ENOCH
I was looking at Enoch and this passage jumped out from the page to me:
8 And then there shall be bestowed upon the elect wisdom, And they shall all live and never again sin, Either through ungodliness or through pride: But they who are wise shall be humble.
9 And they shall not again transgress, Nor shall they sin all the days of their life, Nor shall they die of (the divine) anger or wrath, But they shall complete the number of the days of their life.
And their lives shall be increased in peace, And the years of their joy shall be multiplied, In eternal gladness and peace, All the days of their life
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"....never again sin...not again transgress...nor shall they sin all the days....
The teaching that we can and MUST cease from all known sin completely and forever is called heresy by modern Christianity. The key is to examine the only explicit Biblical definition of sin which is:
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Satan desires to add to or take away from that simple truth - that in order to commit sin we must transgress one of the ten commandments.
If we cannot define and explain sin we cannot understand the Scriptures.
Here is a short essay which outlines sin.
Sin in 1 John 2:1? John taught:
1John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Question: What was in John’s mind when he used the word sin? Was he talking about sins of ignorance or willful sin - or both?
Answer: As a Jewish man trained in the Scriptures we can be certain John understood that sins of ignorance could be forgiven and that presumptuous (willful) sin was not forgiven. John was taught from childhood that:
a. Sins of ignorance condemn to death (Lev 5:17*) and required atonement (Num 15:28*)
b. Presumptuous (willful) sin was not forgiven (Num 15:30*)
c. The Day of Atonement covered only sins of ignorance. (Heb 9:7*)
( * = complete verse quoted below )
In His first epistle John said that “…if any man sin we have an advocate…” At the same time John also taught that the child of God did not *commit* sin:
1John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;
If the sin in 1John 2:1 is the same type of sin as 3:9 - John was would be contradicting himself because in verse 2:1 John says to the children of God “…if any man sin we have an advocate…” Yet in verse 3:9 John says “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.”
John is not contradicting himself – in 2:1 he is referring to sins of ignorance (which required atonement) and presumptuous (willful) sin in verse 3:9. John distinguished between unintentional sin in verse 2:1 and willful sin in verse 3:9 by using the word “commit”. To “commit” sin implies knowledge and intent.
* In verse 3:9 John used the word “commit”. “…doth not commit sin.”
* In verse 2:1 John did not use the word commit “…if any man sin we have an advocate…”
The child of God may occasionally sin through ignorance or deception - which does not involve rebellion to Gods commandments. These sins can be forgiven by the blood of Christ just as an Israelite’s sin of ignorance was forgiven by the blood atonement.
On the other hand, the one who is born of God does not “commit” sin. To sin willfully involves rebellion – it is presumptuous sin and cannot be forgiven. There was no sacrifice for willful sin under either the Old Covenant or the New.
Hebrews 10:26* explicitly states that there is no sacrifice for willful sin for those who have received the knowledge of the truth. Why is there no mercy for one who has been born of God and then rebels against God’s law and sins willfully?
Even under the old Covenant the one who” despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:” They were immediately stoned to death.
Under the New Covenant we have direct communication with Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit. If there was no mercy for the willful sinner who had only the law and the priests to guide them – how much greater punishment is deserved for those who sin directly against the Holy Spirit?
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Under the New Covenant a person who rebels against God by sinning willfully does the following:
1. He “hath trodden under foot the Son of God,”
2. He “hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,”
3. He “hath done despite [blasphemed] unto the Spirit of grace. “
For one who is born of God to sin willfully is to show contempt and scorn for Jesus and to reject the blood covenant by which he was counted holy as a child of God. It is an act of unspeakable evil to virtually spit in the face of the Son of God by rejecting his Lordship and refusing to obey.
The child of God who rebels by sinning willfully hath “done despite” to the Holy Spirit. It is an unpardonable insult to the indwelling Spirit of God and cannot be forgiven. It is blasphemy!
In the Old Testament to sin presumptuously was to blaspheme God.
Num 15:30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
In the Numbers text above which says that presumptuous sin is to reproach the Lord, the Hebrew word for reproacheth is:
1442 gadaph, a primitive root; to hack (with words), i.e. revile:
KJV-- BLASPHEME, reproach.
Every other time this word is used, the KJV translates it as BLASPHEMED or BLASPHEMETH. For example:
Ezek 20:27
" Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have
BLASPHEMED (1442) in that they have committed a trespass
against me."
As you can see, they "committed a trespass" and "blasphemed” the Lord.
*In the OT to sin presumptuously (willfully) is to blaspheme the Lord God.
* In the NT, to sin willfully (presumptuously) is to blaspheme the indwelling Spirit of Grace.
Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
God will forgive those who repent and are baptized all manner of past sin and blasphemy and give them the gift of the Holy Spirit. But for the child of God who hath done despite unto the indwelling Spirit of grace there is no forgiveness for willful sin. It is blasphemy!
The term "hath done despite” [blaspheme] is from the Greek:
2662 katapateo-
1) to tread down, to trample underfoot, to trample on
2) metaphorically, to treat with rudeness and insult, to spurn, to treat with insulting neglect
If one who is born of God has truly repented of committing sin (made a covenant with God to cease from sin completely and forever) and then deliberately commits sin he has despised the Holy Spirit, just as the Israelites despised the Law of God. It is blasphemy!
The Peshitta Text (Aramaic) of the New Testament confirms this fact by translating Hebrews 10:29 in this way:
"How much more punishment do you think he will receive who has
trodden underfoot the Son of God and has considered the blood of
His covenant through which he had been sanctified as ordinary blood
and has BLASPHEMED the Spirit of Grace."
Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts - Lamsa
KJ Version "...done despite unto the Spirit of Grace"
Aramaic Text "...blasphemed the Spirit of Grace”
Only the one "born of God” is able to blaspheme the Spirit who "writes the law on their hearts." If he does, there remains only "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."
Harold Kupp
VERSE LIST:
* Lev 5:17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
*Num 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
*Num 15:30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
*Num 15:31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.
*Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
*Heb 10:26-7 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
*Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
*Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
hk
