Category Archives: Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness

Faith / Trusting God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Loving / Kind, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Repenting from Sin, Salvation

All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us are righteous in and of ourselves when compared to God’s holy standard. Our salvation is not through our good works, whatever they may be, but rather through His grace and mercy. The Father sent Christ to pay the penalty of our sin… death.

There can be no boasting of our own works. Rather we must have humility to come before Him and admit our sinful nature, asking forgiveness and turning toward Him in repentance. Through Christ we are saved.

Note, however, how Paul emphasizes that this does not nullify the law. Scripture tells us the law is good and perfect and shows us what is right and wrong. It is still a useful guide to our steps. But we can not be saved by adherence to the law but through Christ alone.

Romans 3:21-31

Justification by Faith

     21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

      27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

      31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

Come humbly and thankfully before our Father, the Lord of the universe and creator of all things. Praise Him for making a way through Christ for us to be reconciled to Him. Accept Christ as Lord and Savior today. No one is beyond His offer of salvation, no matter what sin has been committed. To learn more about accepting Christ, read The Message of the Cross.

May His name be holy. May His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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In Him There Is No Darkness

We live in a dark, sin-filled world. Let us not forget, however, that sin entered through man, not God. There is no darkness in Jehovah. If we fellowship with Him, then we too will walk in the light and not darkness. This is not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Yeshua who died for our sins so that we may be cleansed and be in close fellowship with a holy Father. We must confess our sins rather than deny them if we are to be cleansed.

1 John 1:5-10

God Is Light

     5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

The world is not generally comfortable with “absolute” truth, but nonetheless it exists. One can deny gravity but it acts upon each of us the all the same. So too with Jehovah… though you accept or reject Him, He exists all the same and so does His truth about what is good and what is sin. We can be greatly comforted though and need not remain in doubt about forgiveness. He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Cleanse and Separate Yourself from Sin

People are very attentive to keeping lepers separate from those who are not affected by the disease. It is in their very tangible self interest to be vigilant on this subject. The Lord wants us to be equally vigilant to segregate those who defile Him through sin until such time as repentance is complete. The greater the claim of a person, family, or group of people to holiness, the greater the need for separation and cleansing from sin.

Our loving Father anticipates that people make mistakes and sin. He provides some instructions for how a person may seek forgiveness and again peace with the Lord and their conscience. We often talk about a “New Testament” God who forgives, but God has not changed. Forgiveness through repentance has always been His way. However, that does not mean there are not lasting consequences even after someone repents and is forgiven.

Numbers 5:1-10

On Defilement

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person. 3“You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.” 4The sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as the LORD had spoken to Moses, thus the sons of Israel did.

      5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6“Speak to the sons of Israel, ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the LORD, and that person is guilty, 7then 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 has wronged. 8‘But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him. 9‘Also every contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they offer to the priest, shall be his. 10‘So every man’s holy gifts shall be his; whatever any man gives to the priest, it becomes his.’”

Think about sin as you would a severely contagious disease. Do you separate yourself from unrepentant sinners or sin (even your own) with as much attention and energy as you do keep yourself separate from a disease? You should. Perhaps more so, since unrepentant sin separates us from the Father spiritually and relationally. A physical disease affects only our body.

Prayerfully consider who and where you are accepting or normalizing sin in your life or the lives of others around you. Ask God’s help for how to separate yourself from this sin. Wholeheartedly seek repentance and reconciliation with the Father.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

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Balancing Judgment and Mercy

The subject of law and judgment can be a difficult one. We look to Jesus’ example and see immediately a call for grace and forgiveness of the repentant, but we need also recognize that God also gives instructions to hold people accountable for their actions. Sometimes it feels harsh to us, but God is a just God.

The scripture in Leviticus 24 is in the context of responding to a man who cursed God. It is worth considering… if we curse God, He simply lets us bear the burden of our own sin, in accordance with our rejection of Him and His grace and mercy.  The penalty is death.

