What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Lamb of God?

The Bible identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God, God's designated sacrifice for sin who takes away the sin of His people. The Bible presents Jesus as the Lamb of God, a sacrifice appointed by God to take away the sins of His Church. As noted in John 1:29, John the Baptist bore witness to Jesus, declaring Him as the sacrifice necessary for atonement. This portrayal resonates throughout Scripture, where the concept of the lamb as a sacrificial offering runs deep in the Old Testament, notably during the Passover and the Day of Atonement. Jesus fulfills these types as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, ensuring a complete atonement for the sins of God's elect.

How do we know substitutionary atonement is true?

Substitutionary atonement is affirmed in Scripture, where Christ bears the sins of His people, fulfilling the law's demands. Substitutionary atonement is a cornerstone of Reformed theology, grounded in the biblical narrative of Jesus taking upon Himself the sins of His people. As stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21, Jesus was made to be sin for us, despite knowing no sin, demonstrating His role as a substitute. The sacrificial system throughout the Old Testament foreshadows this truth, as animals were offered in place of sinful humans. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, completes this sacrificial system by making a perfect atonement. The effectual nature of His sacrifice is confirmed in Scriptures such as Hebrews 9:26, where it is articulated that He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Why is the concept of Jesus as our mediator important?

Jesus as our mediator is vital because He intercedes for us, enabling access to God's grace and forgiveness. The role of Jesus as our mediator is essential in the framework of Reformed theology. As the God-man, He fulfills the demands of the law and serves as the High Priest who intercedes on behalf of His people. Scripture teaches that no one can approach a holy God except through Christ, who represents us before God the Father. In 1 Timothy 2:5, we understand that there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. This highlights the exclusive means by which we are reconciled to God, emphasizing the significance of His sacrificial work and priestly intercession, reinforcing that our acceptance and justification before God rest solely on Christ's righteousness.

What does it mean that Jesus takes away the sin of the world?

Jesus taking away the sin of the world refers specifically to His atonement for the sins of His elect, not all humanity. The phrase 'takes away the sin of the world' is often misunderstood without the proper context. In the context of John's assertion, it refers to Jesus's monumental work of atonement for God's elect, His Church, rather than every individual sin of all humanity. Scripture, including John 10:15 and Acts 20:28, indicates that Jesus laid down His life for His sheep and purchased the Church with His own blood. This underscores that the atonement is sufficient for all the elect and effectively secures their salvation, rather than suggesting that all sins are forgiven universally. Thus, the term 'world' highlights the scope and reach of His sacrifice, specifically reflecting the inclusive nature of the Gospel for the chosen people of God.

