📖“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
If Reason Number 1 led us to the wonder that Jesus became one of us, then Reason Number 2 takes us to the very heart of why He came.
Jesus gave Himself for me.
This is the beating heart of the gospel and the deepest reason my love for Him endures.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching, he did not say, “Here comes a great teacher” or “Here is a miracle worker.” He said one powerful sentence that pulls the entire story of Scripture into focus:
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
In that title lies the story of substitution, sacrifice, rescue, and redemption. It tells me who Jesus is and what He came to do.
1️⃣ I love Jesus because He gave Himself willingly. 💗✝️
Jesus said, “I lay down my life of my own accord.” He was not trapped by the cross. He walked toward it with purpose. Philip Yancey reminds us that grace is always shocking and always personal. It is not forced or reluctant. It is chosen love.
Before Bethlehem, before Calvary, before I was born, Jesus had already set His heart on saving me.
He carried my name in His heart.
He chose the cross long before the cross touched Him.
I love Jesus because He loved me first, and He loved me freely.
2️⃣ I love Jesus because He took my place. ⚖️➜❤️
The Lamb of God is not a poetic picture. It is a substitution.
He stood where I should have stood.
He bore what I should have borne.
He carried the judgment that belonged to me.
Scripture says it plainly:
• “The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him.” Isaiah 53:5
• “He became sin for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
• “He bore our sins in His body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24
• “He takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
R. C. Sproul explains that the cross was not a tragic accident. It was the central purpose of Christ’s mission. His suffering was intentional, voluntary, and substitutionary. He did not die as an example. He died as my Savior.
3️⃣ I love Jesus because His sacrifice gives me a new identity. 🕊️🌿
Because He gave Himself for me, my identity is no longer tied to my failures or achievements. I am not defined by my weaknesses, mistakes, or regrets. I am defined by the Lamb who loved me.
In Him, I am:
• Forgiven
• Redeemed
• Washed
• Accepted
• A child of God
• Secure in grace
In many seasons of leadership, ministry, and personal life, accusations would whisper in my heart. But the Lamb of God silences every voice of shame. My identity is not built on my performance. It is built on His finished work.
4️⃣ A personal testimony from my school days. 👦🏽📘🙏
In my secondary school, we had a demerit system, very similar to the point system used in American and British traffic laws. When one accumulates a certain number of demerits or points, you either pay a fine or did a specific punishment. In those years, tractors were not readily available to level the sports fields, so students who crossed the line, and I was among them several times, had to level part of the field by hand.
Imagine someone stepping in to take up my punishment. Imagine someone paying my fines or wiping my entire record clean. That is what Jesus did for me.
Looking back over more than five decades of walking with Him, this truth has only grown deeper. In seasons of responsibility, leadership pressure, and personal weakness, I have experienced again and again the God who took my place. When guilt or failure whispered loudly, His cross spoke louder still. His sacrifice has been the anchor of my identity and the steady ground beneath my feet.
I have come to see that the One who gave Himself for me continues to hold me, carry me, and stand in my place every single day. Through every season, good and difficult, one truth has remained constant: Jesus gave Himself for me, and I belong to Him.
5️⃣ I love Jesus because His sacrifice is complete and perfect. ✔️✨
“But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:12. That means nothing more needs to be added. No more sacrifices, no more striving, no more trying to earn what Christ has already finished.
• His sacrifice was enough.
• His cross was enough.
• His love was enough.
My forgiveness does not rest on how deeply I repent, but on how perfectly He redeemed. My peace does not depend on my spiritual consistency, but on His faithfulness.
6️⃣ My worship response. 🙌🎶
The song for today is “Worthy Is the Lamb.” It captures the only right response to the Lamb who took my place:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
To receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength,
And honor and glory and praise.”
On Reason Number 2, my heart bows before Christ and says with gratitude:
🙏Jesus, I love You. You gave Yourself for me.
✨ Reason #2 Why I love Jesus – He Gave Himself for Me
Willingly. Lovingly. Completely. Eternally.
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