March 13, 2022

Leviticus 4 (NIV)

“‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands - . . . If the anointed priest sins . . . If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally . . . When a leader sins unintentionally . . . If a member of the community sins unintentionally . . .’”

We are all sinners who sin. We are not sin.*

We Christians can be brutal with ourselves over sin. We wallow in our guilt and our shame because we have failed again – and again. We don’t meet our own expectations of the sanctified life therefore robbing ourselves of the joyous life we should be living. The thing is, God’s forgiveness is big enough to cover our failures. He knows that we aren’t perfect and he knows the difference between our human weaknesses and a sinful lifestyle.

What most of us deal with is the “I didn’t mean to” sin; however, “I didn’t mean to,” is not an excuse. When we say we didn’t mean to, what we mean is, “I didn’t plan to,” and “I wish I hadn’t.” No one makes us commit sin. According to James 1: 13-15, we are tempted and led into sin by our own evil desires. Satan takes advantage of our weakness but the devil doesn’t make us do it.

Under the law, even someone who sinned unintentionally was guilty and had to make restitution through the elaborate sin offering process. For our unintentional sin, that elaborate restitution process was performed by Jesus on the cross. Whenever we sin, intentionally or not, the price is paid in full. That payment covers not only our sin but our guilt as well. Repent and start fresh without the added burden of unnecessary guilt.

Some of us . . . hold ourselves hostage to our sins long after God has forgiven us.*