By: Robert Serreyn
Question? I came across 1 Peter 2:25, can you point me in the right direction as far as understanding it, Thanks?
1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Answer:
I will try to make this as simple as I can WITHOUT getting to complicated.
In Verse 25, Peter is addressing Christians, TAKE NOTE of the word SHEEP.
Where ever you find the word SHEEP used in scripture it is ALWAYS in connection of people THAT HAVE trusted Jesus Christ as their saviour, BELIEVING that he went to the cross and DIED, was BURIED, and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead as the Complete Payment for their sins.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; (2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
For further evidence of this let’s take a look at Verse 24 which says…
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
NOW NOTICE the words “Should live unto righteousness”.
A person CANNOT “Live Righteously” in God’s eyes, UNLESS they have “Placed their faith alone in the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the ONLY PAYMENT for their sins.
Now let’s take this one step further, TAKE NOTE of the word SHOULD. Every christian SHOULD Live for Christ but sadly many don’t but never the less they are STILL SAVED.
1 Corinthians 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I am sure that some church, or some pastor, somewhere in this great big world HAS TWISTED this verse and has tried to teach that Verse 25 is referring to those WHO have lost their salvation and have regained it back again, Just to let you know, NOTHING could be further from the truth. Just to quote Dr. Max D. Younce as he has said many times “That is a lie out of the pits of hell”.
To clue you in, the word ASTRAY in the Greek is PLANAO, and it means to Wander off course, or Go in a different direction.
As I had stated earlier MANY CHRISTIANS do not live for Christ, They are ASHAME of the very one WHO shed his blood on Calvary’s Cross to purchase their right and to give them the needed righteousness to allow them to enter heaven and live there for all eternity.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
INSTEAD of serving Christ, many christians have… Wander off course, and gone in a different direction and have placed the Lord Jesus in the backseat of their lives and then when things fall to pieces, they are quick to Blame God, and question him as to WHY he has allowed these things to happen.
But this is not the end of the story, The Apostle Peter continues on and states by Divine Inspiration (2 Peter 20,21) But are now returned.
Peter had said first in Verse 25 that there were christians that had Wander off course, Gone in a different direction and Astrayed…
– AWAY from the truth of God’s Word.
– AWAY from serving Christ.
– AWAY from Living for their Saviour.
– AWAY from the Will of God.
But then Peter says… But are now returned, In other words they saw the error of their ways and got back in Fellowship and the Will of the Lord.
1 John 1:6-10 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
The words Shepherd and Bishop in Verse 25 means OVERSEER – One that excercises oversight.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
In scripture the Bible calls Pastors OVERSEERS, because, They are the ones that the Lord Jesus has in trusted them with those that are saved…
– To teach them sound doctrine.
Titus 1:7-9 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (8) But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; (9) Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
– To warn them of false doctrine.
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
– To warn and protect them from false teachers.
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
In Conclusion:
To put this all together, Those that Trust Christ, and his payment alone for all their sins heJesus Christ becomes their Protecter, Their Overseer, the VERY ONE that excercises oversight of them and their salvation.
Once a person is saved, they are ALWAYS SAVED and nothing can they do, Satan & his demons do, or anyone can do to make them lose or make God take away their salvation.
John 10:28-29 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as YOUR savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou (you) shalt (will) be saved – Acts 16:31
The moment that you do YOU HAVE (at that second and forever) Everlasting Life which WILL NEVER be taken away no matter what.
-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8
-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24
-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9
“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23
IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH