4. Unity: The Plan of Redemption (5)

Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God

The Lamb of God

Thousands of years went by under the system of animal sacrifice. All of the Old Testament events, genealogies, and prophecies have occurred to prepare mankind for the coming of Christ. Then a climactic moment in history arrives. Jesus has arrived on earth and is about to be announced publicly for the first time. John the Baptist is preaching, preparing the “way of the Lord.” As he sees Jesus approaching, John makes an astounding pronouncement that reverberates throughout history:

“Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”(John 1:29, emphasis added)

There it is! – the entire plan of redemption in one sentence. This declaration of John the Baptist summarizes the entire Old Testament in one sentence. All of the events of the Old Testament had occurred to drive humanity to this destination – the arrival of the Son of God and His announcement as “the Lamb of God.”

Notice four important observations from this announcement: First, Jesus’ death was no accident or a failed mission to set up an earthly kingdom. It was His very purpose in coming to earth. Some people take the position that Jesus’ real purpose was to become a political leader and build a kingdom on earth that would rival the Roman Empire . By announcing Him to the Jewish public as God’s sacrifice, shows that His very purpose was to die, because that is precisely what the role of a lamb was – to be a sacrifice – and a sacrifice must die. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19, emphasis added).

Second, this also explains the emphasis in the New Testament on the sinlessness of Jesus (1 John 3:5, “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.”). If Jesus had ever sinned, even once, then He could not have been the innocent Lamb of God. If Jesus had sinned then He would have been liable for His own sins and had the price of death on His head. Suppose I was on death row for murder and you offered to take my place and die for my crime. This would not even be a plausible offer if you were in the next cell awaiting death for your own crime! The requirement for a substitute is that it is not liable for the same judicial sentence. Jesus had never sinned and this qualified Him to step in and pay the price for all sinners.

Third, notice the result of being the Lamb of God. Remember the purpose of animal sacrifice in the Old Testament? It was to remove or cleanse sin. And the result of being the “lamb of God” was that it would “take away the sin of the world.” By the willing sacrifice of himself, Jesus would remove the sins of the world.

Fourth, referring to Jesus as the lamb of God illustrates that Jesus was a fulfillment of Old Testament history. Christ is referred to as our “Passover lamb” in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” This is a reference to the lambs that were sacrificed and their blood which was used to protect the Israelites from the angel of death in Egypt (Exodus 12:3-49). Christ removed the “old yeast” (sin) from us by His sacrifice. He fulfilled the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”).

The Sacrifice of Christ in the New Testament

Mel Gibson’s famous movie The Passion of the Christ very graphically depicts the arrest, scourging, and crucifixion of Christ. What the movie does not explain is why Jesus went through the horrific scourging and subsequent ordeal of the cross. Why did Jesus have to have nails driven through His hands and a spear thrust through His side? Why did He have to die in the first place? The answer is now clear. Jesus suffered this punishment and death on behalf of the sinner. “The stroke was due” (Isaiah 53:8) and Jesus took our place. He paid the price of suffering and death that was owed by each individual sinner. He did this by choice, out of love for His Father and His desire to do His will (Matthew 26:42: “…Your will be done”).

Jesus came to die, to take the place of animal sacrifice! Jesus came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). “...for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). “You were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 7:23)  A price of death that Jesus paid. A payment that humanity did not deserve—such is grace.  

Jesus, the Perfect Sacrifice

By living a sinless life Jesus qualified Himself as an innocent stand-in to die in the place of the truly guilty—you and me. When Jesus died on the cross He took our sins upon Him and then paid the price owed of the guilty—death. Christ’s death results in the death of the believer. 1 Peter 2:24 spells this out very plainly, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Christ took our sins in His body on the cross, and then died, thus paying the judicial price for sin so that sinner might be viewed as having died to sin (paying the judicial price). This role of Christ is summed up in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Again in Hebrews 9:26-28, “He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself...having been offered once to bear the sins of many…”