses' law prescribed the anointing of the tabernacle, its utensils, and the altar to sanctify them for God's service (Ex. 29:36; 30:23; 40:10).
We occasionally read of prophets being anointed; Elijah anointed Elisha (1 Kings 19:16), and Psalm 105:15 uses "anointed" interchangeably with "prophet." More frequently, priests, especially the high priest, were anointed (Lev. 8:12, 30; Ps. 133:2), earning the title "anointed priest" (Lev. 4:3, 5; 6:22). Kings, such as Saul, David, and Solomon, were also anointed (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4; 5:3;
1 Kings 1:34), and thus called "the Lord's anointed" (1 Sam. 26:11; Ps.
2:2). The term widened to include those whom God chose and empowered for His service without a literal anointing with oil. In
Psalm 105:15, "anointed" refers to the patriarchs, while in Psalms 84:10, 89:39, 52, and Habakkuk 3:13, it may refer to Israel or their king. Isaiah 45:1 applies it to Cyrus. Anointing with oil was merely a sign, symbolizing dedication to God's service and God's election, calling, and appointment. When David was anointed by Samuel, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward (1 Sam.
16:13).
Thus, the name "Anointed One" or "Messiah" was especially reserved for the future King from David's house. He is the Anointed One par excellence, anointed not by man but by God Himself, and not with oil, but immeasurably with the Holy Spirit (Ps. 2:2, 6; Isa. 61:1).
When the name "Messiah" began to be used as a proper name for the future King of David's house is uncertain. However, Daniel 9:25 uses the term in this sense, and by the time of Jesus, it was commonly understood in this way. The Samaritan woman at the well referred to Jesus as Messiah without the article, indicating the proper name usage (John 4:25). Although "anointed" initially had a general meaning, over time it became a proper name applied exclusively to the future King of David's house. He is the Messiah, the Anointed
One par excellence, singularly holding that title.
The image of the Messiah is elaborated in multifaceted ways throughout Old Testament prophecy. His Kingship is always central;
He is called the Anointed because He is anointed King (Ps. 2:2, 6).
David himself, on the foundation of the promise given to him, anticipates a ruler over men from his house, who will reign in righteousness, for God has made an everlasting covenant with him, in which everything is properly regulated and secured (2 Sam. 23:3-
5). This expectation is shared by all the prophets and psalmists; the future salvation of Israel is inseparably linked with the Davidic royal house, and the future king from that house is also the King of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not a mere poetic or philosophical concept but a reality, a part of history. It is from above, spiritual and ideal, yet it will come about in time under a King from the house of David. It is a kingdom of God and yet a thoroughly human, earthly, historical kingdom. Thus, the future Kingdom of God is depicted in prophecy with imagery derived from the conditions of that time. These images are not to be taken literally but nonetheless convey a profound sense of the reality of that Kingdom; it is not a dream but is being realized here on earth, in history, under a King of David's house.
Yet, this kingdom of the Messiah, while perhaps less tangible in reality than any other earthly kingdom, is radically different.
Although established through struggle and victory over all enemies (Ps. 2:1ff; 72:9ff; 110:2), it is a kingdom of perfect righteousness and peace (Isa. 32:1; Ps. 45:7-8; 72:7), characterized above all by the salvation of the needy and the assistance of the wretched (Ps. 72:1214). Furthermore, it extends over all enemies, to the ends of the earth, and endures for all eternity (Ps. 2:8; 45:7; 72:5, 8, 17; 110:2, 4).
At the head of the Kingdom of God stands a Sovereign who, though a man, far exceeds all men in dignity and honor. He is a man, born of David's house, a son of David, and called the Son of Man (2 Sam.
7:12ff; Isa. 7:14; 9:5; Micah 5:1; Dan. 7:13). He is Immanuel, God with us (Isa. 7:14), the Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:6; 33:16), in whom the Lord Himself comes with His grace to His people and dwells among them. In prophecy, it is the same whether the Lord or
His Messiah rules over His people; at times it is said that the Lord will appear, judge the nations, and redeem Israel, and at other times that His anointed King will do so. For instance, Isaiah declares, "The Lord will come with power, His arm ruling for Him; He will shepherd His flock" (Isa. 40:10-11), while Ezekiel states that the Lord will raise up a shepherd, namely His servant David, who will lead His people and be their shepherd (Ezek. 34:23). Ezekiel further declares that the name of the New Jerusalem will be "The Lord is there"
(Ezek. 48:35), and Isaiah presents it such that in the Messiah, God is with us (Isa. 7:14). Ezekiel unites these thoughts, saying, "I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be Prince among them"
(Ezek. 34:24), just as Micah proclaims that the Messiah will lead the people of Israel in the power of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God (Mic. 5:4). This is why, in the New Testament, both sets of texts are understood in the Messianic sense. In the Messiah, God Himself comes to His people; He is more than a man, being the perfect revelation and indwelling of God, and thus He also bears divine names: He is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
However great the dignity and power of this Messiah, prophecy introduces a most remarkable feature. He will be born in humble circumstances and amidst great distress. Isaiah hints at this when he declares that a virgin, a young woman without any specific distinction, will bear a son who will partake in the sufferings of His people, subsisting on curds and honey—the staples of a devastated and uncultivated land (Isa. 7:14-15; 53:2). The prophet further describes a tree springing from the severed stump of Jesse, indicating that while the Davidic house will survive, it will be reduced to a felled stump, yet capable of producing a new shoot.
Similarly, Micah prophesies that the house of Ephrathah, referring to the Davidic royal lineage located in Bethlehem, though the least among Judah's clans, will produce a ruler whose greatness will reach the ends of the earth (Micah 5:2). Hence, the Messiah is often called the Branch (Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12). When Israel is scattered and Judah is in desolation, when hopes are nearly extinguished, the Lord will raise a Branch from David's decayed house to build the Lord's temple and establish His kingdom on earth.
Though the Messiah will come in power and glory, He will appear in humility, not on a warhorse, but on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zech. 9:9). He will be King, but also Priest, merging both offices in Himself as Melchizedek did, and will hold them forever (Ps.
110:4; Zech. 6:13).
This notion of the Messiah's humility leads us to another profound image presented by Isaiah: the suffering servant of the Lord. Israel was destined to be a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6), serving God in priestly capacity and then reigning over the earth, just as man was originally created in God's image and given dominion over the entire earth. In this future vision, the dual destiny of Israel is depicted. The prophecies and psalms recurrently affirm that God will vindicate His people and grant them victory over their enemies. Sometimes this victory is portrayed in stark terms: God will rise, His enemies will scatter, and His adversaries will flee from His presence; they will be driven away like smoke, melt like wax before the fire; He will crush the heads of His enemies and bring them back from the depths of the sea so that His people may bathe their feet in their blood and the tongues of their dogs be stained with it (Ps. 68:1-3, 22-24; see also
Ps. 28:4; 31:18; 55:10, 16; 69:23-29; 109:6-20; 137:8-9). These imprecations are not expressions of personal vengeance but Old
Testament language depicting God's retribution on His and His people's enemies. Yet, the same God who punishes the wicked will grant justice, peace, and joy to His people, who will serve Him with unified hearts. Through tribulation and suffering, they will reach a state of glory and blessedness, wherein the Lord will establish a new covenant, inscribe His law on their hearts, and bestow upon them a new heart and a new spirit, enabling them to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments.
These two features of Israel's future are similarly present in its Messiah. He will be a King who crushes His enemies with a rod of iron and shatters them like pottery (Ps. 2:9; 110:5-6). Nowhere is victory over God's enemies depicted more vividly than in Isaiah 63:16. The Lord is portrayed arriving in garments stained red, advancing in the fullness of His power, speaking in righteousness, and mighty to save. When the prophet asks, "Why are Your garments red, and Your clothes like one who treads the winepress?" the Lord replies, "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations no one was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down so that their lifeblood has splashed on my garments and all my garments have been stained by it. For a day of vengeance was in my heart and my year of salvation had come. In Rev. 19:13-15 some of the characteristics of this description are applied to Chris when he returns in the last days and subdues all his enemies. And this is absolutely right, because He is a Saviour and a Judge, a Lamb and a Lion, at the same time.
Moreover, He is also a Redeemer and Savior. Just as the Lord is both just and merciful, His day being one of vengeance and redemption, so Israel will rule royally over his enemies and serve God as a priestly
nation. In the same manner, the Messiah is simultaneously the King anointed by God and the suffering servant of the Lord. Isaiah, in particular, introduces us to this figure. Initially, the prophet envisions the people of Israel in exile, called to fulfill a mission to the Gentiles during their time of suffering. However, as his prophecy unfolds, this suffering figure increasingly assumes the character of a specific individual who, in a priestly manner, atones for the sins of His people through His suffering, proclaims salvation as a prophet to the ends of the earth, and receives a royal portion among the great, sharing the spoils with the mighty (Isa. 52:13-53:12).
In the anointed King, God reveals His glory, power, and the majesty of His name (Micah 5:4); in the suffering servant of the Lord, He reveals His grace and the richness of His mercy (Isa. 53:11). The prophecy concerning Israel culminates in these two forms, and that prophecy is deeply rooted in history. Israel, as a people, is God's son
(Hos. 11:1), a priestly kingdom (Exod. 19:6), adorned with the glory of the Lord (Ezek. 16:14), and simultaneously God's servant (Isa.
41:8-9), enduring the reproach with which the enemies reproach the Lord (Ps. 89:51-52), and being slain all day long for His sake, regarded as sheep for slaughter (Ps. 44:23). Both the glory and the suffering of Israel, as a nation and through its servants such as David, Job, and others in a particular sense, possess a prophetic character; they both point to Christ. The entire Old Testament—with its laws and institutions, its offices and ministries, its events and promises—is a foreshadowing of the suffering to come for Christ and the glory that will follow (1 Peter 1:11). As the church in the New
Testament era has become united with Christ in the likeness of His death and will be in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom. 6:11), as it fills up in its body the afflictions of Christ (Col. 1:24), and is
transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory (2 Cor.
3:18), so the church of the Old Covenant, in all its suffering and glory, was a preparation and foreshadowing of the humiliation and exaltation of that Priest-King who, in the fullness of time, would establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
There is no doubt that the New Testament perceives itself in this light and understands its relationship to the Old Testament accordingly. What Jesus declares, that the Scriptures testify of Him
(John 5:39; Luke 24:27), is a theme that undergirds the entire New Testament and is consistently expressed. The first disciples of Jesus recognized Him as the Christ because they found in Him the fulfillment of what Moses and the prophets had spoken (John 1:46).
Paul attests that Christ died, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Peter states that the Spirit of Christ in the prophets testified beforehand of the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory (1 Pet. 1:11). Every book of the New
Testament, directly or indirectly, reveals that the whole Old Testament finds its fulfillment in Christ: the Law with its moral, ceremonial, and civil commandments, its temple, altar, priesthood, and sacrifices, and prophecy with its promises concerning the anointed King from the house of David and the suffering servant of the Lord. The entire Kingdom of God, prefigured in Israel's people and history, outlined in the law in national forms, and proclaimed in Old Testament language through prophecy, drew near in Christ and descended from heaven to earth in Him and His congregation.
This close connection between the Old and New Testament is of paramount importance for the veracity of the Christian faith. For the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised to Israel,
forms the core of the Christian religion and sets it apart from all other religions. It is, therefore, fiercely opposed by Jews, Muslims, and all heathen peoples, and today it is also contested by many who bear the name of Christians. Some argue that Jesus never considered
Himself the Messiah, or that at best He clothed His profound religious consciousness and His high moral calling in a form that is now obsolete for us. But the testimonies of the New Testament are too numerous and too compelling for such a view to endure. Thus, others have gone much further in recent times. Unable to deny that Jesus regarded Himself as the Messiah and attributed various superhuman qualities and powers to Himself, they conclude instead that Jesus was a man afflicted with delusions, fanaticism, and all manner of excesses. Indeed, the contention goes so far that some attribute various mental and physical ailments to Jesus to explain the lofty thoughts He held about Himself.
This ongoing struggle concerning the person of Jesus, which has recently intensified, demonstrates the enduring relevance of the question: "What do you think about the Christ?" As in previous centuries, it still occupies and divides minds today. Just as the Jews had differing opinions about Jesus, with some seeing Him as John the Baptist, others as Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets (Matt.
16:13), and there were those who accused Him of madness and demonic possession (Mark 3:21-22), so it has been throughout the ages, and so it remains today. Even if we discount the few who openly accuse Jesus of being a fanatic, there are thousands who still recognize Him as a prophet but no longer profess Him as the Christ of God.
And yet, Jesus maintains His full claim to this name and is satisfied with nothing less than this confession. He is indeed a man and is described as such throughout the New Testament. Though He is the eternal Word, made flesh in time (John 1:14; Phil. 2:7), He shared our flesh and blood and was made like His brothers in every respect
(Heb. 2:14, 17). According to the flesh, He is of the fathers (Rom.
9:5), the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16), of the tribe of Judah (Heb.
7:14; Rev. 5:5), of the lineage of David (Rom. 1:3), born of a woman (Gal. 4:4), fully human, with a body (Matt. 26:26), a soul (Matt.
26:38), and a spirit (Luke 23:46), possessing a human mind (Luke 2:52) and a human will (Luke 22:42), experiencing human emotions of joy, sorrow, wrath, and mercy (Luke 10:21; Mark 3:5), and with human needs for rest, food, and drink (John 4:6-7). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus appears as a human being to whom nothing human is alien. He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Heb.
4:15), and in the days of His flesh, He offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, learning obedience through what He suffered (Heb. 5:7-8).
His contemporaries never doubted His true human nature. In the Gospels, He is typically referred to by the simple, historical name of Jesus. Though this name was given by explicit divine command, indicating that He would save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21), it was a common name in Israel, borne by many. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Jehoshua or Jeshua, derived from a verb meaning to save. Moses' successor was initially named Hosea but was later called Jehoshua (Joshua) by Moses (Num. 13:16), appearing in Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 as Jesus. Other individuals named Jesus are also mentioned in the New Testament (Luke 3:29;
Col. 4:11). The name alone did not lead the Jews to recognize Mary's son as the Christ.
They often referred to Him as the man called Jesus (John 9:11), the son of Joseph, the carpenter, whose father, mother, sisters, and brothers they knew (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 6:42), the son of Joseph from Nazareth (John 1:45), Jesus the Nazarene (Matt. 2:23;
Mark 10:47; John 18:5, 7; 19:19; Acts 22:8), Jesus the Galilean (Matt.
26:69), the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee (Matt. 21:11). The usual title by which Jesus was addressed was Rabbi or Rabboni, meaning teacher or master (John 1:39; 20:16), a title commonly used for scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:8). Jesus accepted and claimed this title for Himself (Matt. 23:8-10). These names and titles did not imply recognition of Him as the Christ. This recognition was still absent when He was called Lord (Mark 7:28), Son of David (Mark
10:47), or a prophet (Mark 6:15; 8:28).
Yet, while being truly and completely human, Jesus from the beginning was aware that He was more than a man, and this was recognized and confessed by His disciples with increasing clarity.
This understanding is not confined to the Gospel of John and the Apostolic Letters but is evident in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The alleged contradiction between the historical Jesus and the Christ of the Church is entirely unfounded. It is claimed that Jesus was merely a devout Israelite, a religious genius, an exalted teacher of virtue, a prophet like many before Him in Israel, and that all else professed by the Church—His supernatural conception, Messianic mission, resurrection, and ascension—are later additions by His disciples. However, the testimonies of the New Testament are too numerous and too robust to sustain such a view.
But there are so many and so serious objections to this whole idea that it cannot satisfy anyone. If all those aforementioned facts did not transpire, but were later fabricated and inserted into the life of Jesus, one must explain how the disciples of Jesus devised such fabrications and from where they sourced the material for these skillfully constructed fables.
The impression that Jesus' extraordinary personality made on them would be insufficient, for it would only convey that of a highly exalted man and would not include any elements of the Christ as the church confesses Him.
These elements must then be sought in the Jewish sects of the time, or in the Greek, Persian, Indian, Egyptian, and Babylonian religions, which would reduce Christianity to a syncretistic amalgam of Jewish and pagan errors, thereby stripping it of its independence and uniqueness.
Moreover, the first three Gospels were written by men who themselves firmly believed that Jesus was the Christ. They were composed at a time when the church had already been established for a considerable period, when the Apostolic preaching had spread throughout the known world, and when Paul had already penned several epistles. Despite this, these Gospels were universally accepted and recognized. In the early days of the Apostles and their coworkers, no conflict is known to have arisen concerning the person of Christ. They unanimously believed that Jesus was the Christ, that God had made this Jesus, whom the Jews crucified, both Lord and Christ, and that in His name, He granted repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
This faith has been the foundation of the Christian community from the beginning. Paul argues in the fifteenth chapter of his first letter to
the Corinthians that the Christ, according to the Scriptures, who died, was buried, and rose again, was the essence of apostolic preaching and the object of Christian faith, and that without these facts, both the preaching and the faith are in vain, rendering the salvation of those who died in Christ a mere illusion. There is no choice but between these two: either the apostles are false witnesses of God, or they have testified and proclaimed what they have seen, heard, and touched concerning the Word of life. Similarly, Jesus was either a false prophet, or He was the faithful Judge, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father (Rev. 1:5-6). There is no contradiction between the historical Jesus and the Christ of the church. The testimony of the apostles is the unfolding and explanation of the self-witness of Christ, given under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The church's foundation rests on the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20).
However tempting it may be to expound fully on the testimony given by Christ about Himself and by the Apostles about their Master and Lord, let us here focus on a few essential points.
Like John the Baptist, Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of God was at hand and that entry into this kingdom required faith and repentance (Mark 1:15). However, He positioned Himself in a completely different relationship to that kingdom than John or any of the prophets. All of them prophesied about it (Matt. 11:11, 13), but Jesus is its owner and possessor. He received it from the Father, who ordained it for Him in His eternal decree (Luke 22:29). Therefore, it is His kingdom, which He freely bestows upon His disciples. The
Father prepares a wedding feast for His Son (Matt. 22:2), but the Son is the bridegroom (Mark 2:19; John 3:29), who celebrates His wedding in the future union with His people (Matt. 25:1). The Father owns the vineyard, but the Son is the heir (Matt. 21:33, 38). Thus,
Jesus calls the kingdom of God His kingdom (Matt. 13:41; 20:21; Luke 22:30) and speaks of His church as being founded upon the rock of His confession (Matt. 16:18). For His sake, everything— father, mother, sisters, brothers, house, field, even one's own life— must be forsaken and denied. Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than Him is not worthy of Him. Whoever confesses or denies Him before men will accordingly be confessed or denied by Him before His Father in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33; Mark 8:34).
All His words and deeds correspond to the high place Jesus claims in the kingdom of heaven. They perfectly align with the will of His
Father. Jesus is entirely without sin, conscious of no transgression against God's will, and never confesses to any error or sin. He allows
Himself to be baptized by John, but not to receive forgiveness of sins as others do (Matt. 3:6). John objects to baptizing Jesus because his baptism is one of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus acknowledges this objection but sets it aside, explaining that His baptism is to fulfill all righteousness (Matt. 3:14-15). He does not do this to deny His moral perfection but to fulfill the divine plan. When the rich young man approaches Him, calling Him "Good Master,"
Jesus resists the flattery, redirecting the young man's praise to God alone, the source of all goodness (Matt. 19:16-17). This is not a denial of His own moral perfection but a refusal to accept superficial adulation.
In Gethsemane, His human nature recoils from the suffering ahead, expressing its authenticity in the prayer to let the cup pass from Him.
Yet, it also demonstrates complete submission and obedience: "Not my will, but Thine be done" (Matt. 26:39). Even in that dreadful hour, neither in Gethsemane nor on Golgotha does any confession of sin escape His lips. On the contrary, everything He says and does aligns perfectly with God's holy will. All that He reveals in words and deeds concerning God and His kingdom is given to Him by the Father (Matt. 11:27).
He did not teach like the scribes, with their shrewd and scholastic manner, but as one possessing authority, as one who had received prophetic power from God (Matt. 7:29). This same power was evident in His works. He cast out devils by the Spirit of God (Matt.
12:28), by the finger of God (Luke 11:20), had the authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6), and even the power to lay down His life and take it up again (John 10:18). All this power He received from His Father.
Jesus attributed all His words and deeds to His Father's commandment (John 5:19, 20, 30; 8:26, 28, 38; 12:50; 17:8). To do
His Father's will was His sustenance (John 4:34), so that at the end of His life He could say that He had accomplished His Father's work
(John 17:4).
This relationship, in which Jesus connects to the Kingdom of God through His person, words, and works, is expressed in His Messianic character. Much research has been undertaken to determine whether
Jesus regarded Himself as the promised Messiah, and if so, how He came to this realization.
Regarding the first, there can be no doubt upon an unbiased reading of the Gospels—not only John but also Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Consider a few examples: in the synagogue at Nazareth, He proclaimed that the prophecy of Isaiah was being fulfilled that day
(Luke 4:16-21). When John the Baptist questioned whether He was the promised Messiah, Jesus affirmed it by referring to His works
(Matt. 11:4-6). He accepted Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," and acknowledged it as a revelation from His Father (Matt. 16:16-17). The prayer of the mother of the Zebedee brothers, based on the belief that Jesus is the Messiah, was understood and responded to by Jesus in this sense (Matt. 20:2023). His actions in the temple (Matt. 21:12-13), His institution of the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-29), all rest on the assumption that He is the Messiah, David's Son, and David's Lord, capable of replacing the old covenant with a new one. Indeed, it was for this confession—that He was the Christ, the Son of God—that He was condemned and put to death (Mark 14:62), and the inscription above His cross, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," confirmed it.
Another question is how and by what means Jesus came to this awareness that He was the Messiah. However, all widely accepted modern ideas that Jesus was initially unaware of His Messianic role, that this realization came only later—at His baptism, or even later through Peter's confession—that He accepted it reluctantly or tolerated it as a necessary but imperfect form of His religious-moral calling, are entirely disconnected from reality and in direct conflict with the testimony of Scripture and the nature of Jesus' personality.
There was undoubtedly a development in the human consciousness of Christ, for we read explicitly that He increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). In the quiet family life of
Nazareth, under His mother's guidance, His human insight into His own person and mission, the work the Father had given Him to do, and the kingdom He had come to establish, gradually became clearer and deeper based on the Old Testament Scriptures.
Even as a boy in the temple, Jesus already knew that He must be about His Father's business (Luke 2:49). Before His baptism by John, He was aware that He did not need it for the forgiveness of sins, but to fulfill all righteousness and to be obedient to God's will in all things. For Jesus, this baptism was not a renunciation of a sinful past—He had none—but rather a complete surrender and dedication to God, and from God's side, a full equipping and enabling for the mission He was to undertake. As the Messiah, He was acknowledged by John and the disciples who followed Him (John 1:29-52).
This confession, however, was preliminary. It was not yet complete or fully understood. The disciples still harbored misconceptions about the nature of His Messiahship, expecting Him to be a political and military leader who would liberate Israel from foreign oppression and restore its national glory. When Jesus did not meet these expectations, even John the Baptist began to have doubts
(Matt. 11:2-3). The disciples frequently needed correction and instruction from Jesus to understand His true mission. Their deeply ingrained Jewish expectations led them to ask, even after the resurrection, whether Jesus would now restore the kingdom to Israel.
These prevailing misconceptions made it necessary for Jesus to adopt a particular pedagogical approach in proclaiming His
Messiahship. In the early period of His ministry, Jesus did not
explicitly declare Himself to be the Christ. Instead, His preaching focused on the kingdom of heaven, elucidating its nature, origin, progress, and consummation, often through parables. His works consisted of acts of mercy, healing infirmities, and curing diseases among the people. These works testified of Him, and from them, His disciples and John the Baptist were to discern His identity and the character of His Messiahship. It was as though His Messiahship was a secret that was not to be publicly declared. Frequently, after performing miracles that hinted at His identity, He instructed those involved to keep it to themselves (Matt. 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; Mark 1:44;
5:43; 7:36). Even when His disciples, through Peter, confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, He strictly commanded them not to tell anyone (Matt. 16:20; Mark 8:30). Jesus was indeed the Christ, but not in the manner the Jews expected. He did not want to conform to their expectations and even avoided situations where the people might forcibly make Him king (John 6:14-15). He was the Messiah according to the will and counsel of His Father, fulfilling the prophecy of the Old Covenant.
Thus, He chose to refer to Himself by the peculiar title "Son of Man," which appears frequently in the Gospels. This title is undoubtedly derived from Daniel 7:13, where the dominion of God's people is depicted in contrast to the beastly empires of the world, symbolized by the Son of Man. This term, while known in some Jewish circles as a Messianic title (John 12:34), did not carry the same political and nationalistic expectations as titles like "Son of David" or "King of Israel." It was, therefore, the most fitting title for Jesus, expressing both His fulfillment of Messianic prophecy and His distinction from popular Jewish expectations of the Messiah.
This is evident from Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man." He refers to Himself by this name in two distinct contexts: those that speak of His poverty, suffering, and humiliation, and those that speak of His power, majesty, and exaltation. For example, in the first context, He says, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). In the second, He declares before the High Council that He is indeed the Messiah and adds, "But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven"
(Matt. 26:64). This dual aspect is evident when we compare passages like Matt. 8:20, 11:19, 12:40, 17:12, 18:11, 20:18 with Matt. 9:6, 10:23,
12:8, 13:41, 16:27, 17:9, 19:28, 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 25:13, 31. By this title, Jesus describes Himself in His full Messianic identity, in His humiliation and exaltation, in His grace and power, as Saviour and Judge.
In this, He encapsulates the entire Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah. As previously noted, this prophecy developed in two directions: the anointed King from David's house and the suffering servant of the Lord. In the Old Testament, these lines run parallel, but they converge in Daniel's vision. The Kingdom of God is portrayed as a true and full reign, yet it is the reign of a "Son of Man." Thus, Jesus asserts that He is indeed a King, the King of Israel, the divinely promised and anointed King, but in a different sense than the Jews expected. He is a King who rides on a donkey's colt, a King of righteousness and peace, a King who is also a Priest, a King who is also a Saviour. In Him, power and love, justice and mercy, majesty and humility, God and man are united.
He is the complete fulfillment of the entire Old Testament law and prophecy, of all the suffering and glory which were the preparatory and foreshadowing elements of Israel, the antitype of the kings and priests of Israel, and the representative of the people of Israel, who were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. He is the KingPriest and Priest-King, Immanuel, God with us. Thus, the kingdom
He preached and established is both internal and external, invisible and visible, spiritual and physical, present and future, particular and universal, from above yet below, from heaven yet on earth. Jesus will come again; He came to save the world, and He will return to judge it.
One more characteristic must be added to this image of Jesus as presented in the Gospels: His consciousness of being the Son of God in a unique sense.
In the Old Testament, this title was used for angels (Job 38:7), for the people of Israel (Ex. 4:22; Deut. 14:1; Isa. 63:16; Hos. 11:1), and within that nation, for judges (Ps. 82:6) and kings (2 Sam. 7:14; Ps.
2:7; Ps. 89:27). In the New Testament, Adam is called the son of God (Luke 3:38), the children of God bear this name (2 Cor. 6:18), and it is particularly given to Christ. He is referred to as the Son of God by various individuals: John the Baptist and Nathanael (John 1:34, 50),
Satan and the demons (Matt. 4:3; 8:29; Mark 3:11), the high priest, the Jewish crowd, and the centurion (Matt. 26:63; 27:40, 54), the disciples (Matt. 14:33; 16:16), and the Evangelists (Mark 1:1; John
20:31). Although Jesus does not frequently call Himself by this name, He accepts this confession of His divine Sonship without contradiction and at times openly declares that He is the Son of God
(Matt. 16:16-17; 26:63-64; 27:40, 43).
Now, there is no doubt that the various individuals who referred to Jesus as the Son of God did not all invest this title with the same depth of meaning. When the centurion at the cross declared, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54), his understanding was likely different from that of the High Priest who asked Jesus if He was the Christ, the Son of God (Matt. 26:63). Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16), came after prolonged contact with Jesus and carried a profound recognition of Jesus' divine mission and identity, a recognition that deepened after the Resurrection.
Indeed, Jesus can be referred to as the Son of God in an Old Testament, Theocratic sense. As the divinely anointed King, He can rightly be called God's Son. He is the Son of the Most High, to whom the Lord God will give the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32), the holy seed born of Mary (Luke 1:35), the Holy One as acknowledged by the demon-possessed man (Mark 1:24), and the Son of the Blessed, as identified by the High Priest (Mark 14:61-62). However, this Theocratic Sonship has a more profound meaning for Jesus, emerging from His unique relationship with the Father. He did not become the Son of God merely by His supernatural conception (Luke
1:35), nor by receiving the Holy Spirit without measure at His baptism (Matt. 3:16), nor by being made Lord and Christ through His resurrection (Acts 2:36). These events revealed and affirmed His
Sonship, but His Messianic dignity did not begin with them. It goes back further, rooted in eternity. Scripture teaches that Christ is not called the Son of God because He is the anointed King of Israel; rather, He was appointed as King because He is, in the most profound sense, God's Son.
This is affirmed throughout Scripture. Micah 5:2 speaks of the origins of the Ruler from Bethlehem as being from ancient times, from the days of eternity. Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5 interpret the declaration, "You are My Son; today I have begotten You," from Psalm 2 as referring to Christ's eternal generation. Romans 1:4 declares that Christ was powerfully proven to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. He is the Son of God in a unique sense, existing from eternity (Rom. 8:32; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:6), and His supernatural conception, baptism, and resurrection increasingly revealed this truth.
The same teaching is evident in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus was conscious of His unique relationship with the Father, different from that of all other people. Even as a boy, He knew He must be about His Father's business (Luke 2:49). At His baptism and again at the Transfiguration, God's voice from heaven declared Him to be His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased
(Matt. 3:17; 17:5). This divine affirmation confirmed His identity and mission, setting Him apart as the eternal Son of God.
He speaks of Himself as the Son, exalted above the angels, saying, "Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matt. 24:36, Mark 13:32). Other men sent by God are but servants; He is the beloved Son, the heir of the Father
(Matt. 21:37-38). The kingdom in which He reigns was predestined to Him by His Father (Luke 22:29). He sends to His disciples the promise of His Father (Luke 24:49) and will one day come in the glory of His Father (Mark 8:38). Jesus never says "our Father" in reference to Himself and others together, but always "my Father" or "your Father" separately, placing the prayer "Our Father" on the lips
of His disciples alone (Matt. 6:9). He is, in one word, the Son (Mark 13:32), while all His disciples are children of their Father (Matt.
5:45). All things have been given over to Him by the Father, for no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him
(Matt. 11:27). After the resurrection, He commanded His disciples to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things that He had commanded (Matt. 28:19-20).
The Gospel of John, in which not only the evangelist but also the apostle speaks, does not introduce anything essentially new but delves deeper and expands upon what is given. The title Son of God here sometimes retains its theocratic sense (John 1:34, 50; 11:27;
20:31), but generally it bears a deeper significance. Jesus is often called the Son of God by others (John 1:34, 50; 6:69), and He also refers to Himself as such (John 5:25; 9:35-37; 10:36; 11:4). More frequently, He speaks of Himself simply as the Son without further qualification. As such, He claims the authority to perform miracles
(John 9:35; 11:4), to raise the dead both spiritually and physically (John 5:21), and the Jews understood Him to be making Himself equal with God (John 5:18; 10:33). He speaks of the Father and of Himself as the Son in such an intimate manner that these statements only make sense if God is, in a unique sense, His Father, His own
Father (John 5:18). Everything He attributes to the Father, He also attributes to Himself. The Father gave Him authority over all flesh
(John 17:2), so that the fate of all men depends on their relationship with Him (John 3:17; 6:40). Like the Father, He quickens whom He wills (John 5:21), presides over all judgment (John 5:27), does everything the Father does (John 5:19), and has received life in
Himself from the Father (John 5:26). He and the Father are one (John 10:30); He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him (John
10:38); to see Him is to see the Father (John 14:9). It is true that the Father is greater than He (John 14:28) because the Father sent Him, as Jesus repeatedly declares (John 5:24, 30, 37). But this does not negate the fact that He existed in the glory of God before His conception and will return there after His earthly mission (John
17:5). His Sonship is not based on His mission; rather, His mission is based on His Sonship (John 3:16-17, 35; 5:20; 17:24). Therefore, He is the Son, the only begotten Son (John 1:18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9), the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14), the Word who was with God in the beginning and was God Himself (John 1:1), the Savior of the world (John 4:42), whom Thomas addresses and confesses as "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
Study Questions for Reflection 1. How does the doctrine of the Mediator of the Covenant emphasize the certainty and infallibility of God's plan for salvation?
Reflect on how the eternal counsel of God ensures that salvation is accomplished and applied without fail.
2. What are the three major elements of the counsel of redemption, and how do they interrelate to fulfill God's plan for salvation?
Consider the roles of the Mediator, the Holy Spirit, and the people to whom salvation is given, and how each contributes to the overall execution of God's plan.
3. In what ways does the person of Christ uniquely fulfill the role of Mediator compared to mediators in other religions?
Reflect on how Christ's identity and work set Him apart as the sole true Mediator between God and man, unlike other religious figures who only partially fulfill this role.
4. Why is it essential to understand Christ's preexistence and His role in creation to fully grasp His significance as the Mediator?
Discuss the importance of Christ's eternal nature and His work in creation for understanding His mediating role in redemption.
5. How does the Old Testament preparation and prophecy point to the coming of Christ as the Mediator of the New Covenant?
Reflect on the ways in which Old Testament figures and events foreshadow Christ's work and how the prophecies build up to His arrival.
6. What is the significance of the Messianic expectations in the Old Testament for understanding the nature and work of Christ?
Consider how the hopes and promises of a coming Messiah shape the understanding of Christ's mission and identity.
7. How does the dual role of Christ as both suffering servant and reigning king fulfill Old Testament prophecy and reveal God's plan for salvation?
Discuss the integration of these two roles in Christ and their importance in the unfolding of redemptive history.