Sermon #1225
Title: GOD SEES NO SIN IN HIS PEOPLE
Text: Numbers 23:21
Reading: Numbers 23:1-24
Subject: The Believer’s Freedom from Sin in Christ
Date: Sunday Morning - March 10, 1996
Tape # S-33
Introduction:
Balaam
is one of the most puzzling characters in the Bible. We know that he was a
self-serving false prophet (Jude 11; Rev. 2:14). But, at times, he appears to
have been a man of character. He led Israel to mingle the worship of idols with
the worship of God (Num. 25:1; 31:16), persuading them to compromise the truth
and glory of God in the name of unity and peace with those who were the enemies
of God. Yet, at times, he seems to be a man of truthfulness, committed to the
truth of God, who could not be bought off or bribed, not even by the power and
money of Balak, the king of Moab.
One
of the great problems in recognizing false prophets is the fact that sometimes
they appear to be men of integrity, principle, and character. Sometimes
they seem to be self-denying, rather than self-serving, men. Sometimes they
speak the truth, fight for it, and even put themselves at great risk in
defending certain aspects of truth. Many who vehemently oppose the gospel of
God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ zealously contend for “the Book, the
blood, and the blessed hope.” Many who deny the efficacy of Christ’s blood will
put themselves in great hazard defending his deity and virgin birth. False
prophets are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Balaam
was just such a man. He was like the man Bunyan called Mr. Face-Both-Ways.
He represents those men who appear to have a great deal of Bible knowledge and
spiritual discernment, but in reality have no spiritual understanding at all.
They appear to serve God, but really serve themselves. They know much truth,
but do not know him who is the Truth. They have big heads, but cold, empty
hearts. And they shall at last perish with the wicked because they are the most
wicked of men.
Yet,
our great and glorious God uses even reprobate false prophets like Balaam to
accomplish his purpose. He is an absolute sovereign. Even false prophets
serve him, though they fight against him. He who caused an ass to speak to a
man can easily cause that man to speak for him and speak his truth. In Balaam’s parables, we see a false
prophet vindicating the faithfulness of God and declaring the truth of God,
though he knew not God or his truth.
This should not surprise us at all. God did the same thing with Caiaphas the
high priest. Though he knew nothing at all about what he was saying, he
prophesied of the death of Christ and described the substitutionary character
of his sin-atoning sacrifice as clearly as any inspired apostle (John
11:47-59).
I
have said all that because I want you to understand that our God is in control
of things, even of false prophets. While we despise what they are doing, we
must not fret about them. Wicked men they are, and must be denounced as such;
but they are nonetheless serving God’s purpose. He may even, now and then,
cause one to proclaim the truth clearly, as he did Balaam and Caiaphas.
Today, I want us to consider one of
the most wondrous, glorious aspects of gospel truth to be found in Holy
Scripture. It fell from the mouth of Balaam, a false prophet, by the
inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. You will find my text in Numbers 23:21. “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel.”
These
words do not suggest that there was no sin or perverseness in Israel. There
was an abundance of perverseness among them. But the Lord God did not mark the
sins of his people against them, he did not impute sin to his chosen, he did
not look upon their sins with the eye of his justice; but hid his face from
them and forgave them. And that which God did for his elect among the children
of Israel, he has done for his elect in Christ, his true Israel, “the Israel of God.”
The title of my message today is GOD SEES NO SIN IN HIS PEOPLE. Though
there is much sin in us and done by us, as every true believer readily admits
and confesses (I John 1:8, 10), yet God sees no sin in his people. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world
to destroy, purge, remove, and take away the sins of his people; and he has
done it (John 1:29; Heb. 1:3; 9:26; I John 3:5). All the sins of God’s
elect were laid upon Christ, he bore them in his own body on the tree, endured
and satisfied the wrath of God for them, and bore them away. The Son of God
redeemed us from the curse of the law, made an end of our sins, and justified
and sanctified us by his blood. God almighty has, through the effectual
atonement of Christ, so thoroughly blotted out our sins that he does not behold
them. He has cast our sins into the depth of the sea. He has cast our sins
behind his back. He has removed them from us as far as the east is from the
west, and remembers them no more. This is the doctrine of our text, the
doctrine of Holy Scripture, and the doctrine I want to preach to you this
morning.
Proposition: God sees no
sin in his people!
