Author: nunu329

1 Peter 4

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

How do Christians handle sin? Because let’s face it, just because we are Christians and saved, does not mean that we won’t sin any longer. If we don’t acknowledge our sins, how can we grow and move on from the sinful deeds that we do? Unfortunately, sin is no longer an acceptable word, we would rather call these the way of the world now, sickness, addiction or just being a victim of the world around us. We continually find a way not to call a sinner, a sinner. It’s never their fault, people are inherently good. If all these outside factors were better, people would not be as sinful. I am only sinful because of the way I was raised, it is all my parent’s fault and none of the blame falls on me because I am just a sweet child of God. Sound familiar? But this kind of thinking doesn’t just happen outside of the church but it also bleeds into the church. Now society and the church are desensitized to sin. When we don’t see the darkness of sin, we can have a warped view of ourselves and be more righteous and holy than we are. Most people in today’s generation think more highly of themselves and therefore we live however we choose. 

To become holy and righteous we must realize how weak and sick we are without Christ. Without Christ, we are incredibly fragile and it wouldn’t take much for us to completely fall to pieces. Therefore we can’t look at sin the way the world does. To no longer live for evil desires but rather for God, you have to keep looking back at Christ and your past. Christ was constantly tempted with sin while He was here on earth, there were many times when people plotted to kill him, from the time He was a baby until His time on the cross. So when we are persecuted and grow weary in fighting for good, we can think of Christ. Even if they take your life, you have still won. You then will be pure and holy like our Lord Jesus Christ. Death for the believer means no more sin, your suffering is done and complete.

We know how sin affects us, but how does it affect God? Every time you sin you have pushed God aside, you have defied, disobeyed, and rejected God’s will. It is the ultimate act of blaspheming. You ultimately tell God I will do things my way thank you very much, I’m smarter than you and I know what’s best for me. So how can you say that you love God but then not obey Him and think that you know better? Sin brought Christ only sadness, tears, and ultimately death. You must also remember what sin has done to you and all humanity from the time of creation. Has anything good come from your sin? When we come to Christ it’s because we are tired of our sin, tired of the weight and burden, so why do we try to dabble in sin when it hurts us so bad? Don’t be tempted by the non-believers to sin, they have no idea of the blessings of God and the joy and peace that you have now that you are a Christian. It may look like fun on the outside but remember they will have to stand in front of God and give an account for all their wrongdoings. If you can’t remember how negatively sin is affected. Your life, think about how it killed Christ on the cross. How easily we forget that Jesus took our punishment. It was supposed to be us up there on that cross. That’s how bad our sin is and how it needs to be dealt with. We now have the gospel and know the word of God. We have no reason for rejecting God and continuing to sin. Put aside your old ways and cling to the Lord. Get rid of your sin, all it ever did for you was hurt you and try to destroy your life.

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 

Now, notice the word there, a very simple one but needs our understanding, “is near.”   I believe that this passage is telling believers that the coming of Christ is imminent; the next event can happen at any time.  It is near.  Peter is reminding them then that they are to live in anticipation of the nearness of the return of Jesus Christ.  We could say that they are to live with, here’s the word, expectancy.  Do you realize that every generation since then has therefore lived in that same expectancy?  All of us live today or should live, in the expectancy of the coming of Jesus Christ.  Not being expectant is not being a faithful church. When you are waiting for Christ, it reminds us that our citizenship is not here but in Heaven. God hasn’t told us when Jesus is coming so that we remain in the waiting, in joyful expectancy, as if Jesus were to come at any moment. We are called to a high level of accountability while we are waiting on Jesus. Peter reminds us that Jesus’ second coming is near, imminent, and the next event on God’s calendar.

We need to love each other deeply and offer hospitality all the time so when trials and tribulations come, we have practiced this behavior and it is not foreign to us. The secret of being ready for a crisis is living the Christian life all the time. So then our faith and spiritual courage will be like muscle memory for us. Paul reminds us that he wants to do good but doesn’t. We all fall short because we are sinful and flawed humans. Peter gives us directions and instructions on how to practice walking in the way of Christ. Personal holiness, love, and service are the three main topics that Peter puts all the details into.