Leviticus 24:15-16

15“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. 16‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Scripture continues to record additional instruction provided at the time for other crimes along the lines of “an eye for an eye”. We can have a vigorous debate about what we think are the right punishments in balancing “an eye for an eye” with the example of grace and mercy shown by Jesus toward repentant sinners. It is particularly difficult as man is not very good at judging the heart of other men in the genuineness of their repentance, or lack thereof. But we can clearly see that God is showing us that accountability for our actions against others call for accountability and judgment. For many it is only through this accountability and judgment that they will be encouraged not to harm others. It also sets a clear standard and communicates it to the broader population for what is acceptable and will be tolerated… and what is not.

Leviticus 24:17-23

“An Eye for an Eye”

     17‘If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. 18‘The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. 19‘If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. 21‘Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. 22‘There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the LORD your God.’” 23Then Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and they brought the one who had cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the sons of Israel did, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Let us neither dismiss accountability and judgment, nor grace and mercy. If we are to reflect the image of our Father we must harness both in proper balance. Pray for His help in your life personally and to influence our culture and government toward His ways.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Immoral Behavior Is Offensive To God and It Is Wrong For Everyone

Jehovah could not make it much more clear… He wants us to follow His statutes and not those of the pagans who reject Him. We are not to blend in in this world. He takes sin very seriously. There is absolute right and wrong and many in this world are doing wrong. He does not promise us His blessing regardless of our behavior. He does lay out clear consequences and accountability for those who choose to sin, to live outside of His statutes and guidance. Jehovah has not changed His mind on what He approves of since Leviticus. He is unchanging in His character.

Leviticus 20

On Human Sacrifice and Immoralities

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“You shall also say to the sons of Israel:
‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3‘I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name. 4‘If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, 5then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech.

      6‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7‘You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8‘You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

      9‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him.

      10‘If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11‘If there is a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death, their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 12‘If there is a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed incest, their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 13‘If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 14‘If there is a man who marries a woman and her mother, it is immorality; both he and they shall be burned with fire, so that there will be no immorality in your midst. 15‘If there is a man who lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. 16‘If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

      17‘If there is a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he bears his guilt. 18‘If there is a man who lies with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has exposed the flow of her blood; thus both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19‘You shall also not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for such a one has made naked his blood relative; they will bear their guilt. 20‘If there is a man who lies with his uncle’s wife he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they will bear their sin. They will die childless. 21‘If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless.

      22‘You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out. 23‘Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them. 24‘Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25‘You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. 26‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.

      27‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.’”

There is quite a list of immorality and rebellion identified in this scripture. Our Father is trying to be very clear about these sins. They are unacceptable. No excuses. No rationalizing. He has not changed His mind about these things being wrong. Take care in reflecting on these. Just because it is no longer common that someone may be sacrificing their child to Molech does not mean this is an obsolete passage. People today sacrifice their unborn children through abortion essentially to the god of self. For their own selfish desires they kill their unborn children rather than care for the children and raise them, taking accountability for past mistakes and showing respect for life. Globally there are over 40 million abortions a year. By the numbers, it is a much greater horror than any singular event in history, even the Hollocaust which was gruesome and killed 6 million. God is not pleased with sacrificing children through abortion any more than He was in killing them before Molech.

I do not believe that we are still commanded to execute those specific punishments, in light of Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins. But we are called to rebuke wrong behavior and call evil what it is and good what it is. We should not call what is evil good and what is good evil, as so many do today in our society. We should have laws against most of these behaviors, though some should need no laws, because our laws should reflect our Christian values. There should be punishments for these crimes to help discourage others from embracing sin and harming themselves and others.  Some should be laws, some should be active engagement from the Christian society to rebuke offenders (in love) so that they should repent. We should not cheerfully embrace offenders of these laws as if what they do is acceptable before God.

We can also bring forth the good news of forgiveness that is offered through Christ to those in sin. Jesus Christ died for our sins. We need to admit we are sinners who can not save themselves and accept His offer of forgiveness through grace by faith. Turn from our sinful behavior. Ask forgiveness from the Father. Turn toward the Father’s ways and ask for His help through the Spirit.

