1 Peter 2:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

NIV: "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."

NASB: and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.

CSB: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

NLT: He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

KJV: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

NKJV: 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.

In the previous verse, Peter described Jesus' refusal to retaliate against those who mistreated Him. Jesus chose this path because He trusted the Father to be the just judge, to make all things right. Jesus suffered for doing good, without fighting back, so He could fulfill His purpose. Verse 24 describes exactly what that purpose was.

If Jesus had not willingly endured unjust suffering, we would have remained lost in our sin. Instead, Jesus bore, or "carried," our sins on the cross. He actually died in order to pay the penalty for our sinful actions. He became our substitute, dying the death we deserved. God, the one who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23) judged Christ for our sin in that moment, pouring out His wrath on His own Son to satisfy the payment for our sin. He endured suffering so we could die to sin. In that action, by God's grace and through our faith in Christ, we have been freed. Believers are free from the price of our own sin, and from the power of sin to poison our choices. Now, thanks to Jesus' suffering, Christians can live righteously. We don't have to sin; we are free to make right choices that please and honor our God (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The verse ends by quoting Isaiah 53:5, a profound play on words. As Christians, we have been healed from the penalty and power of our sin by Christ's wounds, by His death in our place, by His suffering for our good. The wounds—the suffering—of Jesus are the means by which Christians are healed—forgiven by God for our sins. This reference is not about physical conditions, but our spiritual destiny.

1 Peter 2:13–25 reveals God’s will for those who are free in Christ: to willingly submit to every human authority for God’s sake. This includes emperors, governors, kings, and even slave masters. Peter does not endorse slavery, but he does instruct Christian slaves to endure unjust suffering, as Jesus did for our sake on the cross. He does not expect us to ''obey'' when the instructions are sinful. Rather, Christians are called to imitate Christ by suffering for doing good. Because Jesus was willing to do so, we lost sheep are now under the protection of our shepherd.

Peter gets specific about what it means to live as God’s set-apart people. Christ is the foundation stone of the spiritual house God is building. We must engage in battle with our selfishness and desire to sin. This includes submitting to human authorities, no matter how evil or harsh. It means enduring suffering, as Christ did for our sake when He died on the cross. Our role is not to fight a physical war for justice here; we will be going home soon.

First Peter 1 described the glorious reality of our present and future as God’s children, by His grace and through our faith in Jesus. He called us a holy people redeemed by God for new purposes. That means believers must live differently than those in the world around us. In this chapter, Peter narrows down exactly what it means to lead a holy life, including doing battle with our own desire to sin. This also means suffering under human authorities, even unjust ones.

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.