Written for: Pentateuch
Paper: 3/3
Date Written: 11/30/2007
Time Spent on Paper:
Time in looking for material: 9.68 hours
Time in taking notes: 4.3 hours
Time in writing the paper: 8.3 hours
Total Time: 22.28 hours
The
Sin and Trespass Offerings: Comparison and
Contrast
In the modern age of Christianity a debate has been
raging over the issue of sin. Christians on opposing
sides bring up many arguments to support their views.
Yet it seems that few actually take into account one of
the most valuable resources available to us, the Old
Testament sacrificial system. This system was designed
to be a precursor to the coming of Christ, who would
then become our perfect sacrifice on Calvary. It is for
this reason that we are justified in considering and
studying this sacrificial system. While Christ’s death
has replaced many of the ritualistic practices, such as
animal sacrifice, the principles for which the
sacrifices were created are still applicable to us
today. We will now focus on two specific sacrifices
from this system that deal with the issue of sin. The
Sin Offering, and the Trespass Offering. It is
important to note for the understanding of this paper
that the Sin Offering was prescribed for a sin of
ignorance. And the Trespass offering was prescribed for
a willful sin.
1. What is a sin of “ignorance”?
The sin of
ignorance, also known as an “unintentional sin,” is
defined in Leviticus ch. 4. Verse 13 is a good example
of the concept:
Leviticus
4:13 “And if the
whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and
the thing be hidden from the eyes of the assembly and
they have done somewhat
against
any of the
commandments of the LORD concerning
things
which
should not be done, and are guilty;”
Look at the
specific terminology used in this verse. The phrase
“sin through ignorance” is followed by an explanatory
phrase, “and the thing be hid from the eyes of the
assembly.” Or, as the New American Standard translates
it, “and the matter escapes the notice of the
assembly.” So, a sin of ignorance is different from a
willful sin (which will be discussed later) in that it
is not necessarily something you are aware is a
transgression of God’s law when you are doing it. It is
“hid” from you, or it “escapes” your attention.
There is also the sense in which a sin of ignorance, or
unintentional sin, refers to “sins of ‘surprise’ or
‘passion’—meaning that you did not premeditate and plan
your sin before you did it.” In both cases the
perpetrator has broken the word of God, and is thereby
subject to guilt (Leviticus 5:17, 19).
2.
What makes sin a sin?
There is a
standard for sin. The passages of Leviticus four and
five state this:
Leviticus
4:2 “Speak unto
the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin
through ignorance against
any of the commandments of the LORD
concerning
things
which ought
not to be done, and shall do against any of them:”
Leviticus
4:13 “Now if the
whole congregation of Israel commits error and the
matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and
they commit
any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to
be done, and they
become guilty;”
As stated in these verses, a sin is a transgression of
the “commandments of the LORD” which is God’s Word. It
is also defined in the New Testament in 1 John 3:4.
Here, again, sin is defined as a transgression of the
law (God’s Word):
1 John 3:4 “Whomever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is
the transgression of the law.”
Having now
established the standard required to measure whether or
not something is sin, we can now define exactly what
the action of sin consists of. Simply defined, it is a
violation of any of the principles stated in God’s
Word. Or, as it is more commonly put, “a violation of a
known law of God.”
3.
Is a person guilty for a sin of ignorance?
Some have a
concept that sin is defined only as a
“willful”
transgression of a known law of God. But this is
contrary to Scripture. As evidence, please see the
following verses:
Leviticus 4:13 “And if the
whole congregation of Israel sin
through ignorance, and the
thing be hidden from the eyes of the assembly and they
have done somewhat against any of the commandments of
the LORD concerning things which should not be
done, and are
guilty;”
Leviticus 4:22 “When a
ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat
through
ignorance
against
any of the
commandments of the LORD his God concerning
things
which
should not be done, and is
guilty;”
Leviticus
4:27 “And if any
one of the common people sin
through ignorance, while he
doeth somewhat
against
any of the
commandments of the LORD concerning
things
which ought
not to be done, and be
guilty;”
Leviticus
5:2 “Or if a
soul touch any unclean things, whether
it
be a carcase
of an unclean best, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or
the carcase of unclean creeping things, and
if
it be
hidden from him;
he also
shall be unclean, and guilty.”
