John 1:29

John 1:29

(with John 20:31)

What is the most characteristic account of Christianity, by which its supporters may demand that its pretensions shall be tried? The Evangelist supplies us with a sufficient answer in the passages which I have joined together as the text. It is a system which aims at the remission of sins, through the means of faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as a preparation for the life of eternity. It is a method designed by the Divine wisdom, and carried out through a supreme Divine sacrifice, to bring all men back under the moral standard of exalted purity, brightened by a heavenly hope; though its progress is retarded by the opposition of a great antagonistic force, which struggles to retain men under the bondage of its sensual power.

I. When Christianity was first proclaimed, the world was well-nigh lost in sin. The noblest cultivation, and the most perfect art, and a skill in law and government which has never been surpassed, were unhappily found to be compatible with a baseness of moral degradation, the very language of which, by God's mercy, has now become obsolete and unknown. Now the Gospel revelation rests upon the principle that the removal of the weight and stain of moral evil was the first requisite for the restoration of a higher life; and that no cure could be found for the deeply-seated mischief, except through the renewed contact of God Himself with human nature God Himself condescending to assume that nature, with the express purpose of winning back the world to purity and holiness. Christ came, not only to take up man's nature, and to show forth the noblest example of its capacities, but, more than this, by a still more marvellous condescension, He came to die for our sins, that thus the Blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, might "purge our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God." This is the concise summary of the whole matter, and the Christian argument must always remain weak and defective if it ever swerves aside from preaching its most important practical results, in the remission of sin through faith in Christ.

II. We must not rest satisfied, then, with the negative position, that the power of sin has been destroyed. It was the further object of the work of Christ that a higher life might be created through faith in His Name. We must pass on from the removal of the hindrances by which man was fettered, to recognise the larger capabilities that were infused through the regenerate life. By the atonement of Christ the strength of sin was virtually broken; but the way was thereby opened for the development of nobler freedom. The new man was to be created afresh, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; and thus he was to be brought back to that likeness of God's Image, which he had all but lost, through long centuries of alienation and sin. Being made free from sin, he was now to become the servant of righteousness. There is not a single talent or endowment which may not be raised to a higher level, and invested with a nobler character, if it is cultivated in a religious temper for religious ends.

III. Our estimate of the measure in which this ideal is fulfilled must be formed from the completeness with which these various duties are acknowledged and provided for; completeness being a fair and reasonable test of any theory of life and conduct. If we turn to the motives which influence the will, we can find none so pure and lofty as those which are inspired by faith, through the prospect of eternity. If we judge by the extension of the intellectual horizon, revelation teaches us to embrace the spiritual as well as the material, within the range of our knowledge. And lastly, if we are questioned on the claims of science, the true religious temper would welcome to the full its great discoveries, and be thankful for the means with which it has reached the families of men, but it would assign them their true position in the range of nature, and demand an equal admission for the principles of religion and morality to the circle of recognised knowledge.

Archdeacon Hannah, Oxford and Cambridge Undergraduates' Journal,May 19th, 1881.

References: John 1:29. Clergyman's Magazine,vol. iv., p. 84; Homilist,new series, vol. iii., p. 238; Ibid.,3rd series, vol. vi., p. 320; G. E. L. Cotton, Sermons to English Congregations in India,p. 249; F. D. Maurice, The Gospel of St. John,p. 28; W. R. Nicoll, The Lamb of God,Philippians 3:21; Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Gospels and Acts,p, 121; J. Natt, Posthumous Sermons,p. 1; J. Hamilton, Works,vol. vi., p. 100; J. Vaughan, Sermons,3rd series, p. 209; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. ii., p. 548; Ibid.,vol. v., p. 8; Ibid.,vol. vi., p. 360; Ibid.,vol. vii., p. 292. Joh 1:29-35. Ibid.,vol. x., p. 294; Clergyman's Magazine,vol. i., p. 9; W. Milligan, Expositor,2nd series, vol. iv., p. 273. Joh 1:29-51. A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve,p. 1. Joh 1:33. Homiletic Magazine,vol. x., p. 99.