“I sin everyday and I know that I'm doing it and I repent but I don't know if it’s genuine.” I wanna change but nothing seems to happen. Sometimes I won’t do the particular sin for a couple days even sometimes weeks but then that demon attacks me. How do I know if I'm truly forgiven when I ask God?” 

           - Anonymous

Three times a year, my ancestors the ancient Israelis were required to appear before Father GOD (Exodus 23:17, 34:23). These times were:

1. Passover, the time when most Christians observe Jesus’ resurrection.
2. The Feast of Weeks, or the second Feast of First Fruits, which according to Jewish tradition is the day Moses presented the 10 Commandments to Israel. It is known to Christians today as Pentecost.
3. The Day of Atonement, which most Christians no longer celebrate, but is central to understanding Father GOD’s forgiveness work through Jesus.

The Day of Atonement discussed in Leviticus chapters 16 and 23, was the day when the High Priest of Israel, in his role as Mediator between GOD and Man, offered sacrifices for the forgiveness of all sins committed by all people in all of Israel, and the strangers who dwelled with them. (Numbers 15:14)

Think about it like this: God actually ordered the Israelis to appear before Him so He could forgive them! They only had to do one thing: they had to show up.

If the High Priest messed up anything at all during the ceremony of offering sacrificed for the forgiveness of the sins of the people who were gathered, he was killed and another was ordered to take his place and do it the right way. In other words, Father GOD wanted so badly to forgive those who were obedient enough to show up, that He wasn’t going to allow anything to get between His kids and His forgiveness! 

Our Daddy is so jealous to have a relationship with us that He would not even let one man’s mistake (in this case the High Priest of Israel), stand in the way of His relationship with us. Why in the world would we think anything has changed?

As a matter of fact, He went a step further. He provided His own son as High Priest, and even changed the nature of the priesthood itself. He ordained Jesus, His Son, a High Priest after the Order of Melekh-Tzedeek[1] (See Hebrews 7:17-18 and Psalm 110). He did this so that no fallible man could ever screw up His relationship with you ever again!

The Levitical priesthood was not the priesthood of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4 talks about a priesthood of a new order which would come to exist in the last days (Hebrews 7:11). Since the Levitical priesthood served under the laws given by God to Moses, Jesus couldn’t have been ordained as a Levitical Priest (Hebrews 7:12). Instead, Jesus needed to be ordained in a form of priesthood that existed before the Levitical priesthood was even created, in fact a priesthood to whom Abraham, the great-grandfather of the man whose name was changed to Israel, himself gave tithes. Jesus could not have been associated with the Old Testament priesthood, because he was a descendant of the tribe of Judah which had never exercised the priesthood (Hebrews 7:13-14). 

As a matter of fact, there was one member of the tribe of Judah who tried to do the job of a priest and the guy ended up with leprosy for the rest of his life. Toward the close of his long life "his heart was lifted up to his destruction," and he wantonly invaded the priest's office (2 Chr. 26:16), and entering the sanctuary proceeded to offer incense on the golden altar. Azariah the high priest saw the tendency of such a daring act on the part of the king, and with a band of eighty priests he withstood him (2 Chr. 26:17), saying, "It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense." Uzziah was suddenly struck with leprosy while in the act of offering incense (26:19-21), and he was driven from the temple and compelled to reside in "a several house" to the day of his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chr. 26:3). He was buried in a separate grave "in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings" (2 Kings 15:7; 2 Chr. 26:23). "That lonely grave in the royal necropolis would eloquently testify to coming generations that all earthly monarchy must bow before the inviolable order of the divine will, and that no interference could be tolerated with that unfolding of the purposes of God, which, in the fullness of time, would reveal the Christ, the true High Priest and King for evermore."[2]

Though Uzziah was a good king and zealous for God, he let pride drive him to do something extremely foolish. Uzziah took incense into the temple to make an offering to God. Amaziah the priest confronted him and he persisted. He was struck with leprosy and learned the hard way that God has laid out jobs for individuals that nobody else can do, no matter how good a person they happen to be. The same is true for members of the Godhead.

Jesus was the only sinless man in human history, allowing him the opportunity no other human being could ever have—to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Father GOD allowed His only begotten Son to be born as a human being (John 3:16), to die for your sins, be buried and rise again from the dead for a single purpose: To be a perfect and sinless mediator, replacing the Levitical Priesthood with something better: His Own Son, whom He knew would never sin, mess up or make any other mistake that would cause a separation between you and Him ever again..

What is the purpose of Mediator?

[3]Main Entry: me·di·a·tor

Pronunciation: \’mē-dē-,ā-tər\

Function: noun

Date: 14th century

1.    one that mediates; especially: one that mediates between parties at variance

2.    a mediating agent in a physical, chemical, or biological process

A mediator is someone who acts as a bridge of communication between two people. The people in this case are 1) you and, 2) GOD the Father. If you don’t show up to the mediation table, you can’t participate in the conversation! To put it another way, no person except you could ever come between you and Him ever again. What does that mean?

It means, just like the Old Testament believers in God’s forgiveness had to appear before Father GOD three times a year, you also have to choose to obediently “boldly approach the Throne of Grace[4]” every time you sin, in order to be forgiven.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Although, Jesus did add one additional condition to your receiving forgiveness, and it is found multiple times in the Bible, but too often ignored. Because this message is ignored, people wonder why their lives don’t improve, why their sins seem to keep with them no matter how hard they try.

Maybe these verses look familiar?

·     “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Matthew 6:12 KJV

·     “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NIV

·     “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? (NIV) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (KJV)" Matthew 18:21-22

·     “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matthew 18:35 KJV

·     “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (NIV) But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:25-26 KJV

·     “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” Luke 11:4 KJV

·     “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4

In the book of Ezekiel, GOD the Father is the one who cries out through the God of Israel (God the Word), for repentance; over and over pleading with the sinner to repent in order to avoid death.

“The word of the LORD [The Word of God] came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD [The Father], ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die…Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD [The Father]. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD [The Father]: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” Ezekiel 18:1-4, 30-32

Remember earlier I mentioned that God holds the trump card? In the end it really is all about God’s mercy. We are able to come into His presence because He has had compassion on us. That is of course what you would want a loving, accepting Father to do, right? In the end there is really only one more question you need to ask of yourself: Are you willing to trust Him? I mean TRUST Him?

He really has gone out of His way to do everything possible to make it easy for you to approach Him boldly. He took care of the forgiveness part on His end. You just have to accept it as being true.

God is not a rapist. He will never force himself on you. He will never make you do anything you don’t want to do. He is the ultimate example of compassion and patience. He never wanted little robot automatons at his beck and call, doing everything He commands. What He has always wanted has never changed: Someone to love Him back.

Just like us, He doesn’t want to live alone and wants someone to love Him, too.

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.” 1 John 2:12

[1]          Melkisedek

[2]          Dr. Green's Kingdom of Israel

[3]          mediator. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

           Retrieved January 4, 2010, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/mediator

[4]          Hebrews 4:16