Bible Question:
'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.' Now that is pretty disheartening :(. My question is, was this under the law? If so, haven't we been redeemed from the curse of the law? (Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Gal 3:13). Another question: How do we reconcile the following scriptures? For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:13 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 Thanks in advance to those who will respond. Abba Father Bless... |
Bible Answer: Mbooker, hello again. I just finished a post to Aspiring Overseer about this passage in Lev 5 that you quoted. If you read the beginning of the chapter, you'll see that Moses was explaining when 'atonement', or payment of sin, was required. The person is still guilty of the sin, regardless of whether or not he knows about the sin. However, he isn't required to physically pay for it until it is made known to him. However, whether he pays or not, this does not absolve him of his spiritual debt. This is one of the key points why life without Christ is utterly hopeless, for Christ IS our hope. Unlike BC, today we do not 'atone' for sin because it is impossible to pay the price for it (although Catholicism believes otherwise). Jesus' blood washes us clean as we pray for God's forgiveness of both known and unknown sin in our lives. As we continue to seek truth, we should ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our sins to us so that we can confess them specifically and turn from them with the help of God (see John 3:21). Rom 2:13 is further clarified by James 1:22-25 (and 1 John 3:7). Essentially, speaking the talk isn't enough, for one has a tendency to forget what isn't practiced. One must also walk the talk to a) remind himself of God's ways and increase his knowledge and b) be visible proof of God's ways to others. Rom 3:20 (as further clarified by Gal 2:16, Psalm 143:2, and Acts 13:39) states that no one can justify (atone for) his sins by action alone. It is not enough to follow the laws as depicted by Moses. One must also ask for forgiveness. Basically, good deeds without faith (in Christ) are hollow and done for selfish reasons. Faith without good deeds is hollow because it is not proven. You cannot have one without the other. James 2 explains this specific point. In Christ, Estelle |