This commentary is aimed at Bible believers who desire to "rightly divide" the Bible. While there is great spiritual blessing for the Church in the epistle of I John, its primary doctrine is for the Tribulation. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate I John’s doctrine while also pointing out spiritual application for the Christian today. All scripture is for our learning and admonition, and it is permissible to spiritualize scripture to teach and preach. When teaching doctrine, however, one has to be careful to "rightly divide." When spiritualizing a passage to explain a scriptural or devotional application one can forget what it says. Here we will believe what a verse says and compare it to other scripture to determine what it means.

Christians are commanded to rightly divide the Bible.

• II Timothy 2:15
  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Although it is a commandment, it is for the most part either ignored or misunderstood. God commands us to divide his word. Disobedience to that command is the cause of most doctrinal differences between Christians. Misunderstanding, confusion, and heresy are the result of an wrongly divided Bible. For instance the Bible says that people shouldn’t eat pork or shellfish in Leviticus 11. Yet I Timothy 4:1-5 says that it is permissible to eat anything. This example is obvious, however, and the division between the Old Testament and the New Testament is easily recognizable and accepted.

But there are also divisions within the Old Testament. The most obvious two are before the Mosaic Law and after the Mosaic Law. Noah was allowed to eat anything (Genesis 9:3), but Israelites were not. (Leviticus 11). Abraham and Sarah married with the Lord’s blessing even though they had the same father (Genesis 20:12), while the Israelites were forbidden to marry close kin (Leviticus 18:6).

God never changes, but he does change his rules and regulations in dealings with different people at different times. That is why he commands us to "rightly divide." If we don’t then there will be contradictions in his instructions.

Just as the Old Testament has divisions (e.g. before and after the law) the New Testament also has divisions. It is a common misconception that all the New Testament automatically applies doctrinally to the Church, even though it is in that very New Testament that a Bible believer is told to "rightly divide." If New Testament divisions are not observed there will be apparent contradictions, because God's commands and instructions sometimes differ in these distinct sections.

The Bible says that the New Testament didn't begin until after the crucifixion.

• Hebrews 9:15
  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. . . . 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

This means that doctrinally the four gospels, before Jesus’ death, are still dealing with Jews under the Mosaic Law. This time period is the first New Testament division. Its primary doctrine does not apply to the Church Age because at that time God was still dealing with Israel.

Abraham is chosen to be the father of the Hebrews in the book of Genesis. In Exodus the Jews are organized and God claims them as his chosen nation. The entire rest of the Old Testament deals with the nation of Israel. Jesus’ and his disciples’ ministry was to that nation.

• Matthew 15:24
  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

• Matthew 10:5
  These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Jesus prophesied that Israel would lose its standing but would eventually be restored. In the interval would be the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24).

• Matthew 21:43
  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

• Romans 11:25
  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

The coming of the Messiah was the fulfilling of Old Testament Jewish prophecy. (Matthew 5:17,18) All through the Old Testament the Jews were waiting for their King to come, sit down on the throne of David, and set up his kingdom. John the Baptist preached the "kingdom" is at hand. Jesus preached the "gospel of the kingdom." (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 24:14) Simple reading shows that this is not the gospel of I Corinthians 15: 1-4. The gospel Jesus preached was the Old Testament kingdom gospel that he preached to Israel. Paul’s gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that should be preached to everyone.

The Church Age is the second New Testament division, and its doctrine is found in Paul’s epistles. He is the apostle during the "times of the Gentiles."

• Romans 15:16
  That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God...

It is his doctrine that a Church Age Christian is to follow.

• I Corinthians 11:1
  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Paul was chosen especially by the Lord so he could reveal a new doctrine that was before time hidden. (Ephesians 3:1-8 and Galatians 1:11,12) He called it his gospel (Romans 16:25), and it is the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone. This new doctrine is a shock to the Jewish brethren. That is why they needed an apostolic conclave in Acts 15 to proclaim its validity.

Now the next New Testament Bible division is the one in which I John falls. After the "times of the Gentiles" in the Church Age, God will again take up with his chosen people, the nation of Israel.

• Romans 11:25
  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Now Paul writes to the Church from Romans through Philemon. The next book is Hebrews and the one after is James, written to the twelve tribes, which are scattered abroad. The doctrine in Hebrews through Revelation shifts back to the nation of Israel. Thus the Bible shows that there are at least three distinct New Testament Bible divisions.

1.) The continuation of the Old Testament into the gospels, where God is dealing with the nation of Israel.

2.) The time period when God temporarily displaces Israel with the Gentile Church Age.

3.) The future time (after the Church Age) when God deals with his chosen nation, Israel, again.

Doctrinally the remaining books of the New Testament after Philemon are primarily for those in the Tribulation. In many places these books, including I John, contradict what Paul says. While these books have some great spiritual application for the Church Age Christian, much of their doctrine differs from the doctrine of Paul. Here are just a few examples.

