CHAPTER 8
Of Christ the Mediator.
I. It pleased God, in his
eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son,
to be the Mediator between God and man;a the Prophet,b
Priest,c and King;d
the Head and Saviour of his Church;e
the Heir of all things;f
and Judge of the world;g
unto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed,h
and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and
glorified.i
a Isa. 42:1; 1 Pet.
19,20; John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:5.
b Acts
3:22
.
c Heb. 5:5,6.
d Ps. 2:6; Luke
1:33.
e Eph. 5:23.
f Heb. 1:2.
g Acts 17:31.
h John 17:6; Ps.
22:30; Isa. 53:10.
i 1 Tim. 2:6; Isa.
55:4,5; 1 Cor. 1:30.
II. The Son of God, the second
person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance, and equal
with the Father, did, when the fulness of time was come, take upon him man’s
nature,k with all
the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin;l
being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin
Mary, of her substance.m
So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and
the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without
conversion, composition, or confusion.n
Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator
between God and man.o
k John 1:1,14; 1
John 5:20; Phil. 2:6; Gal. 4:4.
l Heb. 2:14,16,17;
Heb. 4:15.
m Luke 1:27,31,35;
Gal. 4:4.
n Luke 1:35; Col.
2:9; Rom. 9:5; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Tim. 3:16.
o Rom. 1:3,4; 1 Tim.
2:5.
III. The Lord Jesus, in his
human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the
Holy Spirit, above measure;p
having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;q
in whom it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell:r
to the end, that being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth,s
he might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a Mediator and
Surety.t Which
office he took not unto himself, but was thereunto called by his Father;u who put all power and judgment into his hand, and gave him
commandment to execute the same.w
p Ps. 45:7; John
3:34.
q Col. 2:3.
r Col. 1:19.
s Heb. 7:26; John
1:14.
t Acts 10:38; Heb.
12:24; Heb. 7:22.
u Heb. 5:4,5.
w John 5:22,27;
Matt. 28:18; Acts 2:36.
IV. This office the Lord Jesus
did most willingly undertake;x
which that he may discharge, he was made under the law,y
and did perfectly fulfil it;z
endured most grievous torments immediately in his soul,a
and most painful sufferings in his body;b was crucified, and died;c was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw
no corruption.d On
the third day he arose from the dead,e with the same body in which he suffered;f
with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand
of his Father,g
making intercession;h
and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.i
x Ps. 40:7,8 with
Heb. 10:5-10; John 10:18; Phil. 2:8.
y Gal. 4:4.
z Matt. 3:15; Matt.
5:17.
a Matt. 26:37,38;
Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46.
b Matt. chap. 26,
27.
c Phil. 2:8.
d Acts. 2:23,24,27;
Acts 13:37; Rom. 6:9.
e 1 Cor. 15:3,4.
f John 20:25,27.
g Mark 16:19.
h Rom. 8:34; Heb.
9:24; Heb. 7:25.
i Rom. 14:9,10; Acts
1:11; Acts 10:42; Matt. 13:40-42; Jude ver. 6; 2 Pet. 2:4.
V. The Lord Jesus, by his
perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal
Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his
Father;k and
purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the
kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him.l
k Rom. 5:19; Heb.
9:14,16; Heb. 10:14; Eph. 5:2; Rom. 3:25,26.
l Dan. 9:24,26; Col.
1:19,20; Eph. 1:11,14; John 17:2; Heb. 9:12,15.
VI. Although the work of
redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after his incarnation, yet
the virtue, efficacy, and benefits thereof, were communicated unto
the elect in all ages successively from the beginning of the world,
in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices, wherein he was revealed and
signified to be the Seed of the woman, which should bruise the
serpent’s head, and the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, being
yesterday and to-day the same, and for ever.m
m Gal. 4:4,5; Gen.
3:15; Rev. 13:8; Heb. 13:8.
VII. Christ, in the work of
mediation, acteth according to both natures; by each nature doing that which
is proper to itself:n
yet, by reason of the unity of the person, that which is proper to one
nature is sometimes in scripture attributed to the person denominated by the
other nature.o
n Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet.
3:18.
o Acts 20:28; John
3:13; 1 John 3:16.
VIII. To all those for whom
Christ hath purchased redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and
communicate the same;p
making intercession for them;q
and revealing unto them, in and by the word, the mysteries of salvation;r
effectually persuading them by his Spirit to believe and obey; and governing
their hearts by his word and Spirit;s
overcoming all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom, in such manner
and ways as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable
dispensation.t
p John 6:37,39; John
10:15,16.
q 1 John 2:1,2; Rom.
8:34.
r John 15:13,15;
Eph. 1:7-9; John 17:6.
s John 14:16; Heb.
12:2; 2 Cor. 4:13; Rom. 8:9,14; Rom. 15:18,19; John 17:17.
t Ps. 110:1; 1 Cor.
15:25,26; Mal. 4:2,3; Col. 2:15.
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Westminster
Confession of Faith (index)
