1 Peter 2:24 AMP
He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God, come in the flesh, to live among men, to demonstrate the Spirit of God’s Holy and divine instruction, as a contrast to the law of man that hard hearted people without understanding had twisted for their own selfish purposes. He demonstrated love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and long-suffering in the example of His life. He showed us the Truth of the written Word of God to not be a rule book to be followed out of obligation, but that we should love God and love others, so that we might follow and obey His will in grattitude for the grace that has been extended to us. He did this to show us that He is the truth, the life, and the way.
He lived a sinless life on this earth and paid the full price that was due for my and your sin, taking on the full weight of our sin in His body on the cross as a substitution for you and I, because we could not live the perfect sinless life ourselves. Even just one sin would keep us separated from God, whether it be hatred towards another, whether it be unforgiveness, whether it be jealousy, whether it be any type of disobedience and rebellion against God’s will for us to be faithful to Him, and love Him with every fiber of our being, and to demonstrate this love by living a faithful, repentant life serving and honoring others. Because the wages of sin are death.
But because of His grace, because of His life, because of the cross, and because of the resurrecting power that raised Him from the dead, and rolled away the stone, and lifted Him up to sit at the right hand of the Father – we can believe in Him, surrender our lives daily, so that our old man is dead, and Christ lives in us, and we are changed. We are renewed, we are alive spiritually and empowered through Christ to overcome temptations. We are to live our lives following the example of his life, dedicated to demonstrating the Truth of the Word of God in our thoughts, actions and words. Because when we believe, we receive a gift of His Holy Spirit that will come and live inside us, and teach us and guide us.
We are to cease sinning, examining ourselves and asking forgiveness and repenting so that we are becoming the righteousness of God. We are to become like Christ, to reflect the light of His very nature, for others to see Him in us.
He suffered for us. The price paid was high, and it was not for us to remain dead in sin, diseased and dying, but for us to be healed. We should know and believe that Christ in us is greater than any temptation that we could face in our life today, or can we say that we understand who God is?
Can’t the creator of heavens and earth, Almighty God, overcome whatever challenge faces us today? Is it that we don’t know Him? Is it that we don’t trust in His promises? Is it that we believe that we are doing this under our own power?
Just as He surrendered His life at the cross, we are to take up our cross daily, surrender our lives to Him. We are to forgive others and be forgiven ourselves. We are to love others because we are loved so greatly by Almighty God who calls us His children. We are to show patience and we will receive patience from our Heavenly Father who sees our many stumbles day after day. We are to demonstrate Christ to others because He lives inside us, and what better gift to share with others than the gift of the refreshing living waters of this Good News, that Christ is available to all, that lives are changed, and hearts renewed, and death defeated, and souls empowered with His Holy Spirit that has the power to raise the dead back to life.
Die today, friend – so that you may live.
Surrender your life to Christ and see yourself lifted up and renewed by Almighty God who loves you.
Love Him back today by honoring Him with your thoughts, actions, and words.
God bless!
Harold J. Ballinger 