There is a threefold foundation of salvation: Grace, Faith, and a Savior. The previous two articles discussed grace and faith as keys to salvation. But neither grace nor faith could save without the third element: a Savior—that is, without Jesus. But why is Jesus necessary for salvation?
When we think of Jesus, we may start with the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a feeding trough visited by shepherds and wise men. It’s a wonderful story! We probably think of Jesus as a good person, being himself sinless, yet loving all sinners— and telling us to do the same. We may think of Jesus as a great teacher, wiser than the scholars, but loved and admired by the common people who thronged to hear him. We probably think of Jesus as the miracle worker: multiplying food for the hungry, healing the sick, raising the dead—and rising from the dead himself! Truly Jesus was a unique individual, but none of those wonderful things make him our Savior.
Why Jesus? Perhaps we think of Jesus as the Son of God, as God in the flesh, as the eternal Logos, as the creator of everything, as the second person of the Trinity. Bible teachers often say that Jesus was 100% man and 100% God—which may be bad math but it is good theology! After his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God the Father. And God has chosen him to be the judge of every person and of all nations. But even these unique qualifications do not make him our Savior.
Whether we think of Jesus as the perfect person or as the Son of God, neither of these qualifications make him our savior. So why Jesus? In addition to being a good man and the divine Son, in the words of John the Baptist, Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). That phrase describes a Savior.
What does it mean to call Jesus “the lamb of God”? We probably think of lambs as soft, gentle, and even huggable, but lambs played a significant role in Old Testament history, worship, and prophecy.
In OT history, we are reminded of the Passover Lamb. On the night of the final plague by which God convinced Pharoah to release the Hebrews from slavery, the angel of death struck down every firstborn son in the land of Egypt. But the death-angel “passed over” any house which had the blood of a lamb on the doorframe. Every Hebrew family had sacrificed a lamb for a final meal in Egypt, and used the blood to mark the doors of their houses. In effect, the lamb died instead of their oldest son. The Passover Lamb redeemed their son. To call Jesus the lamb of God tells us that he is the redeemer of those condemned to die.
Lambs also played a significant role in Jewish worship. Every morning in the Jewish tabernacle two lambs were sacrificed. Every Sabbath day four lambs were sacrificed. Every holy-day seven lambs were sacrificed. And in addition, each Jew might choose to bring a lamb as a peace offering, to maintain a good relationship with God. Other animals were also used as sacrifices: bulls, goats, doves; but lambs were a regular offering. To be offered as a sacrifice, a lamb had to be healthy and without blemish symbolizing without sin. As part of the ceremony, the person making the offering had to lay his hands on the animal’s head, symbolically transferring his sin to the animal. To call Jesus the lamb of God was to refer to him as the ultimate sacrifice for our sin.
Perhaps when John the Baptist called Jesus “the lamb of God”, he was thinking of the prophecy of Isaiah (53:6-8) in which we are all compared to sheep who wander astray, but the Servant of the Lord is the lamb who was chosen by God to be punished for our iniquity. Like a lamb he was silent as he was killed, the sacrifice for sins.
The writer of the book of Hebrews summarized it like this, “But this man (Jesus), after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” “For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:12,14).
For the Old Testament Jews, the offering of sacrifices confirmed their part in God’s covenant. For Christians, taking bread and wine during communion confirms our part in the New Covenant, which Jesus told his disciples (and us) “Take and eat it; this is my body…. Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood… shed for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28) Salvation has three foundations: grace, faith, and a Savior. The lamb of God is our Savior.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell. Please visit his website at reflections-on-wisdom.com.