Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Tuesday, 07 May 2024 11:04

The Sinless Life of Our Savior
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains,” (William Cowper, 1772). These are precious words for the Christian. I mentioned last week that God requires perfect obedience to enjoy life with Him. God is holy and a good judge; therefore, sin must be punished. This is why after one act of rebellion, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, cut off from communion with God, and since then, all of mankind face death and God’s wrath. However, there is hope. 1 John 3:5 tells us “that [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin,” (ESV).

The sinless life Jesus lived is truly remarkable. Think about how Jesus loved His enemies. Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, spent three years following the ministry of our Lord. He listened to Jesus’ teaching, witnessed miracles, and assumed roles of service and leadership. I’m sure they laughed together, ate countless meals together, and enjoyed friendship. And yet, as Jesus prepared to go to the cross, knowing that Judas would betray Him, He got up from supper, took a towel, tied it around His waist, and washed Judas’ feet. What an act of selfless service and love.
Or consider Jesus’ treatment of Peter. Peter was a part of Jesus’ inner circle. Peter is the disciple who walked out onto the stormy water with Jesus. He always had an inquisitive mind and asked the Lord to explain parables and teachings to him. God even revealed to Peter that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” (Matthew 16:16, ESV).

And yet, Peter denied knowing Jesus on His darkest day, not once, not twice, but three times. It brings me to tears to consider Jesus’ response to Peter after He rose from the dead. Even well-meaning Christians in our day would say, “You don’t need friends who treat you like that! Forget about Peter and move on for your own sake.” But Jesus’ response to Peter’s repentant sorrow for his cowardly denial was vastly different. Jesus tenderly loved Peter, forgave Peter, and restored him to ministry. The Savior of the world was without sin, even in situations where we would have justified it.

Because Jesus was without sin, He is the one, the only one, who can remove sins. Someone who is guilty can’t take the place of the guilty. They both have a debt to be paid. But someone who is innocent can take the place of the guilty and allow him to go free, as if he was innocent. On the cross, this is what Jesus did for His people. He took the punishment that we deserve, and we get to enjoy life with God, as if we had never sinned. The guilt of our sins has been lost and washed away.

But there is another way in which Jesus removes our sins. Those who trust in Jesus Christ for salvation no longer live as outlaws. Instead, our lives become markedly similar to the sinless life that Jesus lived. Of course, John already reminded us in 1 John 1:8 that we can’t honestly say that we are totally without sin, but he is calling us to righteousness and reminding us that this is why Jesus came – to prepare for Himself a people, who is purchased by His blood and “saved to sin no more,” (Cowper, 1772).