Leviticus
5:17 “Now if a
person sins and does any of the things which the LORD
has commanded not to be done, though
he was unaware,
still he
is guilty and shall bear his
punishment.”
While
there is certainly a difference between willful sin,
and a sin of ignorance, they are both still sin, and,
hence, are subject to guilt. While you may not always
be aware of your sin, or it is unintentional, you still
sinned. There is no escaping or circumventing that
fact.
4. Is atonement necessary for a sin of ignorance?
Contrary to
the popular view today, sins of any kind always require
atonement; even those of ignorance. The statement, “I
didn’t mean to” doesn’t change the fact that atonement
is still required. That atonement is required for a sin
of ignorance is well established. Look at the following
verses:
Leviticus 4:20 “And he
shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock
for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the
priest shall
make an atonement for them,
and it shall be forgiven them.”
Leviticus
4:26 “And he
shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of
the sacrifice of peace offering: and the priest
shall
make an atonement for him as
concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.”
Leviticus
4:31 “…and the
priest shall
make an atonement for him,
and it shall be forgiven him”
Leviticus
4:35 “…and the
priest shall
make an atonement for his sin
that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.”
This also
supports the assertion earlier that a person is guilty
of a sin of ignorance. You would have no need of
atonement if you were not guilty.
5.
Are all “sins of ignorance” truly ignorance? Or are
some of them “unintentional” sins?
Not all
sins of ignorance are truly “ignorance” in the sense
that the offender is unaware that what he is doing is
wrong. In other words, some sins that are classified as
“sins of ignorance” could be more accurately stated as
“unintentional/inadvertent sins,” or even as
“accidental sins.” Leviticus 5:1-13 lists a few of
these sins. For example, not testifying to oath,
touching unclean animals or humans, and improper oaths.
So, the offender knew that it was wrong, but it was not
something he planned for, it was not premeditated. To
quote Brown again, “[a sin of ignorance] can refer to
sins of “surprise” or “passion”—meaning that you did
not premeditate and plan your sin before you did it.”
In this sense, when you commit some sins that fall
under the category of “sins of ignorance” you are not
ignorant, or oblivious to the fact that it is sin.
6.
What is the difference between “unintentional” sins of
Leviticus Ch. 4 and sins of Trespass of Ch. 5?
There are
at least two differences between sins of ignorance, and
sins of trespass:
A)
A sin of
trespass deals with sins that involve other people, and
have caused them some degree of loss. For example:
Leviticus
6:2 “If a soul
sin, and commit a trespass
against the
LORD, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was
delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing
taken away by violence, or hath deceived his
neighbour;”
In the case
of a sin of trespass restitution was always required.
Numbers 5:7 gives the exact amount of the restitution
payment:
Numbers
5:7 “then he
shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he
shall make restitution in full
for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of
it, and give
it to him whom he wronged.”
The “it” in vs. 7 is referring to the “full”
restitution. So, a person is required to pay 120% in
restitution for the sin he committed.
B)
Unlike sins
of ignorance, which can be committed without knowledge
of the fact that it is sin, sins of trespass are
“willful” sins. As Hamilton points out, “An examination
of the particular situations covered in 6:1-7 (sins
against another person) shows that these cannot
possibly be sins done inadvertently.” He then goes on
to support his argument by saying, “For example,
refusing to return something that an acquaintance has
placed in one’s safekeeping, or stealing from him, or
lying about something that was lost by another and
found by oneself can hardly be called inadvertent
sins!”
7.
What is the difference between a “high handed” sin and
a willful sin?
