Dr Paul Allen

The Angel of Death and the First Passover (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt .” ( Exodus 12:13 ) The Jews of the world have been keeping their annual Feast of the Passover for almost 3,500 years, fulfilling the ancient prophecy: “And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever” ( Exodus 12:24 ). This was the beginning of the nation of Israel , when they left Egyptian slavery behind and started their trek to the Promised Land . The lamb had been slain and eaten, its blood placed on the door posts, and the Lord had spared all their firstborn sons when the Destroyer passed through the land of Egypt. The feast was intended not only to memorialize the ancient deliverance, b...

English: Stained glass image of the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) with a Christian banner. photo by John Workman in St. Ignatius church in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) As John continues his testimony concerning the nature and work of Jesus Christ , he proclaims to the people that the Lamb of God comes to take away the sin of the world. Today we will examine what John meant by “Lamb of God” and “taking away the sin of the world.” First, Jesus enters into His public ministry by undergoing the rite of baptism and fulfilling “all righteousness.” John focuses on Jesus’ life of obedience when he uses the present participle “taking away.” John did not say, “He will take away,” but “He is taking away.” Christ ’s perfect life was as necessary for our redemption as His death. And here we find specific reference to that fulfillment as Jesus subjects Himself to baptism. Second, John calls Jes...

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553): Adam and Eve. Beech wood, 1533. Bode-Museum, Berlin (Erworben 1830, Königliche Schlösser, Gemäldegalerie Kat. 567) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." ( Hebrews 9:22 ) It is strange that so many people object to the biblical doctrine of salvation through the shed blood of Christ. Even some evangelicals will argue that the blood is merely a chemical mixture, and that it was the death of Christ that was the price of our redemption. Chemistry aside, the Bible does indeed stress that "we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" ( Colossians 1:14 ), that He has "made peace through the blood of his cross" ( Colossians 1:20 ), and that we are "now justified by his blood" ( Romans 5:9 ). We receive His great work of propitiation--that is His sacrificial death for our sins--"through fait...