Legalism and Grace are not mutually exclusive Legalism is simply following the Law of Moses and the Case Law of the Prophets. Grace is when you are forgiven for your sins. Under old testament law if you did not break the Law, you did not sin and grace was not necessary but you would still worship G-d and praise G-d for creating you a sinless person. When you sinned, offering a sacrifice absolved you of your sin and you were made pure again, as if you hadn’t sinned. Being forgiven or absolved of your sins after the sacrifice signified grace.
Most sins had punishments that were in excess of not being able to attend synagogue/temple or visit the tabernacle. If you had sinned, you were deemed unclean and an unclean person could not worship or congregate near the tabernacle. Some sins only required something simple like taking a bath and waiting a day before one was deemed to be clean again. Others required to pay restitution for stolen property or property damage. Nearly all sins required a sacrifice of a pigeon, dove, sheep, goat, ram or cattle in addition to any other requirements for that sin in order to be deemed clean and be able to return to synagogue/temple and worship near the tabernacle. The required sacrifice varied by type of sin and in some cases financial ability.
There were nine sins that were punishable by death which were usually done through stoning. Musket balls and round balls are considered lead stones so that is where the idea of the firing squad comes from. The sins punishable by death are:
- An assault resulting in the death of the assaultee.
- Hitting your mother or father.
- Abduction, kidnapping hostage taking and slave trading.
- Cursing your mother father.
- Having an aggressive ox that has been complained about to the owner that ends up killing someone.
- Witchcraft
- Beastiality
- Sacrificing to any G-d other than the Lord of the Hebrews.
A sin offering was sacrificed once a year in the old testament to purify the priest and his household. This decree was given by G-d to Moses for the high priest after two of the high priests sons died because they entered the temple after they had sinned. This decree was an act of grace by G-d as it allowed the High Priest to continue in his duties by purifying himself and his household once a year through a sin offering. The sin offering for the High Priest consisted of two goats and a ram. If the priests became unpure or unclean between the yearly sacrifice, they would most likely die in the temple.
The yearly sacrifice also was a sin offering for the people of Israel and it is to be done perpetually, once a year as long as the Earth lasts. This yearly sacrifice for the people of Israel is also grace.
Day of the Yearly Sin Offering
The Yearly Sin Offering is conducted on 10th day of the 7th month of the Hebrew Calendar. This would be the Month of Nisan. The beginning of a Hebrew month does not coincide with an exact date on a Gregorian Calendar, it varies from year to year. The Month of Nisan occurs between March and April each year of the Gregorian Calendar. Nissan 10 would be the day of the yearly sin offering.| Gregorian Year | Nisan 1 | Nisan 10 | Hebrew Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | March 25, March 26 | April 3, April 4 | 5780 |
| 2021 | March 13, March 14 | March 22, March 23 | 5781 |
| 2022 | April 1, April 2 | April 10, April 11 | 5782 |
| 2023 | March 22, March 23 | March 31, April 1 | 5783 |
If you were to pass away in the Spring or Early Summer and you lived a pure and chaste life between Nisan 10 and the time of your death, you were thought to have a very good chance of going to heaven. This was grace.
If you died in the Winter or Early Spring, it was very likely you would go to hell, especially if you met one of the following conditions after the yearly sin offering was done:
- Had sinned in ignorance
- Had sinned willingly
- Did not make a sin or trespass offering before your death
In the New Testament the apostles asked people to believe in them regarding grace and forgiveness, mostly because they knew about the yearly sin offering and they were ministering to people who were not Jewish or Hebrew. The Apostles testament of grace was confirmed in the Book of Acts by the Story of Cornelius.
However, the point of Christianity is to live a moral and ethical life so that you do not have to worry about the length of time to the next sin offering. The New Testament places stricter requirements on sanctity and holiness which are in addition to the Law of Moses. It is made clear in the New Testament that Habitual Sin will keep you out of heaven.
References:
Genesis 15:8-12 – Abraham sacrifices
Exodus 32 – The first Laws of Moses
Exodus 34 – The second Laws of Moses
Leviticus 1-17 – Laws of Sacrifice
Leviticus 1 – Acceptable Sacrifices
Leviticus 1:14 – Turtledoves or Pigeons
Leviticus 4-5 – Laws Regarding Sins of Ignorance
Leviticus 12 – Laws of Childbirth
Leviticus 16 – Yearly Sin offering
Matthew 12:1-9 – Jesus states he is greater than the temple and that he is Lord of the Sabbath.
Matthew 19:3-9 – Makes sexual intercourse outside of the marriage relationship (cheating) the only valid reason for divorce.
Mark 10:1-12 – Makes celibacy after divorce a requirement of not committing adultery.
Luke 2:21 – 24 – Jesus parents followed the Law of Moses during his birth.
Luke 12:47-48 – Confirms sin of ignorance still requires punishment.
Acts 10:1-29 – Cornelius is accepted by God.
Hebrews 9:22 – Confirms sacrifice is still required.