In biblical Hebrew there are about 20 different words which denote “sin,” but basically sin signifies a failure of mutual relations. It corresponds more with the modern idea of “offense” rather than the Christian concept of “sin.” The Jewish understanding of sin is very different and sin is viewed as an external substance that adheres to an individual that is viewed as good. An example is that of a child playing outside and gets muddy. The mud is sin and the goal is to remove the mud and clean up the child. These are two very different views and they influence how people view themselves and others.
The rabbis rarely speak of sin in the abstract; they usually address a specific violation. There are two types of offenses: offenses of commission transgression of negative precepts) and offenses of omission (failure to perform positive precepts). In addition, understanding who the offense was committed against is essential. Was it an offense committed against God or against people.
The Day of Atonement brings forgiveness for sins against God, i.e., for purely religious offenses. However, the Day of Atonement only brings forgiveness for offenses against other human beings if the wrong done to the victim have first been put right.[i] Mans’ actions in the forgiveness process involves both conscience and deeds, in order to secure forgiveness. It is not enough for a person to hope and pray for forgiveness. He must humble himself, acknowledge his wrong, and resolve to depart from the sin. Inner contrition must be followed by outward acts; remorse must be translated into deeds. Two steps are involved in this process: (1) stop committing the offense; and, (2) start doing what is commanded.
This process is called TESHUVAH in Hebrew, which is translated “repentance.” The root word of TESHUVAH is SHUV, means “to turn.” The idea is that the person who committed the sin was going the wrong way, so the solution is for that person to turn around and go the right way. It is not destroy the person. The goal is to restore the person so he can do what God commands.
God’s forgiveness, however extensive, only encompasses those offenses which man commits directly against Him. Those in which injury is caused to one’s fellow man are not forgiven by God until the injured party has himself forgiven the perpetrator. Even after compensatory payments have been made, the offender must still seek forgiveness from the injured party because of the suffering that he caused.[ii]
These concepts are clearly reflected in the teaching of Jesus. This was how he expected his followers to relate to one another, as well as others.
Therefore if you bring your sacrifice to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you; leave your sacrifice there, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your sacrifice. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the road with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Amen! I say unto you, “You shall by no means come out from there, until you have paid the uttermost farthing. (Matthew 5:23-26)
Notice that the religious ritual was halted until the sinner could get things right with the person he harmed. God wouldn’t forgive the person until he received that person’s forgiveness. This was what Jesus taught and expected his followers to understand. It is a message that has transformational power of combining TESHUVAH with forgiveness. Let’s review the steps of TESHUVAH:
Step 1: Stop – Cease from doing the sin; stop doing the harmful act.
Step 2: Regret - Feel regret for your actions and the harm they caused.
Step 3: Confess - Express your regret out loud. This doesn't have to be done at synagogue or church or to professional clergy. It can be accomplished by a prayer or just by saying the words out loud.
Step 4: Do good works. If you sinned against a person, do the good works that are restorative actions and provide restitution. Go to the person(s) sinned against and make amends – (1) ask for forgiveness; (2) do what is necessary to restore things back to the state they were before the sin. Only after these steps are completed can one ask God for forgiveness. Continue to do good works and incorporate them into your life plan.
The belief system of repentance that was created by the Gentile Church centuries after the crucifixion declares that all that one must do to receive God’s forgiveness for any sin is to simply ask Him -- without doing anything for the people he or she hurt or harmed. A religious ritual, prayer, has replaced doing the acts required to restore things back to the state they were before the harm (sin) was done.
Person A could steal something from person B; pray and ask God for forgiveness: believe he had received it -- and leave person B completely out of the equation. In the end person A has the property or money from the sale of person B's property & person B has nothing -- not even the acknowledgement from person A that he was responsible.
This is an area in which AA and the 12-step program reflects a much more accurate understanding of the Jewish concept of TESHUVAH than most churches.
Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
The belief system that allows the offender to get off the hook simply by praying looks like a great system for the offenders and the religious institution, but a real rip off for the victims. However, if the Jesus that taught the above Jewish concepts that are recorded in Matthew have anything to do with the final judgment – there could be a whole bunch of really surprised people when their sentences are announced by God?
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