Easter People

““He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”” - 1 Peter 2:24

"By his wounds you have been healed." This is what it says. Did you catch that? Did you happen to notice the tense of the statement. It does not say that we will be healed. It doesn't say that healing is coming. It says that what is necessary for us to be healed, our healing, has come. When Christ was wounded we were healed. Nothing more needs to happen. Sin has been put to death we no longer have to live in it. We are not stuck in sin. We can live for righteousness. It isn't coming--it has come. The healer, the one who has healed us has won the victory and overcome so that we can live for righteousness.

Yet, too often I/we live as if it is a future reality not a present one. When Lazarus was raised from the dead and given new life by the power of Christ we are told that Jesus told the people around him and Lazarus to take of his grave clothes. Lazarus had been healed by God and had walked out of the tomb but one more thing had to happen. He needed to take of the grave clothes. He needed to live in the new reality. The reality of his healing meant he no longer should be wearing grave clothes and he/we are responsible for taking off the grave clothes.

I think that too often we fail to recognize the truth of 1 Peter 2:24, that we "have been healed" because we fail to take off our grave clothes. We continue to be dressed in our old way. We don't live as if we have overcome sin, instead we keep wearing our old "sin clothes". We never clothe ourselves in righteousness. We live like healing is coming some day not that it has already come.

But here is the truth, you have been healed. All that is necessary has already happened. It happen on a cross just outside of Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. By his wounds we have been healed. It is time to live this reality. Take off your grave clothes. Stop living as those who are dying but live for righteousness. Live as Easter people. Christ has died. Christ is Risen!

Love today.

In Christ's love and mine,

Doug