How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3)

The Apostles of the Lamb wrote to the saints. The two verses above are examples of their exhortations.

If you will think about the context of the two verses you will notice that they are directed toward Christians. Why are we preaching them to the unconverted?

The Scriptures are directed toward God's people. The exhortations to righteousness are addressed to God's people. The Prophets spoke to Israel about sinful behavior among the tribes, and the Apostles wrote to the Christian churches about sinful behavior among the saints.

If there were not one Scripture reference to sin in the Christian disciple we would know, nevertheless, that sin indeed is a problem because of what we find in our own heart, because of the vigilance we must maintain with respect to our own motives and deeds.

Every experienced Christian knows of the spiritual deadness of the churches, the complacency and indifference toward the things of Christ, love for the world, the slothfulness, the obstinacy, the pride and haughtiness, the backbiting and gossiping, the hardness of heart and lack of forgiveness, the desire to seek the approval of the world more than the approval of God.

One piece of evidence that testifies in thunderous tones to the inner spiritual condition of God's people, a fact that nullifies the edicts of the churches and eclipses the world's view of Christ on the cross, is the existence of division and competition among the multitude of denominations, sects, and private empires of Christianity.

Denominational pride and loyalty give the final proof of self-love, self-interest, self-ambition (I Corinthians 1:12). Denominational emphasis and loyalty are childish, self-centered, self-willed behavior.

God's provisions for the sins of Christians. We have written the truth as we see it in the Scriptures and in practical Christian living. We sincerely believe the sin is as dreadful and prevalent as we have set forth. We believe just as sincerely that there is a remedy portrayed by the Day of Atonement that is more than equal to the task of purifying the Church perfectly.

The Day of Atonement is the time of reconciliation to God, of our marriage to the Lamb, of the removal of our "spots and wrinkles."

During Israel's observance of the Day of Atonement, the reconciliation was accomplished by the sprinkling of animal blood and by the public confession of the sins of God's people by the High Priest. In the case of the Christians, the atonement was accomplished by the offering of Christ on the cross and by the daily application of His blood to our lives.

Also involved in the Christian practice of the new covenant counterpart of the Day of Atonement, and essential to it, is the confessing of their sins by Christ's disciples; sometimes confessed to God in private, and sometimes to another Christian for counsel or prayer or because the other person is implicated.

Ordinarily it is not a good idea for us to confess our sins openly in the church assembly. There are pitfalls in this practice. The church elders should decide when such an extreme step is necessary.

To be continued.