• Matthew 24:13
  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

• I Corinthians 1:7
  ...waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Matthew verse tells the individual Israelite that he himself must endure to the end to be saved, while Paul tells the Church Age Christian that the Lord will confirm him till the end. These verses contradict unless there is a division.

• Hebrews 3:14
  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

• I Corinthians 12:27
  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

• I Corinthians 10:17
  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

The Hebrews verse is a warning to Jews in the Tribulation that they will only be partakers if they hold stedfast, while Paul tells us that today’s Christian’s are partakers now.

Look at the last "contradiction" example between James and Paul.

• James 2:22
  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

• Galatians 3:2
  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

James says that faith is made perfect by the works performed in the flesh. (ALL works are done in the flesh.) Paul says that works cannot make faith perfect!

Where there are contradictions we are told to rightly divide our Bible, and as you will soon see, this places I John in the last division of the New Testament where God is dealing with Israel again. These dispensational contradictions will be shown as they occur.

It must be remembered that dispensational Bible divisions are not completely rigid and that even true Bible believers will disagree about where to draw exact lines between them. It is not the exact lines that are important here, but the general agreement that some doctrines of the Church Age and the Tribulation are not the same. The actual verses themselves will reveal the differences between the two. It will also be observed that one division will discuss or prophesy about another. If a Church Age doctrine is found in a Tribulation book that does not mean that the entire book is doctrine for the Church Age.

It also should go without saying the many Bible doctrines are the same throughout the entire Book, as the inspiration of scripture and the Trinity, to name just two. And there are some doctrines for the Church found outside his writings that are not specifically described by Paul but that do not contradict any of his teachings. Tithing would be an example of such a Church Age doctrine. Our spiritual Father Abraham tithed.

• Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Paul talks much about Christian giving in his epistles and the tithe is the only standard in the Bible on the subject of giving.

• II Corinthians 9:6
  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

So while the doctrine of giving a tenth is not specifically mentioned by Paul it is the Bible standard that is recognized, and the Christian should consider this when he "purposeth in his heart."

Because most of God’s doctrines are the same throughout the Bible some Christians try to subjugate all doctrine to Paul’s epistles. To do this they cannot accept what the actual words say and have to privately interpret to explain "what they really mean." I know that there are many Christians who claim to believe in only one plan of salvation; but in order for them to believe that, they must ignore what the Bible says. The actual meanings of the actual words tell the truth of the matter. In this commentary we will believe the actual words and compare scripture with scripture to seek understanding.

I John has verses that are doctrinally applicable for today and many others which can be spiritually applied, but the inclination of the book as a whole is obviously for the Tribulation, which will be demonstrated.

With that understanding many questions will be able to be answered. "What is a sin unto death?" "What does "he cannot sin, because he is born of God" mean? "Who are the children of the devil?"

Now much of I John deals with the salvation of individual Israelites during the Tribulation. Since there is a definite parallel between this salvation and that of the Jews under the Mosaic Law, we are going to examine Mosaic salvation first, so that the similarities will be more obvious when they occur.

One must consider the nation and the individual when discussing Old Testament salvation under the Mosaic Law. The nation of Israel has a unique promise, a convenant from God, that no other nation has or ever will have. They have an unconditional guarantee from God that the nation will continue forever, and finally possess the land which God has promised them.

The individual within the nation of Israel was personally responsible for his own standing with God and had no unconditional covenant with him. As an individual, if he wanted to partake of the blessings of Israel, he had to remain in good standing within the nation. That meant obeying the individual laws and commandments which applied to him personally, and making the appropriate sacrifices when a commandment was broken.

All this will be detailed shortly, but first we must look at God’s covenant with his chosen people.

I. The Abramic Covenant with the Nation of Israel

• Genesis 17:7
  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

• Psalm 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: 11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:

This promise is given to the nation of Israel. When the promise was made God did not reveal his timetable, but the fact that it was indisputably believed is most obvious. God’s promise to the nation is repeated and mentioned many times by God himself and by those who are waiting for the fulfillment. Each successive generation looks toward God and waits.

A. God’s Blessings for Obedience

Even though the covenant is unconditional it is not a license for Israel to do as they wish. During the "wait" there were commandments which had to be kept. If they were broken there were temporal, earthly, consequences for that generation of the nation. This was laid down for them in Leviticus 26.

Leviticus 26:3
If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season...

The next verses go on to say that an obedient nation could expect bountiful harvests, peace from the elements, victory over enemies, growth as a nation, and the presence of God among them.

B. God’s Punishment for Disobedience

Disobedience, however, had its own set of consequences.

• Leviticus 26:14
  But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; 16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror...

• Leviticus 26:28
  Then will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

In the case of national disobedience God promised disease; defeat by enemies; stolen crops; powerlessness; fruitless harvests; attack by wild animals; wars ending in death, captivity, and dispersion; destroyed cities; cannibalism; and more. Even so, a repentant generation could regain God’s favor.

