Who Takes Away…

Okay, so, I am not a fan of word studies as they are frequently practiced (so that we can increase learning only and not fully understand ramifications). In my last post, which was somewhat acerbic, I made much of the reality that I do not care for imcomplete, partial, unfinished gospels.
And word studies are best done in context.
While words do have meanings independent of other words, those meanings can be stretched to abuse real meanings, and support all kinds of whacked ideas. That is, words have meanings individually, but their meanings are primarily found in how the interlock with other words.
For example, the various words in Hebrew that are translated “praise” are things we should handle lightly and in their proper contexts.
As with everything in our faith, goosebumps do not necessarily mean something has changed; our metric as followers of Christ is, “did something measurable, verifiable, sustained take place?”.
So, I am not putting this out there as the beginning of a new dogma that is unmoveable, and I have no interest in abusing the text of Scripture. Rather, I want to provoke us to consider deeply the writings of John.
As I was reading, doing my Koine assignment this morning, I noted the phrase “behold the Lamb of G-d who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).” This phrase, spoken by John the Baptizer, is the intro to the ministry of the Messiah. And we love to read, G-d sent his son because he loved the world.
What gripped me was the word used for “world”. It is not what I think of as the earth in terms of ground, or the biology, but rather the world in terms of the cosmos.

ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.

Translated roughly

Behold the lamb of G-d, the one taking away, the sins of the world/cosmos/universe.

And then I wondered about the phrase, “not only our sins, but also the sins of the whole world.”
And sure enough, the same word.
Now, granted, I will concede that the earth, where humanity dwells, is the crux of the matter with respect to our L-rd’s death. But consider the possible depth of redemption. We have a Luciferian rebellion, and we have those who are condemned because they chose to live a Christless life.
What if Christ’s death was sufficient to take into account EVERY sin ever executed against the L-rd for all of time, everywhere in the universe?
He dies for everyone, once for all, and including those who will never choose him.
Now, am I pleading for universal reconciliation.
Absolutely not.
But what if the redemption of creation means that G-d took into account the rebellion of Lucifer, and Jesus died to handle the issue of that rebellion. So the effects rendered by the cause of Lucifer’s rebellion were even accounted for.
You are talking full redemption of all creation.
And as a result, G-d, in his grace and mercy of making redemption available for all, even those who will continue to incite rebellion, is fully just in every judgment he makes.
And no one, not even the enemy, is without excuse.
Again, let me be quick to say, I am not making a case for universal reconiliation, or that Satan will be saved, etc.
However, what I am looking at is that Yeshua’s death was sufficient to account for ALL sin. Sin against Him by terrestrial beings, and by celestial beings.
It is the enemy’s incessant, continual, hard-hearted arrogance that keeps him in place, warring against the L-rd, and thus it is that pride that will keep him from reconciliation. But all of his acts against the L-rd were held to Yeshua’s account and all of his nasty work will be undone, for all eternity, everywhere in the cosmic scheme of things.
Behold the Lamb of G-d, who taketh away the sins of the κόσμος.
Not just our sins, but all sins.
Every place where sin has a grip on creation, all of those effects will be rolled back and dealt with.
When he redeems, He leaves no part out of that process.
The Exhorter works the Principles, and brings the causes to bear on the effects.
And because He has skin in the game, he can bring about change, because of the full pain He embraced.
As a result of this, He truly is the Sabbath Rest.

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”

Psalms 95:7–11