The only person who could have died for our sin is a sinless person. That disqualifies everyone except Jesus. Only He could still remain God and pay the penalty of our sin to bring us to God.

In “The Redemptive Suffering of Christ,” Dr. Stanley tells us that redemptive suffering does not gain us forgiveness for our sin. Forgiveness results from God’s grace, freely given through Christ, which cannot be earned. God is ready, willing, and able to bring us to Him. He’s done everything he can through Christ’s resurrection. But it is now up to us to receive Him by faithfully following what He says. One act of obedience to God is to be baptized. It helps us recognize that when Christ died, we died. When He was buried, we were buried. And when He arose, we arose.

This message is part of the series, Living Triumphantly: A Study of First Peter, and covers 1 Peter 3:18-22.