2. WILFUL SIN AND DANGER Numbers 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.” When the world of the Israelites was under the Mosaic Law, there was still ample provision for forgiveness for the sins which they committed unintentionally: “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...and it shall be forgiven him” (Numbers 15:27-28). But according to our text for today, we read something differently when it comes to the sins which we commit willfully or we disobey God’s law deliberately. That is another can of worms. In this time of Grace, many would tell you that the harshness of God’s law has been replaced by God’s love. But I want you to understand something; was not our LORD and Savior in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament? Yes! Therefore, if that be the case, would He do any thing differently in the New than He did in the Old? No! We read something very significant in the New Testament in regards to our LORDs being: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Remember what He did as God in the Old Testament. Did He not destroy the people of Sodom and Gomorrah for their willful disobedience to the law of God? Yes! Did they not know the law of God? Yes! Jesus, being the same yesterday, today and forever, would not change when it came to His law or commandments to those who disobey. There is a difference between the people of the Old and New Testament. That difference is the type of blood which was applied to the altar for our sins. The people of the Old had a picture, or mikrah of what was to come: they had the blood of all types of animals: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:” (Hebrews 9:13). We also read: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.” (Hebrews 10:4-6). The blood of these bulls, goats, and even the lamb was nothing more than a temporary fix for the sins of man. But we read this about the blood of Jesus: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us...How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purged your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:12, 14). Therefore, when we are talking about the difference in the sins being forgiven, we are talking temporary in the Old Testament, and permanent in the New Testament. I do not know about you, but I still sin even after salvation by my LORD’s blood on the cross of Calvary. I try desperately not to sin willfully now, but there are times when I do and the Holy Spirit within me lets me know about it. When this happens, I simply lay it at the foot of the cross, and ask the LORD to forgive me and He does. I know because that is what my Bible tells me in 1 John 1:9: But, “if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins...He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?” (Hebrews 10:26, 28-29). Even assuming this warning is to those who willfully reject Christ; the question still remains: will someone who has this saving grace willfully sin against the Lord? That is a question only the person who sins can answer. I know that I go out of my way not to sin against the LORD, but because I am still in the flesh and the flesh is weak, I still sin and have that forgiveness because I am saved by that grace. However, there are those who say they are saved and yet they still do the same things they did before they received Christ. Are they saved or are they not saved? I cannot answer that, but our Bible does say that we shall know them by their fruits; what they do for Christ. Jesus said: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:16, 20). Therefore, if they are not changed, I doubt their salvation in the first place. I know that if I sin I have forgiveness. You might say that gives me the license to sin, but I do not want to sin anymore. I am changed from the old man to the new man who is in Christ. In the Old Testament if they came to God for salvation, He gave them mercy and saved them because they came with a wanting heart. Only God knows the heart, but you and I can judge them by their fruits or what they do for Christ. Those who are in Christ and who deliberately reject and disobey His Commandments should “examine [them] selves, whether they are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Do you sin willfully? If so, you need to examine what you believe and turn from that sin and accept Jesus as your LORD and Savior. Before my salvation I was identified as in Adam, but after my salvation I am identified as in Christ. The difference between the Old and New Testaments is Jesus. No matter what you have done, He will forgive you if you truly are sorry and confess your sin to Him. We are all sinners and we need to be perfect to make it into the presence of the Father. Sin set us apart from the Father and Jesus brought us nigh unto the Father by His blood sacrifice on the cross. Accept Him and live. Reject Him and die.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 11:34:23 +0000
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