When John Calvin was in Paris, he urged a friend to preach a sermon on about Christ as the only mediator.
This was a highly controversial and provocative move, as the sermon was preached
on All Saints Day, a day specifically earmarked to celebrate the role of saints.
In his sermon Calvin's friend said, "Let us plead to Christ who has great mercy and who is the only Mediator with God, that His Spirit may enlighten our hearts that all our being and striving might praise him, feel him, and bow before him in awe, so that the Divine Redeemer may fill our hearts and immerse them in his grace . . ."
Never had the university heard anything like it from this place. Two Franciscans were seen leaving the church. They had been disturbing the audience with remarks of disapproval for the last half hour. "Grace, pardon of God, Holy Spirit," they said; "that's all this speech is filled with. Nothing about indulgences, good works - where will it lead to?"
The authorities eventually heard about it. Calvin and his friend were forced to flee Paris and head onwards towards Basel fearing for their lives.
Although the idea has not always been warmly received in certain quarters, nevertheless, one of the key
thoughts of our faith is that we have one Mediator before God: Jesus Christ.
Source: Reported in Emanuel Stickelberg, Calvin, Trans. D. G. Gelzer, (London: James Clarke & Co., 1959), 19-21. Contributed
to OzSermonIllustrations by Michael Bird.
Topics: grace, salvation, Christ, mediator.