Sunday, July 28, 2019

Grace and Condemnation

The two types of sin at the crucifixion:

Unintentional - "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots" (Luke 23:33-34).

Presumptive - Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?  Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin" (John 19:10:11)

The Romans committed the unintentional sin, in ignorance, the centurions didn't know what they were doing which was killing an innocent Man - God Himself.

Those who delivered Jesus - the Jews - had the greater sin. They presumed that Jesus was not innocent and he that he was not God. Their sin was presumptive.

When Jesus spoke, he was surely referring to the unintentional and presumptive sins whose penalties were written in the Old Testament:

Regarding unintentional sin,  God's prescribed punishment was atonement: "And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance" (Num 15:25). Of course, the "Priest" who mad the atonement for the Gentile Romans was Jesus Christ himself. Because the chosen Jews rejected Jesus, the apostles turned to the Gentiles who accepted the atonement when the Jews did not.

Regarding presumptive sin, God's prescribed punishment was circumcision of his chosen people: "Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him" (Num 15:31). We know that God's "chosen" Jewish people were replaced by his "peculiar" Gentile people (1 Pet 2:9), and indeed, the Jews were cutoff and the greater sin (iniquity) was accounted to them.

Always look for Jesus in the Old Testament. The penalties in ancient days were the same as in apostolic times, and even until this day. Those two passages are God's judgements and were applied to Jesus's death. One judgment was grace and the other condemnation.


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