• II Chronicles 7:14
  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

II. National Repentance for Sin

National repentance was possible only through the priesthood. They represented the people before God, offering sacrifices and praying on their behalf. They were the only ones authorized to approach God to ask forgiveness for the nation. God was very specific concerning the details of these requirements. The elders spoke for the nation (when necessary) and the priests performed the necessary procedures.

A. National Confession of Sin

• Leviticus 26:40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them... 42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob...

Confession, of course, was only the first step to their regaining God’s blessing. His second requirement was blood sacrifice.

B. Blood Sacrifice, a Foreshadow of the Cross

• Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

The blood temporarily appeased God and had to be offered again and again.

• Leviticus 4:13
  And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance... 15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD. 20 ...and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

• Hebrews 9:7
  But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: 8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

But while it brought forgiveness it could not provide redemption.

• Hebrews 10:11
  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

The day of atonement (Leviticus 16) was an "everlasting statute" prescribed by God to make a yearly atonement for the sins of the children of Israel.

• Leviticus 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

National repentance and offerings were a continuous occurrence when Israel was together as a nation. When the nation sinned and did not ask forgiveness, God’s punishment was often the scattering of the national unit into dispersion. When the nation was reunited it had to offer the prescribed sacrifices to gain forgiveness. Of course, the blood of bulls and goats was a foreshadowing of the blood of Christ, which would be shed "once for all" to redeem Israel.

• Hebrews 9:11
  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

• Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

It must be remembered that in order for sacrifices to be made the nation had to be functioning as such, with the Levitical priesthood, in order, following precisely the commandments of the Lord. They were the only ones permitted to offer the sacrifices. (Saul learned that lesson the hard way and lost his kingdom because of his presumption in this matter in I Samuel 13).

For example, if ninety-nine percent of the people in the United States agreed in wanting to enact a particular new national law, it couldn’t be done if the U.S. Congress was disbanded. Only the Congress has the legal right to make new laws that will affect the nation, regardless of what the individuals want. Thus, if everything wasn’t in order, there could be no national atonement for Israel. This was true again and again when God scattered the nation as one of its penalties for disobedience. But it also must be remembered that God’s covenant with the nation was unconditional. The promise that he made ensured the continuation of the nation even if many generations suffered because of disobedience to his commandments. The Old Testament is the story of Israel’s history as it vacillates between obedience and disobedience to God.

III. Individual Accountability under Mosaic Law during National Unity

While the standing of the nation of Israel was "eternally secure" because of God’s covenant with them, their state depended upon their obedience to his laws. The individuals within the nation were not eternally secure. Each person was responsible for his own standing with God. The list of commandments found in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were the rules which individuals were required to follow if they wanted to be right with God. They had the faith to believe that God would keep his promise to them if they did what he required.

Faith is always an element when doing what God says. One must believe that God will do what he promises for obedience. The things that God tells individuals or groups to do is not always the same, but obedience to his words encompasses the faith that believes God’s promises.

• Hebrews 11:1
  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

• Hebrews 11:6
  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But salvation by grace through faith alone is contrasted as opposite of the Law.

• John 1:17
  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

• Galatians 3:23
  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

So even though faith was and is always an element of obedience, it was not available as the sole means of salvation until Christ came. Under the Law the commandments were required to be kept. The individual who obeyed the statues was said to "live in them."

• Leviticus 18:5
  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

• Ezekiel 20:11
  And I gave them my statutes, and showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

• Romans 10:5
  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

• Galatians 3:12
  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

These last two Pauline verses show that this was "spiritual" life (howbeit only temporary until Christ came.) Individual spiritual life was "in" the law. Those who didn’t keep it were not "saved."

• Psalm 119:155
  Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.

A. God’s Blessing for Obedience

Those who strove not to sin were blessed by God not only with salvation but also with temporal, earthly blessings.

• Psalm 24:4
  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

• Psalm 18:20
  The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. 23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. 24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

For the individual who sinned and then brought the required sacrifice there was still blessing.

• Psalm 32:1
  Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

• Ezekiel 18:21
  But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

The "life" and "death" mentioned here are not physical only. It is very obvious that "physically" wicked people continued to "physically" live. The life and death here are spiritual, similar to what was said by God about Adam.

• Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God said that Adam would "die" in the day he ate, and he did die spiritually on that day, and he began to die physically as well. The life that was earned by individual Jews who kept the commandments was spiritual life. The death that was earned by individuals who did not keep the commandments was sometimes immediate physical death but always eventual spiritual death in hell if they did not get right.

B. God’s Punishment for Disobedience

The nation received temporal, earthly punishment for disobedience, but the individual’s eternal destiny was in jeopardy when he was disobedient. On this side of the cross a sinner must deal with God personally and directly (Romans 10:13; Hebrews 4:16); but under the Mosaic Law the individual, as the nation, had to rely on the priesthood to perform the prescribed requirements. He could not personally offer a blood sacrifice. That made salvation much less secure when the nation was scattered, because the individual did not have access to the prescribed formula for forgiveness that was laid down in the Law. This reminds me of the Roman Catholic Church which teaches that forgiveness is obtainable only through their priesthood. The rules of most cults and false religions have roots in some kind of Bible truth.

