Friday, February 21, 2014

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Gospel of John 1:29)




You have probably heard these words many times but do you really understand what they mean? For instance, why is Jesus called a “Lamb” or “the Lamb of God”? Why does the Bible speak of hell if the sin of the world is “taken away”?  What is the “sin of the world”? Why “sin” rather than “sins”? These questions will be addressed over the next few weeks but we must first begin by laying a foundation.

From the very beginning, God demanded that man approach Him by means of an animal sacrifice. This is not an invention of man but the demand of a Holy God who cannot overlook sin and remain perfectly just and holy. It would be important to pause here and contemplate this one statement.

All that God commands is rooted in who He is. This is the primary message of the Bible (not salvation, heaven or hell!). You will never grasp the significance of why He does what He does without a clear knowledge of who He really is. The Bible is God’s self-revelation. It is the only true foundation. That Jesus is the “Lamb of God” is one thing. Why “Jesus is the “Lamb of God” is far more significant.

God is either an idol (something created in the mind) or, the true God revealed in the Word of God. One demands a payment for sin the other is rather easy going. Which “God” do you have?

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