Continuing our verse-by-verse study of 1 Peter, we narrow our focus to two great verses at the conclusion of Chapter 2: 1 Peter 2:24-25.

These two verses teach what is often called “The Great Exchange.” In the death of Christ, a great exchange takes place: God gives to Christ what was ours–sin–that He might give to us what was Christ’s–righteousness. 

Our sin imputed to Christ and His righteousness is imputed to us. Our sin is charged to Christ’s account, His righteousness is credited to our account. 

As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (NIV).

Let’s look now more closely at these verses. Verse 24 teaches that Christ is our substitute and verse 25 reminds us that Christ is our Shepherd. 

Christ is our Substitute

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, (verse 24)

The word “tree” translates a word used in Peter’s day as a synonym for the cross. Peter seems to be alluding to Deuteronomy 21:22-23:

“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day…for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

Christ was made a curse for us. He bore the wrath of God for us; died in our place as punishment for our sins: “He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree.”

This teaching is also found in Isaiah 53:12: “And He bore the sin of many…” and Hebrews 9:28: “…Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many…”

…that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (verse 24)

Peter reminds Christians that, because Jesus died for our sins, we too have died to our sins. We have died to our old lifestyle that we might live a new way of life, living for righteousness. 

Christ’s death and resurrection–and our faith in Him and what He has accomplished–empowers us to live differently.

This teaching is similar to Paul’s rhetorical question in Romans 6:2: “…How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” In other words: “If you are a Christian, you are different now! You have died to the power that sin once had over you and have now been empowered to live differently.”

—by whose stripes you were healed. (verse 24)

That word “stripes” refers to the beatings and sufferings Christ took as our substitute. As the Phillips translation puts it: “It was the suffering that he bore which has healed you.” That’s what this phrase means–“by whose stripes you were healed,”–it is the suffering that Christ bore which has healed you.

And this phrase is also reminiscent of Isaiah 53:5: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

One more passage is helpful as a summary statement of this teaching of Christ’s death for our life:

1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

“Christ suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust.” Hear that substitutionary language there?  Christ suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust.  He is just, we are unjust. 

God treats Christ as though He were unjust that He might treat us as though we were just.

There is a lot of theology here, but it is important that we get it right before we even think about about how it applies. So if your head is kind of swimming, let’s pause for a moment and catch our breath and restate this teaching in a way I think is very helpful.

We are sinners and Christ takes our sins upon Himself. That doesn’t mean He became a sinner. He is not a sinner.  He is righteous. But on the cross–for one moment in history–the Father treated the Son as unrighteous.

God the Father treated Christ as though He were unrighteous. God the Father treated Christ in a legal sense, regarding Christ in a legal sense as one who is unrighteous. So on the cross Christ is not actually unrighteous, but legally unrighteous.

Why is this important?  Because of the counterpart in the exchange. That is, the Christian who is credited with the righteousness of Christ is treated as one who is not actually righteous, but legally righteous.

See, actually, you are a sinner. Actually you are unrighteous. But on the cross–through the work of your Substitute, Jesus Christ–God treats you not as you actually are, but legally as though you are another. God treats you legally with favor because He treats you legally as Christ.  He declares you righteous in Christ.

Again: God doesn’t treat us as we actually are. We are actually sinners. 

Too many miss this teaching and wrongly believe that they can become actually righteous. 

For example, you share with someone that you are a Christian and they respond: “Oh, I could never be a Christian. I’m so messed up.” What are they really saying?  They’re saying, “I can’t be actually righteous.”

So we help them by saying:

“You’re right.  You’ll never measure up.  You can’t be actually righteous. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why He became your substitute.  He actually is righteous, but God treated Him as though He were unrighteous. God treated Christ like you deserved to be treated. And if you’ll follow Him, God will treat you as though you are righteous. You’re not, but He’ll think of you as though you are. He’ll declare you righteous because Christ has substituted Himself for you.”

So when Peter says we have died to sins that we might live for righteousness, he’s not talking about our ability to become actually righteous, but rather that we should live in a way that is consistent with our new position in Christ.

When we realize that God treats us with favor, regarding all of our sins–past, present, future–as forgiven in Christ, we want to now “live for what is right.” That’s the idea in this phrase “having died to sins we might live for righteousness.” We sever all ties with the old way of life and live a new way of life.

Christ is our substitute. Secondly:

Christ is our Shepherd 

For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (verse 25)

Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

If you’ve ever been driving down a country road and came upon a bunch of sheep, then you know how hopelessly ignorant they are. They just stand there looking at you. You can honk the horn and scream and shout, and they’ll just blink at you, unaware of their impending doom and eternal peril. Unless their shepherd comes and rescues them they will wander off into oblivion.

Peter says that’s how we are before we are saved. We are like sheep going astray.  We were once totally unaware of our spiritual condition and unable to better ourselves. We were on our way to oblivion, to hell. So the Shepherd comes to rescue us.  And Peter says, “we have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.”

**How Then Are We To Live In Light Of This Teaching?

1) Find your Salvation in Christ

The only way to be saved from sin, death, hell, and the grave is to receive Jesus Christ as Lord. You cannot enter heaven by being good. You need someone who is good for you. You cannot enter heaven with the stain of sin all over your body. You need someone who takes your sin upon Himself. You need someone who takes your punishment upon Himself. You need a substitute in order to be saved. 

“Christ Himself bore your sins in His own body on the tree.”

When you find your salvation in Christ, you can sing with the hymn-writer:

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

2) Find your Acceptance in Christ

God will never be any more pleased with you than He is pleased with you in Christ.  You cannot become “more acceptable” to God than you already are in Christ.

When a Christian sins he or she often feels guilt and shame and feels the need to “do something” to become more acceptable to God.  But the beauty of the gospel is that you are always acceptable to God because of Christ. Because you are “in Christ,” you will never be any more acceptable or any less acceptable to God.

Why? Because, as we have previously noted: Though you actually are unrighteous, you are treated as Christ actually is–righteous. God thinks of you as legally righteous.

Remember what Jesus said from the cross just before He died? He said, “It is finished.” There is nothing more to be done. You can’t add to the work of Christ. You can’t make yourself any more acceptable to God.  Nor can you make yourself any less acceptable to God.  It is finished. Christ has done it all!

The reason many Christians struggle with acceptance with God is because they are forever trying to do for themselves what Christ has already done for them.  Find your acceptance in Christ. 

3) Find your Identity in Christ

Remember that your life is bound up in Him. You are who you are because of who He is in your place. You are accepted by God in Christ. When you fully realize that God accepts you, you’ll never worry whether others accept you. Your identity is bound up with Christ.

God accepts you in His Son. You needn’t worry, then, whether others like you, love you, or think you’re hip or cool. You won’t always be defending yourself and proving yourself.  What matters most to you is what God thinks of you. 

So remember your identity as one who is “in Christ,” which is the greatest thing in the world!

4) Find your Purpose in Christ

Because God has rescued you–a sheep who had gone astray–because the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul has rescued you from eternal peril, live your life for Him. You died to what was wrong so that you may live for what is right. 

Live as one who follows the Shepherd.  He knows what is best for you.  Trust Him.  Follow Him.  He will not lead you astray!

What About You?

• What difference does it make to know that God thinks of Christians not as they actually are, but as Christ actually is?
• How can this teaching help unbelievers who feel they will never “measure up” to God’s standards?
• Are you a follower of Christ? If unsure, read here.