The guilt offering was very similar to the sin offering: “The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them” (Lv 7:7). Although the offering was the same, the purpose was quite different. As the sin offering restored one’s standing with God, the guilt offering restored one’s standing with the one who was sinned against. Like the sin offering, it was for a specific sin (Lv 5:15-19).

If any of God’s commandments were broken, once a person realized it, he had to offer a guilt offering. It came with renumeration as well. To the offering he had to add 20% of its worth and give that to the priest. Then he had to make restitution to the one offended by repaying the value of whatever was involved with the sin committed and then add an additional 20% of its value and give that to the one sinned against. The purpose of the guilt offering was to absolve the offender of all legal and moral debt, and it restored one’s favor to one’s fellow man by absolving the guilt of the sin committed.

Whereas the sin offering had a vertical application, the guilt offering had a horizontal application. Paul stated that because we have forgiveness through Christ, we should do the following in our relationship to others: Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice (Ep 4:31). And Jesus stated that if that was not the case then we have mending to do: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24).

While Christ’s death cancels our moral and legal debt, it does even more! Paul tells us this: “He [Christ] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Ro 4:25). We often state that Christ took care of our sin problem. Yet, we need to remember that he also took care of our guilt problem as well. This sacrifice therefore represents restoration of one being able to communicate with others without residual guilt.

So far, we have seen that our standing with God has been corrected, our relationship with him has been restored so we can communicate unhindered and even have a restored relationship with our neighbors. Does God have a significant part in all this other than Jesus’ death? Join me next time for the answer.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We saw previously that the guilt offering had both a vertical as well as a horizontal application. We find something similar in the New Testament as well: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24). You see, the guilt offering absolved the offender of all legal and moral debt. At the same time, the guilt offering restored favor to both God and to one’s fellow man.

The act of the guilt offering here in Leviticus is reiterated in other parts of scripture in how God wants us to handle guilt. The Bible states that our conscience must be correctly trained: acts done out of love leads to a good conscience (1Tm 1:3, 5); studying God’s word will help one know good from evil (Hb 5:11-12).

Of course, not all our sins will be known to us. How does that happen? Remember, sin is anything God deems as such. Therefore, one could sin out of ignorance. God knew that, and so God instituted a sacrifice for this. Since Christ’s sacrifice of himself was for all sin, then we can rest assured that Christ solves this for us as well. Confession is better than denial: confession through faith cleanses us (1Jn 1:9). When restitution is possible, we should do so. Restitution is what uniquely distinguished the guilt offering from the sin offering. Restitution brings healing and cancels the legal and moral debt on the horizontal level between one human being and another.

We need to learn this lesson and leave the guilt behind us. When all has been offered, what else is there to do? The moral and legal debt is paid. What more can one do? Nothing. Continuing to carry around guilt as baggage is not faith and violated the holiness of the guilt offering and the atonement of the priest. The same is true for us today.

Jesus Christ, our sin offering, is the eternal solution to our guilt: “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Is 53:10-11).

The moral and legal debt is cancelled, but there is more: “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins, but when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (Hb 10:10-18).

We often state that Christ took care of our sin problem. Yet, we need to remember that he also took care of our guilt problem as well. Doesn’t that make you want to rejoice and serve him with an even greater grateful heart? Leave it to God to think of everything. What a mighty God we serve!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

“The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them” (Lv 7:7) Although the offering was the same, the purpose was different. The sin offering restored one’s standing with God; the guilt offering did that, but also restored one’s standing with the one whom was sinned against. It was made for a specific sin (Lv 5:15-19).

If any of God’s commandments were broken, once a person realized it, he had to offer a guilt offering: “He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven” (Lv 5:16). So, it seems the sacrifice was measured monetarily, and the offender added one-fifth its value, in shekels, to it and gave that to the priest.

Then, examples of sins against one’s neighbor were provided. If anyone committed extortion or deception through deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, robbing his neighbor, or finding something lost and lies about it, the offender had to restore what was taken and add one-fifth (20%) of its value (Lv 6:1-5). He then brought his guilt offering (ram without blemish – or its equivalent) to the priest. This made atonement for him, and he was then forgiven (Lv 6:6-7).

The guilt offering absolved the offender of all legal and moral debt, and it restored one’s favor to both God and to one’s fellow man. It seems God is always vertical as well as horizontal focused. Our relationship to Him is important, but so is our relationship to each other important to Him. He therefore expects us to consider both important as well.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens