"and He Himself bore our sins in His body
on the cross, that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed."
I Peter 2:24
"He bore our sins"
"He Himself bore our sins..." bore the penalty of our sin upon the cross. He became the sacrificial Lamb because He put on the vile heaviness, the weight of all the sin of the world upon His back. But it is also as Adam Clarke said, "To say that they were so imputed to Him as if they had been His own as if they had been His own, and that the Father beheld Him as blackened with imputed sin, is monstrous, if not blasphemous."
"Die to sin"
"that we might die..." Wait! I thought we were just told that Jesus died for us and for our sin. But, if we want to live in Him, we must die to sin. Jesus died. He was buried. But He rose again. If we die to sin, they are buried, and there will be no resurrection of our sin as long as we live in righteousness in Him.
Think of John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) Why would He say that if Jesus was not able to take away our sin? It is heresy to say that Jesus did not have the power to take away sin. It is a heresy to say that Jesus is only able to hide our sin, that God cannot see our sin. It would make His sacrifice impotent. He broke the power of sin, just like He broke the power of death.
It takes faith to accept salvation. Likewise, it takes faith to accept there is power to take away our sin. And it takes faith to believe He has broken the power of death: yes, He rose again, but we must take by faith that we too will rise again, even though we know where the dead body goes, in the ground. There aren't too many guests who come back to tell us it is true, so we must accept it by faith.
I've told the story before that our first parsonage was next to a cemetery which could clearly be seen through a chain-linked fence. Our preschool son saw more than his clever brain could process. His conclusion was to proclaim with gusto, "Jesus isn't going to get me!" He knew bodies went into the ground.
Hallelujah, Christ broke the power of death so we will live with Him forever. However, we will not be dragging our sin along with us. Rather, like it is illustrated in "Pilgrim's Progress," our burden of sin is left at the cross. And it is as Adam Clarke describes, "That we, being freed from sin--(means that we are) delivered out of its power, and from under its tyranny."
Adam Clarke also said, "...Christ, who was buffeted and scourged, and who bore all this that the deep and inveterate wounds, inflicted on their souls by sin, might be healed." Many have used this verse to apply to physical healing. Yes, miracles still happen, but that is not the great victory given by His passion.
My husband always said as our kids grew up, "You'll be alright before you get married." The look on our little toddler girls' faces was priceless. Our health challenges, likewise, will be dealt with completely when we sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
I went to the dentist this morning, and she tried to gently break the news to me that my gums are beginning to recede because I was--she would not say it--getting older. Instead she mumbled something into her mask that it was because time was going by. The pure healing is not in this old, aging body. God would be very busy if He answered every prayer about every aging body from hangnails to hang-down jowls.
You might notice that not even Adam and Eve are still walking around. Sure, if I am told it was time to look at this ol'world as a short-timer, I'll probably throw up a few prayers for healing myself.
But we can rejoice in the promise that our sin can die and be buried forever without ever being resurrected. We can likewise rejoice that we can be resurrected to live in righteousness totally free from sin. We can rejoice that we will go live with Him forever because He broke the power of death. Remember, that same power which is strong enough to break death to which every Christian clings, is also strong enough to break the power of sin in our lives. Cling to that, Spiderman!
Captain America doesn't have the power.
Think of John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) Why would He say that if Jesus was not able to take away our sin? It is heresy to say that Jesus did not have the power to take away sin. It is a heresy to say that Jesus is only able to hide our sin, that God cannot see our sin. It would make His sacrifice impotent. He broke the power of sin, just like He broke the power of death.
Clark Kent, alias Superman, doesn't
have the power.
It takes faith to accept salvation. Likewise, it takes faith to accept there is power to take away our sin. And it takes faith to believe He has broken the power of death: yes, He rose again, but we must take by faith that we too will rise again, even though we know where the dead body goes, in the ground. There aren't too many guests who come back to tell us it is true, so we must accept it by faith.
Spiderman doesn't have the power.
I've told the story before that our first parsonage was next to a cemetery which could clearly be seen through a chain-linked fence. Our preschool son saw more than his clever brain could process. His conclusion was to proclaim with gusto, "Jesus isn't going to get me!" He knew bodies went into the ground.
Hallelujah, Christ broke the power of death so we will live with Him forever. However, we will not be dragging our sin along with us. Rather, like it is illustrated in "Pilgrim's Progress," our burden of sin is left at the cross. And it is as Adam Clarke describes, "That we, being freed from sin--(means that we are) delivered out of its power, and from under its tyranny."
"By whose stripes ye were healed."
Adam Clarke also said, "...Christ, who was buffeted and scourged, and who bore all this that the deep and inveterate wounds, inflicted on their souls by sin, might be healed." Many have used this verse to apply to physical healing. Yes, miracles still happen, but that is not the great victory given by His passion.
My husband always said as our kids grew up, "You'll be alright before you get married." The look on our little toddler girls' faces was priceless. Our health challenges, likewise, will be dealt with completely when we sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
I went to the dentist this morning, and she tried to gently break the news to me that my gums are beginning to recede because I was--she would not say it--getting older. Instead she mumbled something into her mask that it was because time was going by. The pure healing is not in this old, aging body. God would be very busy if He answered every prayer about every aging body from hangnails to hang-down jowls.
You might notice that not even Adam and Eve are still walking around. Sure, if I am told it was time to look at this ol'world as a short-timer, I'll probably throw up a few prayers for healing myself.
I guess in the 1800's someone
must have been worried that when
the trumpet sounded and
they were raised from the dead
that they might be confused
about which way to go,
thus the arrow.
But we can rejoice in the promise that our sin can die and be buried forever without ever being resurrected. We can likewise rejoice that we can be resurrected to live in righteousness totally free from sin. We can rejoice that we will go live with Him forever because He broke the power of death. Remember, that same power which is strong enough to break death to which every Christian clings, is also strong enough to break the power of sin in our lives. Cling to that, Spiderman!
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