I
am fully aware that the doctrine I am preaching to you today is commonly
rejected and despised by men. It has been described by some as “a freak
doctrine of perverted minds that leads to licentiousness and sin.” The first
time I preached this doctrine, nearly twenty-four years ago, I was publicly
denounced for doing so and accused of being an antinomian, a promoter of
licentious and evil doctrine. The accusation has been hurled by many since
then. Why? I simply do not know. I
cannot imagine anyone, who has tasted the bitterness of his own depravity and
sin and has experienced the blessed forgiveness of sin by the grace of God
through the blood of Christ, objecting to the fact that God “hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither
hath he seen perverseness in Israel.” Before I am finished today, I
hope that everyone here will experience the blessedness of this complete, full,
total forgiveness of sin in Christ. What I am preaching to you today, the fact
that God sees no sin in his people, is a most glorious, comforting doctrine of
the gospel, “without which,” John Gill appropriately declared, “the gospel must
cease to be good news and glad tidings to the sons of men.”
I want to be crystal clear in what I
am teaching. So I want to show you what the Scriptures do not mean as well as
what they do men, when we are told that “He
hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in
Israel.”
I. When the Word of God asserts
that God sees no sin in his people, THE TEACHING IS NOT THAT THERE IS NO SIN IN
BELIEVERS.
Those who deduce from such passages as
our text that the Bible teaches the doctrine of sinless perfection, or even the
possibility of sinless perfection in this life, are simply dishonest men who do
not know God and refuse to acknowledge the truth about themselves. To make such
a statement as that is neither harsh nor judgmental. It is simply telling the
truth.
·
I John 1:8-10
A. The fact
is, God’s people in this world are sinners still.
To say
otherwise is to speak in direct contradiction to the Word of God and the
constant experience of God’s elect in this world. I do not have to convince you
of this fact. It is painfully obvious to all who know the Lord. There is in
every believer’s heart a continual warfare between flesh and spirit.
·
Romans 7:17,
20
·
Galatians 5:17
Without question, God’s saints do not
live in sin and are no longer under the dominion of sin. But sin still lives in
us. There is in every regenerate person
two opposing natures, the one flesh and the other spirit, the one is a
principle of nature and the other a principle of grace. It is our
responsibility to mortify the outward actions of sin, but we cannot rid
ourselves of sin. We are to “put off
concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts” (Eph. 4:22). Yet, the old man never improves. The old
man is never renewed. The old man is not removed. The old man does not die
until this body of flesh dies. “That
which is born of flesh is flesh!”
The old man no longer reigns; but he will never surrender.
Therefore, we are constantly at war with ourselves. Sin does not crop up in us
now and then, in unguarded moments. Oh, no. Sin dwells in us. Paul says, “Sin dwelleth in me!” It dwells within
us, not as an idle old resident, but as an active, corruption defiling all that
we are and all that we do. Sin dwells in us, like an enemy who has entered the
very heart of the city of Mansoul and seeks to rapidly destroy everything.
Though this horrid enemy does not rule the believer’s life, he does at times
bring us into captivity. Though he cannot destroy us, he constantly disturbs
us.Tell me, you who are born of God, is it not so with you?
“If I pray, or hear, or read,
Sin is mixed with all I do.
You that love the Lord indeed,
Tell me is it thus with you?”
B. Not only does sin dwell in us,
not only is it true that we are sinners and that sin mars everything we do, we
all commit sin constantly.
“There
is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecc. 7:20). I know that the apostle John declares, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (I John 3:9). That
new man, that new nature, which is born of God, cannot sin. But, as we have
already seen, the believer is a person with two natures, the old man and the
new, the flesh and the spirit. Our sins,
everything evil in us and everything evil done by us, are the works of the
flesh. Our goodness, (if I may use
such language), everything good in us and everything good done by us is the
fruit of the Spirit.
·
Galatians
5:17-23
There is no
evil in the world, no sin committed by men, that has not been or may be
committed by believers, except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Yet, when
a believer sins, he can say with the inspired apostle, “If I do that which I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin
that dwelleth in me” (Rom. 7:20).
I hate to
burst your bubble, but I have bad news for you. As long as you live in this
world, you will never stop sinning!
Illustration:
“Tell them to just stop sinning.”
Even when we
do good, that is as good as we are capable of doing in this world, even then we
sin. “If we say,” with regard to
anything we do, “we have not sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (I John 1:10).
C. The sins
that we commit are sins, just as much as the evil deeds of unbelievers are
sins.
