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"Might live for righteousness"

Text: 1 Peter 2:24

LIVING IN THE FIRST CENTURY

It was challenging to live as Christians in the first century. There were so many difficult problems.

1. Persecution

2. Problems that could not be easily resolved:

a) Racial problems.

b) Societal problems.

i) Masters

ii) Slaves

LIVING RIGHTEOUSLY

Peter continued to urge believers to live for the Lord as consciously as possible.

“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.”
1 Peter 2:24

1. “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree”

a) Believers must never forget how Jesus Himself bore our sins personally.

b) This was a teaching that Peter was impacted by from the writings of Isaiah (Isaiah 53).

c) The phrase “On the tree”.

i) This phrase was drawn from Deuteronomy 21:22-23.

“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death,
and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
his body shall not remain overnight on the tree,
but you shall surely bury him that day,
so that you do not defile the land which
the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance;
for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
Deuteronomy 21:22-23

ii) Peter was alluding to this text when making reference to the death of Jesus.

iii) Jesus bore the curse (judgment of God) on our behalf.

2. “That we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness”

a) Jesus paid for our sins.

b) Thus, we have died to sins too.

i) Judicially, we have died to sin.

ii) Practically, this is our challenge.

c) That we might live for righteousness.

i) We live for Christ, who represents true righteousness.

ii) Thus, we must ever live righteously for the Lord.

3. “By whose stripes you were healed”

a) This word is taken from Isaiah 53:5.

b) The context of Isaiah must be fully borne in mind.

i) Eternal redemption is in mind.

ii) The spiritual aspect of His work was the original purpose.

iii) This is not a reference to physical healing.
(Or we would have perfect physical health.)

iv) Hosea 14:4 speaks of how God would heal our backsliding.

c) The healing that God offers:

i) Deep and spiritual.

ii) The deepest parts of our heart, mind and soul will be healed.