1 Peter 2:22-25
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” vs. 24
As early Christians worked through their understanding of Jesus’s death, they agreed that it had everything to do with forgiveness. In Peter’s words, “by his wounds you have been healed.” But they were equally convinced that this wasn’t the end of the journey for believers. Forgiveness was only the beginning and not the destination. Salvation isn’t a matter of accepting Jesus as savior and then coasting through the pearly gates. That notion is a total distortion of the gospel and a complete misunderstanding of grace. Peter makes that very clear. We have been set free from sins so that we might live for righteousness! We are to be the living, breathing, yes, even sinless, presence of Christ in the world…and our deeds will be the measure of our faith. If that seems daunting to us, it should! If that seems beyond our capacity, it is! But our calling is not lived out in isolation from the sanctifying presence of God’s Holy Spirit. We will be sustained on our journey and strengthened on the way with daily renewal and constant surrender. As the 23rd Psalm so fittingly reminds us, the Lord is our Shepherd. And when our reason and our effort fall short, it is the Lord who makes us righteous.
Thought for the Day: If I’ve been set free from sin, why do I sin?
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