Did Jesus "bear" sins? Or take them away?
What does it mean that Jesus "bore" our sins?
So this is an examination of the idea that Jesus "bore" our sins, i.e., that he took on our sins as his own and became guilty of our sins, which is a popular belief among many Christians. But is this what the Bible teaches?
The first scripture we need to examine is 1 Peter 2:24:
"who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed."
The Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, God's Word Translation, New Living Translation and the Weymouth New Testament use the phrase "he carried" in their translation of this verse, instead of the word "bore".
So now, let's look at those people's sins that he "bore" and what that actually means:
The Oxford English Dictionary defines bear (past tense bore/borne/beared) as:
transitive. To support the weight of (a person or thing) whilst moving him, her, or it from one place to another; to carry; to transport...all in the senses ‘to carry, to bring’ N.E.D. (1887) notes: ‘Now usually restricted in prose to the carrying of something weighty or which requires an effort.’
"Bear/ Carry Away" words 1: anaphero and phero
Okay, back to 1 Peter 2:24. The Greek word there that is translated as "bore" is the Greek word: anapherō, G399.
As the graphic above shows, this word is found 10 times in the Greek New Testament, and it is translated into 7 different English words. Here is a list of times where this word is used.
who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up (anaphero) sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up (anaphero) himself. Hebrews 7:27
Christ was offered (prosphero) once to bear (anaphero) the sins of many - Hebrews 9:28
Jesus took Peter, James and John and brought them up (anaphero) onto a high mountain Matthew 17:1, Mark 9:2
Jesus was carried up/away (anaphero) into heaven - Luke 24:51
let us offer up (anaphero) a sacrifice of praise to God - Hebrews 13:15
Abraham offered up (anaphero) Isaac on the altar - James 2:21
who Himself bore (anaphero) our sins in His own body on the tree -1 Peter 2:24
This word is also found in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint, LXX) 139 times, here are a few:
The priest offered (anaphero) a sacrifice - Leviticus 6:26
Moses was appointed to bring (anaphero) difficulties to God. - Exodus 18:19
Samson put the gates on his shoulders and carried them away (anaphero) - Judges 16:3
And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore (anaphero) the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors" Isaiah 53:12
Isaiah 53 is often quoted in referring to Jesus, and rightfully so, the verse above points out he (in prophesying about Jesus), He carried away (bore) the sins in the same way Samson carried away those gates, the same way that Moses brought the difficult cases of the people to God to decide. Jesus was numbered with the transgressors and made intercession for them, but it does not say that he was guilty of the transgressions himself.
"With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors." Mark 15:27-28
The word anapherō (G399) itself is from 2 Greek words: "ana" meaning by, among, each and the Greek word "pherō" (G5342), meaning to carry, bring, etc. Here are some uses of the word "pherō", one of which is also used for reference to Jesus:
John the Baptist's head was brought (pherō) on a platter -Matthew 14:11 (
bring (pherō) the Book of the Law - Nehemiah 8:1
the ark of the LORD was carried (pherō) - 2nd Samuel 6:17
He hath borne (pherō) our griefs, and carried our sorrows - Isaiah 53:4
As above in Isaiah 53:4, this is another time in Isaiah 53 where it refers to Jesus bearing something, here to "bear" our griefs, but notice it says "griefs" and not sins - and it would be just as accurate to use "carried" for both griefs and sorrows, as the words there are both sometimes translated as "carry", as the Hebrew word translated as "carry" our sorrows is translated as "bear" in Isaiah 53:11. The Hebrew word there is sāḇal, (H5445).
my servant will bear (sāḇal) their iniquities - Isaiah 53:11
He bowed his shoulder to bear (sāḇal) (a burden) Genesis 49:15
They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it away (sāḇal) - Isaiah 46:7
He has borne our griefs And carried away (sāḇal) our sorrows - Isaiah 53:4
Whether it is the intent to fit "bearing" within a theological framework of Jesus being guilty of sin, by translating the words as "bear" instead of "carry/carry away" when it comes to describing the relationship of Jesus to sin, I don't know - but thankfully we live in a time where we have access to the original Greek and Hebrew word - so we can see for ourselves how these words were translated into the different English words, but can still see that the original word was the same.
The phrase of "Jesus bore our sins", has been taken to mean that he became guilty of our sins (which as stated previously, we didn't live then, so we didn't sin then), but there is not one place in scripture where Jesus was ever described as having sin, he is always described as spotless and sinless, as here in Hebrews 9:14
"Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God" Hebrews 9:14
also
"And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin" 1 John 3:5
Just like how Jesus led (G399) Peter, James and John up the mountain (with his body), he did not become guilty of their sins, or how his body was carried away to heaven, he carried away the sins from the 1st covenant - but never did he become guilty of the sins he carried away, offering himself as a sacrifice for sin. And just like an animal sacrifice, he remained pure, sinless and spotless. (see related article on the sinlessness of Jesus)
This statement by John is very important: he takes sins away and it never was a part of him!