Under Mosaic Law an individual sinned when he broke a commandment.

• Leviticus 5:17
  And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD...

Even a commandment broken in ignorance was a sin and needed atonement.

• Leviticus 4:2
  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:

While all sins are breaking of God’s commandments, there were two "kinds" of commandments that the individual could break. He could commit a sin for which the Lord had prescribed a particular blood sacrifice, or he could commit a sin for which there was no prescribed blood sacrifice.

IV. Individual Repentance in a United Nation

Numbers 5 reveals the three requirements for an individual to regain his standing with God after he has sinned breaking the first kind of commandment.

• Numbers 5:6
  Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;

A. Confession of Sin

Just as it is with the nation of Israel, the first thing an individual sinner must do is acknowledge and confess his sin.

• Numbers 5:7a
  Then they shall confess their sin which they have done:...

B. Restitution of Property

Secondly, if the sin was against another person or people, then restitution had to be made depending on what the Lord had prescribed in the law.

• Numbers 5:7b
  ...and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

If there was no one else to receive the restitution then it was given to the priest.

• Numbers 5:8a
  But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest;...

C. Blood Sacrifice, a Foreshadow of the Cross

The priest was also given the ram with which to offer the required blood sacrifice for the atonement of the sin.

• Numbers 5:8b
  ...beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.

Just as the national sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s redemption of the nation, so do the individual sacrifices foreshadow the salvation for all those who would believe thereafter.

V. Individual Accountability under Mosaic Law during Dispersion

Now during times of national dispersion the individual Jew who wanted to remain right with God and keep his personal salvation had no access to the mandated remedies if he sinned. God himself, therefore, judged each individual during those times using similar requirements.

A. Confession of Sin

First of all, again, sin must be acknowledged and confessed. This is a requirement under any conditions and under any dispensation. One cannot be right with God unless one acknowledges and confesses one’s sin.

• Psalm 32:5
  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

• Proverbs 28:13
  He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

B. Restitution of Property

And, of course, restitution had to be made. It was the "righteous" thing to do whether the nation was a functioning as a unit or not. It was a "do unto others" effort so that the Lord would recompense the individual accordingly. The Lord knew the transgression and the sinner knew the requirement. Recompense according to God’s requirements showed the repentant heart condition of the sinner, especially when there was no enforcing agency at the time. The priesthood was not necessary for this requirement because restitution was between the individuals involved.

• II Samuel 22:21
  The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

• Proverbs 12:14
  A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

C. Forgiveness According to Heart Condition

King Solomon foresaw the time, or just realized from previous history, that Israel would fall into apostasy again and be scattered. When he prayed his prayer of dedication for the temple in I Kings 8, he reiterated God’s promises to the nation and asked the Lord to heal Israel when it prayed and got right. He also recognized the plight of the individual sinner during times of dispersion, understanding that there was no way for an individual to make the required blood sacrifice for personal sins.

• I Kings 8:38
  What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

In his prayer he recognized that God alone knows the heart of an individual. A mere man cannot know another man’s thoughts, intentions, or motivations as God can. Solomon asked in this prayer that God forgive individuals who acknowledged and confessed their sins, even in a time of dispersion when no blood sacrifice was available. (Those who were worthy, whose hearts only God knew). I somehow doubt that this was an original request, but was probably another reiteration of what Solomon already knew was God’s method of operation. Then if the nation once again became right with God the individual’s sins for which he had been unable to offer sacrifices could be covered on the day of atonement.

• Leviticus 16:30
  For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before he LORD.

It must be remembered that the blood of these animal sacrifices was only a temporary solution. Old Testament saints did not go to heaven. They went to Abraham’s Bosom to wait for the permanently effectual blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to be shed. It is only through his blood that irrevocable forgiveness and redemption can be found. This will be discussed in detail a little further on.

D. Observing the Passover

Even though the Passover was to be observed as a national memorial feast it was initially implemented for individuals.

• Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

• Exodus 12:13
  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Every man was to kill his own lamb for his own household so that the blood on the door would "save" his own firstborn. There were no Levites or priests required for this. The feast of unleavened bread which followed was observed within individual households. In Numbers additional instructions are given which shed even more light on this.

• Numbers 9:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

Even Jews who were unclean or physically far away were to observe the Passover. Since it was an individual observance that did not require national unity or the priesthood, the Passover could be observed by individual Jews even during the dispersion. This would be a indication of there heart condition and faith in God during a time when national blood sacrifices could not be made.

During national unity a person who failed to keep this memorial feast was cut off to bear his own sin.

• Numbers 9:13
  But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

Even a "stranger" could keep the Passover, showing "in type" that the "blood of the lamb" was for whosoever will.

• Numbers 9:14
  And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

VI. Getting Right Examples - The Nation and the Individual

II Chronicles 29 and 30 gives us a Bible example of Israel as a nation and its individuals getting right with God after wicked King Ahab.

• I Kings 16:30
  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

Hezekiah was twenty five years old when he became the next king, and he did right.