Take time to read the list thoroughly. Some of the sin covered here are rejected widely by society for now, but others have already been deemed acceptable and “good” by the world. Given a chance, the world will continue to redefine all of these sinful behaviors to caste them as “good” and caste those who rightly denounce them as “intolerant” and “cruel”.  We must repent personally, pray for God’s help for our nation and local government and the people, and stand against what is evil boldly by confronting it in our communities, churches, and influencing our legal system by actively engaging as a voters or in public office as followers of Christ.  We should never separate church and state. That is just an excuse to open the door for evil to prosper and it was never the intent of our founding fathers of the USA and is certainly not Jehovah’s desire. The founding fathers embraced Christian values and principles and teaching and integrated it into all aspects of the government they created (but that is a topic for another day).

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Coming Clean Before Approaching Jehovah

There is quite a bit of detail in scripture regarding ceremonial cleanness or uncleanness. Jehovah wanted man to separate what is holy from what is not and to be ceremonial clean when approaching Him. I am still studying and praying for understanding on how some of this material applies to us today. I am not convinced we are still to follow the literal application of ceremonial law in terms of coming clean before approaching our Father. I believe instead that we should focus on coming clean from sin, which defiles us and separates us from our Father.  There is strong parallel between the uncleanness laid out in Leviticus and how sin defiles us and also parallels in the need to come clean from sin as we wish to approach our Father.

Fortunately, we don’t need to be perfect, in absence of all sin, to approach our Father. Rather, we need to submit to Him, ask forgiveness, turn from our sin and accept the grace of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Jesus’s death on the cross was sufficient to cover our sins.

Leviticus 15

Cleansing Unhealthiness

     1The LORD also spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. 3‘This, moreover, shall be his uncleanness in his discharge: it is his uncleanness whether his body allows its discharge to flow or whether his body obstructs its discharge. 4‘Every bed on which the person with the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean. 5‘Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening; 6and whoever sits on the thing on which the man with the discharge has been sitting, shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 7‘Also whoever touches the person with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 8‘Or if the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, he too shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 9‘Every saddle on which the person with the discharge rides becomes unclean. 10‘Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 11‘Likewise, whomever the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 12‘However, an earthenware vessel which the person with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed in water.

      13‘Now when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, then he shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water and will become clean. 14‘Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest; 15and the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD because of his discharge.

      16‘Now if a man has a seminal emission, he shall bathe all his body in water and be unclean until evening. 17‘As for any garment or any leather on which there is seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening. 18‘If a man lies with a woman so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

      19‘When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20‘Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. 21‘Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 22‘Whoever touches any thing on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 23‘Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24‘If a man actually lies with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

      25‘Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. 26‘Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like her bed at menstruation; and every thing on which she sits shall be unclean, like her uncleanness at that time. 27‘Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 28‘When she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days; and afterward she will be clean. 29‘Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them in to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 30‘The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the LORD because of her impure discharge.’

      31“Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.” 32This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man who has a seminal emission so that he is unclean by it, 33and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who lies with an unclean woman.

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Have you allowed Him to cleanse your sin so you may approach the Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Offering Sacrifices, Repenting from Sin, Sin

Repenting of Sin Is Not Always As Simple As It Sounds

I must once again humbly admit that I am no expert in understanding all the ceremonial laws associated with the Israelite people in the Old Testament. I believe that they have great symbolism built into them and that there is often intent to help point to and remind people of our sinful nature and how we can repent and seek forgiveness and cleansing from God. Further, they also help guide us in our relationship with God including thankfulness and joyful celebration and humility and submission.

The ceremonial law associated with leprosy appear to be a parallel for our basic sin condition. As leprosy is a terrible physical condition which is contagious to others and impossible for man to cure, so too is sin that for our spiritual condition. The  breakout of physical scabs or wounds on a leper parallel to the visible actions and attitudes of a sinful person who may be in rebellion against God… or at least not fully submitted to God.

