“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:21-25 NASB1995)

For what purpose have we been called of God? First, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, that we might deny self, die to sin (not just once, but daily), by the Spirit, and walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant, in the power of God. Then that we might walk worthy of the calling, pleasing God in all that we are and do and say. And included in that is that we might suffer for the sake of the gospel and for our testimonies for our Lord and love those who persecute us.

And Jesus set the example for us to follow in how we ought to live, even when we are suffering unjustly and for the sake of righteousness. For in his life and in his death he suffered much that we might believe in him, turn from our sins, and now walk with him in obedience to his commands. When he taught the truth to the people, his enemies (the religious) opposed him fanatically. They hounded him regularly, accusing him of wrongdoing, while trying to find ways to trip him up with his words so as to accuse him.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was born to a virgin woman, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. So when he lived on the earth he was fully God and fully man (God incarnate). And since he was not born of man, he was not born with a sin nature as we are. He never once sinned while he lived on this earth. And he withstood much opposition from the Jews and from the rulers and teachers of the Scriptures in the temple who refused to believe in him as their promised Messiah who had then come.

And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. YES! When Jesus was crucified he put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to righteousness, all in the power of God. He did not die just to forgive us our sins so we can go to heaven when we die. He died and rose from the grave to change us, to transform us, and to make us into the people of God who will now obey God with our lives.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:1-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Praise Be Told!

Based off Various Scriptures
An Original Work / December 28, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

He was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for all our sin.
Our chastisement was upon Him.
By His stripes, we now are healed.

He has witnessed all our trials,
And the sins we choose to wear.
Yet, while we were dead in our sin,
Jesus died, our sins to bear.

He himself bore all of our sins
In His body on a cross,
So that we might die to our sin,
And live for His righteousness.

By faith in the pow’r of Jesus
And His blood shed for our sins,
We can be forgiven our sin,
And have life with God in heav’n.

He will lead us and He’ll guide us
In the way that we should go.
He will comfort and protect us,
Because Jesus, we do know.

Though He disciplines for our good,
He will heal us – Praise be told!
Do not fear, your Lord is with you.
Just have faith in Christ your Lord.

Called for This Purpose
An Original Work / March 21, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love