04/28/2025
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - WHAT IS SIN? OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW - WHAT DOES IT SAY REGARDING TYPES OF SIN? AND HOW TO RECIEVE FORGIVENESS? LET'S LOOK... 👀
# Isaiah 53:5 - Transgressions and Iniquities
Isaiah 53:5 is an important passage in the Hebrew Scriptures that distinguishes between different types of sin. In the original Hebrew text, it uses two distinct terms:
- **Transgressions** (פֶּשַׁע/pesha): Acts of rebellion or deliberate violations against known commands
- **Iniquities** (עָוֹן/avon): Moral perversity, corruption, or twisted character that leads to wrongdoing
The Hebrew understanding of sin was quite nuanced. Here are the different categories of sin in Hebrew Scripture and other relevant passages.
To understand FORGIVENESS (redemption through Christ Jesus) we must know what is sin.
# # Main Categories of Sin in Hebrew Scripture
1. **Pesha (פֶּשַׁע)** - Transgression/Rebellion
- Deliberate acts against God's commands
- Isaiah 1:2: "...I have reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me."
- Amos 2:4: "...because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees."
2. **Avon (עָוֹן)** - Iniquity/Perversion
- Moral corruption or twisted character
- Psalm 51:5: "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
- Isaiah 6:7: "...your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
3. **Chata (חָטָא)** - Sin/Missing the Mark
- Failing to meet God's standard, often unintentionally
- Leviticus 4:2: "When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden..."
- Psalm 51:2: "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."
4. **Asham (אָשָׁם)** - Guilt/Trespass
- Legal liability or guilt requiring restitution
- Leviticus 5:17-19: Describes guilt offerings for unknown sins
- Ezra 10:19: "...they gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram..."
5. **Ra (רַע)** - Evil/Wickedness
- General term for wrong actions or intentions
- Genesis 6:5: "...every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time."
- Proverbs 8:13: "To fear the LORD is to hate evil..."
# # Levels of Sin in Jewish Understanding
The rabbinic tradition developed levels of sin based on intention and knowledge:
1. **Sins committed unknowingly** (Leviticus 4:2-3)
2. **Sins committed knowingly but not defiantly** (Numbers 15:27-29)
3. **Sins committed "with a high hand"** (intentional defiance, Numbers 15:30-31)
# # Key Passages Demonstrating These Distinctions
- **Psalm 32:1-2**: "Blessed is the one whose transgressions [pesha] are forgiven, whose sins [chata] are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin [avon] the LORD does not count against them."
- Note the deliberate use of three different Hebrew words for sin in this passage.
- **Leviticus 16:21** (Day of Atonement): "...and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins..."
- The high priest confesses three categories of sin.
- **Exodus 34:6-7**: "...forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin."
- God's character is shown in forgiving all types of sin.
- **Micah 7:18-19**: "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression... You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
- Shows God dealing with different categories of sin.
- **Ezekiel 18**: Gives an extended discussion of personal responsibility for different types of sin.
The Hebrew conception of sin is multifaceted, recognizing that wrongdoing can stem from rebellion, moral corruption, ignorance, or failure. This understanding forms the foundation for the sacrificial system and ultimately points to the comprehensive atonement described in Isaiah 53:5.
NEW TESTAMENT GREEK SCRIPTURES AND JESUS ATONEMENT FOR SIN:
# New Testament Greek Terms for Sin and Jesus' Atonement
The New Testament builds upon the Hebrew understanding of sin but uses Greek terminology to express these concepts. The Greek terms provide additional nuance to our understanding of sin and how Jesus' atonement addresses each type.
# # Greek Terms for Sin in the New Testament
1. **Hamartia (ἁμαρτία)** - Missing the mark/Sin
- The most common term for sin in the NT
- Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned [hamartia] and fall short of the glory of God."
- 1 John 1:8: "If we claim to be without sin [hamartia], we deceive ourselves..."
2. **Parabasis (παράβασις)** - Transgression/Stepping across
- Breaking a known law or boundary
- Romans 5:14: "...death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking [parabasis] a command..."
- Galatians 3:19: "Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions [parabasis]..."
3. **Paraptoma (παράπτωμα)** - Trespass/False step
- Stumbling or falling away
- Ephesians 2:1: "...you were dead in your transgressions [paraptoma] and sins"
- Romans 5:15: "...if the many died by the trespass [paraptoma] of the one man..."
4. **Anomia (ἀνομία)** - Lawlessness/Iniquity
- Living without regard for divine law
- Matthew 7:23: "...Away from me, you evildoers [workers of anomia]!"
- 1 John 3:4: "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness [anomia]."
5. **Adikia (ἀδικία)** - Unrighteousness/Injustice
- Moral wrongness, especially in relationships
- 1 John 5:17: "All wrongdoing [adikia] is sin..."
- Romans 1:18: "...against all the godlessness and wickedness [adikia] of people..."
6. **Opheilema (ὀφείλημα)** - Debt
- Sin as a debt that must be paid
- Matthew 6:12: "And forgive us our debts [opheilema]..."
# # Jesus' Atonement for Sin in the New Testament
# # # Key Passages on Atonement
1. **Romans 3:24-25**: "...justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement [hilasterion], through the shedding of his blood..."
