IF ANY MAN SIN
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, [and] upon which never came yoke. And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: and the priest shall take cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water for impurity: it is a sin-offering. And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. . . . the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. Whosoever toucheth a dead person, the body of a man that hath died, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for impurity was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. . . . And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin-offering; and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: and a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave: and to the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
Num. 19:1-10,12-13,17-19
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
1 John 1:7-2:2
The Redemption of the Cross and the Work of the Holy Spirit
If a redeemed person should inadvertently sin, how can he be restored to God? This is a very pressing problem. Unless he knows the way of restoration, he will not be able to come back to God.
1. THE LORD’S WORK AND THE HOLY SPIRIT’S WORK CONTRASTED
By His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus cleansed and redeemed us from all our sins. At the time we came to Him, the Holy Spirit enlightened us and showed us our sins. But what the Holy Spirit showed us was not as comprehensive as what the Lord did on the cross. The difference is worth noticing. Even as the sin-offering in Leviticus 16 included every sin, so also the Lord Jesus on the cross bore all of our sins. His redemption covered every sin that you could possibly commit in your lifetime. Indeed, when He died on the cross, He bore all the sins of your life.
However, when the Holy Spirit inspires us to believe in the Lord, He can only move us to repent of our past sins, not of all the sins of our life. The Holy Spirit’s conviction is based on the sins we have already committed, not the sins we have not yet committed! Therefore, on the day we are saved, we are convicted by the light of the Holy Spirit of far fewer sins than those our Lord bore on the cross for us. What the Lord Jesus dealt with on the cross is entirely inclusive; but what I am convicted of by the Holy Spirit and receive forgiveness for, refers only to those sins which I have committed up to the day that I first trust in the Lord. The Holy Spirit never tries to convict me of sins which I have not committed. I have no knowledge of them nor feeling of guilt. Hence there is a difference between the Lord Jesus bearing our sins and the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sins. This is what the apostle John tries to make us understand.
2. BASIS FOR KNOWING THE LORD’S GRACE
All sins of the past, all those committed before the day of our salvation no matter what our age at that time, are assuredly forgiven. But we should know that the sins forgiven us then are fewer than the sins which the Lord has actually borne for us. We know the Lord’s grace only according to our personal experience of sinning. The Lord, however, has borne all our sins according to His full knowledge of us—that is, all the sins which we will ever commit.
Sinning after Being Saved
One who has been saved and who afterward sinned again may be greatly distressed by it. I have been asked by many about this problem of sinning after being saved. They say: I know the Lord has forgiven all my sins, that I am already saved and totally forgiven. But since I have been saved, I have again committed many sins. I am deeply troubled by these sins. What can I do about them?
1. WHAT THE LORD BORE ON THE CROSS
I hope you have understood that all the sins which you may commit after you are saved are included in the redemption of the Lord Jesus—even though you do not feel forgiven.
Suppose a young brother is saved at the age of sixteen and also suppose that up to that sixteenth year, he has committed a thousand sins. Proportionally, by the time he is thirty-two, he will have doubled his sins—that is, he will have committed two thousand. But when he trusted in the Lord at the age of sixteen, he undoubtedly prayed, "Lord, I thank You, for You have forgiven all my sins. You have borne them all on the cross." Doesn’t this mean that every one of his one thousand sins is forgiven? Now suppose that instead of being saved at sixteen, he is saved at thirty-two. What would he say to the Lord at that time? Would it not be the same prayer, "Lord, You have borne all my sins away"? We may further speculate that if he is saved at sixty-four, he will still pray the same way, "Lord, You have borne all my sins." It is therefore evident that at whatever age one is saved, he is assured that the Lord bears all his sins.
2. DIFFERENCES IN EXPERIENCE
If you are saved at sixteen, the Lord certainly has borne all your sins from your birth to sixteen years of age. But know also that He has borne all your sins from sixteen till sixty-four as well. Whether you are saved earlier or later has no relation to the Lord’s bearing away your sins. For this reason, do not be so foolish as to question what the Lord can do about your sins after salvation. Were you to be saved a few years later, would it be possible that He would not bear your sins? No, the Lord has borne all your sins on the cross. The robber on the cross believed on the Lord with his last breath, but he had all his sins borne by the Lord. In other words, the Lord has actually borne the sins of our whole life, even though at the time of salvation we only experience the forgiveness of those sins which we have committed in the past.
How to Return to God after Sinning
We have no intention to encourage young brothers and sisters to live a loose life. In another lesson we will point out to them the way of victory (Lesson 26, "Deliverance"). Our purpose for this lesson is to show how one who has sinned can be restored to God.
1. OLD TESTAMENT TYPE
We will now look at an Old Testament type that illustrates restoration to God after one has sinned.
THE UNIQUE OFFERING OF THE RED HEIFER
Numbers 19 is a most unusual chapter in the Old Testament. All the offerings in the Bible are bullocks and rams, but here there is an exception—a heifer, a female cow. All the offerings in the Old Testament are slaughtered and offered to God, but this offering of the red heifer, though killed and burned, is very different from the rest. While all others are offered to God to meet current claims—that is, the sin-offering, the burnt-offering, or the peace-offering according to the need of the day—the red heifer alone was not for the present need. It was offered to meet future needs. This is something for young brethren to remember.
Through Moses and Aaron the Lord commanded the people to bring a red heifer to Him. Notice that it was not a bullock but a heifer. Sex has its significance in the Bible. All that pertains to truth and testimony is represented by the male sex, while all that speaks of experience and life is symbolized by the female sex. This is a principle in the study of the Bible. Abraham represents justification by faith, and Sarah stands for obedience. Faith is objective, truthful, a testimony; obedience is subjective and experiential. The church as seen in the Bible is always referred to by the feminine pronoun because she represents the subjective work of the Lord upon men. The work of the red heifer is therefore subjective, not objective, in nature.
THE BLOOD OF THE RED HEIFER
What had to be done to the red heifer? After it was slain, its blood was to be sprinkled toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. This was to indicate that the blood was offered to God. The blood always works Godward. If it is not for God, it is useless. Today we are redeemed because God has remitted our sins. To sprinkle the blood of the red heifer toward the tent of meeting seven times was to offer it to God. In this respect, this offering is joined to the other offerings. As the other offerings are to atone for sins before God, so this offering is for the atonement of sins.
THE BURNING OF THE RED HEIFER
Here we find the special feature of the red heifer. "And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn" (v. 5). The whole heifer was to be burned; not a single bit remained unconsumed. "And the priest shall take cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer" (v. 6). The cedar and hyssop represent the world, the entire universe. In describing the wisdom of Solomon, it is said that, "he spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall" (1 Kings 4:33a). So, figuratively, the whole world was burned with the red heifer. The scarlet, I think, represents our sins, as we find in Isaiah, "though your sins be as scarlet" (1:18). In other words, the sins of the whole world were consumed with this heifer which was offered to God.
In this type we find the cross portrayed. When the Lord Jesus offered Himself to God, He took with Him to the cross all our sins, the sins of the whole world. Great sins and small sins, sins of yesterday, sins of today, and sins of tomorrow are all included. Even sins which humanly may be reckoned as unforgivable are a part of the offering. All sins were heaped on the red heifer and were consumed with it.
THE ASHES OF THE RED HEIFER
After the burning, then what? "And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water for impurity: it is a sin-offering" (v. 9). What is meant by "for a water for impurity"? Here lies the uniqueness of the red heifer. Unlike other offerings, which had only their blood sprinkled before God, the ashes of the red heifer were kept for future use. Its efficacy was in the blood. The ashes which were collected from the burning of the red heifer together with the cedar and hyssop and scarlet were stored in a clean place. What was the purpose? It was that one day when an Israelite sinned by touching something unclean, he might then go to the priest who would mix the ashes with running water and sprinkle them upon the unclean person to make him clean. In other words, the ashes were used to take away defilement and sin.
According to the Old Testament, an offering was required for every sin. But here it is different. Here is a man who has already presented his offering and then later on has touched something unclean. Because he has been defiled, he cannot have fellowship with God. What should he do? He should go to the priest for the water for impurity that his defilement may be cleansed and his sin forgiven. This is quite a different type from the other offerings. The ashes of the burned heifer were kept for the cleansing of the many defilements of future days.
Bullocks were offered by people who were conscious of their sins. If I were an Israelite, I could bring a bullock or a sheep to God and offer it as a sin-offering because I was aware of my many sins. But the offering of the red heifer was different. It was burned not for the sake of my past known sins but rather to prepare for future cleansings. In this we see another aspect of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus, quite different from that of which the bullocks and sheep in the Old Testament speak.
New believers ought to know this aspect of the Lord’s work, the aspect typified by the ashes of the red heifer. All the efficacy of redemption is embodied in the ashes, all the sins of the world are included. The blood was in these ashes. At any time thereafter, whenever one was defiled through touching an unclean thing, he had no need to slay another red heifer; he only needed to be sprinkled with the water for impurity containing the ashes of a red heifer. In other words, a believer today does not need the Lord to work for him a second time, since there is already provision for the cleansing of all his future defilements in our Lord’s work of redemption. The Lord has already made full provision.
