Seeing that Whatever we do for Ourselves is Sin and Taking Christ as Sin Offering

The sin offering is based on the burnt offering, for whatever we do for ourselves is sin, for we are not absolutely for God, and we need to take Christ as our sin offering.

To sin is not just to commit gross deeds, like a crime or a robbery. To sin is simply to come short of the glory of God when we do something (Rom. 3:23), and today we want to see that to sin is to do something for ourselves and nor for God.

We may think that now after believing into the Lord, we no longer commit many sins but rather are less sinful, for we have God’s life in us, we read God’s word, and we meet with fellow believers.

But the truth of the matter is that we all have the same sinful nature – the indwelling sin – in us, and we all are capable of sinning even without intent. If we live apart from the Lord, not in oneness with Him, and not in our mingled spirit, we sin.

If we do something for ourselves and nor by being absolutely for God, we sin. Even when we do good – as opposed to doing evil – but we don’t do it for God, by being absolutely for God, we sin.

Everything that comes out of us, whether good or bad, if it is not done in oneness with Christ – who is absolutely for God – we sin. Therefore, we need to take Christ as our sin offering again and again.

In our fellowship with the Lord, as we touch Him in a genuine, intimate, loving, and living way, He shines on us and infuses us, and at the same time He exposes our sin. In His light we see who we are, and we abhor ourselves, we hate ourselves, and we repent, we confess by agreeing with the light, and we take Christ as our sin offering.

The more we love the Lord, the more we see who we are, and the more we apply Christ as our sin offering. The more we give ourselves to the Lord, the more we take Him as our life, and the more we touch Him, the more we enjoy Him and are filled with Him, and the more we are exposed of our sinful nature, and we depend on the Lord.

God uses the painful method of allowing us to fail again and again until we see how horrible, ugly, and abominable we are, so that we will forsake all that is from the self and depend completely on God.

When we have the feeling that we cannot trust in ourselves, we cannot depend on ourselves, but we trust in the Lord, because our flesh is capable of sinning spontaneously and automatically, this preserves us.

Realizing that we have a sinful nature and taking Christ as our sin offering causes us to be judged and subdued, and this preserves us, for it causes us to have no confidence in ourselves.

Then, we take Christ as our sin offering, and we realize that everything we do for ourselves is sin; so we also take Christ as the burnt offering, for He alone is absolutely for God.

Taking Christ as our Burnt Offering causes us to Realize how Sinful we are, and we Take Him as our Sin Offering

In Lev. 6:25 we are told of the law of the sin offering, which was to be slaughtered in the same place where the burnt offering was. This indicates that the sin offering is based on the burnt offering. In our experience, our taking Christ as the sin offering is based on our taking Him as our burnt offering.

To take Christ as our burnt offering means that we realize that we are not for God, so we lay our hands on Christ, the One who lived absolutely for God, and we take Him as our burnt offering. When we do this, we realize that we are sinful and in need of Christ as our sin offering.

When we believed into the Lord, He exposed us and we saw how sinful we are, how wonderful He is, and how much we need to have His life which fulfills the purpose of our human life.

So we laid our hands on Him by faith through prayer and took Him as the absolute One (we took Him as our burnt offering), and we also took Him as the One who became sin for us on the cross (we took Him as the sin offering). This was our initial experience of taking Christ as our burnt offering resulting in taking Him as our sin offering.

As we daily enjoy the Lord, spend tine with Him, and take Him as our burnt offering, realizing that we are not for God but Christ is, we are enlightened that we need Christ as our sin offering. Not being for God is a sin.

Man was created by God with His image and likeness so that man would live for God, express God, and represent God, but due to man’s fall, man lives for himself, cares for his own purpose, and does not express God. Therefore, our not living for God and our not being absolutely for God and His purpose is a sin.

The more we take Christ as our burnt offering, the more we realize our sinful nature, and we take Christ as our sin offering. Our realization of how sinful we are is increasing as we enjoy the Lord and experience Him as our burnt offering.

When we look at Christ and enjoy Him as the One who is absolutely for God, we are exposed of how sinful we are, and we realize that simply by not being absolutely for God, we sin; therefore, we take Him as our sin offering.

Everything we do for ourselves is sin, for we are meant to live for God and His satisfaction. Whether we do a good thing or not a good thing, if we do it apart from the Lord and not in oneness with Him, we do it for ourselves and we sin.

