1Pet 2:24 Who [Christ] Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed. Roma 6:11 So also you, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus. 6:13 Neither present your members as weapons of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as weapons of righteousness to God.
[Part 1 of 3] We have pointed out that the phrase "having died to sins" literally means being away from sins. When Christ carried up our sins onto the cross and died, that death accomplished many things. The death of Christ terminated us, and this termination can keep us away from sin. The best way for people to be kept from sins or from sin is for them to be put to death. No matter how many sins a person may commit, once he has died, death separates him from sins. Peter speaks of being away from sins; Paul speaks of the one who has died being free from sin. Through Christ's death we can be kept away from sins so that we may live to righteousness. Apparently, being kept away from sin terminates us; actually, it enlivens us so that we may live to righteousness. As we have pointed out, by Christ's bruise we have been healed. This means that His death heals our death. Verse 24 indicates that, as fallen human beings, we were dead and full of sins. But Christ put our sins upon Himself and carried them up onto the tree, the cross, where He suffered God's righteous judgment for all our sins. Christ's death on the cross was a bruise, and that bruise, that death, has healed our death. Now we have become alive. On the one hand, Christ's bruise that heals us keeps us away from sins through His death; on the other, hand this healing enlivens us so that we may live to righteousness. (c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of First Peter, pp. 188-189. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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