Holiness is to fix your mind on things above not of emotion or passion. Alcohol and drugs cloud our minds and our judgment so we lose focus on God. A confused mind, a self-centered mind, a mind knocked out of balance by worldly lusts and pursuits, a mind victimized by emotion or passion out of control, a mind that is ignorant of God’s truth, a mind that is indifferent to God’s purposes is a mind that cannot know the fullness of holy communion in prayer with God. Peter tells us that we also need to be focused on our relationship with other believers. After you have strengthened your relationship with the Lord, then your first concern should be to show love to those around you. Love covers a multitude of sins and since we are all sinners we all need to extend love to one another. Love forgives over and over again. If we fulfill our responsibility to love, we have fulfilled the entire law, because the law is focused around love. Love will hide sin instead of exposing it. Peter also tells us to love strangers when he says to be hospitable without grumbling. We need to meet the needs of others whether they are friends or strangers.

10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Faith can not be removed or detached from the realm of real life. Salvation is not only forgiveness of sins but also a new way of living. Salvation also turns your world and how you live completely upside down, it is the transformation and rejuvenation of your life. Because of this salvation, we should desire to be obedient to God. We should strive for holiness, we should love fervently and we should be willing to live a life of service. You can’t have outward service without inward holiness and love, then that makes you empty and hypocritical. So how do we serve one another? God has given each Christian a special gift and each of our gifts are unique to us. Even if you have the same gift as someone else, your gift is measured out differently for each person and it may be sprinkled with other talents in their gifts to make everyone 100% unique from one another. Then when you add your outside environment, your training, and physical capabilities, there is nobody like you and nobody can replace you and do what you do. But this is our gift from God, we did not earn it, just like our salvation. The Holy Spirit gives the gifts, the Father gives the ministry and God works the effects, that is the entire trinity working in your life. What God-given capacity has God given to you supernaturally to minister to others?  What have you been divinely enabled to do to further the kingdom of God and how are you using it? If you are not serving in some fashion then you are not using your divine spiritual gifts which are in direct disobedience of scripture. You must use your gifts, you were saved so you could serve.

Suffering for Being a Christian

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 

Nero had such a dislike for Christians in 64 AD, that professing to be a Christian made you guilty of almost anything and almost guaranteed to be hated by society. Later Domitian, Trajan, and the other Roman emperors, you find that what began here as an initial hatred of Christians became a fixed policy.  The question of whether a man was a Christian became the most essential part of any charge against him.  As a result of this accusation, persecution began.  Tacitus, the Roman historian, reported that Nero rolled Christians in pitch or oil and then set fire to them while they were still alive, and used them as living torches to light his garden parties.  He served them up in the skins of wild animals to his hunting dogs to tear them to shreds. If you were to profess to be a Christian you would experience nothing good here on this Earth you would be under terrible persecution. But as Peter reminds us, we should not be surprised by any of this. He tells us to respond in four ways. First, expect it, rejoice in it, evaluate its cause, and entrust yourself to God. Peter says don’t be surprised when you and your faith are put on trial and we have examples of such throughout the Bible. How we react to suffering is part of our testimony to others. Our suffering is not foreign or alien to us, it’s the only promise we are given about being a Christian while on this earth.

Don’t be surprised when God puts you in the furnace to purify your faith. He is trying to melt away all the impurities in your faith. God purges our lives from pride and helps us to realize how much we need God. We should also rejoice in our sufferings because in our sufferings we share with Christ, we will also share in His glory. Jesus suffered at the hands of men because He did what was right and spoke the truth. Suffering for doing and saying what is right should be encouraged and celebrated. Jesus suffered for doing this, why should we be any different? But keep rejoicing so at His second coming we will rejoice with exaltation. Our rejoicing at that time will be all the more intense and powerful because we suffered just like Christ. Your eternal reward will directly reflect your suffering. Your suffering will reflect to some degree your faithfulness. But if we suffer for Christ, are insulted, treated unjustly, etc then rejoice because that is considered a blessing. What does it mean to suffer for proclaiming the name of Christ? The name alone of Jesus itself caused quite an uprising. All you had to do was speak his name and you could be thrown in jail or executed. But if you proclaimed the name of Christ you were blessed, and you are blessed because the spirit of glory rests upon you, the spirit of God comes upon you. What a wonderful thing to look forward to. If we think back to Steven, he had the spirit of glory come upon him as he was being stoned to death. He cared nothing for what was going on around him. His face was fixed on Jesus’ face and the troubles of this world did not hold a candle to what he was looking at. Let us keep our faces fixed on Jesus and let the cares and the worries of this world melt away into the background.

