“but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
as of a lamb
It is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29; Hebrews 9:14). The paschal lamb represents a perfect sacrifice. The lamb symbolizes innocence. When priests sacrifice the lamb, it represents the sacrifice of the innocent for the guilty.
Jesus obviously was not a literal lamb. This is a representative analogy. Old Testament sacrifices were representatives of the death of Christ. Blood represents what Jesus did on the cross. All of the sins of the world were poured upon the Lord Jesus on the cross and judged. When He completed His work on the cross, He cried, “It is finished,” (John 19:30). Then He dismissed His spirit and entered into the presence of the Father.
The book of Revelation presents Jesus as the “Lamb” 29 times (Re 5:6; 7:14; 13:8). Revelation is the book of the Lamb.
The word “lamb” in our verse occurs four times in the New Testament, always regarding Jesus as the innocent lamb who suffers vicariously for others (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19).
Since Jesus was crucified at the Passover, He was seen as the paschal lamb – “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us,” (1 Corinthians 5:7). At the Passover, priests slew lambs to atone for sins. Jesus is our Passover; a lamb sacrificed for our sin. The paschal lamb’s blood blots out sins by expiation (John 19:36).
John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the expected Messiah. Jesus is the embodiment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament.
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).
“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’” (John 1: 35, 36).
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus took away our sins by sacrificing himself in our place.
APPLICATION:
Jesus was innocent. He did not have to die. He chose to die because He wanted to forgive our sins. He took our hell that we might have His heaven.
Will you receive His heaven today? Will you accept by faith that Jesus did all of the suffering necessary for your sins. There is nothing that remains to be suffered. He did it all. He takes away the sins of the world. That includes your personal sins. Do you believe it?
