Behold The Lamb of God

Behold The Lamb of God

John 1:29

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

In a few short words the last of Old Testament Prophets gave witness to the Person and Work of the Son of God. In these few words John the Baptist said more than most modern preachers say in their entire preaching career. For most of the things said by preachers in our days are half truths; and whole lies. So that all they say is not worth hearing. They speak of free moral agency; and of Man’s free will, in sharp contradiction of the word of Christ who said He came “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). Modern preachers speak of the ability of man to decide his own destiny; while the Prophets of God speak of man’s slavery to sin and Satan: as it is written “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive be delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” (Isaiah 49:24-25). Today preachers speak much of the power of the will of man; and say nothing of the power of the Christ of Holy Scripture, to deliver His children of the covenant (Acts 3:25); but will not speak of the Sovereignty of God, the total depravity of the heart of natural men, nor of the inability of man to overcome the evil in his own heart, and the enmity of his mind to the law of God, and to the God of the law (Romans 8:7; I Corinthians 2:14).

In just a few short words John the Baptist made clear who Jesus of Nazareth is: Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten Son of God, as it is written: “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:” (Genesis 22:8). Christ Jesus: God the Son: is the Lamb of God’s providing and the Lamb is himself the God who provided Himself The Lamb of God. Jesus of Nazareth is God manifest in flesh, (I Timothy 3:16) one with the Father (John 10:30) and in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). He is the Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant of grace (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:5-10; 7:11-19; 8:6; 13:20) He is the sacrifice that has taken away the sin of the church of God, by one offering and forever (Hebrews 9:26; Isaiah 53:10-12; Daniel 9:24) for, by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).

Jesus of Nazareth is the Surety of the people of God, and therefore is responsible to the Father to bring His many sons to glory (Hebrews 7:22). It is not now and has never been the responsibility of any son of Adam to make peace with God, that is something far outside the reach of men (Job 9:33; Isaiah 1:18; Hebrews 1:3). It took God the Son robed in Human flesh to make peace between God and man. As it is written “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” (II Corinthians 5:19). In our subject verse the Apostle calls upon the people of God to “Behold the Lamb of God”.

Behold the Lamb of God, behold His glorious Person: He is Deity robed in Humanity; He is God and Man in one Person; one Person with two distinct and separate natures; for the Deity was not made humanity, nor was the humanity made Deity, there is no mixture of the two separate natures, for if there were mixture of the natures in Christ: He would be no Mediator: for He would not be God to intercede for man, nor would He be man to propitiate the justice of God for men. But in that His natures are separate and distinct: He is “One chosen out of the people” (Psalm 89:19) to satisfy the justice of God; and He is “the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts:” (Zechariah 13:7); He is the eternal Word made flesh (John 1:14) and He is “The Mighty God, The everlasting Father; so that both natures acting in one glorious and absolutely peerless and unique Person He is The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6). As the Christ of God He is one with His People; as well as one with His Father (John 10:30; 14:20; 17:20-21; Ephesians 5:30: I Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:5; Colossians 1:18) therefore as Christ the Mediator, the Daysman betwixt God and man, He can lay His hand upon both to make peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). As the Christ of God He is immutable holiness: (Hebrews 13:8); and is made the holiness of His people (I Corinthians 1:30) In His Person He is, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, (Hebrews 7:26) while bareing the sins of the Old Testament and the New Testament saints “in his own body on the tree” (I Peter 2:24) the Holy one of God.  

The Godhead of Jesus Christ makes all the undertakings of His Person infallible, “He shall not fail” (Isaiah 42:4). His Deity upholds all the undertakings of His Humanity, His Deity provides infinity, and absolute efficacy to all that the Man Christ Jesus undertakes in His glorious Person: therefore the glory of His priesthood is infinite and infallible, and in that priesthood He perfects forever by those who were set apart in the everlasting covenant of grace: having been loved of the Father as He had loved His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:11-22; 10;14; John 17:23-24).

Therefore it is manifest that the christ who wants to do anything that is not accomplished is a fraud. The christ who wants to accomplish that which is never accomplished, is not the Son of God, he is not God the Son, he is not the Mediator, nor is he the Savior of the people of God; but he is the christ of the natural understanding of unregenerate men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). The Christ of Holy Writ, was sent into this world “to save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) there is no possibility that He will fail in that undertaking. If He had failed He would not be where He is now, that is, at the right hand of God sitting in His throne, (Psalm 110:1; Revelation 3:21) if He had failed He would not have been raised from the dead, for He would not have finished the work the Father gave Him to do, that would have been to come short of the commandment of God, which is sin, a thing which is impossible in the Christ of God, for: “in Him is no sin” (I John 3:5).

The Christ of Holy Scripture has saved “His people from their sins” this is what He declared in His great high priestly prayer, saying: “I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:4). In the death of Christ He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil, (Hebrews 2:14) He was manifest to destroy the works of the devil (I John3:8), Christ Jesus said “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:31); and at the cross Christ Jesus said “IT IS FINISHED and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John19:30). Now Satan’s prison house lays in shambles, the bars are broken for the children of God, Satan is cast out and can no longer accuse the brethren who Christ Jesus Has Justified, for, they are made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). As it is written: “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34). Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: as it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Galatians 3:13). Therefore God saith “Deliver him (one of God’s elect, writer) from going down into the pit: I have found a ransom. (Job 33:24).  Our Lord Jesus Christ did not come into this world to save all men! (Matthew 1:21; 7:23; 13:13). God does not love all Men! (Psalm 5:5; 53:5; Romans 9:13; 11:7-10). God loves and has loved all whom He has reserved in Christ Jesus, (Jeremiah 50:20; Jude 1:1; Romans 11:4; I Corinthians 1:2) and He loves and has loved them as He loves and has loved Jesus Christ. (John17:23-24; 14:20; Romans 8:39)  

AJ Ison

See the writer’s blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the gospel of the free and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus preached at www.13thstbaptist.org web casting live at listed service times.