14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Living in the United States we don’t often feel the persecution that others in non-Christian countries face. But even for Christians in America, we are slowly being persecuted by the Atheist and Humanist communities. Should that persecution intensify, we should be ready to dig in our heels and defend our faith. We are not to be ashamed of our faith. Remember though you need to suffer for doing what is right, you can be sinning like the rest of the unbelieving world. You need to be different, standing up for righteousness and God’s truth. When you suffer, you should expect it, rejoice in it, and evaluate it.  If you suffer for being a Christian then you are more like Christ. You should look at suffering as the end of all things is near. It means that the judgment is coming, and the suffering of Christians is all a part of what the end times will look like. If God is already judging his church and purifying them with fire, then what will His judgment and purification look like for those who don’t believe? God’s judgment doesn’t start and end with the church, rather it starts with the church and continues to the unbelievers. Peter reminds us it is better to suffer here while we are on Earth, rather than in Hell where there is eternal damnation. Our suffering now pales in comparison to the suffering that others will experience when they eternally suffer in Hell. So then when we suffer, look at it for what it is, and remember how much more severe the suffering of those unbelievers will be. Jesus loves you and whatever suffering you go through here, remember this is for your strengthening. So rejoice when you suffer, you are getting stronger and more pure.

2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Have you ever seen a marriage that is full of slander and malice? I know I have. Some of those marriages not surprisingly ended up in divorce but some of them stayed married until the bitter end. I always wondered how you could stay married to someone that you obviously hate. Marriage is hard enough even when you are head over heels in love with someone. These toxic marriages that I saw were not Christian or had God at the center of their marriage. Sure the wife would sometimes go to church, but it was just more of a Sunday tradition rather than craving spiritual food. God doesn’t want our Christian marriages to look like those of non-believers. We are set apart and different from the rest of the world. As Peter says we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. Other people do not know how good God is because they have never given their lives over to Him. And if we are not children of God, then by default we must be children of the Evil one. There is no in-between on neutral territory. No, in the spiritual world we are either saved or not, children of light or darkness, your father is either God or Satan.

Ladies, have you ever gone to those Bible studies where other women use the time of prayer requests to slander their husbands, all in the name of “I need prayer for this”? That is Satan working his way into your marriage, trying to destroy it from the inside out, all the while making it look like you are doing it for all the right reasons. The devil is crafty and he can make any kind of sin look good and appealing with the right makeup on it. Don’t fall for his lies, and don’t get sucked into conversations with other wives complaining about your spouses. In fact, do something different. Make a rule that only positive and uplifting talk about your husband comes from your mouth. If you are frustrated with him and don’t have anything nice to say, then do that in your personal prayer time. Your friends and family should think that your husband is the most wonderful man alive after they listen to how you talk about him. If you constantly slander your husband in front of others, they will eventually start to think he really is this terrible guy. Once they start thinking and believing those things to be true, it will be very hard to convince them otherwise. Plus, even if your husband is a handful right now, that doesn’t mean that he is not capable of change in the future. God works miracles every day and your husband could be one of them. So speak highly of him when you are among others, the more good things you find to say about him, the more you will notice your own opinion of him changes too.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.”

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,”

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

What does it mean to be the cornerstone? In our modern society, this analogy can get lost on us, but back in Jesus’s day, the cornerstone was traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction. Historically, the cornerstone was the most important part of any building. The total weight of an edifice rested on this particular stone, which, if removed, would collapse the whole structure. The cornerstone was also the key to keeping the walls straight. The builders would take sightings along the edges of this part of the building. If the cornerstone was set properly, the stonemasons could be assured that all the other corners of the building would be at the appropriate angles as well. Thus, the cornerstone became a symbol of that which held life together. Jesus holds our lives together as well. He is the example that we look to keeping our eyes focused on him so that our lives don’t end up crooked. I know if Jesus was removed from my life, it would certainly crumble. In the last 60-70 years of the United States, we have slowly removed Jesus from our lives from taking Him out of schools to promoting divorce and abortion. No wonder our country is becoming weak and starting to crumble.

