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“He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1).
The word “flesh” in the Bible can have two meanings. Sometimes it simply means our bodies, and sometimes it means our old sinful nature. Here in this verse it means our bodies. The Lord Jesus suffered in His body, when He refused to sin. For example, when He was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, He was hungry, and Satan suggested that He make bread out of stones. The Lord Jesus had the power to do that, but because He had no command from His Father to do it, He remained hungry rather than step out of the path of obedience.
You and I may suffer in the same way. If we were hungry, and walking by an apple orchard, it would be tempting to climb over the fence and steal some apples. But that would be sin. It is better to go on being hungry, rather than commit the sin of stealing. In refusing to sin, we suffer in the flesh; that is, in our bodies.
We may often have to suffer in this world, in order not to sin, but it is worth it, for then we are pleasing the Lord, and enjoying His company.
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