Chrysostom:

Sins of “the Many” as opposed to all:

Ver. 28. “So Christ was once offered.” By whom offered? evidently by Himself. Here he says that He is not Priest only, but Victim also, and what is sacrificed. On this account are [the words] “was offered.” “Was once offered” (he says) “to bear the sins of many.” Why “of many,” and not “of all”? Because not all believed. For He died indeed for all, that is His part: for that death was a counterbalance against the destruction of all men. But He did not bear the sins of all men, because they were not willing. And what is [the meaning of] “He bare the sins”? Just as in the Oblation we bear up our sins and say, “Whether we have sinned voluntarily or involuntarily, do Thou forgive,” that is, we make mention of them first, and then ask for their forgiveness. So also was it done here. Where has Christ done this? Hear Himself saying, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself.” (John xvii.19.) Lo! He bore the sins. He took them from men, and bore them to the Father; not that He might determine anything against them [mankind], but that He might forgive them. “Unto them that look for Him shall He appear” (he says) “the second time without sin unto salvation.” What is “without sin”? it is as much as to say, He sinneth not. For neither did He die as owing the debt of death, nor yet because of sin. But how “shall He appear”? To punish, you say. He did not however say this, but what was cheering; “shall He appear unto them that look for Him, without sin unto salvation.” So that for the time to come they no longer need sacrifices to save themselves, but to do this by deeds. Chrysostom, “Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistles to the Hebrews,” in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 14:447-448.

Sins of the world:

1) 2. On this account I trust that there may be a good hope; for God will not disdain to look upon such earnestness and zeal, nor will He suffer his servant to return without success. I know that when he has barely seen our pious Emperor, and been seen by him, he will be able at once by his very countenance to allay his wrath. For not only the words of the saints, but their very countenances are full of grace. And he is a person too endowed with abundant wisdom; and being well skilled in the divine laws, he will say to him as Moses said to God, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin;—and if not, slay me together with them.” For such are the bowels of the saints, that they think death with their children sweeter than life without them. He will also make the special season his advocate and shelter himself behind the sacred festival of the Passover; and will remind the Emperor of the season when Christ remitted the sins of the whole world. He will exhort him to imitate his Lord. He will also remind him of that parable of the ten thousand talents, and the hundred pence. I know the boldness of our father, that he will not hesitate to alarm him from the parable, and to say, “Take heed lest thou also hear it said in that day, ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me; you ought also to forgive thy fellow-servants!’ Thou dost

to thyself a greater benefit than them, since by pardoning these few offences thou gainest an amnesty for greater.” To this address he will add that prayer, which those who initiated him into the sacred mystery taught him to offer up, and say, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Chrysostom, “On the Priesthood; Ascetic Treatises; Select Homilies and Letters; Homilies on the Statutes,” in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 9:355.

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Chrysostom:

These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

[1.] A GREAT virtue is boldness and freedom of speech, and the making all things second in importance to the confessing of Christ; so great and admirable, that the Only-begotten Son of God proclaims such an one in the presence of the Father. ( Luke xii. 8.) Yet the recompense is more than just, for thou confessest upon earth, He in heaven, thou in the presence of men, He before the Father and all the angels. Such an one was John, who regarded not the multitude, nor opinion, nor anything else belonging to men, but trod all this beneath his feet, and proclaimed to all with becoming freedom the things respecting Christ. And therefore the Evangelist marks the very place, to show the boldness of the loud-voiced herald. For it was not in a house, not in a corner, not in the wilderness, but in the midst of the multitude, after that he had occupied Jordan, when all that were baptized by him were present, (for the Jews came upon him as he was baptizing,) there it was that he proclaimed aloud that wonderful confession concerning Christ, full of those sublime and great and mysterious doctrines, and that he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoe. Wherefore he saith, “These things were done in Bethany,” or, as all the more correct copies have it, “in Bethabara.” For Bethany was not “beyond Jordan,” nor bordering on the wilderness, but somewhere nigh to Jerusalem. He marks the places also for another reason. Since he was not about to relate matters of old date, but such as had come to pass but a little time before, he makes those who were present and had beheld, witnesses of his words, and supplies proof from the places themselves. For confident that nothing was added by himself to what was said, but that he simply and with truth described things as they were, he draws a testimony from the places, which, as I said, would be no common demonstration of his veracity. “The next day he seeth Jesus coming to him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The Evangelists distributed the periods amongst them; and Matthew having cut short his notice of the time before John the Baptist was bound, hastens to that which follows, while the Evangelist John not only does not cut short this period, but dwells most on it. Matthew, after the return of Jesus from the wilderness, saying nothing of the intermediate circumstances, as what John spake, and what the Jews sent and said, and having cut short all the rest, passes immediately to the prison. “For,” saith he, “Jesus having heard” that John was betrayed, “departed thence.” {Matt. xiv. 13.) But John does not so. He is silent as to the journey into the wilderness, as having been described by Matthew; but he relates what followed the descent from the mountain, and after having gone through many circumstances, adds, “For John was not yet cast into prison.” (c. iii. 24 .) And wherefore, says one, does Jesus now come to him? why does he come not merely once, but this second time also? For Matthew says that His coming was necessary on account of Baptism: since Jesus adds, that “thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt. iii. 15.) But John says that He came again after Baptism, and declares it in this place, for, “I saw,” saith he, “the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and It abode upon Him.” Wherefore then did He come to John? for He came not casually, but went expressly to him. “John,” saith the Evangelist, “seeth Jesus coming unto him.” Then wherefore cometh He? In order that since John had baptized Him with many (others), no one might suppose that He had hastened to John for the same reason as the rest to confess sins, and to wash in the river unto repentance. For this He comes, to give John an opportunity of setting this opinion right again, for by saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world,” he removes the whole suspicion. For very plain it is that One so pure as to be able to wash away the sins of others, does not come to confess sins, but to give opportunity to that marvelous herald to impress what he had said more definitely on those who had heard his former words, and to add others besides. The word “Behold” is used, because many had been seeking Him by reason of what had been said, and for a long time. For this cause, pointing Him out when present, he said, “Behold,” this is He so long sought, this is “the Lamb.” He calls Him “Lamb,” to remind the Jews of the prophecy of Isaiah, and of the shadow under the law of Moses, that he may the better lead them from the type to the reality. That Lamb of Moses took not at once away the sin of any one; but this took away the sin of all the world; for when it was in danger of perishing, He quickly delivered it from the wrath of God.

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Burkitt:

BUT there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Observe here, How the apostle foretells the coming of false teachers into the gospel church, as there had been false prophets in the Jewish church: no age of the church ever was or will be free of them; but the run of the last times is most likely to have most of these sour dregs. There shall be false teachers among you; false teachers then may find a scripture prophecy for their being in the church, but they will hardly find a scripture warrant for their being there. Observe, 2. The doctrines which they will teach: and they are damnable heresies. Where note. That Almighty God never intended a certain remedy against heresy, any more than he did against sin and vice; it is certain, that there is no certain and effectual remedy against either of them; God does what he sees best and fittest, not what we think to be so. Note also. That infallibility itself is no effectual remedy against heresy; the apostles were certainly infallible, and yet they could neither prevent nor extinguish heresy, which never more abounded than in the apostles’ times; St. Paul says, there must be heresies, 1 Cor. i. 19. St. Peter here says, that there shall be false teachers. Now, if there must be heresies and false teachers, either the church is not infallible, or infallibility is no effectual remedy against heresy. Observe, 3. That Christ is here called the Lord that bought these men who brought destruction upon themselves, Denying the Lord that bought them: because none should perish for want of a sufficient sacrifice for sin, Christ by his blood purchased for them pardon and life to be theirs, upon condition of believing acceptance. Observe lastly. As the seeds-men, false-teachers, and the seed they sow, damnable heresies, so the crop they shall reap, and that is, swift destruction: as damnable heresies are brought in privily, so the blasphemous heretic, the seducing heretic, the seditious heretic, brings upon himself swift destruction; sometimes temporal destruction in this world, certainly eternal, without repentance, in the next.

William Burkitt, Expository Notes With Practical Observations on the New Testament (Philadelphia: Published by Thomas Wardle, 1835), 2:742. [Italics original; underlining mine.]

Hyperius:

1) 4. These constestations and promises being thus solemnly made on both parts, you were baptized, that is to say, you were were dipped or sprinkled with water, and therewithal the Word of God was pronounced forth, having virtue after a marvelous sort to wash and take away your sins by the bloodshed of Christ. The Word was added to the Element, and so was it made in you a Sacrament and Seal of the righteousness of faith. Of that faith (I say)which you even a little while afore did profess; and of what righteousness, which God promised unto you. And it is (as it were) an Indenture of Covenants, or mutual hand-writing obligatory between God and you. For in this action of your baptism there passes a certain mutual bond or obligation between you ; even much like as between Barterers and Bargainers: but most aptly, properly, and specially, between the husband and the wife, [Eph. 5.]. For, the covenant, promised and bond here made, is not for any short while, but even for the whole space of your life: and so long as you continue in this world, the memory of this promise and covenant by you made, ought surely to be imprinted in your mind: yea still, even so long as your life lasts, it behooves you (all that ever you can) to endeavor yourself to accomplish and perform your promised covenants. You are now in this sort engrafted into his holy congregation, being the Church, and you are received into the number and fellowship of the faithful [Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:13.].

5. Moreover very the form, manner and customable rite of Baptism itself is a perpetual witness of your vowed promise, and admonishes thee of thy duty all the days of your life. Namely first, when was put down into the Font, dipped into the water, or sprinkled therewith, there was signified unto you, the mortification of your self and all your members, in that you did there openly and solemnly profess, that you would die unto sin. Again, your raising and lifting up again out of the water, betokened your resurrection and rising again to newness and amendment of life. And it did represent unto you, that like as Christ died, was buried and raised up from the dead for you, so should you continually walk in righteousness [Rom. 6:4.].

6. Call further to remembrance what great benefits yo have received in Baptism, as well in being thereby assured of the good promises of God there and then made unto you, as also in bring thereby the more encouraged and stirred up to perform such things as you for your part there did promise and undertake. First, your sins all and some, both original, actual and accessory, were there freely remitted and forgiven you. Sin ceased there to be imputed unto you, and a new righteousness even the righteousness of Jesus Christ was bestowed upon you, [1. Cor. 6:11; Tit. 3:5.]. The force and strength of that sin which naturally dwelt in you, is broken and vanquished that now it should not be able (as afore) “to rain any more in thy mortal body, neither that thou should obey the lusts thereof,” [Rom. 6:12.]. Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For, indeed, sin is in Baptism remitted and done away, but not so, as that we should for ever after be clear and void of it, but that it should not be any more laid to our charge, or imputed unto us, and that it should not reign in us, or bear sovereign rule and domination over us. As Augustine does very well note in his Epistle to Julian, and in his exposition in exposition of the 102 Psalm: but most excellently and plainly is it set out and explained by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans: “I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man: but I see an other law in my mind, and leading me captive unto the law of sin, which is in my members,” &c, [Rom. 5, and 7:22.].

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