That may seem
redundant to you, but there are many who have the silly notion that the sins of
a believer are just mistakes, slips, errors, or something of the kind, but not
sins. Sin is the transgression of the law. When David committed adultery and
murder, it was just as much sin as if any other man had done it. When he
repented, he did not say, Father, forgive me, for I have made a mistake. He
cried out to God for the pardon and forgiveness of his sin.
·
Psalm 25:11
·
Psalm 32:5
·
Psalm 51:1-4
In fact, when you and I sin, our
transgressions are far more inexcusable than the sins of other people. We sin
against light and knowledge. We sin against mercy, love, and grace, known and
experienced in our very souls!
“Though believers are justified from
all sin by Christ’s righteousness, and have all their sins pardoned through
Christ’s blood, yet their sins do not hereby cease to be sins. Justification
from sin by Christ’s righteousness, and pardon of sin through Christ’s blood,
free them from obligation to (the) punishment due to sin, but do not destroy
the nature of sin.” John
Gill
D. Moreover, it must never be
forgotten that our sanctification will never be finished in this life.
While the Bible nowhere teaches the notion of progressive
sanctification, (The idea that believers get to be more and more holy, until at
last they are ripe for heaven!), it does teach that our sanctification in this
world is a continual, on-going process. Our sanctification in Christ,
positionally, is perfect and complete (Heb. 10:10, 14; I Cor. 1:30). But that
sanctification which is wrought in us by the Holy Spirit is not yet perfect.
The new man created in us is indeed perfect in all parts, but not in degrees.
Let me show you what I mean by that. Just as Christ was a perfect human being
but not a complete man the moment he was born, so the child of God, as soon as
he is born again, as soon as grace is wrought in the soul, is an entirely new
creature in Christ. He has all the parts of a new creature (Gal. 5:22-23); but
he has a lot of growing to do.
·
We have faith;
but our faith is lacking much.
·
We have love;
but our love misses the mark.
·
We have hope;
but our hope lacks confidence.
·
We have joy;
but our joy is mingled with sorrow.
·
We have peace;
but our peace is easily disturbed.
·
We are
longsuffering; but our longsuffering can be very short.
·
We have some
meekness; but we are to proud for it to be seen.
·
We have a
gentleness of character; but it still has a lot of roughness about it.
The best of saints in this world are
sinners still. Those who are most fully grown and mature in grace, still need
to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, when the Word
of God declares that God sees no sin in his people, the meaning is not that
there is no sin in us.
II. Secondly, THIS DECLARATION THAT GOD SEES NO SIN IN HIS PEOPLE DOES
NOT IN ANYWAY DENY OR CONTRADICT HIS OMNISCIENCE AS GOD.
We know that God almighty is omniscient. He knows all people
and all things. Nothing is or can be hidden from his all- seeing eye. All the
actions of all men, whether bad or good, are seen and known by God. He sees,
not only what we do, but why we do it. He sees the secret, inward, hidden
things of our hearts, the fountain from which all our evil deeds flow like an
open, overflowing sewer. His omniscient eye sees all the sins of his own people
as well as the sins of the reprobate. There
can be no debate about the fact that the omniscient God sees everything about everyone
and everything.
·
Job 34:21-22
·
Psalm 11:4-5
·
Psalm 139:1-7
·
Hebrews
4:12-13
When the Scriptures declare, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel,” the declaration has no reference at all to his attribute of
omniscience, but rather to his justice. The meaning is simply this: Insofar
as God’s law and justice is concerned, he sees no sin in his people.
Illustration: Debts paid and
canceled are debts that the law cannot
see. That which is no longer written against us in the book of God’s law cannot be seen by the eye of God’s justice.
God’s eye of justice sees no sin in
his people because his hand of justice has blotted our sins out of his book,
justice having been fully satisfied by the blood of Christ sacrificed for our
sins.
·
Isaiah 43:25
·
Isaiah 44:22
III. Thirdly, THE DECLARATION THAT GOD SEES NO SIN IN HIS PEOPLE, THAT
IN CHRIST WE HAVE NO SIN, D0ES NOT MEAN THAT GOD DOES NOT TAKE NOTICE OF OUR
SINS OR IS NOT DISPLEASED BY THEM.
