Mediator

[Shiwiii]

Glad to hear it. 

 

[Shiwiii]

Melinda, 

 What are your thoughts on the information that JW Insider posted? 

[Melinda Mills]

I read everything and have read everything over the years. But this seems to have not registered completely for some reason. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[Melinda Mills]

Prompted by Shiwii and JWInsider I gave further consideration to this. I think the problem is that I was thinking about and using the words  Mediator and Intercessor/Advocate interchangeably. But they are different. Mediator is more a legal term. Moses mediated the Old Covenant; Jesus mediated the New Covenant.  The covenanters for the Law Covenant – fleshly Israel; for the New Covenant, spiritual Israel  (anointed Christians).

 

Non-Israelites benefited from the Law Covenant and those of the other sheep benefit from the New Covenant.  No one is left in the cold. (See Watchtower article in previous post and Bro Joyce’s comment.)

 

1. Mediator – definition - one that mediates; especially :  one that mediates between parties at variance

2. Mediator – One who interposes between parties in order to reconcile them.

(Job 9:33 - 33 If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us  together,)

1. Advocate – definition - a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.

2. Intercessor – definition - A person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer:

JESUS OUR INTERCESSOR

However, whether we are of the heavenly calling or of the other sheep, we need daily an Intercessor. That person is Jesus Christ.

(Hebrews 7:25) ²⁵ So he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them.

 

 (John 14:6) Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

(Acts 4:12) ¹² Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”

 

*** w57 8/15 p. 502 par. 12 The Fight of Faith of the Peaceable ***

 

¹² Jehovah’s justice is manifest in the provision he has made for life for men of all kinds as a free gift through faith. This is not received because of prayers that some can afford to pay for while others cannot. The same Mediator and Intercessor, Christ Jesus, who is also our Redeemer, can be called upon by all who desire to worship Jehovah with spirit and truth. While many persons by their point of view deny the power of God, Jehovah’s witnesses recognize the illimitable power of the Creator of the universe.

 

 

*** w02 9/15 pp. 5-6 How Can True Saints Help You? ***

However, God has appointed an Intercessor for our prayers. “I am the way and the truth and the life,” said Jesus Christ. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus also stated: “Whatever it is that you ask in my name, I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in connection with the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:6, 13, 14) We can be confident of Jehovah’s willingness to hear prayers offered in Jesus’ name. Concerning Jesus, the Bible says: “He is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead [“be interceding,” footnote] for them.”—Hebrews 7:25.

…

The Bible teaches us that through Jesus we can have “freeness of speech and an approach with confidence” in prayer to God. (Ephesians 3:11, 12) Almighty God is not too distant or removed from mankind to hear our prayers. The psalmist David confidently prayed: “O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all flesh will come.” (Psalm 65:2) Rather than transmitting power through the relics of deceased “saints,” Jehovah pours out his holy spirit upon those asking for it in faith. Jesus reasoned: “If you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”—Luke 11:13.

 

INTERCESSION WILL CEASE AFTER ATTAINMENT OF PERFECTION

 

*** w13 3/15 p. 23 par. 18 Jehovah—Our Place of Dwelling ***

¹⁸ In the new world just ahead, Jehovah will become “a real dwelling” for his people in yet another sense. Says Revelation 21:3: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them.” Initially, Jehovah will reside with his earthly subjects representatively by means of Christ Jesus. At the end of the thousand years, Jesus will hand the Kingdom over to his Father, having fully accomplished God’s purpose for the earth. (1 Cor. 15:28) Thereafter, perfected mankind will no longer need Jesus as an intercessor; Jehovah will be with them. What a wonderful prospect lies before us! In the meantime, then, let us strive to imitate the faithful generations of old by making Jehovah our “real dwelling.”

====

There may yet be further clarification on this, since all men were alienated from God when Adam sinned, not just the Israelites; (the Law given to Israel just being a tutor leading to Christ), hence they would all need to be reconciled to God as shown in Colossians 1:18-20; hence mediation for all mankind would have been needed. 

 

 

 

 

[Shiwiii]

The synonym for mediator is intercessor.  So you do not believe that Jesus is your mediator?  

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mediator

[Melinda Mills]

Yes, I believe he is. I believe more light will come on this, organizationally. Let's leave it there for now. Thanks

 

[Shiwiii]

3 hours ago, Melinda Mills said:

Yes, I believe he is. I believe more light will come on this, organizationally. Let's leave it there for now. Thanks

 

So you do not side with the society on this issue, but rather hope they will change to what you believe. 

[Giannis Diamantis]

 

Jesus is the “mediator” only for anointed Christians. *** w79 4/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***   

[HollyW]

On 6/14/2016 at 6:00 PM, Shiwiii said:

So not many jws know that the society has excluded Jesus from being their mediator.  Interesting, but they have to have a mediator,  right? I mean, how could a regular jw have access to God otherwise?

JWs don't look to Jesus as their mediator because he's the mediator of the new covenant and they've been told they are not in that covenant, only 144K people are in it and those people began to be numbered from the 1st century, so one can't help but think there aren't that many openings left.  However, they do look to Jesus as their high priest---which is kind of odd since they don't consider that they are the Israel of God (again only the 144K are) and surely the high priest ministered only to Israel.  But anyway, they also believe Jesus will die as their high priest by the end of the 1,000 years (despite Hebrew 7:25), and thereafter they will continue to live based on their own merit.

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Holly