Christ, the true and better Isaac, humble son of sacrifice
Who would climb the fearful mountain, there to offer up his life
Laid with faith upon the altar, Father’s joy and only son
There salvation was provided—oh, what full and boundless love!
Thus runs the second verse of Christ the True and Better, penned by modern hymn writers Matt Boswell and Matt Papa. Let’s jump right in to explore the Scripture and the encouraging truths in these lyrics!
Christ, the true and better Isaac, humble son of sacrifice
Isaac was the son of the man who was to be the patriarch of Israel, Abraham. He was the beginning of the Lord’s covenant with Abraham to make him the “father of a multitude of nations.” (Gen. 17:4, also 15:5, 17:5-6) Yet at his birth, Isaac seemed merely to be the son of a humble nomad and sojourner. (Gen. 21:34) Christ also had humble beginnings, born in a stable to poor parents. (Lk 2:7) Christ the True Isaac.
Isaac’s father was tested with the Lord’s command to offer up his son as a sacrifice, and Isaac was rescued only at the last moment. (Gen. 22:2, 11) Christ came to earth for the purpose of sacrificing Himself, and did in fact die as the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sin. (Jn 12:27) Christ the Better Isaac.
Who would climb the fearful mountain, there to offer up his life
As Isaac did, Christ climbed a fearful mountain to offer up His life. Isaac climbed a mountain in the land of Moriah (Gen. 22:2), and Christ climbed Golgotha (Mt 27:33, Mk 15:22, Lk 23:33, Jn 19:17). Also like Isaac, Christ acted in submission to His Father’s will. (Jn 6:38) Christ the True Isaac.
But unlike Isaac, Christ offered up his life of His own volition. According to John 10:17-18, Jesus explained, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” Christ the Better Isaac.
Laid with faith upon the altar, Father’s joy and only son
“Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.” ~Genesis 22:8
Abraham’s faith is astounding. He fully believed that God would provide the lamb, even if that lamb was in fact his son. But this child was his joy and his only son! (Gen. 22:2) Regardless, he laid Isaac on the altar and prepared to sacrifice him, in absolute obedience to the Lord’s command. (Gen. 22:9-10) Despite the fact that Abraham surely could not understand how God would keep His covenant to multiply his offspring if that offspring was killed, still Abraham obeyed, showing how deep his faith and fear of God was as he was willing to give us his precious son. (Gen. 22:12) In the same way, Christ is God the Father’s much loved only Son, and yet He was given up for us willingly. (Jn 3:16, 5:20, 17:24) Christ the True Isaac.
Unlike Isaac, however, Christ is not simply the Father’s only Son, He Himself is fully God and thus entirely perfect, so in laying Himself as the spotless lamb upon the altar, He was able to satisfy the just wrath of God, cancel our infinite debt, and triumph over death, for all time. (Col. 2:13-15) Christ the Better Isaac.
There salvation was provided—oh, what full and boundless love!
For Isaac, salvation was provided for him—he was saved and another was sacrificed in his place:
“And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”” —Genesis 22:13-14
For Christ, He did not need salvation, (2 Cor. 5:21), but we did. So Christ provided that salvation:
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” —Romans 5:6-11
Our God’s love truly is full and boundless! (Eph. 3:16-21) We praise Him and we rejoice, but practically, how else should we respond? John tells us in 1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Beloved, let us indeed love one another, for Christ is the True and Better Isaac who has provided salvation for us and for all!
Written by NBB Alumna: Bethany Boone
