Daily Bible Verses for 1/31/2017

You Were Called, Because Christ Suffered For Us – (1st Peter 2:21-25)

Daily Verse(s)
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 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. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Reading Notes
We live in a fallen, sinful world, a world at enmity against God, at enmity with those who follow Jesus and a world in conflict with Jesus Christ our Lord. In addition, since this world hated and reviled Him, how much more will we endure because of our faith in Christ. A world which hates God so much, will also passionately hate the people of God as well. Jesus came to take away our sins and because of His love for us, He bore some of the most vile behavior and torture a person can experience, as well as death on the Cross. Yet He did so without deceit, without hatred, with only love for those killing Him. Jesus did so without animosity, with love and compassion for those who were killing Him, and never once sinning in thought or deed. Jesus the very God of the universe stepped out of eternity and took on humanity. In order to take our place, Jesus had to be like us and share in our humanity in order to take on the punishment we deserved.

He did this in order to be our perfect sacrifice, our perfect substitute. Jesus is our propitiation for sin. The word “propitiation” means He alone fully paid the price for all of our sins past, present and future. It means that He perfectly met God’s just requirements for the payment of our sins. Moreover, He did so in order that sinful humanity may be reconciled back to God the Father. The Bible tells us, “by His stripes we have been healed.” By His blood shed for us, we have been saved through our faith in Him, and not by works. There is nothing a sinful person can do to atone for their sins. We have to remember good deeds do not remove the guilt of past sins. There is nothing a sinful person can do to add to what Jesus went through. And there are no religious acts that can wipe away our sins. Therefore, what’s impossible for man is only possible with God. And that is why Jesus had to step out of eternity and take on humanity! He did so, that through Him alone we may be saved, to the glory of God the Father.