Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ…
 – 2 Peter 1:1

Throughout history, nearly every religion has included mediators – people chosen by God, or by others, to speak with the spiritual world and communicate the will of the divine. The idea has usually been that if human beings listen to these mediators and follow their instructions, they may receive blessings in return (blessings such as prosperity or protection).

These mediators have often taken the form of priests, prophets, shamans, or oracles. In the ancient Roman religion, for example, the highest priest was called the Pontifex Maximus, meaning “the greatest bridge-builder.” His role was to build a symbolic bridge between the human world and the world of the gods. It was a powerful image: humanity, stuck on one side of a great divide, needing help to reach what was holy and divine.

The Bible agrees that people have become separated from God and need a mediator. But it also introduces a unique concept: God became His own Mediator, in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
 – 1 Timothy 2:5

According to the New Testament, Jesus didn’t just build a bridge between Heaven and earth – He became the bridge. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He closed the gap between God and humanity. A powerful sign of this was given at the moment Jesus died, when the great curtain in the Jewish temple – which separated the people from the temple’s “Holy of Holies” – was torn in two (see Mark 15:37–38; Hebrews 10:19–22).

This means that people no longer need a spiritual go-between to reach God. Anyone who has simple, genuine faith in Jesus may approach God directly – in prayer, worship, and daily life.

This raises an important question, though: if Jesus is the Mediator, then what is the role of a pastor? Who is this man (or woman) standing at the front of the church?

The Bible describes church leaders as mature believers who have the responsibility to teach, guide, and encourage others in their spiritual journey. They are not spiritual gatekeepers who speak to God on behalf of Christians, but rather servants who have been given time and training to help Christians walk more faithfully with God themselves.

They do this by proclaiming the Gospel, teaching the Bible, reminding Christians to obey Christ’s teachings, providing comfort in times of sorrow, counselling Christians through life’s challenges, performing ceremonies such as baptism and marriage, praying for their congregations, and bringing their congregants together to pray.

And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
 – Ephesians 4:11–12

In the opening verse of this post, Peter addresses Christians as those whose faith is equal to his own. This means anyone who becomes a Christian is considered just as valuable and just as accepted as Peter himself – regardless of background, education, or title. In fact, it is often the case that some of the most spiritually mature Christians are not pastors, but everyday believers in the congregation.

And this is not something to be discouraged. In fact, it should be the enduring hope of any good pastor that the members of the church ultimately surpass him or her in faithfulness.

A pastor brings to a church community much-needed skills and giftings. These things are useful, but they do not determine one’s standing with God.

What do I mean by that? Take a pastor’s theological training, for example. It is vitally important to have biblical experts in any congregation to help people avoid error and remain grounded in the truth. (Ideally, most people in a congregation should be working toward this kind of theological competency themselves, but having a trained expert on staff is a great place to start.)

However, theological knowledge does not bring a person closer to God any more than knowing how a bridge is built gets one across it. As we’ve already seen, Christ is the bridge between God and humanity, and simple faith is the bridge between human brings and Christ. As we learn from the example of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day (who were highly educated): it is possible to know a great deal about God and still be a complete stranger to Him.

Knowing about God is not enough. We must know Him the way a child knows a loving Father, not the way an academic knows a subject in school.

For practicing Christians, this presents both a blessing and a challenge.

• It is a blessing, because anyone can experience real intimacy with the living God without first completing some kind of rigorous spiritual program. True biblical holiness – which means being set apart for God – is not achieved through knowledge, rituals, or lifestyle. It is granted freely by God’s grace and purchased for us on the Cross. We do not need to purchase it ourselves.

• It is a challenge, because no one can now excuse their own spiritual laziness or distance from God. If a Christian is not experiencing intimacy with God, he or she cannot say they are too lowly, too inexperienced, or too unqualified to reach Him. How can anyone claim such a thing when God Himself has gone to such great lengths to reach us?

May you experience this kind of intimacy yourself, through a living faith in Jesus Christ.

Would you like to learn more? If you are exploring Christianity and have questions about Jesus or what it means to be a Christian, I’d love to meet you for a cup of coffee and chat. No pressure, no judgment – just open and friendly conversation. You can email me anytime at colin.mccomb@sim.org.