Peter
the apostle told the “scattered” Christians it “is
better” for them “if the will of God be so”, that
they “suffer for well doing, than for evil doing”, and in
chapter three and verse eighteen he gave the example of how “Christ
once suffered for sins” where we read:
For Christ
also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he
might bring us to God,
being put
to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
The
verse begins, “For Christ also has once suffered for
sins, the just for the unjust,...” Peter
began with the word, “For”
which means “because and since” “Christ”
which refers to “the anointed one, Messiah and the Son of God”
“also has once suffered”
or “one time and for all was affected or had been affected,
felt, had a sensible experience and underwent”
“for sins” which
means “missing the mark, to err, be mistaken and wander from the
path of uprightness, honor and the law of God”, “the
just” or “righteous,
observing divine laws, virtuous and keeping the commands of God”
“for the unjust”
which refers to “one who violates or has violated justice,
unrighteous, sinful, deceitful and deals fraudulently with others”.
Jesus Christ, “the just”,
became the ultimate example as He “suffered” once
and only once for the errors of everyone who are known as “the
unjust”.
The
verse goes on to say, “...that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
Peter added, “that
he might bring us” which
refers to “Peter and the scattered Christians being drawn, led and
summoned” “to God”
who is “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “being
put to death” which means
“made to die, destroyed and rendered extinct” “in the
flesh” or “the soft
substance of the living body which covers the bones and is permeated
with blood”, “but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over that which was previously stated,
“moreover, notwithstanding and nevertheless”, “quickened”
or “produced alive, begat,
aroused, invigorated and restored to life” “by the
Spirit” which refers to “the
third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal and
coeternal with the Father and the Son”.
The reason Jesus “suffered”
was so He might draw and lead us to God by His “death in
the flesh” and being raised to
life again “by the Spirit”.
When
we meditate upon Peter's words, we see the ultimate example of one
who suffered for “well doing”, “Jesus”. The
remarkable thing was for whom He was “put to death”, for
“the unjust”, of whom we are. Peter wanted the “scattered”
Christians to follow Jesus' example who gave His life to save us from
our “sins”. Though He was perfectly holy and without blame
whatsoever, He gave His life on the cross to “bring us to God”.
May the Lord Jesus help us understand the extent He “suffered”
that we might have fellowship with God.
Next
time Peter tells the Christians how Jesus “went and preached unto
the spirits in prison”, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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