Leviticus 4:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.

Ignorance: The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.

The sin of ignorance - does that mean it's a sin to be ignorant? Is it a sin to be uneducated? 'Sins of Ignorance' means something different entirely. In Leviticus Chapter 4, God provided a sacrificial rite for sins that were committed in ignorance. This tells me two things. One is that we can sin in ignorance; that is, sin without actually knowing we are committing a sin. The other thing it tells me is that we need to ask forgiveness for sins committed in ignorance; that is, asking God to look at our lives and see if we have committed a sin we are not aware of. Sometimes, at the end of the day, we can look back and see where we have fallen short. Maybe we lost patience with our children, said something we shouldn’t have said or didn’t witness when the chance presented itself. For these things we can ask forgiveness because we recognize where we have failed. But what about the things we are totally unaware of? What do we do about the times our words offended someone but we didn’t realize they were offended? Or what if you inadvertently took something that wasn’t yours and didn’t know about it until later? Does that mean you are a thief? A store owner once told me it did. I was buying some small things for children that rode one of our church buses - we had 3 buses and my husband and I and another couple ran one of them. It was winter and I had on a coat with big pockets. I had too many items to carry in my hands and arms so I stuffed some small New Testaments in my pockets. I put everything else on the counter, paid for it all and left. As I got into my car, I felt the bibles in my pockets. I went back into the store to pay for the bibles and the store owner told me it was a good thing a car didn’t hit me as I crossed the street because I would have gone straight to hell. Now, I just don’t believe that! I believe that was definitely a sin of ignorance and I believe there is a sacrifice that has already been made to cover that sin for me. Jesus Christ died on Calvary to insure that I would not have to pay for any sins I commit in ignorance - those sins are covered by the blood. But, just as the Israelites had their ritual of sacrifice they went through in Leviticus, I think we need to offer a prayer of forgiveness for our sins of ignorance. God looks on the heart and He knows when we sin intentionally or unaware.

Some would argue that if we are not accountable for sin done in ignorance then why read the bible and become aware of sin. 2 Timothy 2:15 says we should study to show ourselves approved unto God. In the beginning, God created us in His image, we should be striving to be more like Him. To do that we should read and study His word and learn of Him. 2 Peter 3:18 says we are supposed to grow in the knowledge of Jesus. We can’t do this without learning what’s right and what’s wrong. Jesus is truth and while on earth he only did what was right. No sin was found in Him. Belonging to Him means we want to be exactly like Him and if we are like Him we will want to only do the the things He would do. That leads us right back to His instruction book - The Bible.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

I have heard people put down ministers for not having a proper education; perhaps they did not go to college, did not have a degree or maybe they said a few words wrong. Evidently these people have not read Acts 4:13. According to this verse Peter and John were also ignorant and unlearned men, yet Jesus chose them to spread the gospel. I do beg of you not to make fun of or speak bad of men of God who are uneducated or mispronounce a word now and then if they are teaching sound doctrine. Jesus said in Mark 9:40 “he that is not against us is on our part.”

Maybe you have been making excuses for your lack of education: Not enough money to go back to school, not smart enough to understand the prophesies (neither am I!). Jesus can educate. There is no good excuse for anyone to be ignorant today. There are too many study helps on the market. If you are determined enough, with Jesus’ help, you can overcome ignorance. After all, all ignorance really is, is a lack of knowledge.

Ask God to show you where you need to change or improve.
Ask Him to forgive you if you have wronged anyone
or done anything you were not suppoed to do.
Offer a prayer for sins of ignorance everyday.
And always study and read the Bible. Make the time!

God will bless you for making time for Him.

LOVE, MEME.

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