I rejoice to declare to every
believing sinner that will never punish you for your sins, hold you accountable
at his bar for your sins, or withhold any blessing of grace or glory from you
because of your sins. For him to do so, he must violate his own justice and
overturn the satisfaction of his own Son. Either Christ bore the wrath of God
for us, or he did not. Either he satisfied the justice of God as our Substitute
or he did not. Either he put away our sins or he did not. If he has not done
this for us perfectly, completely, effectually, and permanently, then we must
bear the wrath of God for our own sins, pay for our own crimes, and perish in
hell. But this is certain: If the Son of
God has satisfied the law, wrath, and justice of God for our sins, we shall
never be punished for them. Justice will not allow it. God will not, in
justice he cannot, and he declares that he shall not punish sin twice, both in
Christ our Surety and in those for whom the Surety died.
“Payment God cannot twice demand,
First, at my bleeding Surety’s hand,
And then again at mine!”
But
do not ever imagine that God does not take notice of or is not displeased with
our sins as our heavenly Father. It is plainly written in the Scriptures
that “the thing that David had done
displeased the Lord” (II Sam. 11:27). Only a very foolish father fails to
see the faults, weaknesses, and offenses of his child. Though his justice
forbids and prevents his wrath, our Father’s love will not allow him to let his
children live in rebellion to him. In great mercy and lovingkindness, he
chastises us for our sins, not to punish us, but to correct us.
·
Psalm 89:30-33
·
Hebrews
12:5-11
This blessed declaration, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel,” does not mean that...
1.
There is no
sin in us.
2.
God is not
omniscient.
3.
He is not
displeased with our sins. But it does mean that...
IV. INSOFAR AS HIS LAW AND
JUSTICE ARE CONCERNED, GOD SEES NO SIN IN HIS PEOPLE.
The record books of heaven record no
iniquity, no transgression, and no sin against God’s elect. God will not impute
sin to his saints, or require satisfaction from us because our sins were
imputed to Christ, paid for by Christ, and expunged from the book of God’s
offended justice by our Savior’s precious blood. Read the testimony of Holy
Scripture and rejoice.
·
Romans 4:8
·
Romans 8:1,
33, 34
·
II Corinthians
5:19-21
I want so much for everyone of you who
trust Christ to get hold of this blessed, glorious fact. “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel.” Rejoice in it. Give praise to God for it. And walk
in the blessed comfort and assurance of it all the days of your life.
A. The Lord Jesus Christ has, by
the sacrifice of himself, put away our sins, all of them, past, present, and
future.
They were imputed to him, laid upon him, punished in him,
and put away by him.
·
Isaiah 53:4-6
·
Daniel 9:24 - He made an end of sin!
·
Zechariah 3:9
- He removed all the iniquity of his
people in one day, by one sacrifice!
·
Acts 13:38-39
·
Hebrews
10:11-14
·
“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel.”
B. God the Father has, upon the
ground of Christ’s blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and satisfaction, freely
and fully forgiven all the sins of his people.
The blood of Christ, like the blood on
the mercy-seat, covers our sins, so that our sins are not visible to the eyes
of God’s holy justice. The blood of Christ has blotted our sins out of the
ledger book of heaven, so that justice cannot see sin in us. For Christ’s sake,
the holy Lord God has cast our sins behind his back and into the depth of the
sea, so that they are not only forgotten, but gone, insofar as his law and
justice are concerned!
·
Jeremiah 50:20
·
“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel.”
C. In God’s esteem, you and I
are, as the church and bride of Christ, the very perfection of beauty and
holiness.
God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit look upon us in Christ, washed in his blood and robed in his
righteousness as beautiful, perfect, complete, holy, unblameable, and
unreproveable.
·
Ezekiel 16:14
·
Song of
Solomon 4:7, 9
·
Ephesians
5:25-27
·
Jude 24-25
·
“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen
perverseness in Israel.”
Application:
That which I have endeavored to preach
to you today, the fact that God sees no sin in his people is, to borrow the
words of John Gill, “The glory of the Bible and the marrow of the Gospel; what
most displays the riches of God’s grace, the efficacy of Christ’s blood, the
completeness of his righteousness, and the fullness of his satisfaction. It is
the foundation of all solid hopes of future happiness, what supports the life
of faith, and is the ground of a believer’s triumph.”
Would
you have this forgiveness? What would you give to go out of this place this
morning knowing that God almighty does not behold sin in you and will never
charge sin to you? Wouldn’t you like to lay your head upon your pillow tonight
with these words ringing in your heart - “Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin?” If you are a sinner in
need of such forgiveness, come now to the Son of God. Confess your sin to God,
trusting Christ, and go down to your house like the publican of old, justified.
·
I John 1:9