It all begins here: because we’re not absolutely for God, we live in sin, so whatever we do for ourselves is sin. Oh Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus, we take You as our burnt offering, as the One who is absolutely for God and for His satisfaction. We are not for God, but You are. Lord, we lay our hands on You, and we offer You to God, for You satisfy God. Amen! Oh Lord, we take You as our sin offering, for whatever we do for ourselves is sin. You were made sin for us, and we can be identified with You for our sin and sins to be dealt with. Lord, we simply enjoy You as our burnt offering for what we are not and as our sin offering for what we are!

Whatever we do for Ourselves is Sin, so we Need to Take Christ as our Sin Offering

Anything that we do out of ourselves and for ourselves is sinful in the eyes of God; anything we do out of ourselves – whether good or evil – is for ourselves and not for God, so it is sinful in God’s eyes. To sin is not just to commit some gross actions, but to be self-centered.

Satan’s sin was to focus on himself and exalt himself above God, living independently from God and seeking glory for himself.

Whenever we do something or think about something to do for ourselves – and not for God – it is sinful in the eyes of God.

When the Lord shines on us and exposes how sinful we are, we will know that our love as well as our hate may be sinful. Ethically, hating others is wrong and loving them is right, but in God’s eyes whatever we do for ourselves is sin, so if we love others for ourselves and not for God, that is sinful in His eyes.

God didn’t create us to live for ourselves but for Him, but we live independently of Him, so we love others for ourselves, hate them for ourselves, and do things for ourselves. We choose to do good – which is good in our own eyes, for ourselves, and we reject to do the evil.

Doing both good and evil may be of Satan, for whatever we do for ourselves is sin. For example, if we are serving the Lord for ourselves, that is sin!

In Num. 18:1 the first ones who need the sin offering is the priests, for these anointed serving ones may do things of themselves or for themselves, so they commit a sin.

In 2 Kings 5:20-27 we see the story of Elisha’s attendant who tried to get riches by serving Elisha, yet without being one with God or with Elisha. Whatever we do in our service to God that is for ourselves and of ourselves is sinful in God’s eyes.

If we preach ourselves, this is sin; if we let the self slip in as we preach Christ, before we know it we are preaching ourselves and not Christ in His purity. We need to realize that whatever we do for ourselves is sinful in God’s eyes.

If we do our righteous deeds – giving alms, praying, fasting – for ourselves to express and display ourselves, this is sin (see Matt. 6:1-6). In the Lord’s time the Pharisees would make a display whenever they did a righteous deed, making sure everyone sees it; this is sinful in God’s eyes.

We need to give alms, pray, and fast in secret, not in front of men to gratify ourselves; then, our heavenly Father who sees in secret will repay us.

If we love others for ourselves – for our name, our position, benefit, and pride – this is sin (see Luke 14:12-14). Even loving others – such a noble thing – can be a sin, if we do it for ourselves. Whatever we do for ourselves is sin, for we do not do it absolutely for God and by depending on Him.

Even raising up our children for ourselves and for our future is sin (see 1 Cor. 7:14).

Having a job, doing business, taking care of the household affairs, and taking care of our family, all these can be a living in sin if we don’t do it for the Lord, in oneness with Him, and by being absolutely for Him. Oh Lord!

Lord Jesus, shine on us to realize that whatever we do for ourselves is sin, for we do it apart from You and not by depending on You. May we learn to take You as our absoluteness in everything we do and say. May we not sin in our serving You, in preaching the gospel, in giving alms, in praying or fasting, in loving others, or in raising up our children. May everything we do be for God by being one with Christ and by depending on Christ. Lord Jesus, we take You as our burnt offering and as our sin offering!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 20, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Leviticus (1), week 6, The Revelation, Appreciation, and Application of Christ as Our Sin Offering.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Lord, I take You as my sin offering for what I am, / But Lord, I take You as my burnt offering for what I’m not. / I’m not loving, submissive, patient, kind, or meek, / I’m not single in view, Lord, nor is it God I seek. / But dearest Lord, You’re all these things, all virtue’s in You, / So Lord I lay my hands on You in all I do. (Song on, Christ as our burnt offering)
  # I hardly know myself; / Deceived so much by pride, / I often think I’m right / And am self-satisfied. / As for Thy life within, / In darkness I mistake— / If spirit or the flesh, / One for the other take. (Hymns #426)
  # Our plans, our aims, our energy / We must abandon wholly, / That He may work His plan thru us, / His aim and object solely. / Ourselves, with all we are and have, / To death we must surrender, / That Christ may live Himself thru us / With riches and with splendor. (Hymns #910)