The guilt offerings are closely related to the sin offerings, but while the sin offerings dealt with atonement and purification, the guilt offerings are more about reparation or compensation to the Lord which is needed because of sin.

We tend to think of guilt as being something we feel, but in reality it is what we are unless we come before the Lord and receive his forgiveness. Whether we feel guilty or not, until we have dealings with the Lord we are guilty.

This may seem like a harsh truth, but the Lord does not shine a light on our sinful condition to condemn us. Instead, he offers us a way out. We have to recognise that we are lost before we will accept being found.

Guilt offerings covered sins against others and against God. They covered sins that the people committed accidentally or in ignorance as well as those committed with full knowledge, as long as the person came before the Lord in true repentance. While other offerings brought reconciliation between God and man, atonement and purification, the guilt offering acknowledged the debt that was owed as a result of sin.

Thankfully, God has accepted the offering of Jesus as full payment of our debt to him, but when our sin – deliberate or otherwise – has a negative effect on another person, we may still need to follow this principle of reparation or compensation. Matthew 5:24 and 6:12 remind us of our need both to seek forgiveness and to forgive others. Forgiveness is an essential element of being part of a community of believers and without it, the effects of the sins we commit against each other spread to become a root of bitterness destroying relationships, and church communities.

So, let us be humble enough to confess our sin, to seek forgiveness, to freely forgive and to repair broken relationships that the Lord may strengthen us as a people for the glory of his name.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH