December 15, 2010 – Leviticus 5

Here we have the description of more personal offerings to the Lord for the sins committed.  If you commit a sin, you must go to the priest, confess your sins, offer your sacrifice, the priest would then offer your sacrifice to God, then you would be forgiven.  The Catholic formula for confession is very similar.  If you commit a sin, you go to the priest, confess your sin.  The part of our sacrifice and the priest offering it up are substituted by Christ sacrifice, once and for all, on the Cross.  The priest will reiterate this by reciting the words of absolution.  It usually goes something like this,

"God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Then your sins are forgiven.  It is a very similar process.  The whole idea of confessing our sins straight to God in our own heart and mind and having them forgiven that way is something that is not Biblical and contrary to both the Old Testament and New Testament methods of forgiveness of sins.  Although the method of forgiving sins that was given to Moses was an imperfect form, we must look to it as a foundation for what Christ would institute.  We cannot believe that Christ would guide us to completely ignore or not consider the old ways.  Not a letter of the law was changed by Him.  If we believe Christ can forgive our sins and we believe that He would have established a way for us to receive that grace, we must look to the Old Testament as a foundation for the way we will receive that forgiveness.