Section 4
a solution, the need of redemption is imperative. We need the Lamb of God to take away our sins.
The Dove Bringing God to Man
John not only recommended Christ as the Lamb of God, but also as the Lamb with the dove (1:32-33). The Lamb takes sin away from man, and the dove brings God as life to man. The Lamb is for redemption, to redeem fallen man back to God, and the dove is for life-giving, for anointing, to anoint man with what God is, to bring God into man and man into God, and for uniting the be lievers in God. Both are needed for man to parti cipate in God. The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, whose work is to bring God and join God to man. The Lamb, on the negative side, solves the problem of man's sin; the dove, on the positive side, brings God to man. The Lamb separates man from sin, and the dove joins God to man.
John recommended Jesus as the Lamb with a dove, not with an eagle. It seems that some Chris tians have an eagle instead of a dove. A dove is not large and wild. A dove is small and gentle. The dove here signifies the Holy Spirit and is for life-giving, regenerating, anointing, transform ing, uniting, and building. The dove is not for power but for life. A dove has no power; it is full