Without Sin
He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth; when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:22-23 (CSB)
In the Old Testament, an unblemished lamb was needed for the sacrficie for the forgiveness of sin. The unblemished lamb did not have any defects or issues. This lamb served as a foreshadowing of the Lamb of God, Jesus in the New Testament. Thus, the concept of unblemished with mean that Jesus lived without sin.
A LIFE WITHOUT SIN
In 1 Peter 1:19, the apostle refers to Jesus’ unblemished, spotless, and perfected nature. A life without sin means that Jesus never sinned and will never sin. Jesus’ sinless nature demonstrates that he never did anything wrong, either intentionally or unintentionally, and was always in line with the expectations and obedience to the Father. The life of Christ was not only perfect in action and intention, but he also never uttered sinful words. He never lied; he spoke only truth and did so in the spirit of love, as the apostle Paul commanded in Ephesians 4:15.
THE NEEDED CONDITION FOR SACRIFICE
In the Old Covenant, an unblemished lamb was required for the sacrifice. Now, in the New Covenant, a new and eternal unblemished lamb is needed to make the ultimate sacrifice once and for all. Jesus served as the only true and eternal sacrifice that would secure the needed atonement for salvation to exist. When we understand Christ's sinless nature, we grasp the
significance of Christ alone being the unblemished, perfect Lamb of God.
THE FULFILLMENT OF WHAT WE COULD NOT DO
The Bible clearly states that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10) and that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). As a result, we can never fulfill the obligation of the Law to be reconciled to the Lord. We must rely on the necessary sacrifice that has occurred. Jesus was that sacrifice. He completely fulfills the Law and the demands of the Lord because of sin, making a way for reconciliation with the Lord.
QUESTIONS
1. How does the unblemished lamb of the Old Covenant set forth a path to Jesus as the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God?
2. Why is it significant that Christ was sinless?
