It's the same today: the sacrificial death of Jesus means that forgiveness is within everyone's grasp; the price is already paid and no one is too wicked or too poor to be able to avail themselves of this freely given forgiveness. But this is no cheap grace. Our salvation cost Jesus everything and He asks us to give Him everything, our whole lives, in return. Paradoxically, those who recognise this, and who willingly surrender everything to Jesus, live their lives with a deep sense of freedom and purpose, while those who struggle with the cost and try to retain the reins of their own lives often find that they struggle with their faith and with their assurance of salvation.
Moving on to chapter 6, another principle that underlines the consequence of sin and the cost of redemption, is the principle of restitution. A sin offering made forgiveness available, but it didn't undo the damage or loss that the sin had caused. For this reason, whether the sin was against the Lord or also against another person, the wrongdoer had to face up to the cost of putting things right. If he had stolen something, cheated someone, or told a lie, he had to go back to the injured party and pay back what had been taken - also adding another 20% so that it cost the wrongdoer something to make amends. The cost involved was a reminder and an incentive not to commit that sin again.
This principle of restitution is often neglected or not understood today. People wrong others and think that a "cheap apology" will get them off the hook. It's true that some things can never be restored or put right - like the teenager killed on the road by a drunk driver. In such cases, one can only ask forgiveness and throw oneself on the grace and mercy of the grieving parent. But many other things can be made right to some extent, and God watches to see if we'll be faithful to make restitution. If I steal something or break something belonging to another person, the right thing to do is to replace it. If I lie to someone, I need to go back and tell them the truth. If I spread gossip or slander about someone, I need to go the extra mile to correct the wrong impressions I gave, and see that person's reputation restored again.
This principle is built into the legal systems of many of our nations. Stolen goods need to be returned to their owner, probably together with a hefty fine. The company whose chemicals caused my cancer needs to cover my medical bills and pay me "punitive damages." The newspaper is required by law to print a retraction of the inaccurate report they wrote about someone. Our society knows this is necessary in the "big stuff," but sometimes we as Christians are careless and complacent about the smaller stuff.
I remember one of the first times I saw this principle in action. A few of us had been in a conversation around the table - about how our adult gifting and abilities often begin to show themselves even in childhood. A few hours later, one of the friends came back to me. "I need to put something right," he said. "When we were chatting at lunch time, I told you that I had won first prize in a high school poster competition for best creative design. That wasn't completely true. In fact, I came second in that competition. God has shown me that I exaggerated to make myself look better, or more gifted, and that I needed to come back to all of you to tell you the truth." I confess I was surprised; it didn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things whether this 30 year old man had come first or second in a teenage competition. But the lack of integrity mattered to God, and this young man had understood that. I was only in my early twenties at the time, and this friend's example helped make me more aware of the value of integrity and the importance of restitution in my own life too. Restitution costs us. If it doesn't have a material or financial cost, it has a cost to our pride, as it did for my Austrian friend in that situation. It's uncomfortable and embarrassing. It's a reminder that sin can always be forgiven, but there's always a cost and it shouldn't be taken lightly.
Complex chapters about sacrificing animals and birds... yet these passages in Leviticus remind us of timeless principles that will make all the difference to our lives in the 21st century.
