He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24; NASB)
What does it mean that we were healed by His wounds? Jesus died on that cross to remove the burden of sin that was placed on us in the Garden. From that day in the Garden forward, all of mankind had the curse of sin separating them from the Father. The penalty for sin is death, and from the moment the original couple ate from the forbidden tree, they were spiritually dead. This was true for them, and everyone after them as well. That is, until the second Adam came to right the wrong.
God will not be in the presence of sin, but He had created man to commune with Him. He was with Adam and Eve in the Garden. In order for man to ever be able to commune with God again that sin had to be paid for. Justice had to be served. The only way that could happen would be if one who was sinless died for the sins of mankind. Otherwise, the death would be to pay only for the sins of the one sacrificed.
It was a decision made from the beginning of time. Before the formation of the earth, it had been decided. Jesus would put His deity aside and come to earth as a man to die as payment for the sins of all mankind. Justice would be served by the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God. We did not deserve this selfless act of sacrifice (see Rom. 5:6-10). He was born sinless and lived a sinless life. Yet by His own choice, He died with the sins of mankind on Him. The sin of Adam sentenced us to death, but Jesus died to give us life. Romans also tells us:
“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19; NASB)
We are not only healed but made righteous by believing Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead. By declaring that Jesus Christ is Lord and believing it in our hearts, we are saved from the penalty of sin and death (see Rom. 10:9). When we give ourselves to Him our lives change. Not because of how good we become, but because by faith we believe. We are healed, not because of anything we’ve done. It’s because Jesus Christ gave Himself to be beaten, ridiculed, spit on, and hung on a cross until he died that our sins have been cleansed. By His Blood we are saved from death and given life everlasting.
Praise God for the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, for as scripture tells us:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1)
Have a great week and God bless.