Remaining in sin is as dire spiritually as leprosy is physically. It destroys us and it can spread to others. We are called to separate the unrepentant sinner from the fellowship of believers. They are not our enemy, but neither are they clean. Unrepentant sin creates a need for separation.

Praise God, however, that through the death and resurrection of Christ there is a chance for redemption. For those that submit to Christ and repent of their sin, they can be cleansed. Turning from sin is not always as easy to do as it is for me to type here. There is much involved. Submission to the Father, conscious change of attitude and behavior for the individual, and appropriate support from those who lead the fellowship of believers. There is a path to be cleansed through repentance, through submission to Christ, and then restoration with the body of Christ.

Leviticus 14

Law of Cleansing a Leper

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to the priest, 3and the priest shall go out to the outside of the camp. Thus the priest shall look, and if the infection of leprosy has been healed in the leper, 4then the priest shall give orders to take two live clean birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed. 5“The priest shall also give orders to slay the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. 6“As for the live bird, he shall take it together with the cedar wood and the scarlet string and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slain over the running water. 7“He shall then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird go free over the open field. 8“The one to be cleansed shall then wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe in water and be clean. Now afterward, he may enter the camp, but he shall stay outside his tent for seven days. 9“It will be on the seventh day that he shall shave off all his hair: he shall shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair. He shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water and be clean.

      10“Now on the eighth day he is to take two male lambs without defect, and a yearling ewe lamb without defect, and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log of oil; 11and the priest who pronounces him clean shall present the man to be cleansed and the aforesaid before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 12“Then the priest shall take the one male lamb and bring it for a guilt offering, with the log of oil, and present them as a wave offering before the LORD. 13“Next he shall slaughter the male lamb in the place where they slaughter the sin offering and the burnt offering, at the place of the sanctuary—for the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14“The priest shall then take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15“The priest shall also take some of the log of oil, and pour it into his left palm; 16the priest shall then dip his right-hand finger into the oil that is in his left palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times before the LORD. 17“Of the remaining oil which is in his palm, the priest shall put some on the right ear lobe of the one to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering; 18while the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s palm, he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD. 19“The priest shall next offer the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Then afterward, he shall slaughter the burnt offering. 20“The priest shall offer up the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be clean.

      21“But if he is poor and his means are insufficient, then he is to take one male lamb for a guilt offering as a wave offering to make atonement for him, and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil, 22and two turtledoves or two young pigeons which are within his means, the one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23“Then the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, before the LORD. 24“The priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall offer them for a wave offering before the LORD. 25“Next he shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering; and the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26“The priest shall also pour some of the oil into his left palm; 27and with his right-hand finger the priest shall sprinkle some of the oil that is in his left palm seven times before the LORD. 28“The priest shall then put some of the oil that is in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering. 29“Moreover, the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s palm he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement on his behalf before the LORD. 30“He shall then offer one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, which are within his means. 31“He shall offer what he can afford, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. So the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed. 32“This is the law for him in whom there is an infection of leprosy, whose means are limited for his cleansing.”

Cleansing a Leprous House

      33The LORD further spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:

      34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a mark of leprosy on a house in the land of your possession, 35then the one who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘Something like a mark of leprosy has become visible to me in the house.’ 36“The priest shall then command that they empty the house before the priest goes in to look at the mark, so that everything in the house need not become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to look at the house. 37“So he shall look at the mark, and if the mark on the walls of the house has greenish or reddish depressions and appears deeper than the surface, 38then the priest shall come out of the house, to the doorway, and quarantine the house for seven days. 39“The priest shall return on the seventh day and make an inspection. If the mark has indeed spread in the walls of the house, 40then the priest shall order them to tear out the stones with the mark in them and throw them away at an unclean place outside the city. 41“He shall have the house scraped all around inside, and they shall dump the plaster that they scrape off at an unclean place outside the city. 42“Then they shall take other stones and replace those stones, and he shall take other plaster and replaster the house.

