March 18th, 2024
For the Forgiveness of Sin
by Bob Day

Leviticus 5 and 6 continue with the instructions that the Lord gave to Moses concerning the sacrifices required for the forgiveness of sin. One of the things that is so surprising is that the sins mentioned in these chapters are sins committed by a person who doesn't realize that He has sinned.
Even though the person is required to offer sacrifice when the sin is brought to their attention, the fact is, according to these two chapters, the person is guilty of the sin even when they don't know it. That sounds like a tough thing to live with. Can you imagine realizing that you could be offending God at any time during the day or night without realizing it? And in doing so, bring guilt down upon your head.
That brings up an interesting question, how often must you offer up sacrifices for sins that you don't realize you were committing? The short answer is, everyday. That would wear you out after a while wouldn't it? Here's some good news, the fact that the Lord is giving these instructions shows He wanted to have fellowship with His people and wanted His people to be in a position to fellowship with Him. He knows that our sin separates us from himself, so, he provided a way through the sacrificial system to destroy that which separates us.
Even though the sacrifices would cleanse a person of their guilt and sin, the fact is that cleansing and forgiveness is only temporary because our sin nature causes us to sin not "in every way, everyday" but often enough that we would have to be offering sacrifices 24/7.
The sacrificial system was a visible reminder of humanity's sin and God's holiness, in other words, God's people would have to continually offer up blood sacrifices in order to stay in fellowship with Him.
Now, praise God, we don't have to offer up blood sacrifices day in and day out over and over again in order to find forgiveness and fellowship with God. Heb. 10:10-18 states that Jesus made a once-for-all- perfect sacrifice for sin through his death and resurrection. Once he had shed his blood for the forgiveness of sin, He sat down on the right hand of God and now there is no more sacrifice needed.
This doesn't mean that we can sin against God any old time we choose simply because we trusted in Jesus for our salvation. No, if we have truly been rescued from sin and death. Then we should want to live a life that remains in fellowship with God (Rom. 6: 1,2.) But, because we are weak and in firm, there is a need for daily confession of sin; however, there is no more sacrifice needed. Now, there is no need to live under the burden of guilt and shame because of sin.
Even though the person is required to offer sacrifice when the sin is brought to their attention, the fact is, according to these two chapters, the person is guilty of the sin even when they don't know it. That sounds like a tough thing to live with. Can you imagine realizing that you could be offending God at any time during the day or night without realizing it? And in doing so, bring guilt down upon your head.
That brings up an interesting question, how often must you offer up sacrifices for sins that you don't realize you were committing? The short answer is, everyday. That would wear you out after a while wouldn't it? Here's some good news, the fact that the Lord is giving these instructions shows He wanted to have fellowship with His people and wanted His people to be in a position to fellowship with Him. He knows that our sin separates us from himself, so, he provided a way through the sacrificial system to destroy that which separates us.
Even though the sacrifices would cleanse a person of their guilt and sin, the fact is that cleansing and forgiveness is only temporary because our sin nature causes us to sin not "in every way, everyday" but often enough that we would have to be offering sacrifices 24/7.
The sacrificial system was a visible reminder of humanity's sin and God's holiness, in other words, God's people would have to continually offer up blood sacrifices in order to stay in fellowship with Him.
Now, praise God, we don't have to offer up blood sacrifices day in and day out over and over again in order to find forgiveness and fellowship with God. Heb. 10:10-18 states that Jesus made a once-for-all- perfect sacrifice for sin through his death and resurrection. Once he had shed his blood for the forgiveness of sin, He sat down on the right hand of God and now there is no more sacrifice needed.
This doesn't mean that we can sin against God any old time we choose simply because we trusted in Jesus for our salvation. No, if we have truly been rescued from sin and death. Then we should want to live a life that remains in fellowship with God (Rom. 6: 1,2.) But, because we are weak and in firm, there is a need for daily confession of sin; however, there is no more sacrifice needed. Now, there is no need to live under the burden of guilt and shame because of sin.
More from the blog:
Bearing False Witness is More Than We Think
May 13th, 2025
God is holy and he desires that his chosen race, his priesthood, his nation, and his people be holy too. This is the point of the book of Leviticus–“You shall be holy for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). God wants his people to be holy because God’s people are a revelatory people, meaning they exist to reveal God not only to each other as the people of God, but also to the people without God in the w...
Faith Over Fear
May 6th, 2025
If I am being honest, I am a fearful person. I do not live my day to day life overcome with fear but to say I am not afraid of anything would be a lie. Do I want to go swimming in a lake where I cannot see anything around me and a swamp monster could bite my toes off? Nope. When there is a thud in the middle of the night and my wife wants me to go check it out; would I rather hide under the covers...
Be Still and Know that I Am God (Let the Reader Read the Rest)
April 29th, 2025
“Aslan is on the move.” Upon their entrance through the wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, this statement was repeated over and over to the 4 Pevensie Children. “Aslan is on the move.” To those who knew Aslan, this fact brought great comfort, excitement, and anticipation. But the Pevensies didn’t know Aslan. They didn’t know who or what he was, what he was like, if he was safe. “Who is Asla...
Make Your Face Shine on Your Servant
April 22nd, 2025
But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!— Psalm 31:14-16David began this psalm asking for deliverance from his enemies and guidance. David trusts the Lord for his provision and protection while continuing to have an attitude of ...
Here Comes the Son (Do Do Do Do)
April 15th, 2025
Most stories are really the same if you think about it. Nearly every movie, book, or TV show follows a simple formula similar to this: a character has a conflict and takes an action which creates another conflict. This cycle repeats over the course of a story until the final conflict, typically the most daunting challenge for the character, results in one final action which resolves the story. Thi...
Recent
Archive
2025
February
March
April
2024
March
April
September
October
2023
April
May
July
August
October
November
2022
2021
No Comments