Scripture Note.

Leviticus 5:11-12.

It is only God Himself who can fully estimate the value of the sacrifice of Christ; but every believer whatever the degree of his apprehension, comes under the efficacy of the sacrifice according to God's own estimate of its value in His sight. This is an immense comfort as showing that it is only our enjoyment, not our acceptance, which is affected by the feebleness of our apprehensions. If this principle be understood the difficulty in the above scripture as to a sin-offering without blood will be removed. The following words of another will explain this more fully: "Let one be ever so dull in the apprehension of sin, or, consequently of atonement, still guilt was there if evil was touched. On the other hand, if truth of purpose was there in owning it, and owning it in such sort that the need of atonement before God was felt, which alone consequently is recognised as owning sin, the poverty of apprehension does not hinder the perfect forgiveness that rests on the value of the sacrifice; only Christ must be seen as a sacrifice for sin as one rejected, a sin-bearer for us. The fact of its being fine flour without blood hardly affects the principle of blood-shedding. It comes where blood-shedding is universally required for sin, and is only an exception in view of poverty to show that, in no case, without a sin-offering, is there forgiveness, and carries, as an exceptional case, the character of blood along with it as the principle. It is not that one kind of sin requires blood, and another not; but incapacity by poverty puts this in place of a bloody offering, and it is so accounted. Only if a real sense of needed atonement be there, the want of apprehension of the full import of sin and death, that is of Christ's death and blood-shedding, will not prevent the getting the benefit of that death and blood-shedding."