“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29.

The long awaited Lamb of God. About six thousand years ago, God made this promise concerning the defeat of Satan.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15.

Jesus Christ is the Seed of the woman who put the final nail in Satan’s coffin at the cross and settled the sin question forever.

About two thousand years before Christ, Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, as they neared the place of sacrifice, Isaac asked his father.

“But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’  And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So the two of them went together.”  Genesis 22:7-8.

As he was about to sacrifice his son God stopped him, and gave him another sacrifice, a ram caught in a thicket nearby. But Abraham’s words were prophetic, “…God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”

Folks criticize God for even asking such an unthinkable thing of someone. It is not for us to question the things that God did in the Scriptures as though we were omniscient.

Yet the answer to this puzzle is staring us in the face; it is God who gave up His Son, should it be any easier for God? Can we be so arrogant to say that it was easier for Him because He is God?

Abraham was willing to give up his lamb, yet God did give up His Lamb, not for the righteous, or the good; but while we were still His enemies.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.

Fourteen hundred years before Christ, God commanded the Israelites to hold a Passover in Egypt before they were driven out by the Egyptians.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.” Exodus 12:5-7.

The homes of the Israelites had the Passover lamb’s blood on their doors, the doorposts being the two side posts and the lintel is the upper cross beam.

Some say by doing this, it makes a sign of the cross, as you have seen priests do. The angel of death passed over those homes with the blood, and did not kill the firstborn.

However, it says of the Egyptian homes.

“And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.” Exodus 12:29-30.

Jesus is the promised Seed of the woman, the Lamb of God who replaced Isaac on the altar, and shed His blood that those who accept His sacrifice for their sins shall not suffer for eternity in the lake of fire.

Again, notice the wording, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The word here is sin, not sins, there is an important difference.

Sins, are the outward effects of the inward heart, the sin nature, is in everyone.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

This sin nature plagues all of mankind. With the unsaved the sin nature runs amuck and folks sin, because they can.

One might not rob a bank from fear of violence or prison; yet they might take money sitting around. They might not commit adultery because they love their wife; yet they might with the perfect opportunity.

Sin after sin mounts up because sin in the flesh desires it. Again, men, women, and children, sin, because they can.

The sin nature is contrary to all of the world’s philosophies, and political theories. Evolution, socialism, and communism, all operate under the premise that if you indoctrinate, educate, end injustice, if everyone is brought onto an equal plane (egalitarianism), then a state of Utopia will create a heaven on earth for mankind; without God and His pointless Draconian rules.

Mankind can no more remove, or change his sin nature than he can remove his heart and expect to live. Men sin because they can.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

If you are tired of being in bondage to sins or some particular sin; Christ is the only way to escape it.

The sin nature also remains within the Christian. Even the Apostle Paul was vexed as you will see by the passage below.

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:18-25.

Paul makes two interesting points, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells…” and “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.”

Here we have the writer of most of the New Testament telling us that there is a law, “that evil is present with me…” This is a clear warning to every Christian not to become smug in their Christianity, for Satan is seeking those to devour.

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12.

The Apostle Paul was vexed by sin but not in bondage to it because by letting Christ live through him he would be enabled to turn from evil.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

The degree to which the Christian can escape the ravages of sin is the degree to which he is willing to submit himself to Christ.

This is a difficult thing, but as Jesus said of the sinful woman in Luke 7:41-43.

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, ‘I suppose the one whom he forgave more.’ And He said to him, ‘You have rightly judged.’” Luke 7:41-43.

Jesus said of the woman, because her sins were many, she loved much, and then added, “But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Luke 7:47b.

The current generation is taught that if they accept Jesus Christ as Savior, life will be better, and then they will go to heaven. He who is forgiven little loves little.

If mankind would understand what gross vile sinners we are before a holy God, truly understanding how we have offended Him, realizing that all of us are only a heartbeat away from an eternity in the lake of fire, some who accept Christ as savior, just might love a lot.

“This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’” John 1:30-34.

Three times the eternality of Jesus Christ is mentioned, the first being:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.

Then, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” verse 14, John confirms this by saying, “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.” verse 15.

When the Pharisees sent men to question John why he was baptizing, verses 19-27, his reply was, “…there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me…” These men stand warned!

Then before the entire mixed multitude who were present, whether friend or enemy, John cried out.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” John 1:29-30.

Not very subtle, “This is the Christ/Messiah the eternal Son of God!” Yet Jesus was continually insulted, and challenged by the religious authorities, the very ones who should have joyfully welcomed Him.

“I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” John 1:31-32.”

This does not mean that they did not know each other, because John’s mother Elizabeth was related to Jesus’ mother Mary, so it is very likely that the two boys socialized at least during family get-togethers.

So John’s statement means that he did not realize that Jesus was the Christ, or he would not admit his suspicions until he saw the sign of the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining on Him.

“I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” John 1:33-34.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast [Feast of Tabernacles], Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39.

When He spoke to His disciples at the Passover supper, seeing their sadness at the announcement of His departure, Jesus said this.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7.

The Spirit was not given immediately after Jesus’ death and resurrection but on the Day of Pentecost 50 days after His resurrection.

“Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4.

That the Holy Spirit had to be given indicates that He did not indwell individuals before, but came upon them to give prophecy, or other inspiration by God.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

King David longed for the Spirit’s continual presence.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:10-11.

The Holy Spirit is eternal God and has always existed; He was in the beginning, and in the Psalms, and throughout Scripture. He is a person co-equal with God the Father and God the Son.

We serve a triune God; you cannot change any of this and have the God who created and rules everything.

Reject the lie that Jesus was just a man, or Lucifer’s brother, or that the Holy Spirit is just an influence or concept, if you allow that, the remainder will be a false god.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3.

“And I [John] have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34.

Lamb of God, John 1:29-34 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 6-7-12, updated on 6-2-17.

Scripture taken from the New King James version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.