• II Chronicles 29:2
  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.

I do not think that it is unreasonable to assume that Hezekiah did not assent to Ahab’s wickedness and that he tried to keep his heart right with God even during that time of apostasy. When he became king he immediately began to unto the damage and wickedness for which Ahab had been responsible. There had been no sacrifices made during Ahab’s reign (v7) and Hezekiah ordered the priests to sanctify themselves and the house of the Lord to be repaired so that the sacrifices could be reinstituted. When this was done sacrifices were made for the nation and for individuals.

• II Chronicles 29:31
  Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.

Further, Hezekiah wrote letters to the surrounding Jews to come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover as a national memorial feast. Some came and some would not.

• II Chronicles 30:10
  So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.

These two chapters in Chronicles give us examples of individuals who stayed right with God during a time of apostasy and also of individuals who got right after the time of apostasy was over. They also show the procedure for how the nation could regain its favor with God. As stated before, the procedure to get right always required blood sacrifices because under the Law "without the shedding of blood is no remission."

VII. Losing Personal Salvation under Mosaic Law

Individual Old Testament salvation under Mosaic law was not an automatic, eternal possession. Individuals could and did lose their salvation. Unlike salvation today during the Church Age, salvation under the law was earned by those who obeyed the commandments. An individual could lose his salvation in one of three ways.

1.) He could refuse to offer the prescribed sacrifices (when the nation was unified).

2.) He could refuse to acknowledge and confess his sin with an honest heart.

3.) He could commit a sin for which the Lord provided no blood sacrifice.

The commission of this last kind of sin damned a person to hell without recourse and effected the nation as a whole until the matter was resolved. I hear protests from some readers but please read the scripture and believe its words. A New Testament verse gives light on this subject.

• Hebrews 9:22
  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

The last phrase of the verse says that there is no remission, no forgiveness, unless there has been a blood sacrifice under the Law. For the nation that meant that when they dispersed and cried out to God for forgiveness (and really meant it) that he would allow them victory over their oppression so that they could reinstate the law and make the necessary blood sacrifices to atone for their sins, as just shown from II Chronicles 29 and 30. This happened over and over again, and the blood sacrifices were absolutely required for the nation to get right.

For the individual Jew who was trying to stay right with God during national unity, this meant that he was required to offer the appropriate blood sacrifice (as well as confession and repentance) in order to have forgiveness. This was a requirement. It had to be done in order to earn forgiveness. If the prescribed sacrifice wasn’t offered there was no forgiveness because "without shedding of blood is no remission."

A. Refusal to Offer the Prescribed Sacrifice during National Unity

• Numbers 15:30
  But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31 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.

This person deliberately and presumptuously scoffed at God’s commandments. His refusal to offer the prescribed sacrifices for his sin indicated his wicked attitude of heart. Today, a person does not go to hell because he is a sinner. He goes to hell because he refuses to accept God’s way of forgiveness, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was similar for the Jews. For sacrificable sins, guilt continued until the sacrifice was made.

• Leviticus 4:27
  And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; 29 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. 30 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar. 31......and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

For he who did not sacrifice his "soul shall be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him." Those phrases are used again and again in the Old Testament, but it is in the New Testament that the definition is easily understood.

• Ezekiel 3:20
  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity... he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered...

• John 8:24
  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

• Ephesians 2:5
  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

There is no doubt. A person whose soul has been "cut off" or who has his "iniquity on him" or who "dies in his sins" will go to hell. Sin had to be forgiven either through the prescribed Mosaic formula at that time or by belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, now.

B. Refusal to Confess during Dispersion

Individual Jews had no excuse even when the nation was dispersed. They knew God’s commandments. Still, many let their own hearts deceive them into believing that God wasn’t keeping track.

• Proverbs 16:2
  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

• Proverbs 21:2
  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Doing what was right "in his own eyes" precluded doing what was right according to God’s commandments. Even though the priesthood was not available to perform the blood sacrifices, they still had to do the best they could. If they did not, they took the chance of dying in their sins before Israel was reunited and the sacrifices reinstated. Those people who didn’t confess their sins or try to stay right with God during those trying times had their iniquity still upon them.

C. Committing an Unforgivable Sin

Just the title of this section has already got some readers defensive. But as I asked before, please just believe what that scriptures say. Now we need to look at the other half of a verse that has already been mentioned.

• Hebrews 9:22
  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

The first half of this verse says that "almost all things are by the law purged with blood." This means that for some things even the blood of bulls and goats could not secure forgiveness.

1.) Hophni and Phinehas

One such specific example is given in I Samuel concerning Eli’s sons.

• I Samuel 2:12
  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 13 And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh, unto all the Israelites that came thither. 15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

This doesn’t seem like much of a sin to us today but it was "very great" to the Lord. The priests were special people and should have been an example to others in obedience to God’s laws. This was not their only sin.

• I Samuel 2:22
  Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

These sound just like the "vestal virgins" of paganism that were available to service the carnal lusts of the priests. Eli’s sons were accurately names "sons of Belial." So for these sins there were no prescribed blood sacrifices and therefore no forgiveness.

