Monthly Archive for July, 1997

1 Peter 2:24c

Published on July 31, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
 
 
might live for righteousness—
 
“For” — the death of Christ provides a motive for living.
 
“Righteousness” is rightness. God wants us to be right toward himself and right toward man. This is not imparted but practical righteousness. This motive goes far beyond simply the negative of not doing evil (II Cor. 5:15).
 
PRINCIPLE: The death of Christ is our motive for living for righteousness.
 
APPLICATION: God saves us to be different from those around us. Jesus endured the worst kind of injustice and yet he died for us and left us an example. After we believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross, we begin to live. Before that, we were spiritually dead. We were alive psychologically and physically but we were dead spiritually. We were dead to God. Now we are alive to God. 
 
God expects us to live in such a way as to be a credit to Christ. Jesus saves people free of charge. They render no merit, no work, no effort. After we become a Christian God expects us to live a life that reflects our life in Christ. After we become Christians it can no longer be business as usual. People who hear of our conversion have a right to expect a different quality of life from us. If they do not see change, why should they want what we have? 
 
A danger in the study of the Bible is that we might get spiritual indigestion. We learn more than we live. We have more in our head than in our heart. This is spiritual gout. We know much and live little. Yet God makes us responsible for what we know. If we know a maximum and live a minimum, God will hold us accountable for that. The quality of our lives here will determine our reward hereafter. 
 
Are you on the level with God?
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1 Peter 2:24b

Published on July 30, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
 
 
in His own body on the tree
 
Jesus suffered both in his body and soul. His suffering in soul was not as apparent. He did suffer in his soul (Mt. 26:38). 
 
The Greek word for “tree” is an object fashioned out of wood. Esther 5:14 translates this word “gallows.” Acts uses “tree” for the cross (5:30; 10:39: 13:29). The last time the New Testament uses this word is Galatians 3: 13 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”
 
Jesus did not suffer for my sins in Gethsemane. He bore my sins on the cross. Jesus was at once both priest and victim.
 
that we, having died to sins,
 
“That” introduces a purpose clause. 
 
“Died” is literally to be away from. It comes from two words: from and to become. “From” signifies separation. “Died” means to cease with a complete and abrupt change. This is a rare word. It means to cease to exist, to go out of being. Jesus separated us from our sin.
 
Some translate this word “to die” but this is inexact. Literally, it means “having become off with respect to sins.” This means that Jesus disconnected us from our sins. This disconnection is the believer’s attitude toward sin because of what it took to pay for sin – the death of Jesus on the cross.
 
“Died” means having become off with respect to sins. This speaks of the action of God in breaking the power of the sinful nature. We need not be slaves to sin. The classical Greek renders this word “depart.” We have ceased from sins positionally (cf. Rom 6:1-23, esp. vv2, 10f). Christ died for all our sins. This is the action of God in breaking the sin capacity’s power when we place faith in Christ. From now on we do not need to be a slave to sin (Rom 6:10). 
 
PRINCIPLE: Before we became Christians we were dead in sin, now we are dead to sins.
 
APPLICATION: God broke off the power of the sin capacity at the point of faith in Christ’s work on the cross. This means that sin does not have to control us. He forgives us our sins when we confess them. Since our sins have already been judged when Jesus hung on the cross, the Father is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There is the disconnection from sin. There we can live unto righteousness. So God identifies us with Christ as he hung upon the cross. 
 
In God’s sight he reckons us as being so identified with our Lord that what he predicates of him is also true of us. We died in his death. We raised in his resurrection. We seated with him when we ascended in glory. God views us as perpetually dead to every appeal that comes from the flesh. 
 
In God’s reckoning, when Christ died, I died. This is truth we cannot feel or smell. We hear it and believe it. We think God’s thoughts after him. God identifies us with Jesus as he hung on the cross. His life becomes our life. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. This is positional truth. His sonship becomes our sonship. God identifies us with Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross. We stopped sinning in God’s eyes. We died to sin.
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1 Peter 2:24

Published on July 29, 1997 in 1 Peter. 7 Comments
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“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
 
 
Peter here alludes to Isaiah 53:6,7. Jesus death on the cross is the greatest example of undeserved suffering. 
 
