Matt:

What I am saying is that an act in the OT that does not require a sacrifice but simply runs out in effect after time is not sin; it is cultically inadequate yet not seen in the same light as sin. For example, a person in the OT who touches a dead body to bury it is unclean, but burying someone is not sin; burial is also required, and simply results in uncleanliness. Sin is disobedience of a moral standard as defined by God. Uncleanliness is an act of offense but is seen and treated as distinct from sin. By the way, this may be one reason why the eating of unclean food was not passed on to the NT period, because it was not seen as violation of a moral standard but as an issue of and an offense against cultic practice. I know the distinction is a fine one (and is discussed), but I think the texts themselves seem to sustain some kind of difference. By the way sin is not a condition of separation as the definition in McKim claims. Sin results in separation and alienation, but sin is the act or thought that violates the moral standard. I hope this helps. It is important to remember we are not used to thinking about the category of uncleanness.

dlb