What Did Jesus Do For You When He Died? 1 Peter 2:24

What is so special about Jesus dying on the Cross? The Bible gets to the point in 1 Peter 2:24.

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds, you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24.

HE HIMSELF
This is a double emphasis. Christ had always intended to die for our sins. It was not an accident or a tragedy of history but his plan from the foundation of time.

BORE OUR SINS
Many people ask, "What is sin?" They want a list to check off and say, "I didn't do this or that, so I am OK." But sin is much more than a list of dos and don'ts. The Bible says, "He who knows what is right to do and fails to do it has sinned." (James 4:17). And elsewhere, "All wrongdoing is sin." (1John 5:17).

The word sin in the old language is used for missing the mark or failing to meet the standard. God is the standard and none of us can meet the standard of God's holiness; so He, being a God of love, sent his son to bear our judgment.

To bear something is to endure it; in this case, he bore the consequences of our sin. Christ carried our sins from us and took the punishment on our behalf.

IN HIS BODY
Jesus was not some kind of metaphysical spirit being or a ghost, he had a body that bled when whipped and pierced. He experienced pain and suffered.

Christ had no sin of his own to pay for so he was qualified to take on another's sin. Only as God could he could take the sins of all humanity.

ON THE CROSS
It was a terrible death and fulfilled the prophecy about the Messiah's death in so many ways. (Read Psalm 22 which describes crucifixion.)

SO THAT
Christ's death was not an accident or a mistake of history. He came with a purpose and an intention to give his life as a sacrifice for our sins.

WE MIGHT DIE TO SIN AND LIVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
When we accept the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf we enter into a relationship where our identities are exchanged. When God judges the believer He will not see a sinner, instead, God will see the righteousness of Christ.

Part of the believer's identity with Christ is that since Christ died on the cross to destroy sin the believer is included in that act; in Jesus, the believer has the opportunity and power to overcome sin.

BY HIS WOUNDS YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED.
It is a poetic way of explaining it. These words capture the totality of Christ suffering and death.

• His death heals our broken lives.
• His death healed the rift between God and man.
• His death healed our divided spirit and our broken hearts.
• His death healed the broken relationships we have with each other.
• His death makes it possible for us to find peace.

To learn more about trusting Jesus as your Savor see the tab above for the gospel.

To learn about my books of poems visit my website, A.E. Dozat.com.

(c) Adron 8/27/17

Does The Bible Explain What Being Born Again Is? 1 Peter 1:3

Jesus taught that we must be born again but what if we need help understanding what that is, does the Bible explain it? The apostle Peter gives some insight.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Peter 1:3.

In his Epistle, or letter, Peter opens with a greeting of exuberant worship and the new birth is the pivot of his worship. In doing so he makes a few remarks that are very illuminating.

"HIS GREAT MERCY"
The foundation is not our deeds or our worthiness but His great mercy. Mercy is when you have the opportunity to exercise authority over someone but instead demonstrate forgiveness when condemnation is justified, like a judge who could condemn a guilty criminal but grants pardon instead.

"HE HAS GIVEN US"
The word "has" means that something already happened. This phrase is past tense. God did something for us already and we do not need to look for it to happen.

Being born anew is an event that happens at a point of time and you can point to that day and hour and say that was when it happened.

"NEW BIRTH"
This phrase is used several times in the Bible. It may be seen as a metaphor that describes salvation. A birth is an event. That which is born does not have any power to be more born or less born. The one being born does not make the birth he just experiences it. The one being born cannot take credit for birth because his birth is the result of another's action. In the same way we do not make salvation but we experience it when we by faith receive it.

"INTO A LIVING HOPE"
Not just a hope but a living hope. The word, living, is a present tense word, it is not a temporary hope but it is a hope that is a forever living hope. This is something more than just an idea, teaching, or concept, instead, it is a hope that is evident by the activity of the mercy of God and what He has given us.
Our hope is not in ourselves or our efforts but it is through or by something else.

"THROUGH THE RESURRECTION"
To be born again is a participation in the resurrection.

The resurrection is a cornerstone teaching of the Christian faith. It represents and confirms the validation by God and acceptance by God of Jesus' work of salvation on our behalf. The resurrection illustrates that the power of death is broken which means the threat of hell is revoked because the justice of God is proven to be satisfied. Because of the resurrection, we can be assured that Jesus took our sins upon himself and endured their punishment completely and is victorious.

"OF JESUS CHRIST"
It all points to this person. Only Jesus could save us.
      * Only Jesus was perfect and without sin (even his most fierce critics could find no fault in him, and a professional judge washed his hands of condemning Jesus whom He deemed innocent.) Being sinless, he was qualified to bear our sins.
     * Jesus gave his life willingly. He said, "I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again." John 10:18.
     * As the Son of God, he alone had the right to offer himself. If anyone else died for mankind's sins, we would be indebted to that one over God, which would be wrong. Only our creator could be our redeemer since we would not be in conflict with either our God or another who is our Savior. Jesus alone is the expression of God, and he alone could be our savior.

Because God is good and merciful, He gives us this new beginning of birth into a hope that will never die. The verse teaches that the new life is a gift that must be received, which means we must choose to receive it. When we receive by faith the work of Christ on our behalf, we receive the new birth.

No one can really imagine what blessings and joys are in store for those who come to God and receive the new birth.

To learn more about the plan of salvation, click on the tab, the Gospel, above. 

(c) Adron 9/23/16

Is Changing My Life Just Some Empty Hope?

Can our hope to get our lives right ever be more than just a hope?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3.

IN HIS GREAT MERCY

God is full of mercy, and to call it great mercy is an understatement.  He has shown mercy to every living person every day, allowing us all just to live and breathe.  His mercy must be the focus of our hope and not our own efforts.

HE HAS

This is the past tense of what has been done.  When God promises something, you can be assured of it.  So, "In his great mercy, he has given," suggests it is here today.  Salvation, new life, and heaven are not just a future dream but for those who have received it- it is present now.

GIVEN

Something given is not something earned.  This Bible verse says salvation and the new person we become are given away by God.  Salvation and this new birth are not a payment or reward that we earn by anything we can do, or else it would not be a free gift.

NEW BIRTH

God gives us more than heaven. He also gives us a new birth, a new identity; who you are is now ready and able to change.  Because we have a new birth, we can turn from the things that led to death and have success over things that ruined our lives.  We can turn around and be the people God meant for us to be.

INTO A LIVING HOPE

Our hope in Jesus is not some far off, maybe so- maybe not, a vain thing; it is something that is living, current, active, and engaged.  Our hope in Jesus is real.

Jesus did what no one else could do.  He died to pay for our sins.  The resurrection proves he has the power of life and power over death, that the judgment has been paid for, and it proves God is satisfied with what Jesus did on our behalf.  If he can rise from the dead, we can trust absolutely in his promise of eternal life and new birth.

When you come to Jesus, you come to the one who makes us new, and we become who and what we are meant to be.  God has given the gift, but he does not force it on us, he offers it, and each of us must decide to receive it.

If you want to know more about receiving God's offer of free salvation, see the tab above.

(c) Adron 8/17/15

What Did Jesus Do On The Cross? 1 Peter 3:18

The Apostle Peter understood what Jesus did for us on the cross when he died and what it means for each of us.

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God, He was put to death in the body but made alive in the spirit."  Peter 3:18.

SUFFERED
The suffering that Jesus endured was an overwhelming daunting crushing endurance. He felt the full wrath of God's anger for sin.

ONCE
Christ suffering cannot be redone or recreated, it was complete we do not need to finish or add to it. If it was not once for all and ever it would be none and never; if even one sin was not paid for then all would be compromised. God is just and fair he had to put every sin on Jesus- there is nothing left for us to pay for.

RIGHTEOUS
Jesus had no sins of his own to pay for. He was able to be the prefect substitute for our sins. If he had a single sin he would not have been able to pay for ours.

DEATH
There was no dispute among the witnesses that Jesus died; the roman professional executioners knew their job. Sin has to be paid for in death. Jesus died for us

ALIVE
Having met the demands of God's justice death could not hold him; he had overcome sin therefore he overcame death. Since he took our sins and paid for them he is able to give life to those who are willing to receive it.

TO BRING YOU TO GOD
The purpose of Christ's life and death was to make the way for you to come to God. He did the work all we need to do is receive it. To learn more about the Gospel and how to receive salvation see the tab above titled Gospel.

____________________________ 

Thank you for visiting this blog. I hope these thoughts are helpful for you.

You can find more like this in the most helpful post list on the left sidebar.

You can contact me through comments or the email link. If you live near Columbia MD I would be glad to meet you and discuss how you can know for sure that you may have eternal life.

Adron

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What Does Salvation From Sin Cost? 1 Peter 1:18-19

What do I have to pay to get saved? Do I have to give to God or do some great work of charity to earn forgiveness and salvation?

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19.

PERISHABLE CAN'T EQUAL ETERNAL
Whatever we give in material possessions or deeds in this perishable world could not merit the eternal. Only a person who was from before eternity and will exist beyond it could fulfill the requirements of eternal justice.

THE EMPTY WAY OF LIFE
Our lives are empty, but we try to use that which is empty to give it substance. We have a purse with no coins and a spiritual bank account in the negative. We cannot use what we do not have to obtain peace with God and his eternal favor.

HANDED DOWN
Our empty state comes from the first man who sinned and fell from the favor of The Lord. Adam's sin became the inheritance of humanity. We all sin and are far from God.

BLOOD OF THE LAMB
In love, the Father in Heaven made a way of salvation. He set a price on sin- it is death. In ancient times the death was celebrated by a lamb; those who believed in God's promise of a coming Messiah would sacrifice the lamb and know they were celebrating the coming of one who would be the true Lamb of God.  The Father sent his Son to be that substitute lamb and go to death for us. Jesus lived a perfect and holy life to demonstrate that he was the one worthy to be our substitute. His resurrection proves he is victorious over the judgment of sin against us.

PAID IN FULL
Our salvation cost us nothing, but it cost our Savor everything. We couldn't possibly pay the price required for our sins, but Christ's death did it for us, and all that is left for us is to receive the gift of eternal forgiveness he offers.

To learn more about trusting Jesus as Savior and having eternal forgiveness, click on The Gospel tab.