Who Himself bore our sins
 
Why did Jesus die on the cross? The issue is the character of God. God cannot live with sin. If he were to allow sin to come into the world he would be inconsistent with his own character. Sin puts the justice of God into question. The judgment of Jesus on the cross was a judgment upon our personal sins. 
 
“Who himself” is emphatic stressing the personal connection of Jesus in death for our sins. Note the two phrases “who himself…his own body.” No one else could share this suffering. He was totally and uniquely capable to suffer for the sin of man. Jesus alone was able to save our souls from sin (Acts 4:12). Jesus took our punishment for our sin. 
 
The value of his sacrifice is not in the extent of Jesus’ anguish on the cross but in the person who suffered. Jesus bore our sin judicially. God never made him sinful in his character. 
 
“Bore” is a compound word made up of two words: to bring or bear and up.  It denotes to lead or carry up, to offer.  Jesus brought our sins to the cross (cf. Heb. 9:28; II Cor. 5:21).  Jesus actually carried our sins in his own body on the tree. The sins that he carried are the sins of the entire world.  Jesus stood indicted with our sins (Isa. 53:6). Jesus carried our sins to the cross in his body (Gal. 3:13; Dt. 21:23).
 
“Bore” means to bear the punishment for our sins (Jn. 1:29). This satisfied God’s justice. As the scape-goat carried away the sins of the Israelite so Jesus carries away our sin on the cross (Lev. 16:21,22). Jesus brought our sins to the cross in own body. The Septuagint uses “bore” for a priest carrying a sacrifice up to the brazen altar. The brazen altar was 4 ½ feet high approached by an incline (Lev. 14:20). Jesus carried our sins to the cross instead of the altar. By this, Jesus broke the power of sin. 
 
“Our sins” is emphatic. Jesus’ death freed us from both the penalty and the power of sin. He paid the penalty for our sin so that we will not have to go to hell. His death made it possible for us to “live for righteousness.” 
 
PRINCIPLE: Jesus’ unique person paid personally for our sin.
 
APPLICATION: Rome crucified tens of thousands of people in her history but only one of them was unique. Jesus was the God-man. He was undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever. This is his uniqueness. He is different from God in that he is man and he is different from man in that he is God. 
 
Do you love the Lord Jesus for taking your personal sin to the cross? He is unique. There is no only else like him.
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1 Peter 2:23c

Published on July 28, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
 
 
but committed Himself
 
“Committed” means to give over, to hand over. It carries the idea of giving the control of oneself to someone else. Jesus gave himself over to another. Jesus granted this right to the Father. Jesus granted to the Father the opportunity to do what he wanted with his life.  
 
By faith, Jesus handed over this situation to the Father for management of his life. When we put something in the hands of someone who has perfect judgment, they will handle it perfectly. So when we commit our case to the Father, we know that he will have the perfect answer for it.
 
Jesus did not come to his own defense. He let the Father defend him. Jesus refused to defend himself against the kangaroo court of chief priests who stacked the case against him. He reserved his defense for the Father to handle. Jesus knew that the Father would vindicate him. One day we will stand before God. That will be our true judgment.
 
Jesus committed his cause, name and fame to the Father.  “If I am to be vindicated, the Father will take care of that.” This has not happened yet. One day God will vindicate Jesus but that is in the future. Our Lord can wait because he put his case in the hands of the Father. His trial was not fair. They trumped up charges against him. He accepted the plan of God for his life. 
 
to Him who judges righteously
 
Jesus submitted to the plan of God or the program of God for his life. He committed the whole thing to his Father and left it there.
 
God is righteous in the way he handles our lives. The nature of that righteousness must be understood by a comprehensive understanding of the whole plan of God.
 
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to accept his righteous plan for our life by trusting him with attacks on our person.
 
APPLICATION: We do not trust when we fret, fume and fuss. That is not committal. We need to trust a God who is interested in us (Gen. 18:25; Mk 7:37 I Kg 12:15, 24; I Sa. 3:18; Mt 11:26; I Th 5:18; Ro 8:28). 
 
God knows each tear we shed and each hair that falls from our head. God is aware of everything that comes into our lives and he cares. It matters to him about us. 
 
Do we think that God loves us less now than when we came to Christ? He loves us more now than ever. We will understand more by and by. Will you commit everything in your life to God (Ps 37:5; I Peter 4:19)?
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1 Peter 2:23b

Published on July 27, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
 
 
when He suffered
 
Oh how he suffered (1:11; 2:21; 3:18; 4:12,13; 5:1). We know little about true suffering. 
 
He did not threaten
 
When Jesus suffered he did not threaten them with suffering. He would not make them suffer as well. He did not conjure up revenge. He did not look for opportunity to put revenge into action. 
 
Jesus had the power to call vengeance down upon his enemies but he chose not to do so. He did not defend himself against personal wrong. He was more concerned about the plan of God than about himself. 
 
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to be more concerned about the plan of God for our lives than about ourselves.
 
APPLICATION: Jesus did not threaten his accusers with harm. He did not say, “I’ll get even. I’ll get the Father after you.” Christians are playing away from home. We forget that we are in a hostile world to Christ. We will not get a break from the umpire here. 
 
As far as this world is concerned we are misfits. They do not approve of our way of doing things. We do not approve of their values. They put up with us as a mild form of amusement. They tolerate us if we do not expose their values for what they are. 
 
Are you willing to take a stand on your values? Do you orient to the plan of God for your life? Do you live by that plan or do you respond to the immediate issue at hand?
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1 Peter 2:23

Published on July 26, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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”Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
 
 
Who, when He was reviled
 
“Who” here is Jesus. This speaks of Jesus’ undeserved suffering.
 
“Reviled” means to abuse, insult, slander (John 9:28; Acts 23:4; I Cor. 4:12). People blasphemed Jesus. They mocked him and called him dirty names. Even when they put a crown of thorns on his head and mocked him as a king, he did not retaliate. None of this could cause him to compromise his character. Just because someone provokes us to sin does not justify the sin. We always have higher reasons to avoid sin. 
 
Hebrews 12: 3 “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”
 
His friends said that he was insane:
 
Mark 3: 21 “But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.’”
 
His enemies called him names:
 
Matthew 11: 19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
 
Most of Jesus’ enemies were religious leaders. This crowd was jealous and bitter toward him. They expressed their hate for him in criticism. They maligned his character and works.
 
did not revile in return
 
“Revile in return” in the Greek means to revile back or again.   Jesus did not retaliate when people attacked him with slander and insult. He did not return insult. 
 
Jesus did not give tit for tat. He was not in the business of getting even. Some of us would even the score even if it kills us – and it may! By nature we are vindictive. Vindictiveness will eat our heart out. It will sour our spirit. 
 
If we spend all our time defending ourselves we will have no time for offense. We cannot win the game with defense only. We need a strong offense. The best defense is a strong offense. As this is true in athletics, it is also true in the spiritual life. If we spend our time defending ourselves we will not be like the Savior. 
 
Isaiah 53: 7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.”
 
Their evil accusations brought no reply from his lips. Jesus claimed the principle found in Romans 12: 19  – “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” This means that he operated from character not circumstance. 
 
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to be free from vengeance and leave retaliation in his hands. 
 
APPLICATION: How unlike the Savior we are. As soon as someone starts a rumor about us, we get on our high horse. Our backs arch like a cat. We show our fangs.  We are ready to do battle. If given a change, we will hang their hide on the wall. 
 
This is so unlike our Lord. We are still in kindergarten spiritually. We believe that we must defend ourselves and vindicate ourselves. When it came to this kind of thing, our Lord Jesus was not concerned about his reputation. 
 
Are you willing to leave retaliation in God’s hands? This is not to imply that we are to be passive in our relationships. Jesus often confronted those around him but he was not vindictive. 
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1 Peter 2:22

Published on July 25, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”
 
 
Who committed no sin
 
Jesus never committed an act of sin (II Cor 5:21; Heb. 4:15; I Jn 3:5). Jesus was perfectly sinless. The tense indicates that Jesus never committed a sin – not even one time.
 
Why then should he suffer? All the suffering that came to Christ was totally undeserving. Jesus said, “6“Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? (John 8:46). We could say this of no other man who ever lived. Jesus never confessed any sin because he never had sin to confess. It is remarkable when we think of the sin that he had to bear. 
 
Nor was deceit found in His mouth
 
There was no deception ever found in his speech (Isa 539). Jesus never used cunning with his words. “Deceit” means a bait and comes to mean fraud, snare or guile (cf. 2:1; 3:10). It means to deceive by using trickery and falsehood as the Trojan horse or the robe of Penelopé. What you see is what you got with Jesus. The Bible characterizes him as the “truth” (John 14:6). 
 
“Found” is failure to find something after careful scrutiny. Jesus’ enemies were cunning in their approach but there was no trace of guile or trickery in Jesus. He confronted them with truth (Lk 23:41; Jn 8:46; Heb 4:15). He truly was a suitable sacrifice for our sin.
 
There is no double talk with the Lord Jesus. We will never find him operating with duplicity.  Even under extreme incitement Jesus did not reply with rancor. He never led people astray with his words. He was always on the level. Everything he said was exact and accurate. 
 
PRINCIPLE: Sin usually shows itself first by sins of the tongue.
 
APPLICATION: Our speech reveals our heart. God’s people are not sinless but they sin less having come to Christ as their Savior. Once a person comes to Christ there is a blessed life-long process whereby the Christian grows more like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). 
 
It is possible for Christians to retard this process by stiffening ourselves to the will of God. In this situation we have a case of arrested spiritual development. We then are a heartache to our loving Father. We do not go on with the Lord. We are Christians but we do not advance our spiritual condition. We become a religious shadow-boxer. 
 
One of the sad facts of life is that generally people in this condition are not aware of it. Their wife or husband may see it clearly. Their friends can see it but they are oblivious to their situation. Sometimes it takes a financial disaster to get their attention. It may take an accident or some physical illness. God always does something to make our heart tender and sensitive to him. In any case, it will be something to blast the rebellion out of our hearts. 
 
God wants our spirit to be like it was when we first came to Christ – our first love. When this happens, we think of the wasted years and confess our sins. Then the joy bells will ring and peace returns to our hearts. Others will see the censoriousness go and the bitterness and criticism leave our life. This will fill your heart with light and joy. You are back in fellowship. 
 
It is a sad thing when people have to take what we say with a grain of salt. Do people believe what you say? If you promise something and do not deliver, can people trust you? Do you promise to show up somewhere and fail to show up without ample notification? People will get the impression that they cannot rely upon you and that you are not dependable. 
 
Are you trustworthy? God expects his people to be reliable and people of their word. God forbid that we develop a reputation for not being reliable or undependable. 
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1 Peter 2:21d

Published on July 24, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:”
 
 
that you should follow His steps
 
God wants us to emulate the character and conduct of Christ. 
 
“Follow” means to follow after, follow close upon. The implication is that we are to comply closely with the life of Christ. We should put our lives in conjunction with Christ. God wants us to go the same way as Jesus (Mk. 8:34; 9:38; 10:21).  We should make our lives happen along with his, to accompany him along the journey. The implication is that we are to wholly follow Christ or to devote ourselves to him. God wants us to give Jesus our whole heart. God wants us to take the same road as Jesus. He wants us to follow closely upon his path. 
 
“Steps” means tracks. We are to follow the tracks of Christ. Our behavior should be the same as his. Let us imitate him. We do not do as others do, we do as he does. The New Testament uses the word “steps” of Abraham’s faith (Rom. 4:12) and for carrying on the work of the Gospel (II Cor. 12:18). We are to take the same road as Christ of applying the truth of unjust suffering to experience. 
 
Note that this passage does not say “follow in his steps.” It says simply “follow his steps.” God wants us to go in the same direction he went (Heb. 12:1-4). We get our signals from him. He sets the example for us to follow (Ro. 15:3). . 
 
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to copy Christ and reproduce his character in our lives.
 
APPLICATION: When the Christian suffers insult with uncomplaining steadfastness he shows the life of Christ to others. 
 
Christians sometime meet a spiritual pygmy. They then go back to back with them and say “I have outgrown them spiritually.” Yes, but they are measuring themselves by a spiritual dwarf. 
 
Instead of measuring yourself by a spiritual midget why not measure yourself by a spiritual giant – Jesus Christ? Back up to the Lord Jesus and measure yourself by him. Then we will realize how far we have to grow in grace. His spiritual reflexes were perfect. Anyone measured up against him is mighty small. We expect sheep to follow the Shepherd, not other sheep.
 
If we do something wrong at work, how do we react? Is there any difference in the way we react than the way those who do not know Christ? If our reaction is different from theirs, they will sit up and take notice. We have something that they do not have. This has great influence on non-Christians. However, this is exactly where we fail before our wives, husbands, children, parents and business associates. 
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1 Peter 2:21c

Published on July 23, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:”
 
 
leaving us an example
 
 “Leaving” means to leave behind. Jesus left behind an example for us to follow.
 
This is the only occurrence of the Greek word “example” in the New Testament.  Literally it means “underwriting.” It is a writing or drawing that a student reproduces. 
 
The word “example” is a model or pattern to be copied in writing or drawing. This word comes from a compound Greek word (under, to write). It was an under-writing (to write under, to trace letters for copying by scholars). Therefore, it is a writing-copy. The writing-copy usually included all the letters of the alphabet. It was given to beginners as an aid in learning to draw. Christ left for us by his sufferings a writing-copy.
 
The word “example” means a thing to be retained. An “example” was a model for set up for imitation such as a header for a copy book. In patterning our life after Christ God wants us to write our life under his. He is our pattern by which we are to copy our lives after. God wants us to copy our lives just like the child in grade school copies an example of writing.
 
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to use Christ as a pattern of unjust suffering.
 
APPLICATION: We often go outside the guidelines of Jesus’ example of unjust suffering. Every day we write on the page of life. When we hold up our writing to what Jesus wrote in life, the comparison is minimal. Yet the more we practice the life of Christ the more we become like him. 
 
Each of us will take our copy books to Jesus one day. Then he will give us our grade. How have you measured up to his unjust suffering?
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1 Peter 2:21b

Published on July 22, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:”
 
 
because Christ also suffered for us
 
The preposition “for” means that Jesus suffered in our place or in our stead. Christ the sinless one suffered in the place of sinful ones. That is unjust suffering. The cross of Christ at first glance seems to be a tragedy but when we realize that he suffered in our place, the tragedy becomes a victory. 
 
The phrase “for us” indicates the substitutionary death of Christ for our sins (Rom 5:8; 8:34; Heb 9:24). Jesus represents us personally in his death on the cross. Jesus suffered vicariously, that is, he paid the penalty for our personal sins. That is why we love him.
 
“Also” puts our suffering on a new plane. There is comfort in knowing that Christ went through unjust suffering as well.
 
PRINCIPLE: Christ suffered in our place. 
 
APPLICATION:  Jesus suffered by his own volition. He did not suffer for himself but for us. 
 
If anyone suffered unjustly it was the Lord Jesus. He never committed a sin (v.22; II Cor. 5:21). Jesus knew no sin yet he paid for the sins of the entire world. That is unjust suffering. Under God’s economy a person who never sins does not have to die. Sin is the cause of death. Jesus did not sin so he did not have to die. Yet he personally died for our sins. 
 
Have you come to the place where you trust the death of Christ for your sins? That is the action of belief that is necessary for your salvation.
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