“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.” 1 Peter 2:24
“Bore our sins” means Christ’s death was for our sin and not His own. The Greek wording emphasizes Jesus’ personal involvement in the act of paying the price for our sins. It also emphasizes that it is our sins that Jesus bore on the Cross. Death is always the consequence of sin.
“Die to sins and live for righteousness” means that because of Christ’s crucifixion, believers are dead to sin, so they may live new lives; present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness; and present themselves to God as servants of others.
“By His wounds you have been healed” simply describes how we find life and forgiveness because of Christ’s suffering. Martin Luther said it this way, “We crucified Him with our sins. We are still far from suffering what He suffered. Therefore, if you are a pious Christian, you should tread in the footsteps of the Lord and have compassion on those who harm you. You should also pray for them and ask God not to punish them. For they do far more harm to their souls than they do to your body. If you take this to heart, you will surely forget about your own sorrow and suffer gladly. Here we should be mindful of the fact that formerly we, too, led the kind of unchristian life that they lead, but that we have now been converted through Christ”.
However, we also keep in mind that Scripture never teaches that those who follow Jesus will be immune to suffering. Just as Jesus, our sinless Savior, faced unjust suffering and death, so we may be called to take up our own cross to follow Him. But if God gives us a cross to carry, He also promises to give us the strength to bear it by faith. Christ our Shepherd calls us by name, brings us into His fold through the Gospel, and cares for us in the midst of suffering.
We should feel and be honored to follow Him … always!
Blessings on your day…