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Hosea 8:1
Sin
"Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an
eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant,
and trespassed against my law." (Hosea 8:1)
This verse is significant in that it separates the
two parts of sin, transgression, and trespass. We transgress His covenant, or
promise, or Word, while we trespass against His law. To trespass is to encroach
on the person or property of another; transgression is outright, and flagrant
disobedience, which is really the only kind of disobedience there is! I have
been teaching this for sometime now, and I feel it is important to know the
difference. Why? Because we have been exonerated from our sin, and yet we are
sinners, how do we reconcile the two thoughts? By realizing the Truth of this
verse. Much of the "law" of God was written for man, and deals with relationships
here on earth. If you look at the Ten Commandments you will notice that the
first four are directed toward God, and the last six deal with mans relationship
to man. This is the difference, folks, between transgression and trespass sins.
Trespasses are things we do, or don't do, with each other, or to others, while
transgression is more directly sin against God. So, one is (in a sense) sin
against man, and the other is sin against God. We can no longer sin against
God, since Jesus washed our sins away with His blood, but we still live and
exist on earth, among men, and therefore, we can, and do, sin against one-another.
This is why 1 John tells us that we have no sin, in some places, and that we
"cannot sin" while it also tells us to confess our sins, in the same book. (Read
1 John 3 and then the first chapter also.) When we think of transgression, we
have none, and can no longer transgress God's Word, or sin in our spirit, because
that is "hidden" in Christ. We can, however, still mistreat our fellow man,
and thereby offend God, who may dwell within that man we offend. We are admonished
over and over again to be careful how we treat the brethren, because he too
is God's chosen, and has the same Holy Spirit residing within him. These are
the types of sins we are concerned with now, and yet they are just as important
as the other. Christ died for all of them, whether transgression or trespass,
but the transgressions are done with, and will never surface again, while the
trespass will. The Lord promises to come against these sins too. Remember Saul,
on the road to Damascus, when the Lord asked him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me?" Saul had persecuted the church, but Christ said he persecuted Him!
Be very careful how you deal with others, and the Lord will "Forgive us our
trespasses…."
--Marty Dunn
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