<p>1:29 <i>Because to you it has been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer in his behalf</i>- They were not to be frightened / surprised Gk. 'startled' at persecution (:28). It goes with territory of being in Christ. If we are Him to this world, then we shall be treated as He was by this world. Difficulties are going to come. The parable of the sower sought to explain this; that some accept Christ but fall away once the inevitable persecution starts. Here too Paul has to warn against an attitude that we are required to simply &quot;believe in Christ&quot;. If we are in Him, then we have been given, as a gift, to suffer with him. If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him. Baptism into His death and resurrection proclaims we are prepared for the process of dying with Him, so that we might live with Him.</p><p>By God's grace, the Lord tasted death <i>for </i>(Gk. <i>huper</i>)<i> every man</i>, as our representative: &quot;in tasting death he should stand for all&quot; (Heb. 2:9 NEB). In His death He experienced the essence of the life-struggle and death of every man. The fact the Lord did this <i>for us</i> means that we respond <i>for Him</i>. &quot;To you it is given <i>in the behalf of </i>(Gk. <i>huper</i>) Christ, not only to believe on Him in theory, but to suffer <i>for his sake</i> (Gk. <i>huper</i>)&quot;. He suffered <i>for us</i> as our representative, and we suffer <i>for Him</i> in response. This was and is the two-way imperative of the fact the Lord was our representative. He died <i>for all</i> that we should die to self and live <i>for Him</i> (2 Cor. 5:14,15). &quot;His own self bare our sins as our representative in his own body note the link &quot; <i>our</i> sins&quot; and &quot;his <i>own</i> body&quot; that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness&quot; (1 Pet. 2:24,25). We died with Him, there on His cross; and so His resurrection life is now ours. He is totally active for us now; His life now is <i>for us</i>, and as we live His life, we should be 100% <i>for Him</i> in our living. He gave His life <i>for</i> us, and we must lay down our lives <i>for</i> Him (1 Jn. 3:16). See on 2 Cor. 5:15.</p>