For There Is One God, and One Mediator Between God and Men
The salvation of man is an embodiment of God, and Jesus is the only mediator between God and men, necessary for our redemption.
Octavius Winslow emphasizes the singularity of Christ as the sole mediator between God and humanity, underscoring that salvation is a divine embodiment of God Himself. He articulates that the essence of God's character and attributes are fully manifested in the work of salvation, which is so profound that adding any human effort to it would be a grave error. Winslow asserts that only Jesus possesses the divine merit and love necessary to redeem humanity, and that He alone can bear our sins and reconcile us to God. The preacher passionately declares that Jesus must be central to our salvation, as there is no other name by which we can be saved.
Text
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Tim. 2:5
THE salvation of man is an embodiment of God Himself. The essence, the heart, the mind, the attributes, the character, the government of God, are all embarked, embodied, and exhibited in the salvation of man. It is a work so surpassingly stupendous, glorious, and divine, we can account for its vast and unique character, and its transcendent results, upon no other principle than its essential demonstration of Deity--"God manifest in the flesh." To mix, then, anything extraneous with this great and finished work, to add to it anything of human device, would seem a crime of deepest dye--a sin, the pardon of which might well extend beyond the provision of its mercy. God has, at every point, with a jealous regard for His own glory, exhibited and protected this great truth. Over the cross beneath which as a sinner I stand--inscribed upon the portal of the refuge into which as a sinner I flee--above the fountain within which as a sinner I bathe--upon every object on which as a sinner I believingly gaze, God has written one sentence--solemn, pregnant, and emphatic--"Jesus only!"
Jesus alone could stoop to our low estate. He only could stand between justice and the criminal--the Day's-man between God and us. He only had divinity enough, and merit enough, and holiness enough, and strength enough, and love enough to undertake and perfect our redemption. None other could embark in the mighty enterprise of saving lost man but He. To no other hand but His did the Father from eternity commit His church--His peculiar treasure. To Jesus only could be entrusted the recovery and the keeping of this cabinet of precious jewels--jewels lost and scattered, and hidden in the fall, yet predestinated to a rescue and a glory great and endless as God's own being. Jesus only could bear our sin, and sustain our curse, endure our penalty, cancel our debt, and reconcile us unto God. In His bosom only could the elements of our hell find a flame of love sufficient to extinguish them; and by His merit only could the glories of our heaven stand before our eye palpable and revealed. Jesus must wholly save, or the sinner must forever perish. Listen to the language of Peter, uttered when "filled with the Holy Spirit," and addressed with burning zeal to the Christ-rejecting Sanhedrin: "This is the stone which was set at nothing of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Thus, in the great and momentous matter of our salvation, Jesus must be all.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Salvation of Man is an Embodiment of God
- A. The essence, heart, mind, attributes, character, and government of God are all exhibited in salvation
- B. This is a work of surpassing glory and divinity, demonstrating Deity
- II. The Necessity of a Mediator
- A. Jesus alone could stoop to our low estate and stand between justice and the criminal
- B. He had the divinity, merit, holiness, strength, and love necessary to undertake and perfect our redemption
- III. The Uniqueness of Jesus' Role
- A. He was entrusted with the recovery and keeping of God's church
- B. Jesus alone could bear our sin, sustain our curse, and reconcile us unto God
Key Quotes
“The essence, the heart, the mind, the attributes, the character, the government of God, are all embarked, embodied, and exhibited in the salvation of man.” — Octavius Winslow
“Jesus only could stoop to our low estate. He only could stand between justice and the criminal--the Day's-man between God and us.” — Octavius Winslow
“Jesus must wholly save, or the sinner must forever perish.” — Octavius Winslow
Application Points
- We must look solely to Jesus for our salvation, as there is no other way to be saved.
- Jesus' divinity, merit, holiness, strength, and love are all necessary for our redemption.
- We must acknowledge Jesus as the only mediator between God and men, and trust in Him alone for our salvation.