Thursday, April 3, 2014

Celebrate Easter Big -- Lent: Day 30

Scripture: John 1:19-34
                         
In this passage we see John the Baptist appearing as, “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the LORD (Isaiah 40:3-5).’”  John is declaring, “The One I am speaking of comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie (v. 25-27).”

But then in verse 29 we read the most important declaration made by John in this passage:  “Behold, the Lamb of GOD who takes away the sin of the world!”  No ordinary human being can “take away the sin of the world.”

In 1 John 3:5 John states:  “He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.”  The lambs offered in sacrifice to take away sin in the Old Testament had to be spotless and without blemish (Leviticus 4:32-35).  But we know that the blood of animals could not really take away sin (Hebrews 10:4).  That whole Old Testament system was pointing forward to what would happen someday in a final sacrifice for sin.  And John the Baptist is saying:  It’s happening now!  GOD is sending His own Lamb into the world to take away sin, once and for all.

What qualified JESUS for this humanly impossible act?  JESUS was not born of two humans.  He was the GOD-man because GOD ordained that the way the Word would become flesh would be through a virgin birth (Luke 1:30-35).  JESUS never inherited the “spiritual DNA” of the fallen man Adam.  He was conceived by HOLY SPIRIT.  And the unbelieving world says, “Yea!  Right!  Foolish gibberish!

The GOD-man would die like a lamb dies—slaughtered (Revelation 5:6, 9, 12; 13:8).  As a result the whole world would benefit from this; not just the Jews.  This GOD-man is the Jewish Messiah (John 1:41) but He is also the Savior for all who would believe . . . “to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).”

The message of Easter is this:  There is only one way to have sin taken away and to become right with GOD (John 14:6) . . . “for unless you believe that I Am He, you will die in your sins (JESUS—John 8:24).”

JESUS is Risen . . . !

Richard Holloman

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