At our men's Bible class recently, the subject being "the place of refuge," the leader made the remark that the high priest was the sin bearer and that "when he died, he died without forgiveness."
He said also that "Jesus Christ, our sin-bearer, died without forgiveness." I asked him if he would kindly say a few words more on the subject so as to help our minds; but he said he would leave it for us to think of.
So having received so much valuable information from your valuable paper, I ask, will you kindly help me?
The statement in question is a very fair sample of the loose manner in which people deal with matters of religion. Such statements would do no harm, if all hearers would make it an invariable rule to accept nothing without proof. But the trouble is, that whenever a person occupying the place of a leader makes an assertion, somebody is sure to accept it as Gospel truth, without asking any questions. This is the reason why, whenever the real truth is presented from the Scripture, we are sure to be met by an objection from some person, beginning thus: "But I have been told" and so forth; and although the truth may be plainly read from the Scripture, the unsupported assertion that somebody made holds its place against it.
There is not the slightest reason for saying that the high priest died without forgiveness. On the contrary, the high priest was directed to offer a sin-offering, and make atonement for his own sin, before he offered for the people. (Leviticus 16:3-9) A thorough knowledge of the Bible is essential for a Bible class teacher.
The statement that the high priest was a sin-bearer is also a misapprehension. This is evident from the fact that he had to make an offering for sin. Read the whole of Leviticus 16. In this, as well as in other Scriptures, we see that sin was confessed upon the victim, the idea of the sin-offering being that it bore the sin. The death of the sin-offering represents the death of the sinner himself.
Now if the high priest had indeed himself borne the sin of the people, then he would have been obliged to offer himself. The misapprehension doubtless arose from the fact that Jesus our High Priest bears our sins; but here it must be remembered that Christ is not only the High Priest, but He is also the sin-offering, "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
If any earthly high priest ever died unforgiven, it was because he had failed to confess and repent of his own sin, and not because he bore other people's sins. As a matter of fact no mere man ever did or ever can bear another's sins. "The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." (Ezekiel 18:20)
Jesus Christ was the sin-offering for the whole world, because: "[He] through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God;" (Hebrews 4:4) and, by that same Spirit He dwells in the hearts of men, (John 14:16-18) and thus actually takes the place of all who believe in Him. (Galatians 2:20) The death of any number of men, whether forgiven or unforgiven, would not atone for a single sin that they themselves, or any other person, had committed.
As to saying that Christ died unforgiven, that is both absurd and wicked. It is absurd from the fact that Jesus had no sin for which to be forgiven; and it is wicked, because of the implication that He was a sinner needing forgiveness. And to say that, is to deny that He is the Saviour of sinners.
I cannot think how anyone professing to be a Christian could have made such an assertion. Christ could be our sin-bearer only because He himself was sinless. "[He] did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." (1 Peter 2:22) "[He] knew no sin." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
A single sin that any person has committed is more than he can bear, and will suffice to crush him; but He who knew no sin can bear the sin of the world, and find His burden light.--Present Truth, February 5, 1903.