The Bible Echo
May 1, 1899
The Only True Mediator
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 1
Jesus is our advocate, our high priest, and our intercessor. We occupy a like position to that of the Israelites on the day of atonement. When the high priest entered the most holy place, representing the place where our High Priest is now pleading, and sprinkled the atoning blood upon the mercy seat, no propitiatory sacrifices were offered without. While the priest was interceding within, every heart was to be bowed in contrition before God, pleading for the pardon of their transgression. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 2
Type met antitype in the death of Christ, the lamb slain for the sins of the world. Our great High Priest has made the only sacrifice that is of any value in our salvation. When He offered Himself on the cross, a perfect atonement was made for the sins of the people. We are now standing in the outer court, waiting and looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. No sacrifices are to be offered without, for the great High Priest is performing His work in the most holy place. In His intercession as our advocate, Christ needs no man's virtue, no man's intercession. He is the only sin-bearer, the only sin-offering. Prayer and confession are to be offered only to Him who has entered once for all into the most holy place. He will save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 3
This makes of no avail the offering of the mass,—one of the falsehoods of Romanism! The incense that is now offered by men, the masses that are said for the deliverance of souls from purgatory, are not of the least value in God's sight. All the altars and sacrifices, the traditions and inventions, whereby men hope to earn salvation, are but fallacies. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 4
Priests and rulers have no right to interpose between Christ and the souls for whom He has died, as though invested with the Saviour's attributes, and able to pardon sin. They are themselves sinners, and are only human. One day they will see that their deceptive doctrines have led to crime of every description and type. They are responsible for many terrible wrongs which men have perpetrated upon their fellow-men. Martyrs have been tortured and put to death by men instigated by Satan to perform wicked deeds. These things have been done under the rule of the man of sin, who has placed himself as God, sitting in the temple of God and taking upon himself the prerogatives of God, that he may carry out his own schemes. The Judge of the whole earth will call those who have done these deeds to account. The case of every soul that has been imprisoned, every human being that has been tortured, has been noted by the recording angel. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 5
The mightiest human being, whatever may be his claim, is not infinite. He cannot understand infinity. Christ plainly stated, “No man knoweth the Father but the Son.” A teacher was once endeavouring to present the exaltation of God, when a voice was heard saying, “We cannot as yet understand who He is.” The teacher nobly replied, “Were I able fully to set forth God, I should either be a god myself, or God Himself would cease to be God.” The mightiest created intellect cannot comprehend God; words from the most eloquent tongue fail to describe Him; in His presence silence is eloquence. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 6
Christ represented the Father to the world, and He represents before God the chosen ones in whom He has restored the moral image of God. They are His heritage. To them He says, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” No man, “knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” No priest, no religionist, can reveal the Father to any son or daughter of Adam. Men have only one advocate, one intercessor, who is able to pardon transgression. Shall not our hearts swell with gratitude to Him who gave Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins? Think deeply upon the love that the Father has manifested in our behalf, the love that He has expressed for us. We cannot measure this love; for measurement there is none. Can we measure infinity? We can only point to Calvary, to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 7
The great Intercessor presents His petition to the Father. No middle-man comes between the sinner and Christ. No dead prophet, no buried saint, is seen. Christ Himself is our advocate. All that the Father is to His Son, He is to those whom His Son in humanity represented. In every line of His work Christ acted as a representative of the Father. He lived as our substitute and surety. He laboured as He would have His followers labour, unselfishly appreciating the value of every human being for whom He suffered and died. BEcho May 1, 1899, par. 8
Mrs. E. G. White