Info from a Reliable Source
“Who [Jesus] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,” (1 Peter 2:24)
Say you want a new cell phone. A certain company sells phones. Even if you don’t understand cellular technology, you buy one of their phones based on their reputation and the advice of people you know. Or say you have a life-threatening disease like cancer. A doctor prescribes a certain drug. You may not know chemically how the drug works, but you trust the doctor to be competent and have your best interests at heart. In both instances, you don’t have all the detailed information but you trust a proven reliable source.
Here is something else you won’t understand completely, but you know it is true because it also comes from a proven reliable source. Our verse says Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree. We know it is true because the Bible says so. If you have any church background, you have probably heard many times that Jesus died for your sins on the cross. But think of how Jesus’ death applies to you personally.
It says Jesus died for “our sins.” Think about your personal sins. How many times a day do you do, say, or even think things you shouldn’t and that are not right before God? Say you sin ten times a day. Over a year, that’s 3,650 sins. Over ten years, that’s 36,500 sins! Over twenty years, 73,000 sins! If you’re a cop, you may know people with a “mile long” criminal record. In a sense, we all have a “mile long” sin record.
Now think of specific sins. Get a paper and pen. Think of the sins you’ve done. Write them down, even if they were long ago. You may remember something really shameful you did. Write it down. No one will see the list but you and God. You probably will not remember every sin, but if you keep writing, you will remember enough of them to realize how guilty you are before God.
Now point to one sin on the list and say, “Jesus died for that.” Then point to another sin and say, “Jesus died for that, too.” Then another. And another. Doing this will help you realize how gracious Jesus is to have died for you. In fact, if you could write down every sin you would ever commit in your life, even future sins, you could say of every one, that “Jesus died for that!” Now be sure to destroy the list.
You may wonder how Jesus could have died for sins in the future. Yet at the time He died, you had not been born, so all of your sins were future. Moreover, Jesus died not only for your sins, but for all the sins of every person who ever lived. That’s a lot of people, a lot of sin, and a lot of love on Jesus’ part! Yet like the cell phone and cancer drug examples, we may not understand Jesus’ death for us, but we can trust the Bible when it says Jesus “…offered ONE sacrifice for sins for ever,” (Hebrews 10:12, capitals added)
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death;” Revelation 20:14 says, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.” Sin brings condemnation of death and hell. Yet when you receive Jesus as your personal Saviour, all your sins are forgiven and there is no more condemnation. Jesus even said, “He that believeth on him (on Jesus Himself) is not condemned:” (John 3:18) He didn’t say, “…is not condemned unless he sins again,” but “…IS NOT CONDEMNED:” (capitals added)
It is not arrogant or presumptuous for a believer in Jesus to tell people he is certain of heaven. The Bible says, “He that hath the Son [Jesus] hath life;” (1 John 5:12) so the believer is stating what God’s word says. It would be arrogant for someone to say he has earned a home in heaven, but for a believer in Jesus to say he is certain of heaven because of God’s grace, he is sharing a wonderful truth from Scripture.
To learn how to have forgiveness for your sins and eternal life by receiving Jesus as your personal Saviour, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 5/30/2025