BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED
1 Peter 2:24 says:
Christ 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.”
The Apostle Peter, who had experienced the tremendous, transforming power of God’s grace in his own life, explains the impact that the Cross of Christ can have on our lives. Among other things, Peter says that it is ‘by His stripes’ or ‘by His wounds’ that we are healed. The question I want to address today is this: What kind of healing did Peter have in mind?
I remember attending a healing crusade years ago. The preacher, who claimed to be a faith healer, told the people he was praying for: “You ARE Healed. The Bible says, ‘by His stripes you are healed’, not by His stripes you can be healed, or you might be healed. You are healed! The Bible says so!” He told us to claim it! Believe it! Act upon it in faith. “If you still have symptoms” he said, “deny them”. Who are you going to believe, your symptoms, which tell you, you are still sick; or God’s Word, which says you are healed?”
Technically, he was right. The Bible does say ‘by His stripes you are healed’. But is it as simple as that? Isn’t reading only those words, ripping them out of their context? I believe it is. What kind of healing was Peter talking about? Both in Greek and in English, the word ‘healing’ has more than one meaning. It can refer to physical healing from a sickness, psychological healing from past hurts or trauma or mental illness, healing of a broken relationship, or it can refer to spiritual healing and salvation. How do we know which meaning Peter had in mind? Very simple – read the verse in context. In other words, read the whole paragraph, or the entire chapter, and you will quickly see what Peter was talking about.
1 Peter 2:23-25 says:
“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Christ 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.” For you were like sheep going astray but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.“
It is clear from the passage that Peter is referring to salvation and forgiveness for sin. He talks about Jesus bearing our sins in His body on the Cross so that we can stop sinning and live a righteous life, a godly life. Immediately after that he adds, ‘by His wounds you are healed’. And then, almost in the same breath, he says you were going astray, like sheep, nut mow you have returned to Christ, you have been reconciled with God. So, from start to finish, this section is about salvation from sin. Of course, once your sins are forgiven God might heal you of some physical ailment. God certainly has the power to heal, but that is not what this verse is about.
OLD TESTAMENT
There is something else I would like to show you. If you look up this verse in your own Bible you will notice something very helpful. Please turn to 1 Peter 2:24. It doesn’t matter if it’s an online Bible, a cell phone App, or a ordinary book-Bible. You will notice that the words “by His wounds you are healed” are in inverted commas. That means they are a direct quotation. Peter is not just writing whatever pops into his mind. He is quoting the Old Testament. To help explain what he is teaching about the inner healing and forgiveness we receive through faith in Jesus, he quotes from Isaiah 53.
Many of you will know that Isaiah 53 is part of the great Suffering Servant prophecy. It describes how the Messiah must suffer and die to make atonement for the sins of the people. Again, the context is all about salvation from sin. I’ll read verses 5 and 6:
“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. 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.“
These verses, and, in fact, the whole chapter, is about the suffering and death of Jesus as a substitute for us. One day Jesus will return as King and Judge. This prophecy, however, is about His first advent, which was to take upon himself the penalty for our sins. And so there is no doubt, at least in my mind, that both in 1 Peter 2:24 and in Isaiah 53:5, the words, ‘by His stripes you are healed’ are a reference to our salvation, which is given to us freely when we trust in the finished work of Christ on the Cross.
HEALING TODAY
God can and does still heal today, in many different ways, although there are not as many instant, dramatic healing miracles today as there were in the Book of Acts, and there are good reasons for that. Perhaps that is a topic for another day. The good news for us now, is that Jesus has made an atonement for our sins. Our guilt is removed! Our sins are forgiven! Our shame is covered over! Our peace with God is restored! And it is all because: ‘By His Stripes we are Healed.”