      43“If, however, the mark breaks out again in the house after he has torn out the stones and scraped the house, and after it has been replastered, 44then the priest shall come in and make an inspection. If he sees that the mark has indeed spread in the house, it is a malignant mark in the house; it is unclean. 45“He shall therefore tear down the house, its stones, and its timbers, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall take them outside the city to an unclean place. 46“Moreover, whoever goes into the house during the time that he has quarantined it, becomes unclean until evening. 47“Likewise, whoever lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

      48“If, on the other hand, the priest comes in and makes an inspection and the mark has not indeed spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean because the mark has not reappeared. 49“To cleanse the house then, he shall take two birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop, 50and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. 51“Then he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string, with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird as well as in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52“He shall thus cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water, along with the live bird and with the cedar wood and with the hyssop and with the scarlet string. 53“However, he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

      54This is the law for any mark of leprosy—even for a scale, 55and for the leprous garment or house, 56and for a swelling, and for a scab, and for a bright spot— 57to teach when they are unclean and when they are clean. This is the law of leprosy.

Congratulations for any and all who read through the whole scripture. Sometimes reading Leviticus can seem tough. So much of the context and understanding is difficult given our current culture is so radically different than the Israelite culture back then.

Remember to learn when you are clean and unclean (e.g. engaging in unrepentant sin)… and get help when you need it from the Father and from other believers. We all have a tendency to sin. Only through Christ can we overcome it.

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Test for Leprosy a Parallel for Cleanliness from Sin?

Leviticus 13 provides a significant amount of text documenting for the priests and the people what action should be taken in evaluating and dealing with Leprosy. There is much care in evaluating the situation. The priest is not quick to jump to conclusions, sometimes waiting 7 days or 14 days. Someone may be isolated while waiting.

I am no where close to an expert on medical treatment of leprosy. I may come back and study it more at some point. I can only speculate or hypothesize. Was this scripture purely recorded just to deal with controlling the spread of leprosy? or was there more?

There does appear to also be a parallel in regards to addressing our sin condition. Sometimes actions must be carefully scrutinized, perhaps by ourselves, but sometimes we do well to get help from an unbiased godly person to help us carefully evaluate our actions and attitudes. The Holy Spirit can of course help in this area as well. Even actions that may appear acceptable or even holy may be driven by wrong motives and that is still sin, or at least indicative of separation from God. Sometimes when we are dealing with sin, it is helpful to set ourselves aside, in isolation as it were, from our daily frantic routines and take time to really pray and reflect on our sin condition in certain areas. By the grace of Jehovah, we can be cleansed of our sin through submission to Yeshua (a.k.a. Jesus Christ). This submission would be characterized and accompanied by changed behavior reflective of now obeying Jehovah’s instructions rather than our own desires. We are thus cleansed by the blood of Yeshua.

Leviticus 13

The Test for Leprosy

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2“When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes an infection of leprosy on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. 3“The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean. 4“But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate him who has the infection for seven days. 5“The priest shall look at him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the infection has not changed and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days. 6“The priest shall look at him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and the mark has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

      7“But if the scab spreads farther on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again to the priest. 8“The priest shall look, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is leprosy.

      9“When the infection of leprosy is on a man, then he shall be brought to the priest. 10“The priest shall then look, and if there is a white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is quick raw flesh in the swelling, 11it is a chronic leprosy on the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not isolate him, for he is unclean. 12“If the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of him who has the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see, 13then the priest shall look, and behold, if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; it has all turned white and he is clean. 14“But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. 15“The priest shall look at the raw flesh, and he shall pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean, it is leprosy. 16“Or if the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest, 17and the priest shall look at him, and behold, if the infection has turned to white, then the priest shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; he is clean.