Behold The Lamb Of God - Tom Harding | Full Transcript & Audio

I would invite you and encourage
you to turn in your Bible this morning to the Gospel of John,
John, Gospel, chapter 1, and let's read together one verse.
John, chapter 1, verse 29. The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, behold the sacrifice
of God, this sacrifice of God which taketh or beareth away
the sin of the world. I want to bring you a message
this morning about the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, identified
here by God's prophet as the Lamb of God. John the Baptist's
one business, of which he was totally consumed with, was to
bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. He said on several
occasions that he came to bear witness of the light, that all
through him might believe. He said again, John did of himself,
that he was not that light, but he was sent to bear witness of
the light. He said on another occasion,
the Lord Jesus Christ must increase, I must decrease. The only reason for the coming
of John and the only purpose that John was sent for was to
identify and glorify and point sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ,
God's only sacrifice for sin. John does not ask us to behold
a great teacher, although the Lord Jesus Christ certainly is
a teacher, nor does John tell us to behold a great moral leader,
though certainly that could be said of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John, the prophet of God, declares and identifies the Lord Jesus
Christ as a designated sacrifice for God. This is God's atonement
for the sin of His Church, for the sin of His elect. We read
in 1 John 4, verse 10, here in His love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the sacrifice for
sin, the propitiation. the atonement for sin. John the
prophet knew no other atonement but substitution, and no substitute
but the Lord Jesus Christ, this Lamb of God. Now, we know from
reading the Scripture that John sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ
as the only sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God. All through Scripture, we see
the Lord Jesus Christ. All through the Old Testament,
we see Lamb after Lamb after Lamb, the morning sacrifice,
the evening sacrifice, the Passover feast, and on the Day of Atonement. All through the Old Testament,
we see Lamb after Lamb after Lamb, sacrificial Lamb, Abel's
Lamb. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
fulfillment of all those lambs that were typical. They all typified
the Lord Jesus Christ. Who else could have provided
such a sacrifice to fulfill all Scripture but God Himself? We read in Genesis 22 when Isaac
asked Abraham, My father, where is the lamb? Do you remember
the answer that Abraham gave back? But my Son God will provide
Himself a Lamb. The Lord Jesus Christ is a fulfillment
of that scripture. He is the Lamb of God. In the
fullness of time God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. Who
else could have honored God's law and His justice in precept
and penalty but the Lamb of God? that God himself had provided.
We read in Galatians 3 that Christ has redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. Who else could have established
a righteousness whereby we can be justified before God? Who
else could have put away sin except the Lord Jesus Christ
by the sacrifice of himself? The point I'm trying to make
here is the Scripture declares that Jesus Christ is the Lamb
of God That's provided by God. Now, who was it that sacrificed
this Lamb of God? Oftentimes, this religious world
focuses in on the instruments. But we need to look beyond the
instruments to the author of the cross. He being delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. It was
the sacrifice of God at Calvary. Yes, men nailed him to the cross,
and they did what they wanted to do, but God is the author
of the cross. They did what God determined
from all eternity. This is God's sacrificial lamb. Calvary was not an accident.
God planned the cross. God presided over the cross.
Our Lord said, No man takes my life from me, I lay it down.
And God participated. It wasn't the work that men did
at Calvary. that day, that's our hope, it's
what God was doing. You see, this is God's sacrificial
lamb. It was God who bruised him when
the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for us by imputation. We know that the Lord Jesus as
the God-man mediator, as God's lamb is spotless and without
blemish, He personally committed no sin, but yet we see the wrath
of God falling upon Him because he is indeed guilty of sin by
imputation. God made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God through Christ, through Christ establishing a righteousness
by his obedience and by his death, by his redeeming blood having
put away our sin. Jesus Christ is not only the
Lamb provided by God, but also the Lamb that is accepted of
God, that is, His sacrifice, His person and His work, His
priestly atonement, as a representative man, as a representative person,
as a mediator of His covenant people. He is the Lamb of God
that God must accept, glories to accept, and always accepts. This is our only hope that a
guilty sinner might have before a holy God is to be accepted
in the Beloved through this Lord Jesus Christ. Now, my friend,
do not try to approach God who is holy apart from this sacrifice
for sin. This is the only way we can approach
God is through a suitable mediator who is our High Priest with a
suitable sacrifice that satisfies God And all this we have in our
God-man mediator, who is our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, John sets forth the Lord
Jesus as the Lamb of God. We are to behold this Lamb of
God, this sacrifice of God, and this sacrifice of God is effectual. John declares, this Lamb of God
taketh away, or beareth away, our sin. the Lord Jesus Christ
as this designated sacrifice, appointed of God, blessed of
God, sent of God, was sent to take away sin. Our Lord not only took our sin,
but took it to Himself. Peter said He bare our sin in
His own body upon the tree. He took our sin original and actual, all sin,
all the sin of God's people, was imputed to the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is a great beauty and strength,
and the center of the Gospel is substitution, imputation. Christ, as this Lamb of God,
the Just One, He suffered for the unjust by imputation, by
substitution. All of the sin of God's elect
was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you consider the
weight of all the sin of all God's elect laid upon Christ.
No angel could bear that load. No man could handle that burden
of sin. But when it was imputed to the
Lord Jesus Christ by God's decree, He bare our sin in His own body. Not only did he take our sin,
but in taking our sin, he took it away. He taketh away our sin. He took it voluntarily out of
love. Being the willing servant of
God, he became responsible to divine justice, to answer for
our sin. He carried it away as the scapegoat
of old did under the law. John said in 1 John 3, verse
5, that the Lord Jesus Christ was manifested to take away our
sin. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ didn't
attempt to take away sin. He made a complete atonement
for sin. And I mean by that, His atonement
was effectual. All for whom He stood as surety,
mediator, and advocate, those for whom He died, certainly their
sin is put away. For we read in the book of Hebrews
9 Hebrews 9, verse 26, that He appeared once in the end of the
age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. We read in Psalm
103, talking about the effect of Christ's atonement, Christ
has removed our sin from us as far as the east is from the west.
In Isaiah 38, verse 17, the prophet declares that all our sin is
put behind the back of God, that it is out of sight. God said
in that covenant of grace, their sin and their iniquity I remember
no more. In Micah 7, 19, our sin is described
as cast into the depths of the sea. He put away sin, my friend,
by taking our sin to himself, satisfying God's law and justice
for us. He taketh away. This is a permanent
eternal sacrifice for sin. There is a continual effect.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. It wasn't a temporary atonement. He obtained, for His elect, eternal
redemption. He saves us with an everlasting
salvation. Now, my friend, those for whom
He stood as surety mediator and as the representative man, Their
salvation was accomplished at Calvary when He put away their
sin. Now, John says in the text here
that this Lamb taketh away the sin of the world. Now, most people
look at this and think, well, Christ made atonement for all
of the sin of all men. My friend, that is not according
to the Scripture. This word, world, here, is in
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ dying for his elect, his church. We read in Acts chapter 20 that
he purchased the church with his own blood. We read in John
10 verse 15 that the Lord Jesus Christ, as the good shepherd,
laid down his life for the sheep. The sheep were in this world,
lost sheep. We read in Ephesians chapter
5 that the Lord loved the church and gave himself for it." That's
this world that is described here. It doesn't mean all of
the sin of all men, nor some of the sin of all men, but all
of the sin the Lord Jesus Christ made sufficient atonement for
all of the sin of some men, His elect, His church. We read in Matthew chapter 1,
verse 21, that we are to call His name identifying his office
as Savior, he shall save his people from their sin. Now, my friend, I would ask you,
according to the Word of God, as John says here, behold this
Lamb of God. He is the only sacrifice, sin
of God, to put away the sin of God's people. And my prayer for
us today is that God would give us grace to look to this Lamb
of God, salvation in no other. Our Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, the life. No man comes unto the Father
but by Me, by this righteousness established, by this sacrifice
that is given.

Behold The Lamb Of God

What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Lamb of God?

How do we know substitutionary atonement is true?

Why is the concept of Jesus as our mediator important?

What does it mean that Jesus takes away the sin of the world?

Sermon Transcript

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Behold The Lamb Of God

What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Lamb of God?

How do we know substitutionary atonement is true?

Why is the concept of Jesus as our mediator important?

What does it mean that Jesus takes away the sin of the world?

Sermon Transcript

About Tom Harding

Comments

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