4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6
I don't think often enough about the true suffering Christ took on for our sins. Iniquity is used in this scripture and has a very strong intent. Iniquity talks about true wickedness in the definition which in our language is a pretty powerful word. When you look at sin, it talks about a deliberate act, so they are almost interchangeable, and they both sound dreadful. These are acts that drive a separation between us and God. Forgiveness can take place because of what Christ did on the cross for us. I do think that if we spent more time thinking about him being pierced and crushed for our iniquity and sin, we might rethink deliberately turning our hearts away from God. I can't imagine the pain and suffering Christ went through, and to think that He went through this for you and me. Take a moment to think about how His death and resurrection has given you new opportunities to overcome these iniquities and sin, and has given us a way to return to God our Father.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
1 comment:
Hello Matt, first time seeing this and glad I found you on here! It takes being alone, removing all of life's distractions, long enough to really concentrate on what it must have felt like in the garden all alone. Just knowing that His disciples had fallen asleep, knowing that He was about to face immense pain and agony, even asking His Father if it could be another way. Then, in those final moments leading up to the whipping post, being publically humiliated and spit on, feeling the stings of the whip & the razors cutting into His flesh until He was near death...then the carrying of that cross on His shoulders, all the way to the hill where they put that cross in the ground. Dying for us. All payment for our sins past, present and future. For them to be paid in full, it really makes you think that we should think about that every time we dare to consider letting a sinful thought even into our mind, let alone doing something. What an awesome God we serve that He sent His son here, when He didn't have to, because He loves us that much! Happy Easter to you and your family, Matt! ~Marietta
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