That the Scriptures present our Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God is easily demonstrated in the statement made by John the Immerser on the occasion of Christ's baptism. In John 1:29, it is recorded that John identified his cousin, the Messiah, saying, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Furthermore, in Revelation 4:6, John saw our Lord as ...a Lamb as though he had been slain... Consequently, we will no further argue that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, but hasten to look at some of the characteristics of our Savior Lamb. One, obviously, cannot look at all the characteristics assigned to him in the Sacred Scriptures, so we will look at only three stated by the great author of the Hebrews treatise. In Hebrews 7:26, speaking of Jesus as our great High Priest, the Hebrews author penned these words: For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens ....

Of Jesus, the Lamb of God, this author said, he is holy, harmless, and undefiled. These are the characteristics to which we give our attention. Firstly, Inspiration declared the Lamb of God to be holy. The word here translated "holy" means "sanctified by the supreme law of God and nature; pious, devout, pure; supremely holy." (Perschbacher 298). Hence, the Lamb of God has been declared by God to be perfect and pure in nature, pious and supremely holy. This means that Jesus is here described as being like the Father in the sense that he is perfect and sinless in every regard. There is no imperfection, no matter how slight, in the Lamb of God. Not one fault can be brought to his account. This is the reason he was chosen to die on behalf of sinful man. He is the perfect and sinless one who, alone, takes away the sin of every true believer in the world.

Secondly, the Hebrews writer declared that he is harmless. According to the same source quoted above, this word comes from the Greek meaning, "innocent, free from evil, blameless, artless" (10). The Apostle Peter reinforced this concept when he wrote, Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously... (1 Peter 2:2223 NKJV) When it came to that which is sinful in its nature, our Lord was as innocent as a newborn child. He never spoke a deceitful word; he never did a deceitful deed; nor did he ever do or say anything that could even be questioned by God or man. He was perfection walking in human form while on this earth, and now he is perfection sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high! The probability is great that it is impossible for mere men to comprehend this level of perfection. The only reason we can hope for such perfection is because he demonstrated it both on earth and in heaven.

Thirdly, the Hebrews author said he is undefiled. This word, according to the source we have twice cited, means, "unstained, unsoiled, undefiled, chaste, pure, inviolate, unimpaired" (18). Again, this emphasizes the absolute perfection and purity of Jesus. We have never known of any human being in whom there was not even one flaw; but that was/is the case with our Lord! He is that Lamb who came to do what none of those literal lambs who were slain under the Law of Moses could do! He came to take away the sin of the world. He, and he alone, is qualified to do so because he is absolute perfection. He is perfectly holy, perfectly harmless, and absolutely undefiled. We should let this truth sink deeply into our hearts as we think of him and those that are his! How humbling it is to know that such a One died in our stead and that he ever lives to be our Mediator. This knowledge should evoke love in our hearts and service in our lives such as the world has never seen. 1105 7th St., Moundsville, WV 26041-2109.

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