(Hebrews 10:1–4)ĭay after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. Hebrews 10 explains this in depth, but the following excerpts from that chapter outline the flow of the argument: It simply postponed the judgment until a better sacrifice could be offered to pay the full penalty of sin and make forgiveness possible. However, the blood of sacrificial animals did not actually pay for sin. The writer of Hebrews observes, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.” They must make restitution for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value and give it all to the priest. Leviticus 5:15–16 says, “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. In the Old Testament, God allowed for a sacrificial animal to take the place of the sinner. God forgives sin, yet this does not mean that He simply “looks the other way” or “sweeps it under the rug.” The penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23), and that penalty must be paid. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If a person tries to pass off sin as a mere mistake, human failing, or temporary lapse of judgment or if he or she simply denies the sin altogether, it is a barrier to forgiveness.ġ John 1:8–10: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Luke 5:20: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”įor a person to find true forgiveness, he or she must admit the sin. Matthew 12:31: And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Leviticus 4:35: In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.ġ Samuel 25:28: Please forgive your servant’s presumption. Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.Įxodus 32:32: But now, please forgive their sin. Genesis 50:17: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. In the majority of the passages in the Bible that contain the word forgive or forgiveness, sin is mentioned. It is important to note that forgiveness operates in the realm of sin. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. Psalm 103:8–12: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Although the following passage does not use the word forgive, it describes the concept of God’s forgiveness perfectly: The greatest of all examples is the forgiveness of God. The Bible never gives a “dictionary” definition of forgiveness, but it shows us many examples of it.
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