• I Samuel 3:14
  And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

The penalty for these sins was death and in this case the Lord allowed the Philistines to carry out the sentence.

• I Samuel 4:11
  And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

2.) The Ten Commandments

Now each of the Ten Commandments, in certain degrees, are included in those sins for which there was no blood sacrifice available.

First & Second Commandments

• Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

• Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

When either of these commandments were broken by an individual the penalty was physical death and eternal hell.

• Exodus 22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

• Deuteronomy 17:2
  If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them... 5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman...... and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

• Deuteronomy 27:15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD...

Jehu destroyed idolaters in II Kings 10. He proclaimed a sacrifice for Baal and insisted that every Baal worshipper come. While they were in the house of Baal he ordered them all to be killed. These Israelite Baal worshippers died in their sins and went to hell.

Third Commandment

• Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

This sin would not have been difficult for a faithful Jew to keep. But once it was broken there was no prescribed sacrifice. It was unforgivable.

• Leviticus 24:15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him...

In Leviticus 24 a man is condemned to death by stoning for cursing the Lord. There was no possible blood atonement so there was no forgiveness. He went to hell.

Fourth Commandment

• Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Of all the unforgivable sins, this one may be the hardest for us to understand. This one requires more faith in God because the "wickedness" of it is not clearly seen. It is more ceremonial in nature. But that may be the very point. God wants obedience even when the reason is not obvious. He wanted those Jews and us today to believe and do what he says even if we don’t understand.

One more proof that keeping this commandment was a heart and faith matter had to do with the fact that there were exceptions to the commandment which God himself allowed.

• Luke 13:15
  The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

The heart of the man was judged by what he did even on the Sabbath.

• Deuteronomy 22:4
  Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

Now if that heart was selfish or just disobedient then the penalty was carried out.

• Exodus 31:14
  Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

In Numbers 15 a man is stoned for gathering sticks on the Sabbath. This seems extreme to us today but one must remember that this was disobedience to a direct order from God. It was an easy commandment to keep and the penalty for disobedience was known. This man failed to heed or believe God when compliance would have been simple.

Fifth Commandment

• Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Once more, death and hell for breaking this commandment is hard for us to fathom. But remember that God established the family even before he established the Church, and the honoring of one’s father and mother was not defined so that a child had to be sinlessly perfect. The family is the human foundation for all social order and once the foundation has crumbled there is nothing to hold up the rest, as is clearly shown by the condition of our own nation.

• Psalm 11:3
  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

This fifth commandment is also called the first commandment with promise because an obedient child was promised that his "days may be long upon the land." Rebelliousness was something very severe, however, and it carried the most severe penalty.

• Deuteronomy 27:16
  Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

In Deuteronomy 21 a rebellious son is stoned because of the testimony of his parents.

Sixth Commandment

• Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Modernists and liberals try to "use" this Bible commandment to their own advantage to say that the death penalty for certain crimes is against God. Jesus himself, however, defined this commandment as murder and not a legal execution, when he was asked which commandments needed to be kept in order to have eternal life.

• Matthew 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder......

So then under the Law a murderer was to be put to death.

• Deuteronomy 19:11
  But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: 12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

In II Samuel a murder and its consequences are described.

• II Samuel 4:5
  And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 6 ......and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said...the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. 9 And David answered...... 11 ......when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? 12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron.

Seventh Commandment

• Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Many people in our country do not think this is even as sin, let alone one which deserves the death penalty. But in Old Testament Israel this would not have been a difficult commandment to keep, especially since the consequences were known. As with any sin, however, the sinner always thinks that he will be the exception to get away with it.

• Psalm 10:11
  He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. 13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

The law is very clear and adultery requires death.

• Deuteronomy 22:22
  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

In Numbers 25 Zimri and Cozbi flaunt their immoral behavior in front of the entire congregation. Phinehas, the priest, kills them both and is commended by the Lord.

Eighth Commandment

• Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

Stealing had degrees to it. The penalties for different kinds of theft were described in the Law.

• Exodus 21:16
  And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

• Exodus 22:1
  If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

For petty theft there was restitution and additional payment; for kidnapping, however, the penalty was death.

Ninth Commandment

• Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

The first example concerns a lie which gains the liar some kind of material advantage. In order to receive forgiveness for this particular sin the liar must confess, restore with interest whatever he gained by his lie, and then make the appropriate blood sacrifice. Those are the steps for all forgivable sins.

• Leviticus 6:3
  Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: 4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that...thing which he hath deceitfully gotten... 5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

The second kind of lie was much more serious. The example given says that the liar is to receive the punishment that he thought to inflict upon the person against whom he was lying. This could mean death in many instances. Some might argue that the example given below is a case of "civil" law, but in actuality it is God’s law concerning civil cases. Technically, Israel did not have "laws" made up by men. Their God gave them their "civil" laws as well, and that included the "civil" punishment of death, when necessary.

• Deuteronomy 19:16
  If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; 17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; 18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.

