📖 Scripture:
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
– 1 Peter 2:22
🔎 Examination:
Peter’s declaration is not poetic embellishment; it is divine revelation. The Apostle writes under the authority of the Holy Spirit, anchoring the Church in the immutable truth that Jesus Christ — the eternal Son, the incarnate WORD, the spotless Lamb — lived a perfectly sinless life. This is not a secondary doctrine or an optional theological add-on. It is the bedrock of the Gospel. If Christ were not perfectly sinless, everything collapses. Sunday’s sermon underscored this bluntly: a single blemish would invalidate His entire mission, rendering Him unable to fulfill the role of substitute, sacrifice, and Savior.
Scripture’s testimony is unanimous and absolute. Hebrews 7:26: “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners.” 2 Corinthians 5:21: “He knew no sin.” 1 John 3:5: “In Him there is no sin.” Jesus Himself challenged His enemies: “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). Their silence stands as an unintentional confession. Christ’s life was a living proof of His divine nature — impeccability, not merely moral excellence. He could not sin because He is the eternal Son, fully God and fully man, without the inherited corruption of Adam.
Why does this matter for the elect? Because every element of the Gospel depends on it. A blemished lamb cannot atone. A sinful priest cannot represent. A corrupted mediator cannot reconcile. If Jesus had sinned even once, He would require a Savior Himself. His death would be payment for His own guilt, not ours. Resurrection would be impossible. Our baptismal union with Him would be union identification with a dead rebel rather than the risen Lord. Paul said it bluntly: “If Christ has not been raised… you are still in your sins… your faith is futile… we are to be pitied above all!” (1 Cor 15:17–19).
The sinlessness of Christ is not merely doctrinal; it is deeply pastoral. His purity means His sacrifice is sufficient. His righteousness means His intercession is effective. His perfection means our assurance is anchored not in our fluctuating obedience, but in His flawless obedience credited to us. The elect are not sustained because we perform well, but because He lived, died, and obeyed perfectly. This is the theological foundation of union with Christ — His righteousness becomes ours (propitiation) because our sin (expiation) became His. That's the Great Exchange!
Peter’s emphasis on the absence of deceit in Christ’s mouth confronts another counterfeit plaguing the modern age: sentimental softness masquerading as grace. Jesus loved perfectly, and therefore He spoke truthfully — never flattering, never appeasing, never muting righteousness to maintain popularity. The WORD incarnate did not wield lies to comfort the condemned. He spoke life-giving truth to the broken and spine-stiffening correction to the proud. “No deceit was found in His mouth” means that every word He spoke was fully aligned with the Father’s will, radiant with holiness, and devoid of manipulation. His sinlessness was not merely internal purity; it was manifested in every syllable, action, and silence.
This demolishes cultural Christianity — the counterfeit system that claims Christ while denying His nature. The sermon highlighted the tragic reality: vast numbers of “self-identifying Christians” deny the sinlessness of Jesus, including a staggering portion of those who call themselves “evangelical.” But Scripture is not ambiguous. A Christ who sins is a Christ who cannot save. A Christ who errs is a Christ who cannot rule. A Christ who falters is a Christ who cannot return.
Peter is not giving us mere doctrine; he is revealing the precise pattern of our calling. “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps” (1 Pet 2:21). Jesus' sinlessness is not only the foundation of our salvation but the pattern of our sanctification. It's not about humanistic perfectionism, moralism, or personal salvation — but the Holy Spirit conforming redeemed saints into the perfect image of the spotless Lamb. Baptismal union produces obedience. Identification produces imitation. Regeneration accesses Christ's perfect righteousness.
To deny the sinlessness of Jesus is to plunder the Gospel of its power. To submit to it is to take our place at the foot of the cross, beholding the unblemished Lamb who bore our sins in His body so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. The world dismisses King Jesus' purity and perfection; the elect rest in it. The world mocks the Lamb of God's holiness; the saints cling to it. Christ's flawless obedience is our freedom, our identity, our assurance, and our future glory.
This is the Jesus of Scripture; this is the Christ we follow: The sinless, spotless, perfect Lamb of God. He is the truth-speaking Good Shepherd. Jesus is our righteous Substitute. Christ Jesus is the impeccable King. There is no true Gospel without Him. There is no life apart from Him. Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, is the only way home to the Father (John 14:6).
🤺 Action:
Test your doctrine – “Examine yourselves… Test yourselves.” (2 Cor 13:5). Is your Christ the Christ of Scripture or a culturally edited imitation?
Test your allegiance – “Search me… and see if there is any offensive way in me.” (Ps 139:23–24). Are you resisting the parts of Christ’s holiness that confront your preferences (Mark 10:17-27)?
Test your words – “Let us examine our ways.” (Lam 3:40). Does your speech echo the uncompromising truthfulness of the One with no deceit in His mouth?
Test your righteousness – “Consider your ways.” (Hag 1:5). Have you died to sin in order to live to righteousness, or is your faith, like the hypocritical Pharisees, merely about managing appearances?
🧠 Reflection:
Christ’s sinlessness is not a distant doctrine but our present anchor (Heb 6:19). His purity guarantees our pardon. His obedience secures our baptism/identity. His righteousness is our narrow path. Let your heart rest in the flawless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and let your life embody and exude the holiness of the only One who never lied, never sinned, and never wavered... even when crucified for your transgressions and sins — the Good Shepherd and Overseer of your soul.
Blessings & love,
Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor
Click the following link for a video short of today’s post:
Click the following link for Sunday’s sermon, “The Sinless Lamb - The Only Jesus of Scripture”: https://youtu.be/cR-y3l3hgso
