He Took Our Sin - John 1-2

 John 1:29 (ESV)

Behold, the Lamb of God

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The Gospel!!   If anyone asks what is the gospel or what does the word “gospel” mean, you can simply quote the above verse.   The gospel is God sending His Son, Jesus, to take away the sins of the world.    Note other references:

1 John 3:5 (ESV) 

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Hebrews 10:4,10-11 (ESV) 

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

The struggle we have in the world is that the natural man does not believe he has to received forgiveness for sins.  It is amazing how we have a conscience that knows when we do wrong and hurt someone we need them to forgive us.  But, it beyond comprehension that mankind does wrong before God each and every day and there is not compelling desire to seek forgives from a holy, righteous God.   We can rejoice that god forgives our sins and not only forgives, but came to take them away.   Note what the song writer wrote in this psalm:

Psalms 103:12 (ESV)

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Not only did He come to take away our sins but He removed them as far as east from the west. This is the freedom we have in Christ and the peace we have with God.  God, by His nature is obligated to be hostile to sinners and to punish them with His wrath.  But, Jesus came to take away our sins and bring us back into a peaceful relationship with God:

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can’t have peace with God with lingering sin between Him and us.  So, the fact that Jesus came to “take away” the sins we commit against Him, is the most amazing truth we can grasp. It is the Gospel!

By the way, what is the alternative to Christ taking away ours sins?

Nahum 1:3 (ESV)

3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.