By Bob Vaughn - uca@uncommonanswers.com
"Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints"
Uncommon Answers Home Page
TWO TYPES OF SIN
In the scriptures there are two types of sins. One type brings guilt;
the other does not. Therefore, one brings judgment; the other does not.
Distinction is made between these two types of sins all through the
Bible. Let's look at some references.
First in Numbers 15:27-28:
And if any person
sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first
year for
a sin offering. So the priest shall make an atonement for the person
who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the Lord,
to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
We see here a sin
committed through ignorance--without knowledge of wrongness. But in
contrast to this sin of ignorance we read of another type of sin in the
following verses (30-31):
But the person who
does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a
stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord; that person shall be
cut off
from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord,
and has broken his commandment, that soul shall be completely cut
off;
his iniquity shall be upon him.
Here we have a sin
committed presumptuously--arrogantly, in defiance. This is not a sin
done in ignorance - unintentionally - but willfully, despising the word
of the Lord.
David also spoke of these two types of sins in Psalm 19, verses 12-13:
Who can understand
his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant
also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then I
shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great
transgression.
The "secret faults"
he spoke of were sins of ignorance--things he may have done wrong but
didn't realize the error of them. He also spoke of presumptuous
sins--those willful sins of defiance against the word of God.
We have seen two types of sin: those of ignorance (unintentional) and
those done presumptuously (willfully). As in the Old Testament, the New
testament has much to say about these two types of sin. First in I John
1:5b-7:
God is light, and in
him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth. But if we
walk in
the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we are walking in
the light and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, the sin we
are being cleansed from must be sins done in ignorance. For we are
walking in the light; walking in all the knowledge we have. Therefore,
as we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus automatically clenses our
sins of ignorance. But what of presumptuous, willful sins against the
word of God? Let's read Hebrews 10:26-27:
For if we sin
willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there
no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expection
of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Here we have the
willful, presumptuous sin committed in defiance of the truth, the word
of God. For this type of sin the blood of Jesus is not
working.Because of this rebellion there remains no more sacrifice for
sins in the willful sinner's life. At this point the willful sinner
must reestablish his relationship with God by true repentance and
faith, or face the fate of all rebels-- judgment and fiery indignation
which shall devour the adversaries. In the next verse (verse 28):
He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.
We see here a linking
to the presumptuous sin in Numbers 15:30-31 and the
judgment that was upon it. Then in verse 29:
Of how much worse
punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy, who has
trampled the Son of God under foot, counted the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified an common thing, and insulted the
Spirit of grace?
Here we see the
arrogant, defiant attitude of this willful sinner. He is trampling
under
foot the Son of God, and considering that precious blood which
sanctified, purified and cleansed him as unholy, and insulting the
Spirit of grace. Of what punishment do you suppose he shall be worthy?
Let's look at one more reference to the two types of sins in I John
5:16:
If any man see his
brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He
will
give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a
sin leading to
death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
We see here a sin
that doesn't bring death and a sin that does bring death. The death
spoken of here is spiritual
death - separation from God, as in Romans 6:16,
