Understanding Sin and Forgiveness

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Understanding Sin and Forgiveness

Introduction: Do you remember the sins of your past? Were some of them really “bad” sins? Do those sins concern you the most of all your sins? Are you acutely aware of the consequences of those sins, especially consequences that you cannot remedy. Maybe there were people who fell away or continued in sin because of your influence. Maybe it was something so ungodly, so out of character for a Christian, that you can’t even imagine how you did such a thing.
What about more recently? What have you done in the past few weeks that is not Christ-like, that you know you shouldn’t have done or that you neglected to do? 

Summed up, what sins have you committed that make you wonder about your salvation?

1. The Problem
   1. Sin and falling short of the glory of God is a continual problem in our lives. Sure, on one hand we read passages that call on us to be confident in our eternity, but we also read passages that warn us in no uncertain terms that we can fall short of the goal (Cf. Hebrews 4:1). We feel foolish expressing our confidence in salvation when we cannot escape our failures.
   2. I’m will suggest to you that our biggest problem is not so much understanding the promises of God as it is sin and what God means by forgiveness. Leviticus is very helpful.
   3. For most Bible students, Leviticus would never be considered their favorite book of the Bible. In fact, it wouldn’t hit the top ten or twenty. We should change our view of that because ignorance of Leviticus is the reason most people don’t understand why sin is serious before God, when sin can be forgiven, when sin can’t be forgiven, and how sin affects our relationship with God.
   4. Leviticus follows Exodus. Exodus was freedom from Egypt. The Passover Lamb illustrated their freedom from the curse of death. But their problem and our problem is not simply a one-time freedom. The problem of sin and death did not go away and was still present in them as it is still present in us. Every day we fall short. If it isn’t a direct violation of a command, it is living far short of the fruit of the Spirit.
   5. God said in Exodus 25:8 “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.” But in Leviticus, God showed the people that he cannot remain in their midst unless they are holy. And not just “holy” a little bit, but holy as God is holy. Leviticus reveals a continuing problem with our sin! Most people that I have taught in my life were thrilled to hear how they could be forgiven, but were more concerned about staying forgiven. Were you more confident minutes following your baptism than you are today? 
   6. When God brought Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, he was not just freeing them from Egypt, he was illustrating their need for a greater freedom. They were in bondage to the Serpent, just as all mankind. What soon became apparent, living in God’s presence in the wilderness and in Canaan was a greater challenge than escaping Egypt.
   7. Leviticus answers two problems: (1) maintaining our relationship with God because of sin, and (2) becoming free from the guilt we have inside of us because of sin.
2. Defining Sins
   1. Leviticus 4:2, “If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them…” Consider the word “unintentional”: 
      1. Hebrew: “And a person, when he sins in straying…” 
      2. LXX: “involuntarily” 
      3. Targum Onqelos: “by neglect” 
      4. ASV: “unwittingly”  
      5. Other versions: “inadvertently”; “by accident” 
      6. KJV: “through ignorance”
   2. Do any of those translations help you understand the word “unintentional”? Would you describe your sins as involuntary or accidental or inadvertent? Even the word unintentional is troublesome since there is often a knowledge and intentionality in our sinful actions. We would not say we are being defiant, but we could certainly describe ourselves as knowing better.
   3. Romans 7:13-25 Paul’s description of sin in relation to the Law and a person who seeks to be justified by the Law, is helpful. It is obvious that Paul is referring to himself as one who desired to please God but found himself helplessly caught in sin even though he hated it (vs. 15). Surely this is exactly the kinds of sins spoken of in Leviticus.
   4. Two quotes from Hebrews is also helpful:
      1. Hebrews 9:7 “But into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins [sins of ignorance] of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing.”
      2. Hebrews 7:27 “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.” 
      3. In both these texts, the sins referred to must be the unintentional sins of Leviticus.
   5. Defiant Sins
      1. We can more clearly see the meaning of unintentional sins when it is contrasted with “Presumptuous” or defiant, high-handed sin, which is unforgivable (Numbers 15:27-31).
      2. This parallels a number of NT counterparts:
         1. Hebrews 10:26
         2. 1 John 5:16-17
      3. Even David gives a similar differentiation: Psalm 19:12-13
   6. Initial Conclusion: The picture we are getting is that God is concerned about taking care of the sins committed by those who love him and are loyal to him. Cf. 1 John 1:6—2:2
3. Motivation to Avoid All Sin, Even Unintentional Sins
   1. The worst thing we could do is to consider unintentional sins as unimportant sins. We cannot take the attitude that these sins just don’t matter that much. 1 John 5:17 “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.” Therefore, consider:
   2. The love we should have for what God did: Jesus went to the cross for all sins.
   3. Unintentional sins lead to high-handed sins. It is how we get caught in sin and fall. Sin is addictive. Cf. 2 Peter 1:5-11, it is important that we grow to avoid falling.
   4. “Be careful to obey…” (Ezekiel 36:27)
      1. Will I purposefully be careless? 
      2. Will I pursue God with a ‘your will be done’ attitude? 
   5. We are trying to please God
   6. Do you want to be with God or are you just trying to see how much you can get by with?

Conclusion: How did Israel live and thrive in the wilderness? When were their failures highlighted so that their salvation is in doubt? It was not because of day to day failures. It was their defiant disobedience and their desires for the flesh instead of for God.

Berry Kercheville