Monday 15 June 2020

ON THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN

“Now let us pray and ask God to forgive us our sins. We are human and we sin against him all the time. Raise your voice and let us plead for his forgiveness.” This is how most church services across most denominations begin: Prayer for the forgiveness of sin. I get it. We were taught at home, schools, Sunday schools even in our societies that when you offend someone, you need to seek forgiveness, which makes perfect sense to me. But does the same hold true for God? In Leviticus 4, after God sent the laws and the tabernacle, he directed that anytime any common person sins, he should bring a female goat without blemish or fault and that would be used to atone for or cleanse his/ her sin. This is done anytime sin is committed; maybe 10, 20, or 30 times a day (depends on the individual). Lev 4:27-31 Because the sacrifice for sin above is too tedious and because God loves us, this process was modified in Leviticus 16. Instead of the instantaneous sin offering, the sin offering is now done yearly. So, the people of Israel will wait until the appointed time of the year for the offering to be made. When this offering is done with a female goat without blemish, the people’s sins are forgiven for the whole year. No sin offering is required until the following year. Lev 16 :29 – 34. The second process, even though less difficult than the first, is still not perfect. It always reminds the people of their sins every single year during the sin offering. In Matthew 3, Jesus Christ was used instead of the goat without blemish (Note: Jesus is without blemish/sin too. 2 Cor 5:21). Jesus asked that John the Baptist lay his hand on him and baptize him, just as it was done in the first two processes above to establish righteousness. Matthew 3:13-15, Heb 9:11-12 The first sin offering lasted for how long it takes to commit the next sin and the second lasted for a year. The third, the real deal, the blood of Jesus, cleansed us from our sins eternally. John 3:16, John 1:29. Everybody says they believe in Jesus. But their actions prove otherwise. Prayer for the forgiveness of sin tells that the offering of Jesus’ precious blood is insufficient to take away our sins forever, so we need to do something on our own to cleanse our sins. This is tantamount to unbelief which is a sin. John 16:9. For sin to be forgiven, there must need be for the offering of blood (Heb 9:22) because of Lev 17:11. If prayers could forgive sin, why should God make people go through the first and second processes of sin offering? Why even the third and last (Jesus)? Is He that dumb and obtuse that he could not figure this out and we must teach him a better way of sin atonement? Satan is deceiving us. Jesus broke the wall of sin between us and God, Jesus offered himself on our behalf thus making us holy, righteous, and perfect. Heb 2: 11, Heb 10:14, 1 John 4:17. This is what true LOVE is. Please let us seize from despising the precious blood of Jesus. KEEP HOPE ALIVE!

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