Naboth was lied about in I Kings 21. That lie led to his death so under the law the liars are worthy of death themselves.

Tenth Commandment

• Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

There are several examples concerning this commandment. Naboth was lied about because of this sin. The liar’s sin was lying but it was Jezebel who put things in motion because of the covetousness of Ahab.

Perhaps the most famous story of covetousness is that of Achan in the book of Joshua. This story shows exactly how an individual Jew under Mosaic Law could lose his personal salvation. In Achan’s case he disobeyed a commandment of God and a direct order from Joshua.

• Numbers 15:30
  But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31
  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.

• Job 4:7
  Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

He acted upon the covetousness in his heart (which is where sin begins) and took the accursed thing. Until that time he had been righteous in the eyes of the law. Because there was no blood sacrifice for this particular sin, Achan lost his salvation!

• Ezekiel 18:26
  When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

His name had been in the book of life and the Lord blotted it out.

• Exodus 32:33
  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

• Psalm 69:28
  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Now where there was a sacrifice for a particular sin, it was required to be made before the Lord would forgive the sinner. If he did not meet the requirement and make the sacrifice he was not forgiven. Without the shedding of blood is no remission or forgiveness.

• Ezekiel 33:12
  Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

There was personal righteousness under the Mosaic Law, and it was the responsibility of the individual to keep himself right with God. This righteousness was determined by whether or not an individual kept the commandments.

• Deuteronomy 6:25
  And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

• Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Zacharias and Elisabeth had this Old Testament righteousness.

• Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

If a person kept the commandments there was no sin imputed to him. Imputed righteousness does not mean that a person is sinless in a practical sense, but only in a judicial sense. He has been judicially declared sinless because he has met specific predetermined qualifications. Many a man has been declared "not guilty" by a jury in a court of law, when in fact he did commit the crime. Under the Mosaic Law the saint was continually "on trial" and he had to walk in the commandments and ordinances (which included making blood sacrifices) so that his sin wasn’t imputed to him. Those sacrifices "covered" his sins but could not "take them away." This will be discussed more in detail shortly.

• Psalm 32:1
  Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

• Psalm 85:2
  Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Today a person has to believe on Christ to have imputed righteousness. The Christian is judicially sinless in Christ. That is his standing before God. Imputation can be explained this way. Suppose my life was represented by a book with a removable paper dust jacket. On the dust jacket the name of the book would be printed: This is the Life of DJ Root . Inside the book would be written every sin I committed and every sin I will commit in the future. Another book on the table is entitled: This is the Life of the Lord Jesus Christ . His pages are spotless white because he never committed a sin. When I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour the dust jackets were exchanged. Now my pages are spotless and sinless while his are not. His sinless life is imputed to me and my wicked life is imputed to him. Speaking of Abraham’s faith Paul wrote:

• Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

The Lord Jesus Christ took our sin upon himself that we might be able to stand before God in his righteousness.

• II Corinthians 5:21
  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Those who have trusted him have his righteousness credited to their own accounts. This is a judicial or legal declaration. Practically, however, all Christians still sin. This is their state before God, and the penalty for their sin will be in reaping what they sow. They can reap temporal problems and loss of eternal rewards for their sins, or they can reap eventual eternal rewards for their obedience.

• Galatians 6:7
  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The personal righteousness earned by obeying the Law was not the same as the righteousness that is freely given when one trusts Christ as his personal Saviour.

• Philippians 3:9
  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

There was no guarantee of eternal life under the law because it depended upon the conduct of the individual. As mentioned before the nation of Israel was and is eternally secure. They have an unconditional promise, but the individual within the nation had to keep the commandments.

• Deuteronomy 29:18
  Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; 20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

Achan’s sin effected not only himself and his family but the entire nation as well.

• Joshua 7:1
  But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

In this example and others it shows that the Lord held the nation responsible when an individual within the nation committed one of the sins for which there is no blood sacrifice. It was then the responsibility of the nation to "put away" that sin from them. This was done by killing the guilty party. All "unforgivable" sins were punishable by death. Achan was stoned.

• Joshua 7:10
  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

"Unforgivable" sins committed by individuals had to be dealt with or the nation itself would be in jeopardy of God’s anger. In Achan’s case the nation was defeated by the small town of Ai until Achan was stoned so the nation could be forgiven. The unforgivable sin of murder was punished by death as well.

• Numbers 35:30
  Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses...... 33
  So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

The blood of the murderer cleansed the land. In the case of an unsolved murder God gave another remedy which is found in Deuteronomy 21:1-9. The elders of the city, with the priests present, were to behead a heifer in a "rough valley" and wash their hands over it declaring their innocence.

• Deuteronomy 21:8
  Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

This may be the very procedure used to lift the blood guilt of the crucifixion from the generation of the present nation of Israel. Pilate himself may have been aware of this passage of scripture. Of course, his washing was in vain.

• Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

The nation put itself under the ultimate curse by allowing the unjust murder of Christ.