      18“When the body has a boil on its skin and it is healed, 19and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish-white, bright spot, then it shall be shown to the priest; 20and the priest shall look, and behold, if it appears to be lower than the skin, and the hair on it has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is the infection of leprosy, it has broken out in the boil. 21“But if the priest looks at it, and behold, there are no white hairs in it and it is not lower than the skin and is faded, then the priest shall isolate him for seven days; 22and if it spreads farther on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infection. 23“But if the bright spot remains in its place and does not spread, it is only the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

      24“Or if the body sustains in its skin a burn by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white, 25then the priest shall look at it. And if the hair in the bright spot has turned white and it appears to be deeper than the skin, it is leprosy; it has broken out in the burn. Therefore, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infection of leprosy. 26“But if the priest looks at it, and indeed, there is no white hair in the bright spot and it is no deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall isolate him for seven days; 27and the priest shall look at him on the seventh day. If it spreads farther in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infection of leprosy. 28“But if the bright spot remains in its place and has not spread in the skin, but is dim, it is the swelling from the burn; and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is only the scar of the burn.

      29“Now if a man or woman has an infection on the head or on the beard, 30then the priest shall look at the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and there is thin yellowish hair in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a scale, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard. 31“But if the priest looks at the infection of the scale, and indeed, it appears to be no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the person with the scaly infection for seven days. 32“On the seventh day the priest shall look at the infection, and if the scale has not spread and no yellowish hair has grown in it, and the appearance of the scale is no deeper than the skin, 33then he shall shave himself, but he shall not shave the scale; and the priest shall isolate the person with the scale seven more days. 34“Then on the seventh day the priest shall look at the scale, and if the scale has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. 35“But if the scale spreads farther in the skin after his cleansing, 36then the priest shall look at him, and if the scale has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellowish hair; he is unclean. 37“If in his sight the scale has remained, however, and black hair has grown in it, the scale has healed, he is clean; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

      38“When a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, even white bright spots, 39then the priest shall look, and if the bright spots on the skin of their bodies are a faint white, it is eczema that has broken out on the skin; he is clean.

      40“Now if a man loses the hair of his head, he is bald; he is clean. 41“If his head becomes bald at the front and sides, he is bald on the forehead; he is clean. 42“But if on the bald head or the bald forehead, there occurs a reddish-white infection, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or on his bald forehead. 43“Then the priest shall look at him; and if the swelling of the infection is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the body, 44he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his infection is on his head.

      45“As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46“He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

      47“When a garment has a mark of leprosy in it, whether it is a wool garment or a linen garment, 48whether in warp or woof, of linen or of wool, whether in leather or in any article made of leather, 49if the mark is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, or in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, it is a leprous mark and shall be shown to the priest. 50“Then the priest shall look at the mark and shall quarantine the article with the mark for seven days. 51“He shall then look at the mark on the seventh day; if the mark has spread in the garment, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in the leather, whatever the purpose for which the leather is used, the mark is a leprous malignancy, it is unclean. 52“So he shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or any article of leather in which the mark occurs, for it is a leprous malignancy; it shall be burned in the fire.

      53“But if the priest shall look, and indeed the mark has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, 54then the priest shall order them to wash the thing in which the mark occurs and he shall quarantine it for seven more days. 55“After the article with the mark has been washed, the priest shall again look, and if the mark has not changed its appearance, even though the mark has not spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire, whether an eating away has produced bareness on the top or on the front of it.

      56“Then if the priest looks, and if the mark has faded after it has been washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment or out of the leather, whether from the warp or from the woof; 57and if it appears again in the garment, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, it is an outbreak; the article with the mark shall be burned in the fire. 58“The garment, whether the warp or the woof, or any article of leather from which the mark has departed when you washed it, it shall then be washed a second time and will be clean.”

      59This is the law for the mark of leprosy in a garment of wool or linen, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.

