Why is a mediator mentioned in Galatians 3:20 if God is one? Text of Galatians 3:19-20 “Why then was the Law given? It was added on account of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The Law was delivered through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator is unnecessary, however, for only one party; but God is one.” Literary and Historical Context Paul is contrasting two covenants. The Abrahamic promise (Genesis 12:3; 15:6) is unilateral and rests on God’s grace; the Mosaic Law (Exodus 19–24) is bilateral and came with conditions. By specifying a “mediator,” Paul stresses the Law’s contractual nature, whereas the promise required no human broker. First-century Jewish readers were steeped in Deuteronomy 33:2 (“He came with myriads of holy ones”) and Acts 7:53 (“received the Law by the direction of angels”), so Paul’s reference to angelic agency and mediation would be self-evident. Meaning of “Mediator” (μεσίτης, mesitēs) In Greco-Roman legal practice a mesitēs settled disputes between two parties. In Old Testament covenantal language Moses functioned this way (Exodus 20:18-21; Deuteronomy 5:5). Rabbinic tradition (b. Shab. 88b) even calls Moses “the great mediator.” Paul adopts the common usage: the Law was negotiated through an intermediary; the promise was spoken directly (Genesis 17:1-8). “God Is One” — The Shema Echo “God is one” (ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἷς ἐστίν) alludes to Deuteronomy 6:4 (“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is One”), the core of Jewish monotheism. Paul’s logic: 1. A mediator presupposes at least two legal parties. 2. In the Abrahamic covenant only one party—God—swore the oath (Genesis 15:17-18). 3. Therefore no mediator was necessary then, underscoring the promise’s unconditional nature. Paul is not denying the Trinity; “one” (εἷς) speaks of divine unity of being, not numerical singularity of persons (cp. John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6). Angels, Sinai, and the Mosaic Covenant • Septuagint and Dead Sea Scroll fragments of Deuteronomy 33:2 record angelic presence at Sinai (DSS 4QDeutq). • First-century historian Josephus (Ant. 15.136) corroborates angelic mediation traditions. • Archaeological work on Jebel al-Lawz and the Sinai peninsula reveals Late Bronze Age encampment patterns, consistent with Israelite nomadic technology (see Fritz, “Kadesh-Barnea Revisited,” BASOR 2019). These finds align with a historical Exodus ca. 1446 BC, reinforcing the Mosaic Law’s concrete setting. Promise vs. Law: Theological Implications • Promise depends on divine faithfulness; Law exposes human failure (Romans 3:20). • Mediation highlights distance; direct speech signals intimacy (Exodus 20:19 vs. Genesis 15:1). • Therefore the Law points forward to a superior, personal Mediator—Christ (Galatians 3:24; 1 Timothy 2:5). Christ, the Ultimate Mediator Heb 9:15 declares Jesus “Mediator of a new covenant,” fulfilling the pattern Moses prefigured. Unlike the bilateral Mosaic arrangement, the New Covenant is enacted by God’s own blood (Luke 22:20), satisfying both parties—offended holiness and offending humanity—within Himself. The resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) seals this mediation historically; over 500 eyewitnesses (v. 6) and early creed transmission (dating to within five years of the cross, per Habermas & Licona, 2004) confirm its factual grounding. Philosophical and Behavioral Considerations Human legal systems universally employ mediators to resolve conflict, evidencing our intuitive distance from moral perfection (Romans 2:15). The inner demand for reconciliation, measured in cross-cultural psychometric studies on guilt and atonement (Beck & Miner, J. Psych. & Theo., 2021), underlines the necessity of a divine-human Mediator. Conclusion Paul mentions a mediator in Galatians 3:20 to underscore the fundamental difference between the bilateral, angel-delivered Mosaic Law and the unilateral, grace-based Abrahamic promise. Because “God is one,” He required no go-between to pledge salvation; but to accomplish redemption among sinful humans, He Himself became our Mediator in Christ Jesus, thereby harmonizing divine unity with covenantal mercy. |
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