There is much to be understood concerning the sin of ignorance which occurs when a person commits sin unknowingly, and the scriptures shed much light on the way it is dealt with, both from a legal and merciful perspective, as far as God is concerned. Some people are ignorant of the fact that certain actions constitute sin, and others are ignorant of the consequences of sin. However, the Bible is clear on this issue, and thus it’s very important to understand what the sin of ignorance is, what are the responsibilities and liabilities that go along with it, and most of all, how we can find pardon, and avoid it as far as possible.
The Bible states that in the times of ignorance, God winks, and this text is often quoted to excuse one’s self from the liabilities that arise as a result of committing this sin inadvertently. Therefore it’s necessary that we understand certain parameters pertaining to it. (1) Ignorance does not legally absolve a person of guilt. The Bible states that sin is the transgression of the law, and this statement of fact does not take into consideration good motive, intention, ignorance, or knowledge.
These added considerations must be decided by an intelligent judge who will determine the validity of good motives, intentions and ignorance in a court of law. Satan knows this, and therefore often tempts us to sin when a good motive is presented, but a good motive in and of itself does not justify or absolve us from sin and its consequences. Let’s read:
Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done [somewhat against] any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which should not be done, and are guilty;
4:14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
It is of the utmost importance for us to thoroughly understand this first point, for many people erroneously believe that guilt is a feeling. Guilt is a state, not an emotion, and it is incurred whenever sin is committed either ignorantly or deliberately.
There was a certain gang of thieves operating out of the Miami area, and one notorious member by the name of Lorenzo had planned to steal several generators from Home Depot, to sell them on the internet at bargain prices.
On the day in question, he entered the store and was just about to exit with the equipment when he was seen on surveillance cameras, and was then promptly arrested by a Metro-Dade police officer. But then something quite unusual happened, for as Lorenzo was being hurried out of the store in handcuffs, the surveillance cameras also picked up another middle-aged man, hurriedly walking out with another generator without paying.
This older gentleman by the name Mr. Morris, was a high school teacher in the district, and was well loved and respected by both his peers and students, for he had always lived an honorable and honest life. The problem is that whilst he was just about to pay for the generator, he got distracted by an emergency call, informing him that his wife had just gotten a stroke, and was being rushed to the area hospital, and so in the heat of the moment, he honestly forgot to continue the transaction, and headed out the door in a hurry with the item rolling behind him.
The same Metro Dade officer then rushed over to
where Mr. Morris was hurrying away, and promptly arrested him, charging him with shoplifting, a charge that the respected teacher adamantly denied, explaining that it was never his intent to leave the store without paying, and that he had ignorantly forgotten to finish the transaction.
But the officer then explained that he could not free him on those grounds, for then Mr. Lorenzo, who was now watching the proceedings from the back seat of the squad car, could also claim that he was unaware that he had not first paid for his generator, and now the officer would be at a loss to determine who was really ignorant, or who had deliberately planned to steal. So just to be on the safe side, he took both of them down to the county jail and booked them both for shoplifting, leaving the legal matters for an intelligent judge to decide in a court of law. Now, although this story is allegorical in nature, it does demonstrate the fact that ignorance does not absolve a person of guilt, which leads us to the second important point to note on this subject.
(2) Ignorance and good motive are never ever to be determined by the one committing the sin, for every person will inevitably justify themselves on these grounds whenever sin is committed. The fact that one does not know that a certain action is sinful must of necessity be determined by God in a court of law, but never by the individual. Let’s read:
Numbers 35:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
35:11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
35:12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
35:15 These six cities shall be a refuge, [both] for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.
35:22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
35:23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing [him] not, and cast [it] upon him, that he die, and [was] not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
35:24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments.
A person may claim self-defense or ignorance, but these claims must first be proven in a court of law before the guilty one can be exonerated, which leads us to the third very important point for our consideration.
(3) Ignorance and good intention does not change the definition of any committed sin. It may change the description but never the definition. For instance, in our legal system we have various descriptions for the act of slaying another person. We have first and second degree murder, and then we have manslaughter and also involuntary manslaughter, all of which describe variations of motive, intent, deliberation and ignorance, but the basic fact remains the same, that a human being was killed by another, and therefore must be addressed from a legal perspective.
In the slaying of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman claimed to have been protecting himself, from a supposedly would be attacker, however, the state prosecutor did not charge him with making a mistake, but with manslaughter, for in the real world, that is what had actually taken place, a man had been slaughtered. Let’s read:
Leviticus 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.
5:18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist [it] not, and it shall be forgiven him.
