The above definitions of the word "ultimate" are from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. When I think about Jesus paying the ultimate price for our sins and becoming the ultimate sacrifice for the world, I can see how the terms "absolute", "utmost", "extreme" and "supreme" could fit. But I guess the best one would be "final", because unlike the old testament animal sacrifices of the jewish religious system which only made temporary atonement, with Jesus' sacrifice there will never be need for another.
I would like to share an old song that reads along those same lines. I hope that these words will somehow minister to you:
The Ultimate Sacrifice
v.1)You say "It was so long ago
how could it change things now?"
"How can a man crucified save me?"
But He was more than a man
He was God's only Son
Sent to redeem all of man from what they've done
chorus)Jesus gave His life the ultimate sacrifice
He gave all He had for you and I
Jesus paid the price that we all deserve to pay
Now He lives inside my heart to stay
The ultimate sacrifice
v.2)God made one way to find life
and it is still the same
You have to turn from your sins and trust in Him
Won't you accept what He's done?
Or is it all in vain?
You better hurry 'cause He will soon come again
(repeat chorus)
copyright 1989 Joey Culpepper Heart of Praise Music
Here's a devotional from Dr. John A. Witmer about the Lamb of God who was the ultimate sacrifice:
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)(ASV)
Christ the Sacrifice
The Jewish crowds who went out into the Judaean wilderness to hear John the Baptist were familiar with animal sacrifices. Such offerings were prescribed in their Mosaic religious system. They had watched lambs and bullocks and kids and doves without number slain at the temple in Jerusalem. Is John referring to this common knowledge when he identifies Jesus as "the Lamb of God"?
The definiteness of the designation would seem to point in a different direction. Many different animals were used. The sin-offering was a bullock, not a lamb (Lev. 4:4). The Day of Atonement offering was a kid, not a lamb (Lev. 16:5). The Passover lamb had no direct connection with the question of sin. The Mosaic sacrifices, therefore, represented Christ and were fulfilled in Him only in the general sense and not in the definite, specific sense.
To what then was John the Baptist referring by identifying Jesus as "the Lamb of God"? Alford is correct when he concludes that John the Baptist had specific reference to "the prophetic announcement in Isaiah 53:7." The Messiah, the Servant of Jehovah, is there compared to "a lamb brought to the slaughter." This is the one upon whom God laid "the iniquity of us all."
God indeed ordained animal sacrifices for His people Israel, but they had only temporary value, achieving nothing final. This is demonstrated by their constant repetition (Heb. 10:1-4). They pointed forward, therefore, to the One prophesied by Isaiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." He alone dealt finally and fully with the issue of sin.
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper