#DailyDevotion Jesus’ Carrying Our Sins Sanctified Us
1 Peter 224He carried our sins in His body to the cross so that we’ll die to sin and live for righteousness. His wounds have healed you. 25You were like lost sheep, but now you’ve come back to the Shepherd Who takes care of you.
So first we are saved and sanctified (set apart for holy use) by Jesus. “He carried our sins in his body to the cross.” Jesus became condemn and unholy by carrying our sins. He the perfect Lamb of God was made unclean and wounded our sins being laid upon him like the high priest putting the sins of the people on the scapegoat. His blood poured out and sprinkled on us made us and declared us holy before God the Father.
Now this good news has the effect of sanctifying our lives. He carried our sins “so that” we will die to sins and live for righteousness. This purpose clause is not a wishy washy “Well I hope now that I did this for you, you’ll decide to start living right” sort of purpose. No this purpose clause, “so that,” “in order that,” actually affects the sanctified life. The Gospel of Jesus brings about a change in our hearts, minds and spirits that produces in us every good work of faith that we do. Not that Christians aren’t at time encouraged by the good news of Jesus to put away their sinful ways and start living a new way, but that is not what Peter is doing here. No, Peter is making a declaration of what the Gospel of Jesus Christ does.
We were mortally wounded by sin. We lived a life of death walking on the path of Satan, the Devil. We were his plaything to do what he willed in our lives. That wound has not been healed by the stripes Jesus received in the courts of Pilate and Herod. The sins which we committed, the punishment for our sin have been carried by Jesus and he received what was due them in his body. We have now been made alive, born anew, born from above of the Father and have been given the life of Jesus. It is his life living in us that inspires, moves, motivates, generates etc. every dying to sin and living for Christ. St. Paul has written elsewhere, “It is no longer I who live but Christ” and “it is God who wills and works in you to do good.”
Peter then switches image to sheep. We were like lost sheep. The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, came looking for us and hearing and seeing our Good Shepherd, we return back to him. It is his seeking and calling that brings us back to him. You see, Jesus cares for you. No matter how much Satan tries to deceive you by what is happening to you, when you have your doubts, look to the cross of Jesus. There you will see and have the confidence that no matter what Jesus cares for you. His cross is the signal, the flag of God’s great love, of Jesus’ great love for you. We may never fully in this life comprehend what God is working out in our life other than the purifying of our faith and the ability to bear the weight of eternal glory when he returns but when we see Jesus and the cross we know God is reconciled to us. What we are experiencing is not his wrath and anger but his loving discipline. (Heb. 12)
Heavenly Father, you sent your son Jesus Christ to be our scapegoat, to carry our sins away from us to sanctify us and make us holy. So apply his wounds to us, heal us of our mortality that we may be able to reject sin and live for your righteousness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.