The Guilt Offering

We most often only consider that Jesus was the sin offering for man.  We don’t consider that He was also the guilt offering.  In Leviticus, it describes a sin offering and a guilt offering.  Both were to atone for sins committed knowingly or through ignorance.  The sin offering was to cover the root of the sin, the natural man’s inclination to do the sin.  The guilt offering was to cover the fruit of the sin. 

What is the fruit of sin?  Sin produces obvious consequences in the lives of many people which an offering is not going to immediately correct.  However, there is fruit in a person that sin produces that is an obstruction to their living the way God intended.  Guilt is a fruit of sin.  Many people who have turned from their sin and repented carry the guilt of a sin for the rest of their lives.  They are always under the weight of that sin even after they accept forgiveness.  The guilt offering is for the purpose of removing the burden of the guilt.  However, in the traditional Hebrew there is more to this offering.  It involves money to the offended of some percent.  But we’re discussing the personal guilt portion.

Isaiah tell us that Christ is the guilt offering.  The Hebrew word for guilt is asham and it is used in 53:10.  “The Lord makes His life (soul) an [asham] offering for sin”.  Therefore, Christ was the perfect sacrifice.  He bore our sins on the cross and He bore our guilt also.  There is no purpose for any Christian to live under the heavy burden of guilt once they have fully repented of their sin.  There is no purpose for any Christian to live under the burden of guilt if any wrongful deed has been done to them. 

Maybe you have asked yourself, how can someone do such-and-such sin and then go along as though they have done nothing?  If they are a Christian and have turned from their sin and repented, their proper course of life is to accept the perfect sacrifice of Jesus as their sin and guilt offering.  They not only should believe their sin is forgiven, but that their guilt is removed also.  They are to live freely and victorious with confidence that Jesus has defeated both completely for them.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us!” – 1 John 3:1

Because of Christ, I am convinced that Christians should not live under any weight of guilt or sin, but free and victorious through the blessed love of God’s Son Jesus’ perfect work.  Accept God’s free gift and live as God intended today.