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MEDIATION, MEDIATOR
MEDIATION, MEDIATOR
' peace with God through (5id) Jesus Christ, thiou)j;h whom (5i'ou) we have had our access {Trpo(Ta.yuyy)v, ' introduction') by faith into this j,'race' (Ito . ')"•). Tlie reconciliation is accomplished through Christ (v."). We shall obtain linal salvation because Christ ever lives (v.'"). In some sense parallel with the relation of Adam to the race, Christ stands at the head of all who are redeemed, as the channel of life and grace (vv. '--'). Christ mediates to the believer more {{race than Adam did sin and death (v.-"). But this wealth of grace brings obligation to holy living, not to licence (6' 7"). St. Paul uses the figures of death to sin as sym- bolized by baptism, the new slavery to God, and marriage to Christ, to illustrate the permanence of the bond with Christ. Jesus Christ set St. Paul free from the bondage of sin and the Law (1^ 8'). God sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh condemned man's sin in the flesh of Jesus (8^). The absence of tlie article before iv t-q o-apKl makes this interpretation probable. Christ is not merely the Mediator and Kedeemer, but He dwells in. the Christian (v.'°). We are in Christ and Christ is in us. We are joint-heirs with Christ (v.") and destined to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, the First-born among many brethren (v.^). More than that, Jesus is now the champion of the elect and makes intercession for us at God's right hand (v.^*). St. Paul defies the universe to lay a charge against the elect, rescued by the death of Christ and preserved by His unchanging love (vv. 23-39), jt is God's plan, and He declares us righteous, St. Paul seems to call Christ God in 9^ Christ died and came to life again that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living (14'). So St. Paul interprets in Romans the mystery of the ages (16-').
(c) The Third Group (Phil., Philem., Col., Eph.;. — We shall treat these Epistles in this order, though the position of Philippians is disputed. These are the Epistles of the first Roman im- prisonment. The standpoint of Phil, does not differ essentially from that of Gal. and Romans. St. Paul here emphasizes his notion of life with Christ (1''). The incarnation and death of Christ are treated as the supreme example of humility (2^'% Christ in His pre-incarnate state left a place on an equality with God for the lowliest rank among men and for the shameful death of the Cross. All this brought its consequent exaltation (vv.'""), and thus some light is thrown upon the philosophy of the Cross of Christ. St. Paul uses the language of the mystic to express his passionate devotion to Christ and his purpose to realize all that Christ has in store for him (3'''^), ' that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming con- formed unto his death' (v.'"). The very difficulty of his language shows the wealth of meaning in his conception of his personal relation to Christ. Jesus was Mediator, but in no artificial way ; rather He had gripped the whole of St. Paul's nature. Christ had become the passion of his life {(f Si, v. '3). Christ is the great reality of life to him, TrdvTa iax^<^ if Tt^t ivowafxoiivTi fie, Christ brings all good (4").
There is nothing distinctive in Philem. on the subject, though St. Paul urges Philemon to receive the converted runaway slave as a ' brother beloved ' 'in the Lord' (v.'^). Thus Christ sets free the slaves of the world.
In Col. and Eph. St. Paul combats the heresies of incipient Gnosticism with perhaps a tinge of the current 'mystery-religions.' The horizon is wider than the Roman Empire or even the earth itself. The whole range of the universe of spirit and matter comes into view, so far as the Ancients conceived it (t4 TrdxTa). Already in Ro 8""-- ' the
whole creation ' is represented as being in some sense invcdved in sin and redemption. Tlie (Jnostic philosophy posited matter as essentially evil, and exnlained the Creation by the existence of sub- ordinate a'oiis who came in between God anil matter. Christ was conceived as one of these seons. Thus the Persim of Christ is forced to the front, and St. Paul interprets Christ in relation to the universe. He places Him on a par with God in nature (Col l"), and treats Christ as the Agent and Con.server of the material universe (vv.">""). Thus he answers the degrading; view of the Gnostics. Resides, Christ is also the Head of the spiritual universe (vv.'*-^'), ' that in all things he might have the pre-eminence' (v."*). As Creator and Head of all things, as the fullness of God (v.'" 2"), Christ is able to reconcile unto God all things, Kal dt' avroO dvoKaraWd^at rd wdvTa eUavrdv (1-**). This peace of the universe is made possible by the blood of His Cross (1-°). Here the mediatorial work of Christ is lifted to the highest possiWe plane (cf. 1 Co jg24-:8 fQf j^jj adumbration of this conception). The triumph of the Cross is emphasized further in Col 2'"-. The Docetic Gnostics denied the real humanity of Christ, and so St. Paul mentions 'blood' and 'bodily.' The Cerinthian Gnostics separated the Christ from Jesus, and so St. Paul identities them as one 'Christ Jesus the Lord ' (v."). It is essential for the Christian to hold fast the Head (v.'"). The ififiarevu of v." is now known to be used, in an inscription in the sanctuary of Claros, of the initiate ' entering in ' (cf. The Independent, 1913, p. 376). Some of these initiates in the mj'stery-religions had apparently dethroned Christ from His place as Head. Christ did not do all His mediatorial work on the Cross. He will keep it up, as we have seen (1 Co 15^"-), till the last enemy is put under His feet, when He shall deliver up the kingdom unto the Father (v."). Now He is at the right hand of God, and our life is hid with Christ in God and is doubly safe (Col 3'"^). St. Paul is bold to speak the mystery of Christ (4^), who is the mystery of God (2-). In Eph P every spiritual blessing is ' in Christ.' God chose us ' in him ' (v.''). We become sons ' through Jesus Christ ' (v.^). He bestowed His grace ' in the Beloved ' (v.*). 'We have our redemption through his blood' (v.'). God purposed His will 'in him' (v.»), 'to sum up all things in Christ' (v.'"), 'in whom also we were made a heritage' (v."), ' in whom ye also . . . were sealed' (v."). Christ is Head of the Church, which is His body (v.--; cf. Col 1'*). This mystic body of Christ includes both Jew and Gentile, who have been made one in Christ and are drawn together by the blood of Christ, the middle wall of partition being thus broken down and both being united to God and to each other (Eph 2""). This 'one new man' is the household of God, the holy temple of the Lord (vv. ''"-''). Thus the wisdom of God is shown (3") 'according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Christ is not a mere official Mediator. He is the vital Head of the living body which is growing up to the fullness of Christ (4""'"). Christ loved His body, the Church (the Kingdom), and gave Himself up for it that in the end it might be without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless (5^"^). This mystery is great (v. 3-) in regard to Christ and the Church. It is the whole mystery of redemp- tive love.