The last of the five offerings is the trespass offering. We may have a problem trying to understand the difference between the sin offering and the trespass offering. In reading Leviticus 4 and 5, many have become confused. This is because chapter five is for the trespass offering, yet the sin offering is also mentioned several times.
Let us look at some of the verses in Leviticus 5. “And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering” (Lev. 5:6-7). This is a trespass offering, but part of it is for a sin offering. At the end of verse 9 it says “it is a sin offering.” This means that these two offerings are closely related to one another.
Leviticus 4 speaks of the matter of doing wrong unwillingly. That needs the sin offering. Chapter five concerns the trespass offering, yet notice verses 17 and 18: “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 knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. 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 the thing wherein he sinned unwittingly and knew it not, and it shall be forgiven him” (lit.). Although it is speaking of the trespass offering, it is the same as the sin offering.
What is the difference between an apple tree and an apple? You may say that one is the seed and the other is the fruit. In a sense there is a difference, but in another sense there is nearly no difference. When you sow a grain of wheat into the earth, it produces many grains. The many grains are the fruit of the one grain. Eventually every grain of the fruit is the same as the seed. It is the same with the trespass offering and the sin offering. They are alike, yet there is also a difference.
First Peter 2:24 tells us that the Lord Jesus in His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree. But 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that He was made sin for us. He was made sin for us, and He bore our sins. Sins are the trespasses, iniquities, and transgressions which we have committed. But sin is different. What then is the difference between sins and sin? Sin is in our nature, but sins are our actions and deeds. Using the illustration of the seed and the fruit, we see two aspects. The first aspect is the seed in our nature, and the second aspect is the fruit in our deeds. In other words, sin refers to our sinful nature, and sins refer to our sinful deeds. One is the nature, and the other is the deed.
We are all the same in nature, but we may vary greatly in our deeds. You may hate people, and I may love people. You may be proud, and I may be humble. You may have killed several people, and I have killed none. We are so different in our actions, but we are absolutely the same in our nature. Do you think that you are better in nature than a bank robber? Do you think that your nature is better than those who have committed the worst crimes? As far as our nature is concerned, there is no difference. Whether we are good or bad, whether we are moral or immoral, we are all identical in nature. But our deeds and actions may be very different from one another. So we have two problems: the problem of sin in our nature and the problem of sins in our actions and behavior.
Suppose a man is proud and full of hatred and that he has done much damage to his family and friends. Yet another man is very good; from the day he was born until now he has hardly done anything wrong. He is such a good person. We are all very clear that the bad one needs the blood of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for all his sins, and when he trusts in Jesus, he appreciates His blood so much. But does the good person need the blood of the Lamb of God? The blood is for the cleansing of sins, but he seemingly does not have any sins. He is apparently so perfect and fine. Why should he need the blood of Jesus? Yet we must realize that he is only fine and perfect outwardly in the eyes of man. Inwardly he is just sin. Regardless of whether people are good or bad, inwardly everyone is terrible. We all need Jesus, because Jesus not only bears our sins, but He was also made sin for us.
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