2. "Bear/ Take Away" word 2: airo
There is a 2nd word I would like to examine that is sometimes translated as "carry" or "lift up" or "bear" in relation to Jesus, the Greek word "airō", (G142) (found 101 times in the Greek New Testament), in the case of Jesus this definition fits with his relationship to our sin:
they took up (airō) seven large baskets - Matthew 15:37
they came and took away (airō) his body - Mark 6:29
they lifted up (airō) their voices - Luke 17:13
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away (airō) the sin of the world! - John 1:29
Rise, take up (airō) your bed and walk - John 5:8
you know that He was manifested to take away (airō) our sins, and in Him there is no sin - 1 John 3:5
let him deny himself and take up (airō) his cross - Luke 9:23
"In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken (airō) it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." Colossians 2:14
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away (airō) from you, with all malice." Ephesians 4:31
John has twice, in John 1:29 and 1 John 3:5 that Jesus "takes away" sin. He does not say that Jesus became guilty of those sins or took those sins into himself or into his soul, or he wouldn't have said "in him there is no sin"!
If he did take those sins into him on the cross, he would have had sin, even just for a moment. Then his sacrifice would have not been significant - it would have been just another sinful man dying or being crucified.
BUT this was different - a man, the only sinless man who ever lived, was offering himself as an unblemished lamb as a sacrifice for the sins of sinful humans.
Furthermore, when we "take away" the bitterness, wrath, anger and malice from ourselves, as Paul tells the Ephesian Christians to do in Ephesians 4:31 above, we are not putting that onto/into Jesus either, we let it go and separate ourselves from it, as Jesus stayed separate from sin, even though he carried it away with his sacrifice of his body, the sacrifice of an innocent lamb in human form.
I would also like to add that even though many people believe that Jesus (having our sins in him, being guilty of them) had our sins nailed to the cross, and we sing a song called "Nailed to the Cross" that states this, this is not what the Scriptures teach, as noted above in Colossians 2:14, It was the law of requirements, the Law of Moses, that was taken away by being nailed to the cross. This is also expressed again in Ephesians chapter 2:
Ephesians 2:14-16
"For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the hostility, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two [Jews and Gentiles], thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the hostility."
Taking away sin: Word 3:
Another scripture shows us that Jesus took away sin, as we see in this Greek word, periaireō (G4014)
all hope that we would be saved was finally given up (taken away) (periaireō ) - Acts 27:20
And they let go (periaireō ) the anchors and left them in the sea - Acts 27:40
when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (periaireō - 2 Cor. 3:16
"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away (periaireō) sins, BUT this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" Hebrews 10:11-12
The "BUT" here is very important. The priestly activities and sacrifices under the first covenant could not take away sins - BUT JESUS DID! I think this is what Peter means, He "took away our sins" in (with) his own body, on the tree.
"Bearing/ Carrying Away" word 4: bastazo
There is a 4th word sometimes translated as the word "carry" or "bear", bastazo (G941) as in Matthew chapters 8 and 9, which are very interesting. These are 2 chapters describe many of the sicknesses and physical deformities that Jesus healed:
leprosy
paralysis (unable to walk)
fever
demon possession
death
bleeding
blindness
mutism (unable to speak)
a withered hand (Matthew 12)
wounded/cut off ear (of the high priest's servant that Peter cut off) (Luke 22)
"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:16-17
Here is a list of many instances of the usage of the word "bastazo", G941, for a complete list you can click here
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry (bastazo ) - Matthew 3:11
a man will meet you carrying (bastazo ) a pitcher of water - Matthew 14:13
bearing (bastazo ) His cross - John 19:17
Bear (bastazo ) one another’s burdens - Galatians 6:2
There are quite a few usages of the word "bore" here, similar to the many ways we use it in English, so it's easy to be confused. So lets go back to the Isaiah quote in Matthew 8 above, “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
We know that Jesus, when he healed people, did not take their sicknesses in his own body and become ill with those things himself.
If he did, then Matthew 10 would begin with a Jesus who was blind, mute, paralyzed, had leprosy, a fever and was mute and demon possessed! But we don't see that, we see a Jesus who is just fine! But Jesus took away/carried away their infirmities and sicknesses.
When He took way people's leprosy, did He himself get leprosy?
When Jesus took away blindness, did he become blind?
When Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, did His own hand become withered?
When Jesus healed people who were paralytics, did He become paralyzed himself?
When Jesus took away demons from people, did he become demon possessed himself?
This is what John is explaining in 1 John 3:5: He took away sin, BUT in him there is NO sin . He did not say "BUT there was sin in him for a moment on the cross".
He took away blindness, BUT in him there is NO blindness.
He took away leprosy, BUT in him there is NO leprosy.
He took away demons, BUT in him there are NO demons.
Conclusions:
Jesus took our sin away. *In (and sometimes that word translated as "in" as in 1 Peter 2:24 " He bore our sins "in" his own body, is translated as "with"),so he took our sin away with his sacrifice, which was his own body, on the tree.
He was never guilty of our sins or anyone's sins.
He did not become sin, he was sinless.
He did not become sin, he was always sinless.
I hope this discussion and examination has given you (as it certainly has me!) a better understanding that Jesus did not take our sins into himself and become guilty of them, becoming just another sinful person who was crucified (or died) - he provided a sin sacrifice for the people who sinned under the 1st covenant and a one-time sacrifice to take care of future sins (our sins) - IF we continue in the faith, (Colossians 1:19-23), repent and are baptized, (Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-11), confess our sins and walk in the light as he is in the light (1 John 1:6-9). We must do these things to continue to receive forgiveness of sins.
Thank you for reading this article! I felt it was important to write it because we must not let our sinless savior continue to be be portrayed as being guilty of sin, even for a moment! He took away our sins! Glory be to God.
Related articles:
Did Jesus Become Sin? 2 Cor. 5:21
Jesus: Our Sinless Spotless Sacrifice
The Blood and Offering of Jesus