While both
of these types of sin come from willful, volitional
actions, it is the subsequent conduct of the offender
that separates them. Ashley makes the distinction based
on the offender’s attitude toward repentance after a
willful sin.
A) A willful sin:
If the
offender is repentant, he will evidence this by
performing the following actions: 1) he confesses his
sin, 2) he is truly contrite, and 3) he fulfills the
necessary restitution for his sin. If he evidences his
repentant attitude by accomplishing this, then his sin
will fall under the category of a trespass offering,
and he can have guaranteed forgiveness.
B) A “high-handed” sin:
Ashley
states about a high handed sin, “the sinner
with a
high hand considers
Yahweh irrelevant for the future; this one sins in an
open-eyed and rebellious way, knowing full well what he
or she is doing. This kind of rebellion therefore
differs from the intentional sin described in Lev.
5:20-26 (Eng. 6:1-7) for which a reparation offering
may be made, ‘when the offender feels guilty’ (5:23,
26).” If a person commits a willful sin he is left with
two options. He can either be repentant and remorseful,
and follow the prescribed steps under the trespass
offering, or he can be unrepentant, at which point his
sin enters into the category of a high-handed sin.
It should be noted that there is no sacrifice provided
to atone for a high-handed sin. While a willful sin
falls under the trespass offering, the only thing that
can redeem a person who committed a high-handed sin.
His only hope of receiving forgiveness is that God will
show him mercy (Psalm 51).
As we have seen evidenced in this paper, God takes sin
seriously. It is not something to blush at, smile, and
go on. It is a heaven or hell situation. It requires
true, sincere repentance, not a quick “I’m sorry.” Sin
must be denounced and turned from. May God help all of
us to truly gain a right conception of sin.
Bibliography
References used:
Ashley,
Timothy R. The
Book of Numbers. William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company. Grand Rapids, Michigan,
1993
Brown, Dr. Allan. Anthropology.
No publisher. No date.
Brown, Dr. Allan. The Old
Testament Sacrificial System. No
publisher. No date.
Cole, R. Dennis. Numbers.
The New
American Commentary. Vol. 3b. Broadman & Holdman
Publishers. United States, 1995
Hamilton, Victor P. Handbook
on the Pentateuch. Baker
Book House. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1982
References
read, but not used:
Brown,
Raymond. The
Message of Numbers. The Bible
Speaks Today. Inter-Varsity Press. Leicester, England
2002
Clarke, Adam. The Bethany Parallel Commentary on the
Old Testament. Bethany House Publishers. Minneapolis,
Minnesota 1985
Harris, R. Laird. Leviticus.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 2. Zondervan
Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan 1990
Harrison, R.K. Leviticus.
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Vol. 3.
Inter-Varsity Press. Leicester, England 1980
Martin, Glen S. Leviticus.
Holman Old Testament Commentary. Vol. 2. Broadman &
Holman Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee 2002
Philip, James. Numbers.
The Communicator’s Commentary. Vol. 4. Word Books,
Publisher. Waco, Texas 1987
Rooker, Mark F. Leviticus.
The New American Commentary. Vol. 3a. Broadman &
Holdman Publishers. United States, 2000
Tidball, Derek. The
Message of Leviticus. The Bible
Speaks Today. Inter-Varsity Press. Leicester, England
2005
Unger, Merrill F. Sacrificial
Offerings. Unger’s
Bible Dictionary. Moody Press. Chicago, Illinois 1981
Wenham, Gordon J. Numbers.
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Vol. 4.
Inter-Varsity Press. Leicester, England 1981
Wenham, Gordon J. The
Book of Leviticus. The New
International Commentary on the Old Testament. William
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Grand Rapids, Michigan,
1979.
Whedon, D.D. Leviticus
Numbers and Deuteronomy. Whedon’s
Commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 2. Schmul
Publishing Company Incorporated. Salem, Ohio
1980