we tend to take sin lightly probably because we are not dwelling in the light near enough to clearly see ourselves as God does. we may be like the man portrayed by james when he warns us of a careless attitude toward obeying God...'BE ye DOERS OF THE WORD and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. for it any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. but whoso lookETH (continuous or repetitious) into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.' (1.22f) on a practical level we can get in the mode of either being unnecessarily hyper about our sin if we don't believe the promises of God I john 1.9; prov. 28.13 or carelessly excusing ourselves for known, repeated sin. in the latter case we tend to explain away many warning verses such as ..'and ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. whosoever abidETH in Him sinnETH not: whosoever sinnETH hath not seen Him, neither known Him. little children, let no man deceive you. he that doETH righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committETH sin is of the devil; for the devil sinnETH from the beginning...whosoever is born of God doth not sin (ie. committETH not sin), for his seed remainETH in him and he cannot sin (ie. ETH) because he is born of God. (I john 3.5f)
in leviticus 13 God gives in great detail how israel is to deal with leprosy (spreading uncleaness) when it occurs on the body, in clothing and, later, in the structure of dwellings. this is a teaching picture for all saints of all times as to how they are to deal with sin in their life.
the priest, who knows the law, is the one to make inspection to determine the nature of the leprosy. God gives the signs by which he makes judgment. based on these he decides whether it is present or absent. if it is present, based on further revelation he tells the person what they are to do. after a prescribed time he then comes back and once more looks carefully to see what the state of the signs is. are they constant? increasing? decreasing? based upon his careful series of observations he either declares the object leprous, still questionable or cleaned and tells the person inquiring what to do in each case. if the body is leprous, he 'is unclean, he shall dwell alone, without the camp shall his habitation be'.
who is our priest? in a word He is Jesus. we cannot come to God except thru Him (john 14.6), He is at the right hand of God the Father as our advocate (defense attorney) (I john 2.1) where He makETH intercession for us. He is our only mediator ( ) making it possible for a holy God and a sinful man to relate. this is all possible because He gave His life and rose from the dead. i can come to God thru faith in what Christ did when He became my propitation (satisfaction of God's holy wrath against sin) by dying on the cross in my place for my sin (I john 2.2). having done this i, with Him indwelling me, can act in a priestly fashion for another. those who have trusted Him, He has made a kingdom of priests ().
if Jesus is not constantly examining my leprosy (sin) and giving me instructions about what to do, i am in a very bad way. i am and will to the last moment here on earth be a wretched sinner capable of whatever may be considered the worst sin(s) and therefore am in dire need of constantly being in touch with Jesus and asking Him to reveal, convict and release me from any sin i do and cooperate with Him by forsaking it. i am helped in this process by being familiar with God's revelation so the signs of sin are more quickly detected. i am helped also by being in FELLOWSHIP with others who also are walking with Him and are also concerned about (their) uncleanness; where mutual sharings, prayings, reminders of the signs, encouragements to enact the remedies, timely recheckings and, if need be, pronouncements (matt. 18.15f) are the norm. this is human love at its highest. unfortunately human priests are exceedingly difficult to find on earth, but thank God for Jesus in heaven.
much of the church retreats from the human priest so that it can live as much in sin as it likes. believing the lie that i am getting away with anything is my greatest plague. having believed it, i would rather live alone in the world and have my uncleanness. in israel, with physical leprosy, this was not possible. the unclean person was a total outcast. spiritually we are cursed with a situation where everyone is 'capable' of mutually contriving to act as if their spiritual leprosy 'is not showing'...the timeless story of the emperor's new clothes.
neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do...we have a great high priest...which can.. be touched with the feeling of our infirmities...let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (heb. 4.13f)
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