Joh 1:29, Eph 5:2, Heb 7:27, 1Jo 2:2, 4:10 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 29. The next day . The day after the Jews made inquiry whether he was the Christ. Behold the Lamb of God . A lamb , among the Jews, was killed and eaten at the Passover to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt, . A lamb was offered in the tabernacle, and afterward in the temple, every morning and evening, as a part of the daily worship, . The Messiah was predicted as a lamb led to the slaughter, to show his patience in his sufferings, and readiness to die for man, . A lamb, among the Jews, was also an emblem of patience, meekness, gentleness. On all these accounts, rather than on any one of them alone, Jesus was called the Lamb. He was innocent ( ); he was a sacrifice for sin--the substance represented by the daily offering of the lamb, and slain at the usual time of the evening sacrifice ( ); and he was what was represented by the Passover, turning away the anger of God, and saving sinners by his blood from vengeance and eternal death, . Of God . Appointed by God, approved by God, and most dear to him; the sacrifice which he chose , and which he approves to save men from death. Which taketh away . This denotes his bearing the sins of the world, or the sufferings which made an atonement for sin. Comp. . He takes away sin by bearing in his own body the sufferings which God appointed to show his sense of the evil of sin, thus magnifying the law, and rendering it consistent for him to pardon. , . Of the world . Of all mankind, Jew and Gentile. His work was not to be confined to the Jew, but was also to benefit the Gentile' it was not confined to any one part of the world, but was designed to open the way of pardon to all men. He was the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, . . (f) "Lamb of God" (g) "which" (3) "taketh" or, "beareth"

John 1:29

Verse 29. The next day. The day after the Jews made inquiry whether he was the Christ.

Behold the Lamb of God. A lamb, among the Jews, was killed and eaten at the Passover to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt, Ex 12:3-11. A lamb was offered in the tabernacle, and afterward in the temple, every morning and evening, as a part of the daily worship, Ex 29:38,39. The Messiah was predicted as a lamb led to the slaughter, to show his patience in his sufferings, and readiness to die for man, Isa 53:7. A lamb, among the Jews, was also an emblem of patience, meekness, gentleness. On all these accounts, rather than on any one of them alone, Jesus was called the Lamb. He was innocent (1Pet 2:23-25); he was a sacrifice for sin--the substance represented by the daily offering of the lamb, and slain at the usual time of the evening sacrifice (Lk 23:44-46); and he was what was represented by the Passover, turning away the anger of God, and saving sinners by his blood from vengeance and eternal death, 1Cor 5:7.

Of God. Appointed by God, approved by God, and most dear to him; the sacrifice which he chose, and which he approves to save men from death.

Which taketh away. This denotes his bearing the sins of the world, or the sufferings which made an atonement for sin. Comp. Isa 53:4, 1Jn 3:5, 1Pet 2:24. He takes away sin by bearing in his own body the sufferings which God appointed to show his sense of the evil of sin, thus magnifying the law, and rendering it consistent for him to pardon. Rom 3:24, Rom 3:25.

Of the world. Of all mankind, Jew and Gentile. His work was not to be confined to the Jew, but was also to benefit the Gentile' it was not confined to any one part of the world, but was designed to open the way of pardon to all men. He was the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, 1Jn 2:2. 2Cor 5:15.

(f) "Lamb of God" Ex 12:3, Isa 53:7,11, Rev 5:6 (g) "which" Acts 13:39, 1Pet 2:24, Rev 1:5 (3) "taketh" or, "beareth" Heb 9:28

Ephesians 5:2

Verse 2. And walk in love. That is, let your lives be characterized by love; let that be evinced in all your deportment and conversation. Jn 13:34.

As Christ also hath loved us. We are to evince the same love for one another which he has done for us. He showed his love by giving himself to die for us, and we should evince similar love to one another, 1Jn 3:16.

And hath given himself for us. This is evidently added by the apostle to show what he meant by saying that Christ loved us, and what we ought to do to evince our love for each other. The strength of his love was so great that he was willing to give himself up to death on our account; our love for our brethren should be such that we would be willing to do the same thing for them, 1Jn 3:16.

An offering. The word here used--προσφοραν--means, properly, that which is offered to God--in any way, or whatever it may be. It is, however, in the Scriptures, commonly used to denote an offering without blood--a thank-offering--and thus is distinguished from a sacrifice, or a bloody oblation. The word occurs only in Acts 21:26, 24:17, Rom 15:16, Eph 5:2, Heb 10:5,8,10,14,18. It means here that he regarded himself as an offering to God.