• Matthew 27:25
  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

That blood guilt remains to this day and God’s wrath on Israel can easily be reviewed by the modern history of the nation. Once the veil of the temple was rent at the crucifixion there were no more animal sacrifices that would gain remission for forgivable sins. The last "national" sin was the murder of their Messiah.

To complicate the matter of Old Testament salvation there is one glaring exception to all the rules. David and his children are given a special promise by God. We call this Davidic Covenant : "the sure mercies of David." Nathan first explained it to David in II Samuel 7:12-16.

• II Samuel 7:12
  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

The first verses have immediate fulfillment in Solomon but verse 16 points far into the future to the Lord Jesus Christ, who will return soon to finally sit on the throne of David. The first part of the covenant had a guaranteed end, with David’s throne established forever; but the continuation of his seed on the throne, until the Lord’s return, was conditional. In order for a man from his line to remain king they had to love the Lord and be obedient to the Law. These next verses are David’s instructions to Solomon.

• I Kings 2:3
  And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

Solomon reiterates this conditional promise again in I Kings 8:25.

The second part of the covenant, however, had no such conditions. In fact "the sure mercies of David" are a "type" of Church Age eternal security. While "grace" is the Lord giving us something we don’t deserve, "mercy" is the Lord’s refraining from giving us what we do deserve. One dictionary defines "mercy" as "the act or instance of forgiving." Neither David nor any of his children could lose their individual salvation because of God’s promise to him. The covenant is best explained in Psalm 89.

• Psalm 89:3
  I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

Here is the covenant concerning David’s throne. Notice that the throne is not built up to all generations until it has been established forever. That would be a future reference to the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ, because as noted before, the continuation of David’s seed on his throne is conditional.

• Psalm 89:18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. 19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. 20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:

The "holy one" of verse 19 is David himself, and is contrasted to the Holy One, the Lord Jesus Christ , the King, in verse 18. The mention of the "vision" verifies this.

• II Samuel 7:17
  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

Other verses of the Psalm indicate the personal "sure mercies" to himself and his children. Remember, "mercy" is refraining from the traditional or predetermined punishment. His children who break the commandments are chastised only, and cannot lose their individual salvation as other Israelites can.

• Psalm 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. 28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. 30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. 35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

This promise of individual eternal security is a type of the eternal security that a Church Age believer has today. According to Paul’s doctrine a Christian who sins will be chastised by the Lord but can never lose his salvation. David and his offspring also have this promise under the Mosaic Law. But they were only a few to whom this promise was given compared to all the individuals of the nation. David himself, as an adulterer and murderer, benefits from this special covenant. Under the law either of these sins demanded death as David surely knew. He knew that the Law provided no animal sacrifices that would gain him forgiveness.

• Psalm 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

That was why David feared losing God’s Spirit. God would have taken the Spirit from him permanently for those offenses, had it not been for the covenant. He felt so guilty after Nathan had confronted him about Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah that he doubted God’s promise of "sure mercies" and he asked God not to cast him out or take the Holy Spirit from him.

• Psalm 51:11
  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

But God does not lie. David received his "sure mercies" and was forgiven.

• II Samuel 12:13
  And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

Notice how Nathan stated that the penalty for David’s sins was death. Another example of God keeping his covenant with David’s offspring is found in II Chronicles.

• II Chronicles 21:5
  Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD. 7 Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever.

The Lord punished the entire nation for the wickedness of its king. That may seem unfair to us, but remember that each individual was responsible for his own eternal destiny. Many individuals died because of the king’s wickedness, but that was physical death only. The final abode of the soul always rested in the hands of the individual.

This, of course, is also true for salvation today. David’s sure mercies" are now available to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was even prophesied in the Old Testament.

• Isaiah 55:3
  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

• Acts 13:33
  God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Samuel’s parting words to David show another parallel to Church Age Christianity.

• II Samuel 12:14
  Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

A sinning Christian gives the lost world an opportunity to disparage Christ and his believers, and he will also reap what he sows.

David’s special covenant is mentioned again and again. The only question left to answer is why would God choose this one man to receive such peculiar and particular blessings in the midst of the Law? Blessings that even extended to his children. I don’t know if that question can be answered any more than why God chose Mary to be Christ’s mother, or why he chose Abraham to be the father of all believers. Mary was "blessed" among women, and Abraham was the only man called the "Friend of God." In the same respect, David was the only man said to be "a man after God’s own heart." God said that he sought for such a man, and of that man he would raise up a Saviour.

• 1 Samuel 13:14
  .....the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart...

• Acts 13:22
  And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and we are not necessarily called to understand the whys of God, but rather just to believe his words.

With the exception of those covered under the Davidic covenant, individual salvation under Old Testament Mosaic law was earned by obeying the commandments and offering the appropriate sacrifices. When that was done an individual was "saved." If that same individual failed to obey a commandment and/or offer the appropriate sacrifice that individual lost his salvation. He could, however, get right with God at a later time and regain God’s favor with obedience and restitution. If an individual committed an unforgivable sin he had no recourse. There was no avenue of forgiveness and he went to hell.