Lord’s Day 6
Q15. What kind of mediator and deliverer must we seek?
One who is a true and righteous man, and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is at the same time true God.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
1 Corinthians 15:21
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”
Hebrews 2:17
“Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
Isaiah 53:9
“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Hebrews 7:26
“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”
Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Jeremiah 23:6
“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
Since, then, we are not able of ourselves to make satisfaction to God for our sins, but must have some other satisfier or mediator in our place, we must enquire further, What sort of a deliverer must he be? To this we may reply, that he must of necessity be merely a creature, or merely God, or both. A mere creature, however, he cannot be, for the reasons already assigned. Merely God he could not be, because man, and not God, had sinned; and also because it behooved the mediator to suffer and die for the sins of man. But God, in himself, can neither suffer nor die. It follows, therefore, that such a mediator is required who is both God and man. The reasons for this will be assigned in the questions immediately following.
Zacharias Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (1616). Public domain.