anaphero – Ministry of Grace Church

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

Truth to Learn

Christ took our sins to the cross to pay the price for them.

Behind the Words

The Greek word for “bore” is anapherō, which means “to take up” or “to offer up.”

The word translated “tree” is xulon, which refers to a piece of wood, which could be a staff, a club, a tree, or a cross.

“Stripes” is from the Greek word mōlōps. This word both in the Old Testament Hebrew and in the New Testament Greek, refers to a bruise, a mark, a scar, or an open wound like those ugly swollen and bleeding stripes that result from a severe beating.

Meaning Explained

When we consider that this letter was written by an unschooled fisherman, it becomes even more remarkable that he should quote and/or make allusion to the writings of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. The 53^rd chapter of Isaiah is an obvious reference to the coming Messiah who would suffer intensely. The Jews, who were looking for a coming conqueror, did not understand His suffering. Isaiah 53 starts out like this:

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of a dry ground; He has no form or majesty that we should look on Him, nor an appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He is despised and rejected by men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; like one from whom were hiding our faces, He was despised, and we did not value Him. Surely He has borne our sicknesses, and carried our pains; yet we considered Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. (Isaiah 53:1-5)

The lesson Peter is teaching is that we should suffer patiently, even when we are punished for something of which we are innocent. Christ left us this example which we should follow. He was innocent. When He was attacked with words, He did not respond in kind, and when He suffered He did not threaten. Instead, he surrendered Himself to the Righteous Judge.

Since He was innocent, it logically follows that the Righteous Judge should declare Him innocent and acquit Him of all charges. Instead, He was declared innocent, then punished! Why? Because, Peter says, “He bore our sins.” This sinless Lamb of God took up with him on the cross all the sins of mankind from the beginning of time until the end of time.

Think about it! Not only was he innocent, and silent, but He voluntarily took upon Himself your sins and mine so that the punishment handed out to Him, though not deserved by Him, would be received by Him on our behalf.

By His death, Peter says, we have the ability to live, having been declared righteous. Peter then finishes off this verse with a quote from Isaiah 53:5, “by whose stripes you were healed.”

Application

The next time you suffer at the hands of others for something you did not do, turn your thoughts to God, the Righteous Judge, and thank Him for allowing you to “know Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Then praise Him that through the sufferings of Christ you are righteous in His eyes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Abraham our father – was he not justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

Truth to Learn

It is our works of obedience to God which demonstrate that our saving faith is genuine.

Behind the Words

“Father” is translated from the Greek word patēr, which refers to a person’s biological father. However, it is also used to refer to any ancestor, and in a spiritual sense is applied to God. James’ use of the word here obviously refers to an ancestor, and since he was writing primarily to converted Jews, he refers to Abraham as “our” father.

Dikaioo is the Greek word translated “justified.” It is the verb form of the noun dikaios, which means “righteous” or “just.” The verb is expressed here in the passive voice, indicating an action that is done to the subject (Abraham). Thus, this word means that Abraham was “justified” or “made righteous” because his works proved his saving faith.

The word which is translated “offered” is anapherō, which is a compound word made up of ana, meaning “up” and pherō, which means “to bear” or “to carry.” Hence, it literally means to “carry-up.” It is a picture of a person carrying a sacrifice up to an altar and is, therefore, translated as “offered.”

Meaning Explained

This is James’ first example of someone who was “justified by works.” In Genesis chapter fifteen, we see Abraham having just rescued the people of Sodom, including his nephew Lot, from the armies of Chedorlaomer. That night, God spoke to Abraham in a vision. Abraham responded by complaining to God that He had not yet fulfilled His promise of a son for Abraham. God then reiterated His promise to Abraham that he would, indeed, have a son born to him and He took Abraham outside saying:

“Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5)

Then in the following verse we read:

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

That was the point in time when Abraham was saved, that is, declared righteous before God. However, it wasn’t until about fifteen years later that God finally blessed Abraham with his son, Isaac. Then, when Isaac was a teenager, God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah. When Abraham was about to slay Isaac on the altar, God stopped him, having seen that Abraham was willing to be obedient to Him even in offering up his most cherished son.

James is telling us in the current verse that it was this obedient action regarding the offering of his long awaited, promised son that proved Abraham’s faith. In a very real sense, James says that Abraham was justified by works. That is, his action of obedience was the proof of his faith in God. God did not declare Abraham righteous at this point, because He had already done so, and once a person has been declared righteous by God, that person is forever righteous in God’s eyes. Abraham believed that God would make his descendants as numerous as the stars, and he proved his faith by being willing to sacrifice Isaac, believing that God could raise him up.

Application

Does your obedience to God demonstrate that you believe the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from your sin? Or are you still trying to earn or justify your salvation by doing good works of your own choosing or those prescribed by your church?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: anaphero

1 Peter 2:24 – Sin Bearer

James 2:21 – Faithful Obedience