Witnessing Tip: Is there one Mediator or Many?

Comparing 1 Timothy 2:5 & 1 Peter 2:5
Recently Roman Catholic apologists have introduced a new argument defending prayers to the saints.

Evangelicals condemn prayers to the saints by quoting 1 Timothy 2:5 which says

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

The new Catholic counter argument to this verse goes something like:

“Being a mediator simply means that you approach God on behalf of another person. If this verse prohibits anyone else from acting as mediator, then what about Romans 15:30, Colossians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, Ephesians 6:18-19, and 2 Thessalonians 3:1, etc where Paul asks others to pray for him? What if your Pastor asks YOU to pray for him? Or to pray for a fellow Christian? Would you then be violating 1 Timothy 2:5?”

What this argument assumes is that a mediator is the same as an intercessor.

The Blue Letter Bible has a detailed word search available online and you can have access to Easton’s Bible Dictionary which says :

Mediator: one who intervenes between two persons who are at variance, with a view to reconcile them. This word is not found in the Old Testament; but the idea it expresses is found in Job 9:33, in the word “daysman” ( q.v.), marg., “umpire.”

This word is used in the New Testament to denote simply an internuncius, an ambassador, one who acts as a medium of communication between two contracting parties. In this sense Moses is called a mediator in Gal 3:19.

Christ is the one and only mediator between God and man ( 1Ti 2:5; Hbr 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). He makes reconciliation between God and man by his all-perfect atoning sacrifice. Such a mediator must be at once divine and human, divine, that his obedience and his sufferings might possess infinite worth, and that he might possess infinite wisdom and knowledge and power to direct all things in the kingdoms of providence and grace which are committed to his hands ( Mat 28:18; Jhn 5:22,25,26,27); and human, that in his work he might represent man, and be capable of rendering obedience to the law and satisfying the claims of justice ( Hbr 2:17,18; 4:15,16), and that in his glorified humanity he might be the head of a glorified Church ( Rom 8:29).

This office involves the three functions of prophet, priest, and king, all of which are discharged by Christ both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. These functions are so inherent in the one office that the quality appertaining to each gives character to every mediatorial act. They are never separated in the exercise of the office of mediator.

When someone prays for someone else they are NOT acting as mediator. They are interceding for that person but not mediating. A mediator is one who stands apart. We can intercede for each other in the same way I can go to court with you and stand beside you, but you and I cannot approach the judge. Only the mediator (lawyer) can do that.

For more information on Jesus as mediator and high priest, let me suggest studying the book of Hebrews in depth.

There is a series of Roman Catholic books called “Beginning Apologetics” which gives a more detailed argument in response to 1 Tim 2:5 :

1 Tim 2:5 must be understood in the light of 1 Peter 2:5: “let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” St. Peter says that Christians share in the one, eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is mediator between God and man because of His priesthood. Therefore, to share in Christ’s priesthood means to share in His mediatorship, both in heaven and on earth.

1 Tim 2:5 confirms that we share in Christ’s mediation, when we read it in context. In verses 1-7, St. Paul asks Christians to participate in Christ’s unique mediation by offering prayers and intercessions for all men: “this is good and pleasing to God” We are called to unite ourselves to the one mediator Christ, “who gave himself as a ransom for all” by praying/or all men, through Christ. – pg28-29, Beginning Apologetics 1 by Father Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham

So there isn’t ONE MEDIATOR? Was Paul so completely wrong on this? No. He says one Mediator, he means one mediator. Note what they say that we share in mediation by “prayers and intercessions” but a mediator is not the same as an intercessor!

Some Roman Catholics will make the argument that the Greek word for “one” in that passage indicates that there is one PRIMARY mediator. The problem with that argument is that the passage says that there is one God too. It’s the same word. So is there one PRIMARY God and one PRIMARY mediator? No. There is only one God and there is only one Mediator.
The problem with this argument is that you can’t rip the verse from 1 Peter and slap it on 1 Timothy.

Are we a priesthood of believers who atone for sin one to another? Absolutely not. Hebrews makes it clear that atonement is finished. Are we a priesthood of believers who can approach God on our own merit? Absolutely not, there has only ever been one sinless Person and you and I are not Him. Are we a priesthood of believers that can offer up sacrifices of thanksgiving? Sure. In fact Hebrews mentions 2 sacrifices that Christians can offer up to God :

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – Hebrews 13:15-16 (NIV)

So when peter is talking about spiritual sacrifices, he certainly isn’t talking about sin or atonement because there is only one priest in that class : Jesus. He is of the order of Melchizedek and it’s an un-transferable, unattainable priesthood for us.

We can certainly offer up sacrifices of service to Him, we can offer up thanksgiving to Him, we can live as a sacrifice to Him. But our sacrifices do not make us mediators.

But it should be pointed out, gently, that this argument from 1 Peter applied to 1 Timothy quickly leads us to the Mormon version of the Melchizedek priesthood. They claim that they are of the same order of priesthood as Jesus but scripture makes it clear that there is only ONE priest who can hold that office and it is Jesus.