"He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like [so many] sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian (the Bishop) of your souls" (1 Peter 2:24-25, Amplified Bible)
We have all heard this scripture preached many times and most times it is in relation to healing - "by His stripes you have been healed", which of course is true. However as I was reading it this morning I understood so much more.
Yah'shua (Jesus) offered Himself as a sacrifice that we might die to - cease to exist to - sin. Ok, not only did He free us from the power of sin over our lives, He made a way for us to have the power to daily make the choice to die to sin, to walk in His example and lay down our lives - our will, our flesh nature. Why? So that we can find our way back to Him! We were lied to, and we have lied to ourselves as well, but HE made a way for us to come back to Him, the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls. He made a way for us to find true healing!
Yah'shua (Jesus) is redeeming us back to the image of Yahweh.
Paul said to the Colossians
"Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, and have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it" (Colossians 3:9-10, Amplified Bible).
So what is Christianity? A restoration back to the heart of Yahweh! From selfishness to ahavah (love); from "me, myself, and I" to all about Him! Because you were never made for you! You were made for the image of Yahweh!
Let us walk - no, let us run - in the freedom and liberty He has provided! Let us throw off the old self and be a walking, breathing, tangible transformation to the image of Yahweh for the world to see!
