Subject Ninety-eight

THE LAMB OF GOD

Scripture: John 1:29, 36

1. The meaning of the lamb
   1. We have to see this from the type revealed in the Old Testament. We see in the Old Testament that when Adam sinned, he should have died. But God killed a lamb for him and clothed him with garments from the skin of the lamb to cover up his nakedness. This shows us that when man sinned, he should have died, but God used the lamb to be the substitute for man, to shed its blood for the sins of man; thus the lamb became the clothing for man to cover himself before God. From that time on, throughout all the generations man could only come before God through the lamb. It is only through the shedding of a lamb’s blood for our sins that we can be accepted by God. The offering of the sacrifices by the Israelites can also be mentioned here.
   2. The great significance of the lamb is in its death and the subsequent shedding of blood for the remission of our sins. Because God is righteous, He cannot forgive the sins of man. Therefore, the provision for the forgiveness of sins is the shedding of the blood of a lamb.
2. The Lamb of God
   1. The Bible tells us that God prepared a Lamb for man even before the foundation of the world. Therefore this Lamb is called the Lamb of God. All the many lambs in the Old Testament were prepared by man, so they are called the lambs of man. Only this Lamb is prepared by God for man, so it is called the Lamb of God.
   2. The Lamb of God is the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
   3. When the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to this earth, His forerunner John the Baptist testified of Him saying, “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.” When John preached these words to the Jews, it was very easy for the Jews to understand what he was preaching. From the days of their forefathers up till that time, the Jews were offering sacrifices every day. Therefore, on that day when John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world,” they immediately knew what this referred to.
3. To bear the sins
   1. The reason God prepared a Lamb for man was that man had sinned. God needed man, therefore He created man. He loved man, so He saved man. Since man had fallen, sinned, and had created a problem between himself and God, God had to use some means to take away the sins of man. The saving way for our sins is to have a Lamb to bear and take away the sins.
   2. The place where the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, bore the sins of man was on the cross. When He was dying, He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” God forsook Him not because He was sinful, but because God had put the sins of all mankind upon Him.
   3. Because He bore and took away the sins of man in such a way, today, the blood He shed can wash away the sins of man and solve the problem between man and God.
4. How should one treat the Lamb of God?
   1. Confess that He died for your sins.
   2. Repent.
   3. Receive the Lamb of God as your Savior.