One of the most consistent tendencies in religious life is the addition of layers between people and God. Scripture describes God’s design as direct access through one mediator — and the human tendency to complicate that simplicity has been present from the beginning.
The Mistaken Assumption
More mediators mean more access. Additional intercessors — saints, priests, clergy — strengthen prayer by adding spiritual weight. The more holy the intermediary, the more effective the approach to God. Layering helps.
What Scripture Actually Shows
First Timothy 2:5 is unambiguous: there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. This is not a minor point — it is structural. The entire book of Hebrews is built around the argument that the priestly system of the old covenant has been fulfilled and superseded by Jesus, who is both the perfect high priest and the perfect sacrifice. He does not need to be supplemented. Hebrews 4:16 says believers can approach the throne of grace with confidence — directly, without intermediary beyond Christ. The veil in the temple was torn at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:51). That tearing was not incidental. It was the end of mediated access and the beginning of direct access through Christ.
Why This Feels Hard
The desire for additional mediators often comes from a genuine sense of unworthiness — who am I to approach God directly? That humility is understandable. But the answer to unworthiness is not additional human intermediaries. It is the sufficiency of Christ’s mediation, which covers the gap completely.
What Faith Looks Like Here
Coming to God directly, through Christ, is not presumption — it is the design. Hebrews invites it explicitly. The confidence with which you approach God is not based on your own worthiness but on what Christ has done. That access is not diminished by bypassing additional layers — it is honored by using what Christ made available rather than looking for supplements to what He completed.