"The Lamb Of God"
John 1:29
John's message was
brief, but emphatic. "No vehement appeal was made. No angry rebuke was
given. No logical argument was presented. John simply pointed to the Savior and
cried, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Nothing else was needed. To have
said less would have been treason. To have said more would have been
redundance.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
IS THE LAMB OF GOD. He is not one lamb among many, but the Lamb. There is no
other Lamb of God. Throughout the Mosaic age there were hundreds of thousands
of lambs slain by the priests of
THIS TITLE, "THE
LAMB OF GOD," REFERS TO OUR SAVIOR'S VOLUNTARY, SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE
OF HIMSELF FOR SINNERS. Christ is the Lamb appointed, given, slain, and
accepted by God the Father. But let it never be overlooked that the Son of God
became the Lamb of God by his own voluntary will, so that by his suffering and
death we who deserve to die under the wrath of God might obtain eternal life.
We were justly condemned to suffer the wrath of God forever because of our sin.
And God almighty was honor bound to punish us for sin. But Christ stepped in to
die in the place of sinners, to endure the wrath we deserved, to satisfy divine
justice by his own blood, so that God might be both just and the justifier of
all who believe on him (Rom. 3:24-26; Prov. 16:6). Mercy designed forgiveness
for an innumerable multitude of sinners, each of whom were
guilty of innumerable sins and deserving of infinite wrath. Wisdom found a way
to obtain forgiveness by substitutionary redemption. And love gave Christ to be
our Redeemer. "Behold the Lamb of God!"
Don Fortner