Reference: Ignorance
Hastings
It appears to be in accordance with natural justice that ignorance should be regarded as modifying moral responsibility, and this is fully recognized in the Scriptures. In the OT, indeed, the knowledge of God is often spoken of as equivalent to true religion (see Knowledge), and therefore ignorance is regarded as its opposite (1Sa 2:12; Ho 4:1; 6:6). But the Levitical law recognizes sins of ignorance as needing some expiation, but with a minor degree of guilt (Le 4; Nu 15:22-32). So 'ignorances' are spoken of in 1Es 8:75 (RV 'errors'), Tob 3:3, Sir 23:2 f. as partly involuntary (cf. Heb 5:2; 9:7). The whole of the OT, however, is the history of a process of gradual moral and spiritual enlightenment, so that actions which are regarded as pardonable, or even praiseworthy, at one period, become inexcusable in a more advanced state of knowledge. In the NT the difference between the 'times of ignorance' and the light of Christianity is recognized in Ac 17:30 (cf. 1Ti 1:13; 1Pe 1:14), and ignorance is spoken of as modifying responsibility in Ac 3:17; 1Co 2:8; Lu 23:34. This last passage, especially, suggests that sin is pardonable because it contains an element of ignorance, while Mr 3:29 appears to contemplate the possibility of an absolutely wilful choice of evil with full knowledge of what it is, which will be unpardonable (cf. 1Jo 5:16). Immoral and guilty ignorance is also spoken of in Ro 1:18 ff., Eph 4:18. For the question whether Christ in His human nature could be ignorant, see Kenosis, Knowledge.
J. H. Maude.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And if in error you go against any of these laws which the Lord has given to Moses, All the laws which the Lord has given you by the hand of Moses, from the day when the Lord gave them, and ever after from generation to generation; read more. Then, if the wrong is done in error, without the knowledge of the meeting of the people, let all the meeting give a young ox as a burned offering, a sweet smell to the Lord, with its meal offering and its drink offering, as is ordered in the law, together with a he-goat for a sin-offering. So the priest will make the people free from sin, and they will have forgiveness; for it was an error, and they have given their offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin-offering before the Lord, on account of their error: And all the meeting of the children of Israel, as well as those from other lands living among them, will have forgiveness; for it was an error on the part of the people. And if one person does wrong, without being conscious of it, then let him give a she-goat of the first year for a sin-offering. And the priest will take away the sin of the person who has done wrong, if the wrong was done unconsciously, and he will have forgiveness. The law in connection with wrong done unconsciously is to be the same for him who is an Israelite by birth and for the man from another country who is living among them. But the person who does wrong in the pride of his heart, if he is one of you or of another nation by birth, is acting without respect for the Lord, and will be cut off from his people. Because he had no respect for the word of the Lord, and did not keep his law, that man will be cut off without mercy and his sin will be on him. Now while the children of Israel were in the waste land, they saw a man who was getting sticks on the Sabbath day.
Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord.
Give ear to the word of the Lord, O children of Israel; for the Lord has a cause against the people of this land, because there is no good faith in it, and no mercy and no knowledge of God in the land.
Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.
But whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but the evil he has done will be with him for ever:
And Jesus said, Father, let them have forgiveness, for they have no knowledge of what they are doing. And they made division of his clothing among them by the decision of chance.
And now, my brothers, I am conscious that you did this, as did your rulers, without knowledge.
Those times when men had no knowledge were overlooked by God; but now he gives orders to all men in every place to undergo a change of heart:
For there is a revelation of the wrath of God from heaven against all the wrongdoing and evil thoughts of men who keep down what is true by wrongdoing;
Whose thoughts are dark, to whom the life of God is strange because they are without knowledge, and their hearts have been made hard;
Take care that no one takes you away by force, through man's wisdom and deceit, going after the beliefs of men and the theories of the world, and not after Christ:
Though I had said violent words against God, and done cruel acts, causing great trouble: but I was given mercy, because I did it without knowledge, not having faith;
He is able to have feeling for those who have no knowledge and for those who are wandering from the true way, because he himself is feeble;
But only the high priest went into the second, once a year, not without making an offering of blood for himself and for the errors of the people:
If a man sees his brother doing a sin which is not bad enough for death, let him make a prayer to God, and God will give life to him whose sin was not bad enough for death. There is a sin whose punishment is death: I do not say that he may make such a request then.