I also find it interesting that Peter says that our cornerstone (Jesus) was rejected by man and caused them to stumble, but chosen and precious to God. Isn’t it interesting that something precious to God, we put to death? If we don’t think we have a sinful nature, all we have to do is look at Jesus’ crucifixion. Some people will say that we have gotten better since then. I have a hard time believing that. Just because we don’t crucify people in the streets anymore doesn’t mean our hearts have changed. Now instead, we use abortion as a means of birth control. Our human hearts have been sick and sinful for a very long time, we just express it in different ways. Jesus is precious to God and yet we turn our back on Him and reject Him daily. But what if we stopped rejecting Him and made Him the cornerstone of not just our lives but our marriages? How different would our lives and our marriages look? For me, it would certainly change the things that I find annoying and bothersome. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into a pattern of complaining about the simple things in life. But I know if Jesus was sitting on my couch with me, I would never even think about complaining about the mail all over the island and how many shoes are lying all over the house. If Jesus were sitting on my couch, I hope I would be asking His advice on how to raise my kids and how to deal with difficult situations in my marriage. So instead of finding things to complain about, look at the bigger picture, open your Bibles, and ask God how to handle life. Just because Jesus isn’t physically sitting in your living room, doesn’t not mean that you don’t have Him living in your heart, and if you want to talk to Him, your Bible is your friend. It will tell you everything you need to know about Jesus and His answer to pretty much any problem life will throw your way.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Do you ever stop to think that you are chosen by God or a royal priest? I know for me those can seem a little far-fetched. We see other instances throughout the Bible where Jesus reminds us that it was Him who pursued us, not the other way around. In John 15:16 Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” It is undeniable that God has chosen those who are believers in Jesus. But why? Is there something special about me that led God to choose me? The short answer is, no, God did not choose us because of anything inherent in ourselves. He chose us out of His love and mercy, and for His glory. We see that God’s choosing of us is linked to His love. God’s choice is something that gives Him pleasure and brings Him praise. God’s choosing of us highlights His gracious character, not our merit. We know we are not saved because of our good works but solely because of God’s grace. We are all sinners who fail to measure up to God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Apart from Jesus all deserve death (Romans 6:23). But in Jesus, we can have life. It is not because of who we are that God chooses us but because of who He is. And as Peter tells us in this passage, the proper response to being chosen by God is to declare God’s praise and give Him worship.

What about this Royal priesthood thing? Last time I checked I was neither royal nor a priest so why does Peter tell us this is how we are viewed by God? In the ancient world, a priest was responsible for leading the ritual worship of a deity, especially in correctly offering the proper sacrifices. Priests were “selected from among the people” and were “appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” Priests were also considered to be distinct from ordinary people. In God’s eyes, we are very distinct from nonbelievers. We are told in (1 John 3:10) Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. We are either considered a child of God or not, and if not, our default is to being a child of Satan. We, just like the priests have been selected, and set apart, for service to God. The priests were doing something that other people were not allowed to do. As Christ’s church, we are a royal priesthood to declare the praises of God. And each of us, as a part of that royal priesthood, is responsible for offering sacrifices pleasing to God and representing God to the world around us. Being a part of this royal priesthood is both a privilege and a responsibility.

We were also told that once we were not a people and once we had not received mercy but everything changes when you get saved. Now you are a child of God and all your sins are washed away by Jesus’ blood.

Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Living in a pagan place can definitely be challenging. Sometimes I feel like the United States, even though we were founded on Christian principles, has quickly backslid into a pagan, God-hating society. Since we live in a Nation that is so hostile towards God, in their words and actions, how do we as Christians stand out? I look to President Trump, even though he is not a shining example of a Christian, he is living proof of how others tried to destroy him, and accuse him of all kinds of terrible things, and yet the truth prevailed and he stood innocent before them. It’s difficult when you live in a pagan society not to get caught up in the evil things that they are doing. At first, the little things may not seem so bad and we are all inclined to want to fit in with the people we spend lots of time with. But we must be the light upon the hill and stand out for all to see. Don’t give them any ammunition against you, they already don’t like you because you are a Christian. So show them how the ideal Christian behaves, not the Christian that they are afraid everyone is like, a hypocrite. (resist sin)  

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

With an election coming up, this verse is a helpful reminder of how we are to behave while we are still here on the earth. We are to submit ourselves to every human authority. That does not mean that human authority will always treat us right or fairly. There are always innocent people in jail and people who pay consequences that are not appropriate for their sins. Remember in Romans when we are told “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1. God raises up good leaders and the bad ones. We never know what God’s plan is for us here on this earth but we still need to act as Christians and obey the authorities.

