One Mediator, Part 2

Baptist teaching has an acrostic familiar to many to teach the distinctives of what it means to be a Baptist. These vary a little bit from church to church or from teaching ministry to teaching ministry, but they follow the same flow. The “P” in the acrostic (B-A-P-T-I-S-T) is generally the same in all that I have come across.

The “P” stands for “Priesthood of all believers”.

Interestingly, the verse reference in a statement from one specific Baptist church references 1 Timothy 2:5:

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…”

Now, as I look at that verse, and you can too and correct me if I’m wrong, but I only see one priest presented therein.

This is that same Priest who is “at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).

Again, Biblically, what is a priest:

Hebrews 5:1 — “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins…”

A priest then is a “go-between” between God and man. A mediator, in other words. Is every believer a mediator between God and man then?

I think that this distinctive is not thought through well enough.

In Exodus 19:5 & 6, the nation of Israel just prior to the giving of the Law was called to priesthood:

Exodus 19:5–6 — “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

This nation of priests needed its own internal priesthood because internally it was still sinful but God was holy. The nation would be a nation of priests to the other nations, and still shall be in the kingdom yet to come.

Zechariah 8:20–23 — “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.”

This should not be confused with the present day, or the nation today as they are in unbelief. Rather, this is the nation bringing forth the fruits of the kingdom, as our Lord said in Matthew 21:43.

Then, the believing in Israel will be the light to the nations that they were called to be, in the Kingdom of God as it is ruling over the earth in the days that God’s Christ is ruling with the government upon His shoulder. (Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 6:10)

In those days, believing Israel will be that kingdom of priests and that holy nation that the Lord has so long desired.

But in the present day, there is one acting Priest, and that is the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. All who come to God, come to God by Him, and by Him alone.

In the church statement that referenced the priesthood of all believers based on 1 Timothy 2:5, it says the following:

“Each of us has the privilege of going directly to God the Father in prayer through God the Son without the necessity of any other person or agency as a go-between.”

Again, this speaks of ONE MEDIATOR, not a universal priesthood of believers. The “universal priesthood” doctrine is confusing and probably should be dropped, whether the acrostic works or not.

While I am not a Baptist, I know many that are and I am often in agreement on many stances that independent Baptist churches have taken, such as the authority of the Bible and separation from worldliness among others. I also notice that while many of the stances that they have taken are not on as solid footing as they should be. Being independent, they are all different in some respects, but the real Baptist distinctive is full immersion only baptism for believers as a requirement for church membership, which is not a requirement for membership in God’s church, the Body of Christ. This is the one thing that makes them Baptists, and that without this, you are not a Baptist.

But, this is a subject for another day.

The main thing to keep in mind is to not put ourselves as a priesthood of intercessors between God and man, when there is only one mediator. A “universal priesthood of believers” gives the indication that we are mediating between God and man and this simply is not so. Jesus Christ is Himself alone the one mediator and none of us is qualified for the task. Our job is to represent Him and to point unbelievers to Him as that ONE MEDIATOR.

Hebrews 7:25 — “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”