According to the above passage, forgiveness can be granted by God in every situation, once confession is made and the blood of the sacrifice is applied, and here’s where the beauty of our salvation through Christ shines forth radiantly, for His sacrifice covers both deliberate and ignorant sins that are past when we give our lives entirely to Him. As a matter of fact, many Christians actually sin ignorantly in some form or fashion every day, and when we ask God to forgive us our sins, He also includes those errors that we are completely unaware of. This sacred truth is borne out by the apostle John when he writes about all types of sin. Let’s read:
1st John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
That’s one of the reasons why a supposedly good person who trusts in their own goodness and righteousness can never enter heaven without first accepting Christ’s sacrifice, for there are always sins and wrongs being committed that we are not even cognizant of. Furthermore, intention or good motive in no way changes the definition of something that is wrong. One day many years ago, a customer of mine gave us the go ahead to do some work on a red Geo metro motor vehicle, including the timing belt and some other repairs that would have taken some time to complete.
But somehow we got the address all mixed up and went to the opposite end of the street, where, believe it or not, a red Geo metro, of the same exact year, make, and model, was parked in the front yard of someone’s house. And so with the best of intentions, we “Ignorantly” disassembled the vehicle, and sat waiting confidently for the parts to arrive. In the meanwhile a conversation was struck with the man’s neighbor who asked concerning the repairs that were being done, to which the reply was given that we had authorization from the owner to do the specified work.
The answer, though given in ignorance and with the best of intentions actually calmed the neighbor’s nerves, and having spoken so confidently, he proceeded to bring out cold water so that my assistant’s thirst could be quenched. But with the passing of a few hours it was discovered that we had made a very serious yet genuine mistake, and it’s only because of the grace of God, why the owner did not come home to find his vehicle all disassembled, because I’m not certain whether good intentions or ignorance would have been sufficient to save us from bullets of wrath.
Which then leads us to the fourth point on the issue of the sin of ignorance.
(4) Ignorance in committing any sin by which another person suffers any kind of loss, carries with it the responsibility of restitution, because any damages that are incurred due to a lack of knowledge on our part, must of necessity be
addressed for the sake of justice. God is merciful, but He is also just, and therefore, in His stipulations pertaining to the handling of sins of ignorance, He makes provision that the wronged or wounded person will be properly compensated.
Psalms 89:13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, [and] high is thy right hand.
89:14 Justice and judgment [are] the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
5:16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest.
One day as I was reversing my vehicle, I ignorantly
crushed the bumper, fender and hood of a Toyota
Corolla, and the owner who was standing about twenty feet away ran towards his vehicle to inspect the damage. Our insurance company was later billed not only for damages to the man’s vehicle, but also for neck and back injuries together with several visits to the “Chiropractor”. Restitution or amends are required whenever the sin of ignorance causes damage or harm.
(5) And last but not least, willful ignorance makes a person responsible for what they could or should have known, not merely for what they actually know. A trooper stops a Caribbean man who is seen driving for miles on the right side of the street, instead of the left side, because in the Caribbean that’s what we do, for it’s the law across there. The trooper then asks the man why he was thus driving, to which the man replies that he firmly believed he was doing the right thing, for that’s how people drive in the islands.
The trooper then asks the man how long he has been in the United States of America, to which the man replies, thirty years, and so, because of his answer the trooper writes him a series of tickets, even though the Caribbean man was “Ignorant”. The same is true when it comes to the law of God that has been around since time immemorial. At the times of ignorance God “Winks” for there were instances in the Bible narrative where individuals sinned inadvertently, and God overlooked the fact, although He did not change the definition. One such notable case took place with Abimelech, who ignorantly took Sarah to wife, because of deceptions practiced by both Abraham and herself. Let’s read:
Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She [is] my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife.
20:4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
20:5 Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
20:7 Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore [her] not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that [are] thine.
20:8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
But when we have opportunity to know what is truth through the providences of God, by which He has caused Bibles to be within the reach of most households in America, then we are left without excuse, for it is the personal and sacred responsibility of every individual to search for truth, and in seeking we are guaranteed to find answers, for God has promised. Let’s read:
Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, [Ye] men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed [it] unto them.
1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
For many years now the investigative judgment has been taking place in the heavenly sanctuary, and millions of Christians are being judged on what they know and should have known. The question for us is are we living in deliberate ignorance, in order to
justify a wrong course of action, and are we keeping our heads in the sand, whilst bright rays of truth and duty shine all around us in a concentrated blaze. God is now calling on all honest-hearted people everywhere to search the scriptures for ourselves so we can be familiar with truth and duty, for in the final analysis we will be left without excuse.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us not to live in ignorance anymore, especially when it come to the validity of God’s law, and the sacredness of the seventh day Sabbath, for we will be held accountable for what we could have known, not merely what we do know. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His every word. God bless!