Romans 8:26—Is the Holy Spirit our mediator or is Christ?

Problem: First Timothy 2:5 asserts that “there is one ... Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” But Romans 8:26 informs us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us to God “with groanings which cannot be uttered.” How can Christ be the only mediator when the Holy Spirit also mediates?

Solution: Christ is the only mediator; the Holy Spirit is only an intercessor. Christ alone died for our sins (Heb. 1:1–2), making reconciliation with God possible (2 Cor. 5:19). The Holy Spirit did not die for our sins; He prays to the Father on our behalf, based on the redeeming work of Christ. Further, the intercession of the Holy Spirit is not in heaven, as Christ’s work is (1 John 2:1–2). Rather, it is in us. The indwelling Spirit pleads in us to the Father on the grounds of the mediating work of the Son.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.