In Christ, we are free from the penalty of sin eternally speaking but that does not mean that the penalty of sin here on earth will not have real consequences. As Christians we are free from the power of sin, we are no longer slaves to sin but that certainly does not mean that we are given permission to sin. We are free in Christ but not free to live however we want, indulging the flesh believers aren’t free to sin, but free to live holy lives in Christ. Christian freedom is one of the many paradoxes of the Christian faith. True freedom means willingly becoming a slave to Christ, and no longer being a slave to sin. Being a slave to Christ is not like any other type of slavery. When we become a slave to Christ it does not mean what we think of slavery, it means that we must humbly serve one another instead of seeking position and status, we remember the Lord’s teaching that the greatest in His kingdom are those who serve others. As bondservants of Christ, like Paul, we are to live to please God and not people, “doing the will of God from the heart” We bow down to Him alone. Our priority should always start with loving and honoring God and then taking that love and showing it to others.

18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God, submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate but also to those who are harsh. 

As we continue down the topic of submission to authority, we are told to submit to our good masters and the mean ones. Even though we don’t have slaves and masters anymore, we do have management and employees. Most of us can identify with having one of each of these types of bosses. There will always be wonderful people to work for and others who will be harsh and difficult to please. It doesn’t matter the kind of person who we are working for, we are still called to be a light in this dark world. We are called to treat kind people and harsh people all the same. Sure it’s a lot easier to be nice and hard-working to someone who’s nice to you, everyone can do that but we are not everyone and we were made to stand out and be different because of Christ’s blood that saves us. You never know when your good behavior and willingness to obey authority will catch the eye of the unbeliever and turn their world upside down.

9 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 

How many of us want to retaliate when we are being lied about or falsely accused? It is our human nature to protect our reputation and our honor, but Jesus did no such thing. He acted as our example in all situations. He showed us that in some circumstances it doesn’t matter what we say or that we made no mistakes along the way, if people want you destroyed and gone, there is nothing that will stand in their way. I’m sure we have all had those arguments with people that no matter how much fact and logic we tell them, they don’t want to hear it. The same was true for Jesus. Everyone who was falsely accusing Him did not care about the truth, they didn’t care that He was the son of God, all they knew was that He wasn’t fitting the mold of what they thought the messiah should be. As Peter reminds us, he did not retaliate, He didn’t threaten them, He trusted His life to God the Father. I know when I am facing opposition and condemnation, I have a hard time staying silent and trusting in God’s plan for my life. I want to stand up and fight and let people know that Jesus was perfect but I’m a close second and this is an injustice. What if instead we just surrendered to God and let Him be in control of what happens in our lives? Like the Jewish leaders who wanted Jesus dead, sometimes there is nothing that we can say that will change the minds of those who accuse us.

24 “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.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Remember at the Lord’s supper when Jesus told us that His body would be given up for us? He died for us, He gave up His life for us, and He suffered for us. Christ suffered for us to follow in His steps, and to be our example. He suffered patiently and enduringly but His suffering was more unjust than anything we could ever go through because we are sinful. He also suffered as our substitute, as the one who took our place. In Isaiah 53 we learn more about the prophecy of what Jesus was to endure on our behalf. Christ paid that price that we could not pay so that we can be free. God does not transfer the penalty from the guilty to the innocent, but He bears it himself. We are not tainting God by giving Him our sins, He willingly took them from us. He took on our sins voluntarily, with no outside influences forcing Him to do so. The word “bore” means to carry a heavy weight. The heavy weight of sin is so heavy that it even makes creation groan. Bearing inequity means to endure the punishment that we deserve. In God’s realm, our punishment is eternal separation from God in Hell. It’s not just physical punishment but also spiritual punishment. He did more than forgive us of sin and the removal of guilt. He did this to change us, to transform us into righteous people, not to stay as the sinful people we once were.

Jesus had to save us because we were constantly going astray. Isaiah also makes this statement. This straying means we are continually turning toward sin. Now we turn not towards our sin but towards Jesus, our shepherd and guardian. Jesus is referred to many times throughout the Bible as our shepherd. Jesus guards, oversees and guides His sheep, even to the point of death for us. It is easy in this life to be led astray by all the fancy and shiny things that we think will make us happy, but Jesus is always close by, keeping an eye on us to help us stay focused on the truth. Jesus is truth and He is our life source. It is in our best interest that we stay close to Him so that we are protected and safe. But if we do go astray, we know that Jesus will leave the 99 to find the one.