1 Peter 2:21-25 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
22“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
23When they heaped abuse on Him,
He did not retaliate;
when He suffered, He made no threats,
but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
24He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the tree,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness.
“By His stripes you are healed.”
25For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

We are Called

We who believe in Jesus Christ with our lives are called of God to follow the example of Jesus Christ with our lives. Now, not one of us will ever be sinless like He was, because we are all born in sin, in the image of Adam, with sin natures, whereas Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man, and born of a virgin woman. And when Jesus lived on the earth, He never sinned, even though He was tempted to sin as we are tempted. But we can follow His example of not giving way to sin. We can die to sin.

Sin Not Our Practice

Now, this doesn’t mean that we will never sin (see 1 John 2:1-2). But what the Scriptures teach us in 1 John 1-3 and all throughout the New Testament writings, is that, as followers of Christ, we are to be putting sin to death in our lives, and sin is no longer to be our practice (our habit). But obedience to God and to His commands are now to be our practice. So, if we continue to make sin our practice, and not obedience to our Lord’s commands, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess.

No Deceit

Jesus Christ was not a liar, even if some people may have accused Him of being so. He did not deceive people with lies made up, but He spoke the truth of God’s Word to the people, even if they rejected it, and even if they hated Him for it. And we are not to be people who lie to other people, even if it is to make them feel good. We should be honest people who speak the truth in love to people for their good, with kindness, but never compromising truth and righteousness so that people will like us and not reject us.

No Retaliation

When others sin against, which they will, we are not to “get even” with them. We are not to retaliate. We are not to deliberately do something to hurt them because they hurt us. But we may have to call out their sin if their sin is affecting other people or in hopes that they will repent of their sins and that they will now obey God with their lives. But that is not retaliation if the intent is love and compassion and mercy and a desire to see the sinner come to repentance and to walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands.

No Threats

This goes right along with no retaliation. For a threat is some kind of indication of an intention or possibility of harming or injuring the ones who abused us and thus is our reason for having to suffer. But this is not to be confused with biblical warnings, which are for our good, which let us know that if we do not die to sin and obey God’s commands, in life practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God. These kinds of warnings are given out of love and mercy, not with a desire to retaliate in any way.

The Gospel

1 Peter 2:24 summarizes the message of the gospel of our salvation in just one Scripture. When Jesus gave His life up for us on that cross, to put our sins to death with Him, it was for the purpose that we might now die with Him to sin and live for Him in His righteousness, in the power of God. He did not die just to forgive us our sins and so we can go to heaven when we die, and He did not forgive us our sins so we could continue living in deliberate sin, but He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Amen!

Going Astray

So, if you are professing faith in Jesus Christ, but sin is still what you practice, by habit, and not obedience to God and to His commands, and this has been the way it has been ever since you claimed faith in Jesus Christ, please know that the Scriptures teach that if you claim to know God and to be in fellowship with Him, you lie. You do not speak the truth. For Jesus gave His life up for us on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness in obedience to our Lord in holy living, empowered by God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

So, this is a call of God for you to repent of (turn from) your sins (die to sin) and to now obey God and His commands in life practice, empowered by God.

Follow Christ’s Example
An Original Work / October 29, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Video Talk on The Same Subject

The Prayer

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager,
Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know

I pray we’ll find your light
And hold it in our hearts
When the stars go out each night
Remind us where you are.

Let this be our prayer
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.

Or Give us faith so we’ll be safe

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