And a sacrifice, θυσιαν. Christ is here expressly called a Sacrifice--the usual word in the Scriptures to denote a proper sacrifice. A sacrifice was an offering made to God by killing an animal and burning it on an altar, designed to make atonement for sin. It always implied the killing of the animal as an acknowledgment of the sinner that he deserved to die. It was the giving up of life, which was supposed to reside in the blood, (Rom 3:25,) and hence it was necessary that blood should be shed. Christ was such a sacrifice; and his love was shown in his being willing that his blood should be shed to save men.

For a sweet-smelling savour. 2Cor 2:15, where the word savour is explained. The meaning here is, that the offering which Christ made of himself to God was like the grateful and pleasant smell of incense, that is, it was acceptable to him. It was an exhibition of benevolence with which he was pleased, and it gave him the opportunity of evincing his own benevolence in the salvation of men. The meaning of this in the connexion here is, that the offering which Christ made was one of love. So, says Paul, do you love one another. Christ sacrificed himself by love, and that sacrifice was acceptable to God. So do you show love one to another. Sacrifice everything which opposes it, and it will be acceptable to God. He will approve all which is designed to promote love, as he approved the sacrifice which was made, under the influence of love, by his Son.

(a) "as Christ" Jn 13:34 (b) "sweet-smelling savour" Lev 1:9

Hebrews 7:27

Verse 27. Who needeth not daily, as those High priests. As the Jewish priests. This is an additional circumstance introduced to show the superior excellency of the High Priest of the Christian profession, and to show also how he was fitted to our wants. The Jewish high priest was a sinful man. He had the same fallen and corrupt nature as others. He needed an expiatory sacrifice for his own sins as really as they did for theirs. When he approached God to offer sacrifice, it was needful to make an atonement for himself; and when all was done, it was still a sacrifice offered by a sinful man. But it was not so in the case of Jesus. He was so holy that he needed no sacrifice for himself, and all that he did was in behalf of others. Besides, it was necessary that the sacrifices in the Jewish service should be constantly repeated. They were imperfect. They were mere types and shadows. They who offered them were frail, sinful men. It became necessary, therefore, to repeat them every day to keep up the proper sense of their transgressions, and to furnish a suitable acknowledgment of the tendency to sin alike among the people and the priests. Neither in the nature of the offering, nor in the character of those who made it, was there any sufficient reason why it should cease to be offered, and it was therefore repeated day by day. But it was not so with the Lord Jesus. The offering which he made, though presented but once, was so ample and perfect, that it had sufficient merit for all the sins of the world, and needed never to be repeated. It is not probable that the Jewish high priest himself personally officiated at the offering of sacrifice every day; but the meaning here is, that it was done daily, and that there was need of a daily sacrifice in his behalf. As one of the Jewish people, the sacrifice was offered on his account, as well as on the account of others-- for he partook of the common infirmities and sinfulness of the nation.

For this he did once. That is, once for all εφαπαξ. He made such an atonement that it was not needful that it should be repeated. Thus he put an end to sacrifice; for when he made the great atonement it was complete, and there was no need that any more blood should be shed for human guilt.

(a) "his own sins" Lev 9:7

1 John 2:2

Verse 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins. The word rendered propitiation (ιλασμος) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, except in 1Jn 4:10 of this epistle; though words of the same derivation, and having the same essential meaning, frequently, occur. The corresponding word ιλαστηριον (hilasterion) occurs in Rom 3:25, rendered propitiation--"whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood;" and in Heb 9:5, rendered mercy-seat--"shadowing the mercy-seat." The verb ιλασκομαι (hilaskomai) occurs also in Lk 18:3--"God be merciful to me a sinner;" and Heb 2:17--"to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." For the idea expressed by these words, Rom 3:25. The proper meaning of the word is that of reconciling, appeasing, turning away anger, rendering propitious or favourable. The idea is, that there is anger or wrath, or that something has been done to offend, and that it is needful to turn away that wrath, or to appease. This may be done by a sacrifice, by songs, by services rendered, or by bloody offerings. So the word is often used in Homer.--Passow. We have similar words in common use, as when we say of one that he has been offended, and that something must be done to appease him, or to turn away his wrath. This is commonly done with us by making restitution; or by an acknowledgment; or by yielding the point in controversy; or by an expression of regret; or by different conduct in time to come. But this idea must not be applied too literally to God; nor should it be explained away. The essential thoughts in regard to him, as implied in this word, are,

(1,) that his will has been disregarded, and his law violated, and that he has reason to be offended with us;

(2,) that in that condition he cannot, consistently with his perfections, and the good of the universe, treat us as if we had not done it;

(3,) that it is proper that, in some way, he should show his displeasure at our conduct, either by punishing us, or by something that shall answer the same purpose; and,

(4,) that the means of propitiation come in here, and accomplish this end, and make it proper that he should treat us as if we had not sinned; that is, he is reconciled, or appeased, and his anger is turned away. This is done, it is supposed, by, the death of the Lord Jesus, accomplishing, in most important respects, what would be accomplished by the punishment of the offender himself. In regard to this, in order to a proper understanding of what is accomplished, it is necessary to observe two things--what is not done, and what is.

