Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1
In these messages we shall discuss peace as prophesied and developed in the Word of God. We shall first present Him who is our peace and the Prince of Peace. Then we shall see that this Prince of Peace can give peace to everyone who trusts in His blood. We shall see that there can be peace only where He is, and where He is not there can be no peace; and finally we shall look to the grand, consummated, glorious peace on earth when He shall come to rule and reign in righteousness.
Continuing from last week to discuss the three classes of sins:
Sins of Omission
The second class of sins we find mentioned in the fifth chapter. They are the sins of “omission.” They are the things we should have done but have not done: our failure to stand up for Christ when His Name was reviled; our failure to seek to win others to Christ; our failure to be as fervent as we ought in prayer; the opportunities we have wasted, opportunities that never will return. How we permitted the weariness of our flesh and the fear of man to keep us from being our best! All that is sin. I wonder whether those who boast of their holiness realize that sin is not only doing wrong things but also failure to do all the right things. For these sins, too, the Lord made provision in Christ, our trespass offering, and all we need to do to be cleansed is to present Him again as our offering and then “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Our dear Lord recognized how frail we would be and took the weakness of His children into consideration when He provided the sacrifice on the Cross for us.
Sins of Defilement
In the third group of sins of the believers found in Leviticus 5 are the sins of defilement. The Israelite might not even know that he had touched an unclean thing, but he was guilty just the same. God is holy—so holy that not one tiny spot goes unnoticed. We are living in a corrupt world. In our social, business and even religious life we are constantly brushing shoulders with unclean things. Is there a businessman who would dare to say that he can do business as a Christian in this world and not be defiled? You Christians have to deal with ungodly salesmen and customers. Some of you work for ungodly employers, in places where the very atmosphere reeks with smut and profanity. There is nothing you can do about it without casting your pearls before the swine.
It defiles you, nevertheless, and you need cleansing. Our blessed Lord knew how hard it was going to be for you to live in this wicked world and try to make a livelihood under these conditions. He knew how difficult and impossible it would be to remain undefiled, and while He does not justify defilement, He does make provision for it. To become daily defiled is sin even though unavoidable, but failure to avail yourself of the cleansing provided is inexcusable, and will result in the sure judgment of God. Since He has been gracious enough to provide a cleansing, surely you cannot expect to go unpunished if you despise His provision.
The Cleansing
For each of these sins a sacrifice was provided. For one it was a bullock, for another a goat, etc. All of these sacrifices pointed to Him, our blessed High Priest, and all spoke of His blood. The Israelite was to lay his hand on the head of the sacrifice, thereby confessing his sin, and then the priest did the rest. O Christian, have you learned the victory that Christ offers when you yield everything over to Him? Paul says in Philippians:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7.
Are you defeated and discouraged? Then confess to Him and accept His promise that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When you have confessed, then trust Him. Do not be anxious any more, but having done your part, leave the rest to Him. Do not confess your sin more than once to Him. Many people confess the same sin over and over again, thereby insulting God. If you have confessed it once, then believe that He keeps His word. If we confess, He forgives.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 