THE SCRIPTURAL MEANING OF THE ASHES
Perhaps some will ask what the ashes signify. Why must the red heifer be burned to ashes? Why should these ashes be collected?
The answer is that in the Bible ashes are used as a basic unit of matter. Ashes in the Bible are the last form of all things. Whether it be a cow or a horse or whatever it may be, it becomes ash when it is reduced to its final form. Ashes, therefore, are the final, irreducible unit. They are not only unchangeable but also incorruptible. They are not subject to rust or decay. They are most enduring. They are ultimate.
The redemptive work of the Lord as typified by the burning of the red heifer to ashes reveals a condition which is permanent and unchanged. What the Lord has done for us in His work of redemption can never be changed. It is most constant. Do not think the rocks on the mountain are enduring, for these can still be burned to ashes. Ashes, being the final form of all matter, are more constant than rocks. Likewise, the redemption which the Lord has provided for us is unchangeable, undefileable, and incorruptible. It is available to us at all times. The flesh, the skin, and the blood of the heifer are subject to corruption, but when they become ashes, they are beyond corruption. Our redemption is, therefore, eternally efficacious. Whenever we touch an unclean thing and are defiled, we need not ask the Lord to die once more for us. We have the incorruptible ashes and we have the living water of life. We know the ashes are ever effectual in cleansing us.
To put it another way: the ashes of the red heifer represent the finished work of the cross for today’s use as well as for future need. We declare that the red heifer, once burned to ashes, is sufficient for all the needs of our lifetime. We thank God for the all-sufficiency of the redemption of the Lord Jesus. We come to see more and more that His death does indeed atone for all our sins.
2. WALK IN THE LIGHT
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). What does the "light" here refer to? It has two possible meanings: one possibility is the light of holiness; the other possibility is the light of the gospel, that is, God revealed and manifested in the gospel.
Many would like the "light" here to refer to the light of holiness. Thus the first section of this verse might be paraphrased thus: "if we walk in holiness as God is in holiness." Such a rendering, however, would make what follows meaningless. It is quite evident that we have no need of the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, to cleanse us from our sins if we are holy.
God has distinctly declared that He comes to save us and give us grace. If we are in this light as God is in the light of grace, the light of the gospel, then we can have fellowship one with another. By grace we come to God as He also comes to us in grace. Thus we have fellowship with God, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all our sins. This truly is grace.
Once Mr. J. N. Darby was conducting a meeting in the northern part of the United States. A good man in the Methodist Church by the name of Mr. Daniel Steele admired him very much. These two men, however, did not see eye to eye. Darby very much stressed the grace of God, while Steele emphasized God’s way in us. Though their ways differed, yet Mr. Steele always went to hear Mr. Darby. On one occasion, Darby spoke on 1 John 1:7, interpreting it as the principle of the gospel—"If we walk in the light of the gospel as God is in the light of the gospel." Formerly we did not know God, the God who reveals Himself in the gospel; now we know Him by the revelation of the gospel, for God has revealed Himself in this light of His grace. Having come to God in the light of the grace of His gospel, we now have fellowship with God.
At this point Mr. Steele could stand it no longer, for such teaching smashed his Wesleyan doctrine to pieces. So he stood up and challenged, "But brother Darby, suppose a real Christian turns his back on the light, what then?" "Then the light will shine on his back," answered Mr. Darby. Mr. Darby spoke many wonderful words during his life, but I think this was one of the best. In Mr. Steele’s eye, it was beyond hope if anyone resisted the holy light of God. Knowing him well, Mr. Darby simply replied, "Then the light will shine on his back."
Later on, another Methodist by the name of Mr. Griffith Thomas acknowledged that the light here should be the light of the gospel, for God has revealed Himself fully in the gospel. Today we have fellowship with the God who is revealed to us in the gospel; the result is that the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all our sins. This cleansing is conditional on our walking in the light.
We hope new believers will see that God is the God who reveals Himself. He no longer hides Himself in darkness as He did in the time of the Old Testament. Today God can be known and seen. The Athenians worshiped an unknown god, unknowable as well as unknown, who hid himself in darkness. But today, through the gospel, God has come forth. He is in the light, and by that light we may see Him. We know Him as God because He has revealed Himself. We have fellowship with Him in His light; consequently the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses all our sins.
3. CONFESSION AND THE GRACE OF FORGIVENESS
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). We deceive ourselves if we say we have no sin. It is evident that the truth is not in us. This is certain.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (v. 9). If we know we have sinned and also confess it, God will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He is faithful to His own Word and righteous toward His own work, faithful to His own promise and righteous toward the redemptive work of His Son on the cross. He cannot but forgive for He has said it; He must forgive because of the work of redemption. Due to His faithfulness and righteousness, He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (v. 10). How can we say we have never sinned? That would make God a liar and would refute the necessity for redemption. God provides us with redemption because we have sinned.
"My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). "These things" refers back to the words in chapter 1:7-10; there God depicts in principle our various conditions before Him due to our sins. Because of the blood of Jesus His Son, God forgives us our sins. Owing to His faithfulness and righteousness, He forgives and cleanses all our unrighteousness. No matter what kinds of sins we have committed, they all are forgiven.
What the Lord has done is to wholly forgive and totally cleanse us from all our sins and all our unrighteousness. When He says "all," no doubt He means "all." Do not change His Word. He forgives not only our sins of the past but all of our sins—sins that we are conscious of as well as those of which we are unaware. We go away with a perfect and complete forgiveness.
"These things," therefore, alludes to how our sins are forgiven through the promise and work of God. God has spoken to us that we may not sin. When we see the Lord’s great forgiveness to us, far from becoming careless, we rather are constrained not to sin.
What follows is something quite specific. The sins already mentioned are more general in nature and the forgiveness experienced is also general in principle. But what about the sins committed after we have believed in the Lord? What specific forgiveness is there? "And if any man sin"—this refers to a child of God—"we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." "With the Father" shows that it is a family affair. We are counted among the children of God; we belong to the family. We have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins. Because He became the propitiation for our sins in His death, He is now our advocate with the Father.
If a Christian should sin, he has an advocate with the Father. There is a Father-son relationship if the one who sins is a believer. The word advocate in the Greek is parakletos which means "called to one’s side." It has two different usages: in civil use it means one who stands by and is ever ready to help; in legal use it means a counselor or attorney, one who takes full responsibility for the case. Our Lord took us in when we first came to His cross. How did He assume our case? By being "the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2).
Propitiation here is comparable to the ashes of the red heifer in Numbers 19. As we have mentioned, the provision found in Numbers 19 is for future use. Likewise, forgiveness of our sins, including those of the present and future, is based on the finished work of the cross. There is no need for a new cross, for the redemptive work of the cross is eternally efficacious.
New believers should clearly be exhorted not to sin. They ought not to sin and it is actually possible for them not to sin. But if they should unfortunately sin, let them remember that the blood of the Lord Jesus can still cleanse them from all their sins. He is their champion; He is the righteous One. The very fact that He is now with the Father guarantees the forgiveness of their sins.
Since this is so, do not linger in the shame of sin as if such suffering will bring in holiness. Do not think that to prolong the consciousness of sin is in any way an indication of holiness. If any man sin, the first thing to do is to go to God and confess, "I have sinned." This is judging oneself, calling sin by its right name. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If you do this, you will then see that God forgives you and that your fellowship with Him is immediately restored.
4. THE WAY TO RESTORATION
If a child of God should sin and continue in that sin without confession, he yet remains God’s child and God is still his Father. Nevertheless, his fellowship with God will be lost. There is now a weakness in his conscience; he is unable to rise up before God. He may try to fellowship with God, but he will find it most painful and quite limited. It is just like a child who has done something wrong. Even though his mother may not know and may not scold him, he is still very uneasy at home. He finds it impossible to have sweet fellowship, for within him there is a sense of distance.
There is only one way to be restored. I must go to God and confess my sin. I believe that the Lord Jesus is my advocate and has taken care of all my sins. So here I am before God, humbly acknowledging my failure. I look to the Lord that hereafter I may not be so arrogant and careless. I have learned how prone I am to fall. I am no better than others. So I pray that God may be merciful to me, that I may continue on with the Lord step by step. Praise God, we do have an advocate with Him, One who does come alongside.
Prayer
O Lord, we ask You to instruct us. If it be possible, may these words be of profit to new believers. Lord, we are really concerned for their spiritual welfare. How we desire that new believers everywhere may go on well and glorify Your name. May they all be in the right path. May they learn some real lessons in the gospel so that they may be of use to You. Teach us how to help them and guide them. We acknowledge that these words are fragmentary, as if of no great use, but we still look to You for mercy and grace. If You are merciful to us, we will be able to help them. We who are but nothing look to You for mercy, for we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
