Verse for February 2

1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

This is such a great Gospel verse! As you well know, I’m kind of obsessed with the Gospel (it’s ok, this one really IS a healthy obsession) and verses that are clearly Gospel centered always jump out at me when I’m reading and studying God’s Word.
At the beginning of this verse, we see the phrase “bore your sin.” We must understand that Jesus wasn’t just giving us an example to follow, by being a martyr. He was actually suffering in our place. He was actually punished for the sins of all who would believe in Him when He died on the cross.He took our punishment and satisfied the wrath of a holy God toward sin. The idea of Christ dying in our place, on our behalf is at the heart of the Gospel.

The next phrase of note is “die to sin.” The idea here is that you were in Christ when He died on the cross, so you have died to sin. You no longer have to sin. The verse goes on to say “live to righteousness” meaning that you now have the power to live a righteous life. In fact, Christ died so that you could actually live a righteous life. Ephesians 2:10 says you were “created in Christ Jesus for good works...”


The verse concludes with “by his wounds you have been healed.” This obviously talks about the spiritual wounds you have as a result of your sinful acts. Romans 8:1 says that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” referring to the penalty of sin. You were a slave to sin. When you are saved, you are a slave to righteousness. There is no threat of punishment for a believer.

Memorize this verse. Meditate on it and live in the reality that spiritually, you have been healed. You can live the righteous life you should live because of what Christ did for you on the cross.

Soli Deo Gloria!
Rob
<><