Thoughts on 1 Peter - Day 12

                                      1 Peter 2:24,25

 “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.


    Wow! What can be said about one of the greatest passages of the Bible! Peter says it all!

      I was listening recently to a message by Lehman Strauss. In it, he claimed that the Devil not only is a liar but the Devil has a primary lie. In Thessalonians Paul states that people believe the lie. Strauss then develops what that lie is and if I understood him correctly, he says that the lie of the devil is "live for yourself" or "be your own god". I can't argue with him too much because we see the Devil in Isa.14 falling from Heaven because of this, using it on Adam and Eve, tempting Jesus with it, and the traitor inside of me - the flesh - tells me to do it. Peter, in this passage is probably referencing Isa.53:6 where Isaiah says, "all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way..." There it is. That's what sin is. It is choosing to do what we want rather than what God wants. It is making ourselves the ultimate authority in our lives. It is calling our own shots.

       Peter says that there is a penalty that we have to pay for that choice and that penalty is death. I am trying to wrap my head around, as I contemplate this, why this choice deserves the eternal death penalty. That seems harsh doesn't it? There are two things I keep coming back to. Number one is that we are so into ourselves that our understanding of this punishment is distorted by the fact that the flesh tells us that this really isn't that wrong to follow self. Therefore we can't get a clear take on its gravity. The second thing is, so what it is harsh. God made a way so we don't have to die. He paid the penalty by sending His own Son to die. It's like the law if you don't pay taxes you go to prison. Seems harsh doesn't it? But that's OK because I pay my taxes. I don't have to even worry about that.

       So what does Peter tell us we have to do? Return which means repent. Turn. Turn to the one who created you. Turn to your overseer or shepherd. What does an overseer or shepherd do? They boss you around. They lead you. They direct you. They are in charge, not you. We need to quit going our way and turn to following His way. People ask, "do I have to quit this or that behavior to become a Christian?" We are tempted to answer, "yes", but the real answer is more along the lines of, "are you willing to put God in charge of your life and do whatever He tells you to do?" That is the real question people have to answer. If they say yes, the blood of Jesus heals them of their sins and the Holy Spirit comes inside bringing them to life and enabling them to live righteously.

    Lord, thank You for paying my penalty for going my own way. Help me to always go Your way. I give up all rights to my life to You. Amen