| “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 |
Our sin nature that we inherited from Adam, plus our propensity to sin—gained over years of practice since we began to sin on our own—makes it very difficult for us to stop all sinning. Nevertheless, as we strive to live in obedience to Christ, it is our desire to minimize our intentional sins. It’s very hard to do this. But, we have an advocate, helper, and sponsor, who will point us toward righteousness. That is, of course, the blessed Holy Spirit.
It is this present reality of striving against sin that prompted the Apostle Peter, quoting from the Book of Isaiah, to write these words found 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.”
The fact that the penalty for our sin has been paid by Christ’s death on the cross is not a license to continue to intentionally sin. Rather, Christ’s loving sacrifice in our behalf stands as a motivation for us to honor Him by doing our best to put aside the sins that have us trapped. By allowing the Holy Spirit to have full sway over our selfish human wills, we can see victory over sins become a reality for us.
At the same time, almost inevitably, we will continue to sin. Fortunately, Christ has paid the penalty for all our sins. We can pick ourselves up from falling and continue our forward march toward righteousness. You see, it is the march that’s really important. Instead of bemoaning our failures, we need to strive ever forward. That is what pleases God the most. So, today, let’s very purposely keep on marching forward toward righteousness. Okay?
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, June 25, 2018
