Sins of Ignorance- Charles Spurgeon

[alon]

This is a bit of a stretch, placing this sermon in a category dealing with the "Early Church." However it does show just how far Christianity has fallen away just in the last century in the US. I also must apologize; it is a long sermon, but while trying to pare it down I found myself hesitant to delete any part of the sermon. I will tell you this though- this sermon could be delivered in any Messianic synagogue and be well received! I am hard pressed to criticize any of this. It is lamentable we don't hear this kind of preaching any more.

I am going to post the first half of the sermon now. And as I indicated. instead of deleting parts I am simply going to bold the really important parts. Read all or just the bolded text, as you prefer. Comment on any of it, of course. I will also break it up- the original sermon in 11 pt type is 17 pages long. (And you thought J was not for the faint of heart ...).

[alon]

SINS OF IGNORANCE
 SERMON
DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 25, 1877, BY C. H. SPURGEON

“And if a soul sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with your estimation, for a trespass offering,
unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and knew it not, and it shall be forgiven him.”
 Leviticus 5:17,18.


IT is supposed in our text that men might commit forbidden things without knowing it. No, it is not merely supposed, but it is taken for granted, and provided for. The Levitical law had special statutes for sins of ignorance, and one of its sections begins with these words, “If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord.” If you will, at your leisure, read the 4th and 5th chapters of Leviticus, you will find, first of all, it is supposed that a priest may sin. They knew nothing of infallible priests and infallible popes under the Mosaic law! It was known and recognized that priests might sin, and sin through ignorance, too. “The priest’s lips should keep knowledge,” but as they were compassed with infirmities, they learned to have compassion on the ignorant by being made, themselves, conscious that they were not perfect in understanding. In the 4th chapter a sacrifice is prescribed for “the priest that is anointed, if he sins according to the sin of the people.” The highest in office, who ought to be best read in the things of God, might, nevertheless, err through misunderstanding, forgetfulness, or ignorance. The priests were teachers, but they needed, also, to be taught. As Trapp says, “The sins of teachers are teachers of sins” and, therefore, they were not overlooked, but had to be expiated by trespass offerings. Further on in the chapter it is supposed that a ruler may sin (see verse 22). A ruler should be thoroughly acquainted with the law which he has to dispense, but yet he might not know every point, and therefore, might err; therefore it is written, “When a ruler has sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; or if his sin, wherein he has sinned, comes to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering.” There existed no fiction among the Jews that the king can do no wrong; however excellent his intentions, he might be misinformed upon the divine law and so fall into error. Errors in leaders are apt to breed mischief, and therefore they were to be repented of and put away by an expiatory sacrifice. It was, also, according to the law, regarded as very likely that any man might fall into sins of ignorance, for in chapter four, verse 27, we read, “And if any one of the common people sins through ignorance, while he does somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord.” The sin even of the most common person was not to be winked at and passed over as a mere trifle, even though he could plead ignorance of the law! It was not to be said, “Oh, he is quite an insignificant person, and he did it in ignorance, and therefore there is no need to take any note of it”; but no, on the contrary, he was also to bring his trespass offering that the priest might make an atonement for him. Ignorance was common enough among the common people, but it did not constitute a license for them, nor screen them from guilt.
But we need not, dear friends, go to these Scripture references, for we are well assured by our own observation and the verdict of our own experience that sins of ignorance are possible, for we have often, ourselves, sinned in this fashion, and we have had to mourn deeply over the fact when we have been convinced of it. Very much in which we once allowed ourselves, we would not do again, for we see the evil of it, though once we judged it to be right enough. An enlightened conscience mourns over sins of ignorance which it would never do if they were innocent mistakes.
The word rendered “ignorance” may also bear the translation of inadvertence. Inadvertence is a kind of acted ignorance; a man frequently does wrong for lack of thought, through not considering the outcome of his actions, or even thinking at all. He carelessly and hastily blunders into the course which
 
first suggests itself, and errs because he did not think about whether or not it was right. There is very much sin of this kind committed every day. There is no intent to do wrong, and yet wrong is done. Culpable neglect creates a thousand faults. “Evil is worked by lack of thought as well as lack of heart.” Sins of inadvertence, therefore, are undoubtedly abundant among us, and in these busy, thoughtless, railway days, they are apt to increase. We do not take time enough to examine our actions! We do not take good heed to our steps. Life should be a careful work of art in which every single line and tint should be the fruit of study and thought, like the paintings of the great master who was apt to say, “I paint for eternity.” But, alas, life is often slurred over like those hasty productions of the scene painter in which present effect, alone, is studied, and the canvas becomes a mere daub of colors hastily laid on. We seem intent to do much rather than to do well; we want to cover space rather than to reach perfection. This is not wise; O that every single thought were conformed to the will of God!
Now, seeing that there are sins of ignorance, and sins of inadvertence, what about them? Is there any actual guilt in them? In our text we have the Lord’s mind and judgment—not that of the church or of some eminent divine, but of the Lord God Himself, and therefore let me read it to you once again. “If a soul sins and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.” Sins of ignorance, then, are really sins needing atonement because they involve us in guilt! Yet let us clearly understand that they greatly differ in degree of guilt from known and willful sins. Our Lord teaches us this in the gospels, and our own conscience tells us that it must be so. The Savior puts it, “That servant which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.” He who knew not his lord’s will was less punished than the intentional offender, but he was still beaten; and beaten with stripes, of which a few will be far more than you and I may wish to bear! The fewest stripes that will come from the hand of justice will be enough to grievously afflict us! One stroke has made good men lie in the dust and moan in sorrow. Sins caused by ignorance are punished, for the prophet says (Isa 5:13), “My people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge.” And again in Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Paul, also, tells us, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God.” These are to be punished, it seems, though their sinful ignorance is mentioned in the threat.
Yes, and according to my text, there is sin in ignorance, itself, for the 18th verse declares, “the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred.” Ignorance of the law among those who dwelt in the camp of Israel was essentially sinful. The Israelite had no business to be ignorant. The law was plain and within his reach; if he neglected to study the statute, his breach of the statute could not be excused by his neglect, seeing the neglect was, in itself, an act of omission of a censurable kind. Willful ignorance of the Lord’s will is, in itself, sin; and the sin which comes of it is grievous in the sight of the Lord our God.
Blessed be God, the solemn declaration of the text concerning the guilt of sins of ignorance needs not drive us to despair, for a sacrifice is permitted for it! The offender, on discovering his error, might bring his offering, and pay the trespass money for any damage which he had caused by his action. And there was a promise given in connection with the atoning sacrifice which was, no doubt, often realized by the contrite in heart: “It shall be forgiven him.” Be it ours this morning not to attempt excuses, but to seek forgiveness! May the Spirit of God work in us a tender-hearted confession of that sin which we did not before know to be sin; and while we are confessing it, may the divine Spirit apply the precious blood that we may have a sweet sense of pardon. May the Lord make us rejoice in the truth of God that, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

[alon]

I think I will stop there, for now. This is very similar to the kind of preaching I grew up with; including the length! This is only about 1/4 of the sermon!

My father preached in a country church way off the beaten path in Lakewood, New Mexico in the early 1960's. Every Sunday morning at about noon, an old, broke down (but still hard working) cowboy by the name of Hamp Lewis would pull out a foil wraped biscuit and eat it there in church. I always envied him, because  was not allowed the same leniency. But I will say that I learned about the Law and who God's people were sitting bolt upright on those old, hard pews in Baptist churches; listening to sermons like this one. But it has been years since I have heard this kind of preaching.

I have heard some good preachers since I left home. But over the years they have lost their fire as they have drifted further from and further into the sewage pit of Dispensationalism. "Forget the Law, WE GOT GRACE!" No, they have a rude awakening in store for them, I'm afraid.

Dan C