5/21/14- Innocent for the Guilty

That our Lord Jesus offered himself a voluntary sacrifice unto his Father for us, that he suffered contradiction of sinners, that he was wounded and plagued for our transgressions, that he, the clean innocent Lamb of God, was condemned in the presence of an earthly judge, that we should be absolved before the judgment seat of our God; that he suffered not only the cruel death of the cross, which was accursed by the sentence of God; but also that he suffered for a season the wrath of his Father which sinners had deserved. (Scots Confession IX a)

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of he world. (John 1:29)

Thoughts: Knox gives us a gift of language.  For example he doesn't just say Christ was wounded for our transgressions (as Isaiah 53 says), but that he was "plagued" for our transgressions as well. The Lamb was not only innocent but was "clean."  Knox makes the Word of God come to life by his comments.  We are absolved before the earthly judge.  The death on the cross, Knox reminds us, was cruel and accursed. Knox is using all his vocabulary to describe the stark contrast between the innocent and the guilty- the clean and those who wallow in the filth of sin.  In our day, in the West, we think that God is guilty and we are innocent.  In our day we muddy the waters so that our deserved sin is excused and we grow numb to its shame and awfulness.  But the stark contrast is the innocent Christ gave Himself for our deserved guilt.

Prayer: Lord, your grace is amazing.  You give to me when I injure you.  We do not deserve your unending love.

(Agnus Dei- Lambof God)