1 Peter 2:24 – “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.”
Isaiah 53:5-6 also had this prophecy about Jesus Christ. This scripture is a simple way to explain salvation. Sin is any thing wrong that we have done against God or other people. The Old Testament punishment for sin was death. People deserved to die because they sinned. Jesus never sinned, but carried the sins of every person when He died on the cross. Jesus accepted the punishment for all sins; He died instead of us. When anyone confesses that they have sinned, Jesus forgives them; He makes them new. Before we became Christians, we were like sheep that were lost. We did not know how to live a good life till we came back to follow our Shepherd – Jesus Christ. Our Good Shepherd came looking for us because He cares for us. Jesus heals a person’s body and gives life to their spirit. Our spirit that was dead, became alive and will live for ever. We can go on to live a holy life.
When you go through tough times, unfair times remember this – Jesus is our example as someone who endured punishment unjustly. When hated and insulted, Jesus did not revile in return, instead, in His sufferings He committed Himself to the Father. In the same way, when we are exposed to suffering, we must remember to bear the suffering in the same spirit. Jesus even bore our sins as a substitute and provided healing. We are died to our sins because our debt of sin and guilt was paid by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Those debts now have no power over us. Christ suffered instead of us. Our sins have now been far removed as if they had never been committed. After we have died to our sins, we will have a greater passion to fill our life – a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ that is greater than our previous passion for sin. We should be dead to sin but alive to Jesus.
If a master treats us unjustly, we should not fear his harm because Jesus’ suffering can heal and restore us. That is, from the guilt and power; from which, without an atonement, it was impossible we would be delivered. The provision for our healing (both physically and spiritually) was made by the sufferings (stripes) of Jesus. Christ’s death was designed not only as an example of patience under sufferings, but Jesus bore our sins, the punishment of them, and thus satisfied Divine justice. For us, the fruits of Christ’s sufferings are the death of our sins, and a new holy life of righteousness from the death and resurrection of Christ. Our justification to God happened with Christ’s bruising and crucifixion as a sacrifice for our sins, and by Jesus’ stripes the diseases of our souls were cured.
