Reflecting on John 1:29-34“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
I have always assumed that Jesus represents us before God.
We are the lamb that has to be sacrificed, to satisfy God’s wrath.
But Jesus often says that He represents God with us.
He is not the Lamb of Man who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
God is the one sacrificed, God is the one driven out as a scapegoat.
God atones for our sin, that is, God deals with it for us.
God pays the price, not a human subsitute.
It is God’s love, not God’s wrath, that is satisfied in Jesus.
Yes, God hates sin and wants it taken away from the world.
But to make that happen God takes it on Himself, and pays the price for it.
Jesus is not someone other than God, Jesus is God with us, suffering for us.
The cross does not represent God’s wrath, it represents human wrath against love.
In Jesus I see God stepping in for us in love, to take away the wrath of sin that ruins us.
God pays price to rescue His creation, and His family from the curse of sin.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us how much God loves us and absorbs the misery and cost of sin for us, so that we might be set free. Thank You for taking away the sin of world!
Amen!