The Lamb of God

John the Baptist does not point to Jesus vaguely. He says in JOHN 1:29 (ESV), "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" That title pulls together sacrifice, sin, substitution, and salvation. Jesus is not only the child born. He is the Lamb given. Christmas must be allowed to lead us here. If we stop at the manger and never move toward the cross, we have not understood why He came. The sweetness of Bethlehem is real, but it is not sentimental. The Son came as the Lamb who would take away sin. Sin must be taken away. Not ignored. Not excused. Not rebranded. Taken away. This is the work of Christ, not the achievement of human effort. We cannot cleanse ourselves deeply enough. We cannot undo guilt by trying harder. We cannot offer God enough religious activity to remove sin. The Lamb of God does what sinners cannot do.

HEBREWS 9:26 (ESV) says Christ appeared "to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." That is the heart of the gospel. Jesus is both priest and offering, both holy and merciful, both the One who saves and the sacrifice by which salvation is accomplished. This should produce awe. The baby Mary held would one day bear the sins of His people. The One worshiped by angels would be rejected by men. The sinless Lamb would suffer for sinners. Do not make light of what He came to take away. Bring sin into the light. Confess it. Turn from it. Trust the Lamb. There is mercy, but it is costly mercy. It was purchased by Christ Himself. Behold Him. Not as seasonal decoration. As the Lamb of God. This is where worship becomes serious. If Jesus takes away sin, then sin is not something to keep, cherish, rename, or excuse. The Lamb is not given so we can make peace with darkness, but so we can be forgiven, cleansed, and brought back to God. REVELATION 5:12 (ESV) declares, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain." The worth of Christ is seen not only in His birth, but in His sacrifice. Look at the manger with the cross in view, and let gratitude become surrender.