- Presents Christ as the mercy seat (hilasterion) where atonement occurs
2. **Hebrews 2:17**: "...that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement [hilaskomai] for the sins of the people."
- Jesus as high priest making propitiation/atonement
3. **1 John 2:2**: "He is the atoning sacrifice [hilasmos] for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
- Jesus as the sacrifice that brings about reconciliation
4. **Colossians 2:13-14**: "...He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross."
- Sin as legal debt canceled through Christ's work
5. **2 Corinthians 5:21**: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
- The exchange of our sin for Christ's righteousness
6. **1 Peter 2:24**: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
- Direct reference to Isaiah 53, connecting Hebrew and Greek understandings
7. **Ephesians 1:7**: "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
- Blood atonement for all types of sin
# # # Theological Concepts of Atonement
1. **Substitution** (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18)
- Christ died in our place, taking the punishment we deserved
2. **Reconciliation** (Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
- Restoring relationship between God and humanity
3. **Propitiation** (Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2)
- Satisfying God's justice and turning away wrath
4. **Redemption** (Ephesians 1:7, Titus 2:14)
- Buying back or ransoming from slavery to sin
5. **Justification** (Romans 5:1, 3:24)
- Legal declaration of righteousness through Christ
6. **Sanctification** (Hebrews 10:10, 1 Corinthians 6:11)
- Being made holy through Christ's sacrifice
The New Testament presents Jesus' atonement as comprehensive, addressing every category of sin found in both Hebrew and Greek understanding. While the Hebrew Scriptures established distinct categories of sin requiring different sacrifices, the New Testament presents Christ's sacrifice as the ultimate and complete atonement for all types of sin, fulfilling and transcending the requirements of the Law.
HOW TO RECIEVE CHRIST JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, AND HIS GIFT OF SALVATION - ATONEMENT- PAYMENT FOR YOUR SINS:
# Receiving Christ as Savior and Lord
The New Testament presents a clear path for how one can receive Christ as Savior and Lord for atonement of sins. This process involves several spiritual elements that work together:
# # Core Elements of Receiving Christ
# # # 1. Acknowledge Your Need for Salvation
- **Romans 3:23**: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
- **Romans 6:23**: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Understanding that we have sinned and need salvation is the first step. This recognition of our spiritual condition creates the foundation for seeking Christ's atonement.
# # # 2. Believe in Jesus Christ and His Work
- **John 3:16**: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
- **Acts 16:31**: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."
Belief involves trusting that Jesus is who He claimed to be (the Son of God) and that His death and resurrection provide atonement for your sins.
# # # 3. Repent of Your Sins
- **Acts 3:19**: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out."
- **Luke 13:3**: "Unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Repentance means turning away from sin and turning toward God. It involves a genuine change of heart and direction.
# # # 4. Confess Jesus as Lord
- **Romans 10:9-10**: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
- **1 John 4:15**: "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."
Verbal confession of Jesus as Lord signifies your commitment to His authority in your life.
# # # 5. Receive the Gift of Salvation
- **Ephesians 2:8-9**: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."
- **John 1:12**: "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
Salvation is received as a gift through faith, not earned through good works.
# # Practical Steps Often Associated with Receiving Christ
# # # 1. Prayer of Commitment
Many Christians use a simple prayer to express their decision to receive Christ.
**Romans 10:9-10 NKJV — that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
- Acknowledgment of sin
- Belief in Jesus' sacrifice
- Commitment to follow Him as Lord
# # # 2. Baptism
- **Acts 2:38**: "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
- **Romans 6:3-4**: "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
Baptism is an outward expression of the inward spiritual reality of dying to sin and being raised to new life in Christ.
# # # 3. Joining a Community of Believers
- **Hebrews 10:24-25**: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another..."
The Christian journey is meant to be lived in community with other believers.
# # Evidence of Receiving Christ
The Bible indicates that genuine reception of Christ produces fruit:
- **Galatians 5:22-23**: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- **2 Corinthians 5:17**: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
This transformation doesn't happen instantly or perfectly, but real relationship with Christ gradually changes a person's character and priorities.
The reception of Christ as Savior and Lord is both a moment of decision and the beginning of a lifelong journey of growing in relationship with Him and allowing His atonement to transform every aspect of life.
Don't delay! A new life free from sin and filled with God's love, life, light, peace and joy is only a prayer away!
"GOD, I BELIEVE YOU SENT JESUS TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR MY SIN. I BELIEVE IN JESUS! JESUS SAVE ME! FORGIVE ME! I BELIEVE IN YOU! I BELIEVE YOU DIED ON THE CROSS, WENT TO HELL, PAID THE PENALTY FOR MY SIN, SO I CAN RECEIVE FORGIVENESS. I BELIEVE YOU ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY AND BECAUSE YOU LIVE, I CAN LIVE IN HEAVEN TOO! THANK YOU GOD FOR SAVING, HEALING, DELIVERING ME TODAY! FILL ME WITH YOUR PRECIOUS HOLY SPIRIT AND HELP ME TO LIVE EACH DAY FOR YOU! I LOVE YOU LORD! AMEN."
Blessings and love,
Pastor Linda M. Cross
Www.HARVESTCHURCHLIVE.ORG
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HARVEST CHURCH
2627 NW 2ND AVE
FARIBAULT MN 55021
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