On the Lam or With the Lamb? – John 1:29b
John 1:29b: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
A popular story theme in movies and television is centered on prisoners who attempt to escape from jail. A slang term for those that break out of jail is that they are “on the lam”. They are fugitives – seeking to escape the judgment for their crimes. These stories can admittedly be entertaining at times, but there’s an important thing to remember as we watch these stories – even though they may have temporarily escaped from their prison cells, it doesn’t change the fact they are still guilty and are subject to the judgment for their crimes. They can try to run as fast and as far as they want, but they can never truly escape their judgment. They will forever have the concern that they will one day be caught. That is the truth of life living on the lam.
There’s a clear parallel with this concept of living on the lam with the spiritual life. The non-believing human is, in effect, living on the lam from the eventual judgment of their sin. Scripture is very clear on the judgment for sin – it is death – spiritual death. (Romans 6:23) Moreover, all humans are guilty due to their sin. (Romans 3:23) Therefore, until someone acknowledges the truth of their sinfulness, he/she are spiritually living on the lam. Thankfully, God chose to not leave us in this hopeless state of eventual judgment for all of us. God chose His only begotten Son to take the judgment for all the sin of human history on the Cross. Jesus’ willing sacrificial death satisfied the wrath of God’s judgment on sin, and as a result of that, was raised to life in a glorified body – defeating death and opening the door to eternal life free from the judgment of sin. Praise the Lord!
In today’s verse, John called Jesus “The Lamb of God” meaning Jesus was to be the sacrificial lamb for the payment of humanity’s sin – for those who choose to believe in Him and what He did. The concept of a sacrificial lamb for the payment of sin was established in the Old Testament. However, the sacrificed lamb would only cover the sins that were being confessed. Jesus’ sacrifice washed away and took away the sins – as if they were never there. This is significant as the guilt and shame that comes with sin that isn’t forgiven no longer exists from God’s perspective. For those who come to understand this truth, the freedom and liberty from the bondage of sin overwhelms us and allows us to live a new life – loving God and others. That new life is living daily – communing and walking with Jesus as He teaches us about living in the Kingdom of God now and into eternity. Our love for Him grows and grows, and eventually we are no longer as easily tempted to sin because we so love Him and trust His provision to take perfect care of us. The provides us a peace that passes all understanding and a rest that is not available to the unbelieving world.
So the question you need to ask either yourself or your loved ones is, “Which would you rather be? – Living on the lam constantly trying to run away from your judgment in perpetual fear you’ll be caught, or would you rather be living with the Lamb Who takes away your sin and liberates you from your judgment? You can’t escape the judgment of your sin by yourself. You need the Lamb of God to be your judgment for you and take away your sin. Will you ask Him?