Hi! This is brother Scott with another Truth Time, Look in the Book!
Today is part 20 in my series, “Bible Key Words and Meanings A to Z.”
I will reference quite a few verses, so please follow along with an open King James Bible and perhaps take some notes.
We continue with the letter “G.”
The word today is:
Guilty
Let’s take a look at the first part of:
(Exo 34:7 KJV) (7) Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;…
and the beginning of:
(Num 14:18 KJV) (18) The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty,…
Being forgiven does not equal being declared not guilty, it just means we are forgiven, both under the law for Israel, and for us in the dispensation of grace.
If that were not the case even today, that is, if forgiveness did clear the guilty today, then we would have no need for salvation.
Everyone would be saved.
And that is universalism.
But forgiveness and salvation are not the same.
Forgiveness is not a declaration of not guilty, but justification is because they're different.
Only when a person is guilty and at fault are they in need of forgiveness.
Forgiven doesn’t mean justified or righteous because sin can never be justified.
The only way to be declared not guilty and without fault is to be declared justified.
Justified people are not in need of forgiveness because they're not guilty of anything that needs to be forgiven.
When someone forgives a person who wronged them, the wrong doer is forgiven whether he chooses to receive it or not.
He is forgiven whether he believes it or not.
The perpetrator has no choice in the matter.
The power of forgiveness does not belong to the guilty party, it belongs to the one doing the forgiving.
But, remember this: The wrongdoing is not erased.
It is not justified.
It is only forgiven.
In the Old Testament, Israel was declared guilty for not following the law:
(Jas 2:10 KJV) (10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Today during the dispensation of grace, those who do not believe and trust in the gospel that saves today in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 are declared guilty.
Forgiveness did not clear the guilty for Israel in the Old Testament, and forgiveness does not clear the guilty in the dispensation of grace.
In the Old Testament, satisfactory offerings made for atonement were the means for Israel’s forgiveness, and the offerings were required every year. But Israel’s salvation was based on their faith in God, their performance, and keeping the commandments, i.e., works.
Here is a good example showing that forgiveness does not equal righteousness.
Let’s explore how King David described unrighteous Israel and their forgiveness.
We’ll see that they were forgiven, but not ever declared righteous.
(Psa 78:36-38 KJV)
(36) Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
(37) For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
(38) But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
God, over and over again, became angry with Israel because they were unrighteous even though they were forgiven.
God also repeatedly reconciled himself to Israel by forgiving their sins after each atonement sacrifice.
See how reconciliation functioned before the cross?
Israel repeatedly took God's forgiveness toward them for granted.
God's forgiveness never made Israel righteous.
Instead, his forgiveness gave them the opportunity to restore their relationship with him by performing works of righteousness by faith.
But now, during this dispensation of grace we are living in currently, the satisfactory offering made for atonement was the once and for all shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
(Rom 8:1 KJV) (1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The world is forgiven per 2 Corinthians 5:19, but we are not justified or saved until we believe and trust in the gospel that saves today.
Ok, that’ll do it.
Like the noble Bereans did with Paul’s messages, I urge you to search the scriptures to see if what I am teaching is true. (Acts 17:10-11)
Prove all things. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
And please do not place confidence in what I say. Psalm 118:8-9
This is brother Scott with another Truth Time, Look in the Book!
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