The Riddleblog

Calvin On Prayer -- Jesus Is Our Mediator and Intercessor

As Calvin begins to wrap up his discussion of prayer, he points out that all proper Christian prayer depends upon the intercession of Jesus, who ensures that our prayers are heard by the Father. This is why we are to pray to the Father only in the name of Jesus.

17. Prayer in the Name of Jesus

Calvin reminds us that in light of Christ’s intercession for his people, we can pray without shame or fear.

Since no man is worthy to present himself to God and come into his sight, the Heavenly Father himself, to free us at once from shame and fear, which might well have thrown our hearts into despair, has given us his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our advocate [1 John 2:1] and mediator with him [1 Tim. 2:5; cf. Heb. 8:6 and 9:15], by whose guidance we may confidently come to him, and with such an intercessor, trusting nothing we ask in his name will be denied us, as nothing can be denied to him by the Father. And to this must be referred all that we previously taught about faith. For just as the promise commends Christ the Mediator to us, so, unless the hope of obtaining our requests depends upon him, it cuts itself off from the benefit of prayer.

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John CalvinKim RiddlebargerApril 25, 2025Christ the Mediator, Christ the intercessorComment

The Basics -- Jesus Christ, the Covenant Mediator

Christians often speak of important doctrines in the abstract. People speculate about election and predestination, the purpose and extent of the atonement, and so on, without making any connection between these doctrines and the person and work of Jesus Christ. But the Bible does not allow us to do this. If we follow the biblical pattern and language, we cannot even mention the subject of election, without at the same time mentioning that we are chosen from before the foundation of the world in the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself chosen by the Father to be the redeemer of the world (John 17:1 ff.). The seed of the woman mentioned in the first gospel promise (cf. Genesis 3:15) is Jesus of Nazareth, who has redeemed us through his saving work. And so on. This is why the eternal son of God became incarnate–to save his people from their sins. And this brings us back to the covenant of grace, and its mediator, Jesus Christ.

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The BasicsKim RiddlebargerJuly 6, 2023Christ the MediatorComment