by Gary L. Evans
Forgiveness — Part 1
Exo 32:31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
While Moses was on the mount receiving The Commandments written in stone tablets by the finger of God, the people had become impatient and made a golden calf and started worshiping it.
Exo 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
The word “forgive” is from the Hebrew “naw-saw'” which means “to lift.” The word “sin” is from “khat-taw-aw’, khat-tawth'” which means “an offence.”
Moses prayed to intercede on behalf of the people, that The Lord would not destroy them. He was willing to give up his Eternal Life in an attempt to save them from death.
Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Those who sin will be blotted out of The Book of The Living.
Exo 32:34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
We will all face The Judgment for our own sins. Even if another man attempts to intercede on our behalf, we have no escape, unless we enter into The New Covenant by The Blood of Christ.
Num 15:22-24 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses, Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering.
The Lord provided for an offering to atone for sins committed in ignorance, so that the people would not die, even though they were guilty of sin. Note that forgiveness was available only when sin was committed in ignorance, so the guilty person was not aware that he or she was sinning against The Lord.
The word “ignorance” is from “sheg-aw-gaw'” which means “a mistake or inadvertent transgression.”
Num 15:25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:
The word “forgiven” is from “saw-lakh'” which means “to forgive.”
Num 15:26-29 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
The Law was the same for all, for the Israelites as well as for the foreigners dwelling among them.
Num 15:30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
The word “presumptuously” is from a compound of two Hebrew words, “yawd” which means “a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.)” and “room” which means “to be high, actively to rise or raise.” It means to act with premeditation.
Num 15:31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.
There is no provision of atonement for premeditated sin, either in The Law or in The New Covenant. Open rebellion against God is certain death. Only a fool would dare do such a thing.
Heb 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
And for Christians, those who have accepted The Blood of Christ through The New Covenant to atone for their past sins, if they should ever become apostate and dare commit wilful sin against God, then there can be no more forgiveness for their sins they have committed presumptuously. They will die.
Sin can only be forgiven after repentance. When someone becomes so hard hearted that they cannot sincerely repent and humble their self to God, then they cannot be forgiven.
Forgiveness — Part 2
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
The word “sin” is from the Greek “ham-ar-tee’-ah” which is derived from “ham-ar-tan’-o” which means “properly to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), that is, (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin.” It means “to miss the mark” as when an archer aims to hit the bulls-eye of a target, but misses and hits on one side or the other. What is the bulls-eye in this case? To perfectly obey God’s Law.
Satan is the god of this world, and he has command and control of most public religion in this world. His agenda is to turn us against The Most High God. The simplest precept in God’s Word is the definition of “sin,” so Satan has confused and mystified that very issue. Most people are confused about what is sin.
Rarely do so-called Christian preachers teach their congregations The Law of God. Because for most of them If they did so, they would condemn their own selves of premeditated sin. And there is no forgiveness for premeditated sin.
But unless we study God’s Law, we cannot understand what sin is, and we cannot understand what we must repent from in order to enter The New Covenant.
Mat 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John The Baptist taught that we must repent in order to enter The Kingdom of Heaven. So we must stop sinning in order to gain Eternal Life through belief in Christ Jesus. But how can we repent if we don’t even know what sin is?
Some say that drinking beer or smoking cigarettes is sin. But that is a lie. God’s Law says nothing about those things. Some say that masturbation is a sin, thereby putting young folks on a guilt trip to turn them away from God’s Word. But that is a lie. God’s Law says we must only wash ourselves afterward. Some say that sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is “sinful,” but that is a lie. God’s Law says we should wash ourselves.
Lev 15:16 And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
This is what God has to say about masturbation. So why do men put people under heavy guilt because of this? To humble them and get command and control over them, which is devilish. I tell you about this matter because it is so critical to our thinking and to our sense of guilt regarding sin. We should not feel guilty of what is not sin. God made our bodies to enjoy sexual pleasure. Why?
Gen 1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God made our bodies, male and female, and commanded us to bear children and populate the world with people. That was truly the first commandment God gave to mankind. Naturally, Satan attacks this commandment in every way he can, and his servants make up all kinds of rules to confuse and mystify God’s Will.
These are just a few examples, but do you perceive the vast scope of the destructive effect such false teaching causes? Everybody who goes through puberty and eventually finds a wife or husband is affected by such false teaching. Everybody is put on a guilt trip by such lies. And is that not exactly what bullies and tyrants do to other people, brow beat them and humiliate them in order to lord over them and take all their stuff? That is exactly Satan’s agenda, to turn people away from God’s Word. And how best to accomplish that agenda but by a horde of con-artists in this world who pretend to be Christian but teach false doctrines to deceive people? Arrogant men make up many rules which they claim are the definitions of “sin,” but in doing so such men actually commit one of the MOST DEADLY SINS OF ALL.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Men must never attempt to add to God’s Law, and they must never diminish anything from it. But hypocritical religious rulers have presumed for thousands of years to have the authority to do this very thing, in open rebellion against God’s Law which forbids it. Jesus declared that He did not come to change God’s Law.
Mat 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Jesus came to obey God’s Law perfectly, which we are not capable of doing ourselves. But He obeyed on our behalf, so that by our belief in Him our sins would be atoned for to save us from death. Do not be deceived, my friends. Men cannot make new moral or ethical laws nor can they take away any commandment or law or statute that God has given to us in His Word.
Forgiveness — Part 3
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
After John The Baptist preached repentance, our Lord Jesus began to preach repentance also. The word “repent” is from the Greek “met-an-o-eh’-o” which means “to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction).” We must “change the way we think” about transgressing God’s Law in order to be forgiven of our sins and enter into The Kingdom of Heaven.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul also taught against sin. Sin leads to death, that is, the death of the soul on The Day of Judgment. But God offers us Eternal Life through The Blood of Christ Jesus, The Lamb of God. Our Lord presented Himself as an offering for our sins, one time, once and for all, so that sin would be ended in our lives. But how can we avoid transgressing anymore? Only Christ is perfect, and we always seem to fall short of His perfection.
Deu 29:1 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
The First Covenant was The Covenant of The Law, which promised Eternal Life but ONLY IF WE WOULD BE PERFECT.
Deu 29:2-4 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
But GOD DID NOT GIVE US a HEART TO PERCEIVE, EYES TO SEE, and EARS TO HEAR even to this day. We just simply do not have what is needed in order to obey God’s Law perfectly.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Our hearts and minds are more deceitful than anything else in this world, and lawless. We cannot even understand our own hearts.
Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
But The Lord God sees right into our hearts and minds. He sees our very thoughts. And He will judge us according to what we do. Then how can we possibly be saved from our own disobedience?
Jer 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
God promises to give us a New Covenant better than The First, and write His Laws into our hearts and minds. And He will be our God, and we will be His people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
And when we enter into The New Covenant with God, we will know The Lord, everyone of us. And He will forgive our transgressions, and forget all of our sins.
Eze 11:19-20 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
In The New Covenant, The Lord gives us a NEW HEART AND MIND so that we are able to obey His Law perfectly. He removes our faulty heart and mind that could not perceive and could not comprehend and could not obey perfectly, and gives us THE HEART AND MIND OF CHRIST. After entering The New Covenant, it is not us having perfection, but The Spirit of Christ in us. He is the only Perfect One. Paul declares this fact plainly.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.