John 1:29

This is Johns third testimony concerning Christ after his Baptizme, given in Christs own presence, when he returned to John after his tentations in the wildernesse; wherein, first, he points out Christ as the true sacrifice for expiating of sin, ver. 29. Next, he again applieth his former doctrine concerning the Messiah, to this person, ver 30. Thirdly, he sheweth how he came to know him, and thus to testifie of him, which was not upon any acquaintance by eye-sight; but when he got Commission for his Ministry, it was revealed to him that the Messiah was in the world, and to be manifested by him, ver. 31. and that he got a signe from God whereby to discerne the Messiah, which was accomplished in this person, ver. 32, 33. vpon the sight whereof he was encouraged to proclaim Christ to be the Son of God, ver. 34.

In this verse, John who had hitherto set forth Christ in the dignity and excellency of his office, doth now declare how he was to execute his office, and to bring about these benefits; which was by suffering; and therefore he points out Christ as the substance of the Passeover and daily Sacrifices, who by the merit and vertue of his death takes away the sin of his own, both Jewes and Gentiles. Doctrine 1. Faithful Ministers, and such as know Christ, will diminish nothing of his commendation, for any outward dispensations he may meet with; for, the occasion of this testimony declareth, that when John was publishing the former testimonies, Christ was absent, and particularly, under his tentations in the Wildernesse, as the Harmony maketh clear, and yet in the mean time he had been commending him. 2. Such as faithfully point out and commend Christ, he will give them occasion to do it yet more, by becoming more familiar with them, that so they may make him better known; for, whereas John had preached Christ faithfully, the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and so will he do still, though he come not any more in person. 3. As faithful Ministers get more clear and renewed sights of Christ, so they ought to improve those dispensations by making him known yet more to others; for, when Christ cometh to John, he publisheth a new testimony, and points out yet more of him. 4. It is no small part of Christs excellencie in the eyes of lost sinners, that he was pleased to condescend to be a suffering and crucified Lord, whereby he purchaseth unto them so great a good, and gave such a demonstration of his love, in that he would buy their well-being at so dear a rate, and lay his own exaltation in pledge of it; Therefore, however carnal Jewes stumbled at a crucified Messiah, yet John holds him out as excellent, in that he was the Lamb of God, or, a sacrifice for sin. 5. The world without Christ, is lying in wickednesse under sin, and under all that followeth upon it; under the guilt of Adams sin, and the corruption of nature, under the dominion and power of actual sin, and under the curse and wrath of God for it; and the sense of this is it which will make thoughts of a crucified Christ sweet; for, so is supposed here, in these words, the sinne of the world. 6. Mans misery through sin, and wrath for sin, is such, as he can onely be relieved from it by Christ the true sacrifice for sin; for, he is the Lamb of God who taketh away sinne; And onely he, since the beginning of the world, Rev. 13.8. 7. The Legal Sacrifices and the Paschal Lamb, were but types of Christ the true Sacrifice for sin, and the substance of all they shadowed out, is onely to be found in him, who was without spot and blemish; who is separated from sinners, as the Paschal Lamb was set apart on the tenth day of the moneth; who expiates sin by his death, which theirs did but typically; whose blood applied, doth quiet the conscience, and turn away the curse, as upon sprinkling the blood of the Passeover, the destroying Angel passed over; who was content to be killed and rosted in the wrath of God, (as the Passeover was in the fire) that we might live, and he might be food for us; and, who was content to undergo all this meekly and patiently for our cause, Therefore is he called the Lamb, with relation specially to the Passeover, and the Lambs employed for daily sacrifice, and with relation to the properties of these beasts, pointing out the way of his suffering, as Isaiah 53.7. 8. Albeit the Paschal Lamb, and Lambs for Sacrifice were Gods creatures, and appointed and enjoyned by God in the general for these typical uses; Yet the choosing out, and setting apart of such as were most fit according to Gods direction, was mans work, and his judgment was interposed in it: But Christ the true Sacrifice, was singled out alanerly by God; who out of his infinite love to lost man, did designe him for that work in his eternal counsel and the Covenant of redemption, when man had no way to help himself; who separated him from sinners by spotlesse sanctification, to be a perfect Sacrifice; and, who sent him out of his own bosome to accomplish the work of redemption; for these causes is he called the Lamb of God, as his peculiar priviledge above these types. 9. Christ is the true Saviour who taketh the burden of sin from off his people, and bears it himself, and by bearing of it, doth destroy and abolish it; This he did by his death in transferring the guilt of their sin upon himself, and bearing the punishment and wrath due to it, by which he hath merited the taking of sin away out of Gods sight, and obtained a dominion over it; and this is made forth-coming to his people, partly by justification wherein the merit of Christs death is applied for taking away the guilt and punishment due to sin, so as it shall not be inflicted, partly, by sanctification, wherein the power of his death is applied for subduing and purging the filth of sin, till the beleever be presented spotlesse; He is the Lamb of God which taketh away sinne; or, taketh it oft them, beareth it himself, and taketh it quite away; for, the word will import all these. 10. The vertue and efficacie of Christs death doth expiate and take away the sin of the universality of his elect throughout all the world, and is not restricted to Jewes only, as these typical sacrifices were, but extended to all his elect among the Gentiles also; for, he taketh away the sinne of the world, which is not to be understood of all and every man (for their sinnes are not taken away) but of his own scattered through the world, and in all ages of it, and particularly, as taking in Gentiles as well as Jewes, as the word world is taken, 1 John 2.2. Beside, they may also be called the world, as being many in themselves, as being in his estimation as good as all the world, and they who will one day be set apart from the rest of the world, and make up a peculiar world of themselves. 11. Christ, coming into the world for the redemption of lost man, ought to be looked on as wonderful in his incarnation, sufferings, and in the love from whence this floweth; and as rare and matchlesse, there being no Immanuel but one, no love, no actions like his, and therefore much to be admired and esteemed of; And all who would reap benefit by him, ought to turne their eyes off all other things, expecting no such benefit from them in whole or in part, and fixe them onely on him: All these are imported in this duty to which John inviteth his hearers to behold (or, see, and fixe our eyes upon) the Lamb of God.