How does 1 Peter 2:24 define the purpose of Jesus' suffering and death? Canonical Text and Immediate Context 1 Peter 2:24 : “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. ‘By His wounds you are healed.’” Set within a section calling believers to endure unjust suffering (2:18-25), the verse anchors Christian ethics in the substitutionary work of Christ, echoing Isaiah 53 and establishing both motive and power for holy living. Verb Structure and Purpose Clauses 1. “bore” (ἀνήνεγκεν) — aorist active indicating once-for-all, substitutionary sin-bearing. 2. “so that” (ἵνα) — introduces a dual telos: a. “die to sin” (ἀπογενόμενοι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις): decisive break with sin’s dominion. b. “live to righteousness” (τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ ζήσωμεν): ongoing practice of covenant faithfulness. 3. Quoted clause “By His wounds you are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 LXX) — grounds both moral and restorative outcomes in the atonement. Substitutionary Sin-Bearing The imagery “on the tree” ties to Deuteronomy 21:23 (“cursed of God”) and affirms that Christ assumed the covenant curse in the place of sinners (Galatians 3:13). The Petrine syntax mirrors sacrificial language in Leviticus 16 (the scapegoat “bearing the iniquities”), confirming a penal substitution motif consistent across canonical testimony (Isaiah 53:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Ethical Transformation: From Death to Life Purpose clause one: “die to sin.” The atoning act enables the believer’s positional and practical severance from sin’s mastery (Romans 6:1-11). Peter sees conversion as an ontological shift—former slaves to passions (1 Peter 1:14) now liberated for obedience (1 Peter 1:22). Purpose clause two: “live to righteousness.” Righteousness is not meritorious self-effort but Spirit-empowered conformity to God’s moral character (Titus 2:11-14). Thus, the cross is presented as both forensic and transformative. Healing: Comprehensive Restoration “By His wounds you are healed” employs the medical term ἰάομαι, used in Luke’s healing narratives. Peter alludes to physical miracles he himself witnessed and performed (Acts 3:6-16), yet the primary referent is spiritual wholeness—the reversal of the Edenic fracture (Genesis 3). Early patristic writers (e.g., Justin Martyr, Dial. Trypho chap. 94) saw this as inclusive of bodily resurrection, anticipating the ultimate healing at Christ’s return (Revelation 21:4). Intertextual Echoes and Prophetic Fulfillment Isaiah 53’s Servant Song is the scaffolding: • Sin-bearing (Isaiah 53:4, 12) • Vicarious suffering (Isaiah 53:5) • Justification of many (Isaiah 53:11) Peter, writing to diaspora believers steeped in Septuagint Scripture, unambiguously identifies Jesus as the Servant whose suffering secures covenant blessings. Pastoral and Missional Application Peter presents Christ’s suffering not merely as exemplar but as efficacious cause enabling persecuted believers to respond non-retaliatorily (2:23) and evangelistically (2:12). The healed life becomes an apologetic witness (3:15-16). Conclusion 1 Peter 2:24 defines Jesus’ suffering and death as the substitutionary, curse-bearing act that secures both forensic pardon and transformational healing, empowering believers to renounce sin and embody righteousness, thereby fulfilling God’s redemptive purpose foretold in Isaiah and consummated in Christ. |
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