I. There are certain things which do not enter into the idea of propitiation. They are such as these:

(a.) That it does not change the fact that the wrong was done. That is a fact which cannot be denied, and he who undertakes to make a propitiation for sin does not deny it.

(b.) It does not change God; it does not make him a different being from what he was before; it does not buy him over to a willingness to show mercy; it does not change an inexorable being to one who is compassionate and kind.

(c.) The offering that is made to secure reconciliation does not necessarily produce reconciliation in fact. It prepares the way for it on the part of God, but whether they for whom it is made will be disposed to accept it is another question. When two men are alienated from each other, you may go to B and say to him that all obstacles to reconciliation on the part of A are removed, and that he is disposed to be at peace, but whether B will be willing to be at peace is quite another matter. The mere fact that his adversary is disposed to be at peace, determines nothing in regard to his disposition in the matter. So in regard to the controversy between man and God. It may be true that all obstacles to reconciliation on the part of God are taken away, and still it may be quite a separate question whether man will be willing to lay aside his opposition, and embrace the terms of mercy. In itself considered, one does not necessarily determine the other, or throw any light on it.

II. The amount, then, in regard to the propitiation made for sin is, that it removes all obstacles to reconciliation on the part of God; it does whatever is necessary to be done to maintain the honour of his law, his justice, and his truth; it makes it consistent for him to offer pardon--that is, it removes whatever there was that made it necessary to inflict punishment, and thus, so far as the word can be applied to God, it appeases him, or turns away his anger, or renders him propitious. This it does, not in respect to producing any change in God, but in respect to the fact that it removes whatever there was in the nature of the case that prevented the free and full offer of pardon. The idea of the apostle in the passage before us is, that when we sin we may be assured that this has been done, and that pardon may now be freely extended to us.

And not for our's only. Not only for the sins of us who are Christians, for the apostle was writing to such. The idea which he intends to convey seems to be, that when we come before God we should take the most liberal and large views of the atonement; we should feel that the most ample provision has been made for our pardon, and that in no respect is there any limit as to the sufficiency of that work to remove all sin. It is sufficient for us; sufficient for all the world.

But also for the sins of the whole world. The phrase "the sins of" is not in the original, but is not improperly supplied, for the connexion demands it. This is one of the expressions occurring in the New Testament which demonstrate that the atonement was made for all men, and which cannot be reconciled with any other opinion, if he had died only for a part of the race, this language could not have been used. The phrase, "the whole world," is one which naturally embraces all men; is such as would be used if it be supposed that the apostle meant to teach that Christ died for all men; and is such as cannot be explained on any other supposition. If he died only for the elect, it is not true that he is the "propitiation for the sins of the whole world" in any proper sense, nor would it be possible then to assign a sense in which it could be true. This passage, interpreted in its plain and obvious meaning, teaches the following things:

(1.) That the atonement in its own nature is adapted to all men, or that it is as much fitted to one individual, or One class, as another;

(2,) that it is sufficient in merit for all; that is, that if any more should be saved than actually will be, there would be no need of any additional suffering in order to save them;

(3,) that it has no special adaptedness to one person or class more than another; that is, that in its own nature it did not render the salvation of one more easy than that of another. It so magnified the law, so honoured God, so fully expressed the Divine sense of the evil of sin in respect to all men, that the offer of salvation might be made as freely to one as to another, and that any and all might take shelter under it and be safe. Whether, however, God might not, for wise reasons, resolve that its benefits should be applied to a part only, is another question, and one which does not affect the inquiry about the intrinsic nature of the atonement. On the evidence that the atonement was made for all, 2Cor 5:14, and Heb 2:9.

(a) "propitiation" Rom 3:25

1 John 4:10

Verse 10. Herein is love. In this great gift is the highest expression of love, as if it had done all that it can do.

Not that we loved God. Not that we were in such a state that we might suppose he would make such a sacrifice for us, but just the opposite. If we had loved and obeyed him, we might have had reason to believe that he would be willing to show his love to us in a corresponding manner. But we were alienated from him. We had even no desire for his friendship and favour. In this state he showed the greatness of his love for us by giving his Son to die for his enemies. Rom 5:7, Rom 5:8.

But that he loved us. Not that he approved our character, but that he desired our welfare. He loved us not with the love of complacency, but with the love of benevolence.

And sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. On the meaning of the word propitiation, see Rom 3:25. Comp. 1Jn 2:2.

(d) "propitiation" 1Jn 2:2