Sin – Part 2

Sin – By Tom Buckle
Part II
Acknowledging Sin

God recognized that His people needed to be reminded of their waywardness and their temptation to drift from Him. He told Moses to once a year set aside a special day to call attention to the people’s sins. Moses called it “The Day of Atonement” (Leviticus 23:26-32Leviticus 23:26-32
English: World English Bible - WEB
26 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷ “However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ²⁸ You shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God. ²⁹ For whoever it is who shall not deny himself in that same day; shall be cut off from his people. ³⁰ Whoever it is who does any manner of work in that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. ³¹Â You shall do no manner of work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³²Â It shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves. In the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall keep your Sabbath.”

WP-Bible plugin NKJV). It was a day of “holy convocation” to collectively fast. People were to remain in their houses and treat the day as a Sabbath, remembering that the high priest was entering the Most Holy Place praying for the atonement for the sins of all of Israel’s tribes, whose names were borne on his breastpiece. The Day of Atonement was a good time to prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles that followed a week later.

The Old Testament also speaks of a sin offering and a guilt offering. These two offerings are very similar and both are sacrifices that are offered for the removal of sin. The difference between these offerings is that the guilt offering required restitution. For instance, if a person stole something from his neighbor he would have to return it to his neighbor. After returning the item he would then be qualified to have a guilt offering made for his sin. Both the sin offering and the guilt offering forgave the transgressor of his sin.

History says St. Augustine, Martin Luther and John Wesley all grew up with godly parents who taught and drilled them in the Bible teachings. Although St. Augustine rebelled in his youth and backslid into sin and debauchery, his sense of sin and shame was heavy and he repented of his sins to become one of the great theologians of the early church. Martin Luther and John Wesley both had mothers who taught them the Bible. Each of these men at an early age had consciences with great “sin sensitivity” that helped to deepen their faith in God.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), the great early American Calvinist, revivalist and theologian was known for making listeners quake with his fiery message, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The messages of sin and hell were usually proclaimed without any concern for political correctness or worry about making congregants feeling comfortable. Edward’s eminent concern was about the souls of sinners getting right with God. The message against sin was a message about choosing one’s destiny, heaven or hell. The message was not how to find “happiness” but rather on repenting of sins and living a righteously redeemed new life.

I grew up hearing about the suffering and damnation that sin brings on lives and relationships. Those early teachings strengthened my faith and resolve to live for God. It gave me a keen sensitivity between right and wrong. From the pulpit I was taught that the end result of sin is eternal punishment in hell (another subject that seems to be banned from today’s contemporary preaching).

Here’s the solution for sin that I need to repeat. Acknowledge you are a sinner. Repent of your sins and receive forgiveness through Christ Jesus. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9John 1:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

WP-Bible plugin NKJV).