1 Peter 1:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

NIV: but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

NASB: but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

CSB: but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

NLT: It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

KJV: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

NKJV: but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Verse 19 continues the thought begun in verse 18. Peter is showing the great value Christians, God's children, carry in the eyes of our Father. It can be measured by the price He was willing to pay. He made a great sacrifice in order to possess us, to call us His own people. Peter has already shown that God didn't pay for us in mere human currency like silver or gold. Our worth to Him can't be weighed in pounds or dollars. Instead, in verse 19, Peter writes that we were redeemed with something that will still hold value long after this world's economies are forgotten.

Our Father purchased us with the blood of Christ. The value God place on our lives was equal to that of the very life of His "only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Peter describes Christ as a lamb free from blemish or defect. His Jewish readers, especially those who grew up participating in the sacrificial system, would have immediately understood the reference. In fact, some may have carried a memory of watching as a perfect, beautiful year-old lamb was killed, understanding that its blood was being spilled to cover their sin for a time.

As the sinless, perfectly righteous Son of God, the life of Jesus—His blood—was of such great value that He became the final offering required under that Old Covenant system. No more animal sacrifices are needed to temporarily cover human sin (Hebrews 9–10). Instead, the Father paid the ultimate price to redeem us, giving limitless value to lives that would otherwise have been futile and empty.

1 Peter 1:13–25 describes how Christians—those God has caused to be born again—should live now. We must mentally engage in setting all of our hope in God’s future grace for us. We must choose to act as those who are God’s own people, rejecting the evil desires that drove our actions before we knew better. Our choices matter. Our God placed a high value on our lives, paying for them with the blood of Christ. Since God has made us able, we must now strive to earnestly give love to each other.

Peter, the apostle of Jesus, writes a letter to Christians facing persecution to comfort them with the truth of who they are in Christ—children of God with every reason to rejoice in their salvation and future glory in eternity. Next, he urges them to live like the holy ones of God they already are by obeying God now, loving each other earnestly, and placing all of their hope in the endless life to come.

This beautiful, profound, and challenging first chapter of 1 Peter lays the foundation for the rest of Peter’s letter. In spite of whatever suffering we may face, God Himself has already shown us great mercy in Christ by including us in His family! Jesus is our living hope. Our future is secure and endless and perfect. As the children of God we have every reason to rejoice, even in this present darkness. Peter then calls us to prepare ourselves to live as the holy people God has made us to be.

Some 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Christians are facing greater persecution for their faith. How should they respond? How should we respond to suffering today? The apostle Peter writes this letter both to comfort believers and to encourage them to stay strong. He urges them to put all their hope in their perfect future with Christ, and to obey and trust Him in the present, even in their suffering. Christ suffered greatly; now the Christ-followers have the opportunity to follow Him even in this, showing His grace and power in their hopefulness, obedience, and faith.