John 1:29-34

Behold! The Lamb of God Who Takes Sin Away!

Introduction

Importance of John’s ministry as forerunner

Setting up for the various names of Christ for remainder of chapter

Lamb of God (v. 29, 36)

the Elect One (Son of God) (v. 34)

Rabbi (v. 38, 49)

Messiah/Christ (v. 41)

the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote (v. 45)

Son of God (v. 49)

King of Israel (v. 49)

Son of Man (v. 51)

Main Points

the Lamb who saves (v. 29)

the Lamb who surpasses (vv. 30-31)

the Lamb who sends (vv. 32-34)

the Lamb who saves (v. 29)

Subpoints

A particular person

A particular purpose

A particular people

A particular person

Next day

Just after his recognition of Christ’s importance

Elijah, Prophet, Christ

Three-fold question

“the Lamb of God”

Heavily tied to OT

Abraham offering Isaac

Genesis 22:6–7 “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?””

Result?

Isaac saved, God provides a sacrifice

Passover in Egypt

Exodus 12:3–13

A continued, bloody sacrifice

Exodus 29:38–39 ““Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.”

Two lambs a day for atonement

Contrast to Christ’s sacrifice

Hebrews 10:11–14 “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Abomination of the Mass, denigrating Christ’s atonement

Day of Atonement

Lev. 16.

Summarize

Prophesied by Isaiah

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

Verified by Apostles

Acts 8:32 “Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.”

1 Peter 1:18–19 “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Object of worship in glorification

Revelation 5:6 “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

Revelation 21:22–23 “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

One who gathers his own

Revelation 7:9–10 “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!””

What was John’s purpose in using this?

Christ was handed over to be crucified at the sixth hour on “the day of preparation of the Passover” (John 19.14)

That was the very hour that the Passover lambs were slain throughout Jerusalem.

So calling Jesus “the Lamb of God” was John’s way of saying that his blood causes God’s wrath to pass over all those who trust in him

A Particular Purpose

“takes away the sin”

“takes away” conveys notion of “bearing off”

Signifies substitution

Back up to Day of Atonement

Related to particular redemption

Christ’s atonement was intended by God to secure the redemption of the elect alone

3 Questions to ask

Intent: “What was Jesus’ death designed to accomplish?”

Nature: “What kind of atonement was it?”

Extent: “For whom exactly did Jesus die?”

The basic point: the extent of the atonement depends on the intent of the atonement.

Need to be careful with generalization

Easy to fall into universalism

A Particular People

“of the world”

The “world” designates humanity in its hostility to God, as elsewhere in this gospel.

And, against Jewish “exclusivism”

Born of flesh, will of man, of blood (John 1:13 “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” )

Gentiles always included in God’s redemptive plan

Back to Day of Atonement

Specific people, not the entire world

Said elsewhere by Christ

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:15 “just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Analogous to the church

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Logical points - three theological bases

Theological basis 1:

The Persons of the Trinity are united in their redemptive purposes and works.

The Father’s purpose in election is to save particular people.

The Holy Spirit’s purpose in regeneration is to save particular people.

Therefore, the Son’s purpose in redemption is to save particular people.

Therefore, Christ’s redemptive work is particular rather than universal in extent.

Theological basis 2:

Christ’s atonement was a penal substitution

If atonement is made for all of a person’s sins, then that person will be saved.

Only the elect will be saved.

Therefore, Christ’s atonement was made only for the sins of the elect.

Theological basis 3:

Christ accomplishes everything he purposes to accomplish.

If Christ had purposed to save everyone, then everyone would be saved.

Not everyone will be saved.

Therefore, Christ did not purpose to save everyone

Application

PR reinforces the unity of purpose between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

PR reassures us that God’s redemptive purposes never fail.

PR points us both to God’s great mercy and to God’s perfect justice

PR gives us confidence in the perfect, finished cross-work of Christ.

PR gives us assurance of God’s personal and specific concern for our salvation.

PR means the Savior we proclaim to sinners in the gospel is a Savior who actually saves.

[2] The Lamb who surpasses (vv. 30-31)

Picking up on JtB recognition of who Christ is

Three important elements to JtB’s discussion of Christ

“comes a man”

Jesus came in the flesh

Tabernacle and its importance

Father exegetes the Son, made Him known

Important in his humiliation

Temptation w/o sin

Fulfilling the Law of God

“ranks before me”

Far superior than JtB

Quoted back in v. 15

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.””

Author of Hebrews exposition of Christ

Greater than the angels

Greater than Moses

Greater than Melchizedek

Greater than the sacrifices

Greater than the priests

Christ far surpasses anyone else

“he was before me”

“was” = eternal “was”

Imperfect action meaning it has always been the case

the Divine Logos

was God

face-to-face with God

Created all things

v. 31

“I myself did not know him”

Ref to John not knowing that Jesus was that Messiah

He as well had been searching, as one who was a forerunner

John’s baptism was to reveal “make manifest” who Christ was

Disclose something hidden, to show/demonstrate

Fitting for JtA and JtB

Both have been witnessing this reality of Christ

Application

Somewhat left over, how do you view your relationship to Christ?

Not merely savingly, but positionally

Do you see yourself as the hero?

The victim?

Is Christ worth being made known?

Do we see Christ for who He has revealed Himself to be?

[3] The Lamb who sends (vv. 32-34)

Spirit, dove-like entrance

Account across all four Gospels, Matt 3.16; Mark 1.10; Luke 3.22.

Not an actual dove

hovering as He did in Gen 1.

Remained

Word usually used for location

Abide w/ Christ

Prophesied by Isaiah

Isaiah 42:1 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Same Spirit which would lead Jesus into wilderness to be tempted

Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

“baptizes with the Holy Spirit”

Not pagan charismatic practice rooted in mysticism and end times cults baptism of HS upon conversion

Not a special gift, or “extra-level Christian”

Anticipates Pentecost and Acts 2 reversal of Babbel

Leon Morris, “Baptism with water [then, contextually] had essentially a negative significance: it is a cleansing from sin. But baptism with the Spirit is positive. It is the bestowal of new life in God”

Now, Baptism signifies entrance into the covenant community and the promises of God received by faith alone

Spirit frees us from domain of sin

Romans 6:5–14

Spirit gives us life

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

Spirit regenerates us

Spirit seals us forever to Christ

Application

By Christ sending us the Spirit we should no longer continue in patterns of sin

By Christ sending us the Spirit we should rely upon the HS for mortification

By Christ sending us the Spirit, we are reminded how much the Father loves His people

By Christ sending us the Spirit, we ought to use our gifts for mutual service