If you made it all the way through today’s scripture… well done. Sometimes reading the full text can be tough. There is much detail here. God put recorded it for a reason. All scripture is still worthy of prayerful consideration and application.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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The Glory of the Lord Revealed

Leviticus 9 offers us an interesting view into the steps Moses instructed Aaron to follow in preparation for Jehovah revealing His glory to Aaron. What an interesting topic to study for those of us who wish to draw near to God and have a personal relationship with Him. (warning – I have more to learn in regards to the full significance of the Levitical sacrifices… by all means study these for yourself)

Aaron was to make a sin offering and a burnt offering for himself. The sin offering reminds us we need forgiveness and atonement for our sin, which separates us from God. Prior to the death of Christ, animal sacrifices symbolically took on the punishment for our sin. Now, we need instead to accept Jesus as Lord and accept His offer of His own death as ransom for our sin. The burnt offering symbolizes atonement for sin and our voluntary dedication (of ourselves) to the Father. Then he led the congregation in a similar set of sacrifices for their atonement and dedication.

He added a peace offering for the congregation, symbolizing fellowship, rejoicing and thanksgiving with the Lord. In all these things, they obeyed the specific instructions of the Lord. They did things His way. It was then that He revealed His glory before them.

Leviticus 9

Aaron Offers Sacrifices

      1Now it came about on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; 2and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf, a bull, for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the LORD. 3“Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for a burnt offering, 4and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’” 5So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the LORD. 6Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” 7Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the LORD has commanded.”

      8So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself. 9Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10The fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver of the sin offering, he then offered up in smoke on the altar just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11The flesh and the skin, however, he burned with fire outside the camp.

      12Then he slaughtered the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. 13They handed the burnt offering to him in pieces, with the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. 14He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar.

      15Then he presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first. 16He also presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. 17Next he presented the grain offering, and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

      18Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. 19As for the portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail, and the fat covering, and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver, 20they now placed the portions of fat on the breasts; and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. 21But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron presented as a wave offering before the LORD, just as Moses had commanded.

      22Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Take time to reflect on the significance of what God chose to reveal to us as His people in Leviticus 9. Do not rush over it because “sacrifices are obsolete”. Prayerfully consider the following if you wish to draw near to God and experience close fellowship with Him.

  • Do you learn and obey His ways rather than your own or what is accepted by our culture?
  • Have you accepted that you have a sin problem which separates you from the Father? Have you further come humbly before the Lord and asked Jesus to be Lord of your life… accepting His offer to pay to penalty for your sin? Have you repented from your sin and changed your ways?
  • Have you dedicated yourself to the service of the Father? This means your life reflects obedience to Him and setting yourself apart from the world to be holy and used for His purposes.
  • Do you come before the Father in thanksgiving and praise? Do you set aside time to fellowship with Him on His terms rather than your own?

Now consider that none of these things are one time decisions or actions. They are a new way of living once you are reborn in the Spirit. Pray for His help and then lead your heart in the way of the Lord.  Do these things wholeheartedly and He will draw near to you and reveal more of Himself to you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Have You Truly Come To Know Jesus?

John addressed in clear manner a way for us to discern about others, and even about ourselves, whether or not we truly know Jesus Christ. It is simple, really, but many miss it. They get too complacent in saying they know Christ, but they do not actually follow Him and walk the way that He walked. They continue to live in sin, perhaps telling themselves that they have been forgiven, but refusing to turn away from their sin. The truth is not in them.

1 John 2:1-14

Christ Is Our Advocate

      1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

      3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

      7Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

      12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Of course we all must start somewhere. When we are beginners in Christ, we will still be working to shed our sinful behaviors and attitudes. We will have started the journey to leave our sinful nature behind and begun the journey to become more and more like Jesus. We do not get there all at once. The Holy Spirit continues to reveal more and more truth through scripture study the longer we seek Him.

However, with a reasonable understanding of where we are in our journey with Christ, We should apply John’s test to ourselves fairly regularly. Are we keeping His commandments? Are we continuing to pull away from sin and move toward Christ more and more? Do we love our brothers rather than hate them?

Pray for the Father to help you have a clear understanding of your relationship with Him and not be deceived by the teaching of the world which constantly tell us we are good enough no matter what sin we continue and often mocks those who actually follow Christ most closely.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.