The Significance of the Altar of Burnt Offerings and the Mercy Seat
Christianity is centered on the substitutional death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ suffered this death near ancient Jerusalem to offer redemption to individuals from the consequence of sin (the second death) in our lives. In this sense His achievement on the cross was complete, finished - as far as the forecourt symbolism was concerned! (John 17:4; 19:30) But was it completed as far as the `throne/ark/mercy seat' is concerned? It is the book of Hebrews which opens up to our understanding the work which Christ began after His blood was shed on calvary and after He ascended to heaven (Hebr. 8:1-2; 9:1-28;) to make application of His sacrifice.
And so we found that the architectural layout of the Israelite sanctuary put the symbol of the death of Christ on the cross in its very center. In the forecourt we find the `Altar for Burnt Offerings'. Most Christian churches have a working knowledge of this part of the antitypical meaning of this aspect of biblical teaching. However, the significance of the second central spot, where the `Ark of the Covenant' topped by the `Mercy Seat' stood (1.Sam. 4:4; 2.Sam. 6:2), is perhaps not given adequate time and insightful study in the width and depth of this featureful architectural arrangement filled with spiritual meaning. And so we find that many Christian churches stop at the cross and do not proceed to understand the place where at times God set up His throne between the Cherubim angels on the Mercy Seat/Throne, Ex. 25:22; Numbers 7:89. Since both, altar and throne, are biblically emphasized, `centrally located' topics we shall address as brief as possible, and yet hopefully adequate enough, the more immediate and extended meanings in the following part.
The Ministry of Christ in His Sanctuary According to the Book of Hebrews
The Mercy Seat
The Mercy Seat represented the connecting link between heaven and earth. The two cherubim angels both faced the center of the chest made of acacia wood, in token humility and reverence bowing and in symbol representing the entire heavenly hosts and how they intently regard the law of God and the plan of redemption. How intent the angelic hosts are observing everything having to do with salvation and the resolution of sin in this world is brought out several times in the Bible especially during the time of the birth and ascendance of Jesus Christ back into heaven and is presented in all four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We read words like
"The angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph ... And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. ... And Jesus said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. ... And he was in the wilderness forty days ... and the angels ministered unto him." Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:19; John 1:51; Mark 1:13.
The presence of these angels emphasizes the importance of these events and goings on, also double emphasized by Jesus using the word `verily' twice. Who was the angel Gabriel (Dan. 10:21; Rev. 1:1)? We may not be far off to say, that the angel Gabriel who stood in the presence of God, holds now the position which Satan forsook when sin was found in him. We do well to take heed of the instruction presented in these passages in their entire context, for the angels wanted to witness how the problem of sin was going to be resolved and apparently aid in its resolution somehow. For this reason alone we probably should not leave one facet of this great theme unnoticed and proclaimed for we were created just a little lower than the angels, Psalms 8:4-5.
Above the Mercy Seat, between the cherubim angels on a few occasions, the `shekinah' glory of the presence of God was revealed in order to make known His will, Psalm 80:1. Divine messages were sometimes made known to the high priest by a voice from the pillar of the cloud. Other times a light would shine upon the angel on the right indicating approval or the angel on the left, indicating disapproval, Ex. 25:22 (implied).
"Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Ex. 40:34.
"And all the children of Israel murmured against ... `Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt ... let us return ...' ... then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces ... rebel not ye against the Lord ... But the congregation (of the Israelites) bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel." Num. 14:2,5,9,10.
"... the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation." Lev. 9:23; Num. 16:19; 20:6.
Hannah's prayer incidentally mentions ... "He raiseth up ... to make them inherit the throne of glory ..." 1.Sam.2:8.
"... for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord." 1.Ki. 8:11; 2.Chr. 5:14.
"And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub ..." Ezekiel 8:3; 9:4.
Underneath the cherubim angels between which the glory of the Lord appeared, inside the arch, was enshrined the law of God. That law pronounces death upon the transgressor, but above the law was the Mercy Seat indicating or pointing forward to the sacrificial atonement provided by the death of Jesus on the cross, so that pardon could be granted to repenting sinners who would turn away from sinning and become obedient to the Lord.
"Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear (respect, reverence) him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Psalm 85:10.
There is no question that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a central point in biblical teachings and Christian beliefs. This is abundantly made clear in the Old Testament and especially also the New Testament. Our first question may be this:
Is the centrality of the altar/cross imagery in the Old and New Testament also made clear on the subject of the centrality of the throne in the New Testament?
From the Old Testament we know that the high priest would enter the Most Holy apartment of the tabernacle sanctuary once each year on the Day of Atonement, that means, the high priest served inside this Most Holy place rarely while he went inside the Holy apartment every day. Since the inner veil separating the Holy from the Most Holy apartment did not reach to the ceiling, the glory of the Lord, when manifested above the Mercy Seat, was partially visible from the first apartment. When the priest offered incense before the Lord, he looked toward the ark; as the smoldering cloud of incense rose toward the ceiling, the divine glory descended upon the Mercy Seat and filled the Most Holy place which may also be called `cleansing' or `glory' room. This burning incense, ascending with the prayers of Israel, represents the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ, His perfect righteousness, which through faith is imputed (accounted for) to His people, and which alone can make the worship of sinful beings acceptable to God. This was a time of intense interest to the worshipers who had assembled at the tabernacle. As they searched out in their minds their sins in silent prayer to confess them, their petitions ascended with the cloud of incense before the Lord, while in faith they laid hold upon the shed blood of the sacrifice as we do today in silent prayer at home or in church.
While the burning of incense, slaying of sacrificial animals were done away with at the cross, we still need to pray, search out our sins, exercise faith, confess and repent.
Putting this all together we may say that Christ paid the full price on Calvary. What did the cross pay for, and when is that achievement given to those contrite below the Cross?
1. The Cross made possible the appeals of the Holy Spirit on human hearts, convicting of sin and drawing to Christ for the entire interval between sin entering Eden and today.In addition, the price paid at Calvary made it possible for Christ to minister thereafter on our behalf in the first and, later, in the second apartments of the heavenly Sanctuary. It was by that ministry that He gradually gives the gifts, the pre-close probation benefits of His great service thus preserving individual, free choice in salvation, for Christ's death did not automatically give us life, freedom from condemnation, and happiness; His substitutionary death offered it.
2. The Cross provided forgiveness and justification for those who accepted and remained in Christ. As they did so ...
3. the Cross provided enabling grace [300] for them to overcome sin and resist temptation, day by day.
4. The Cross will make possible the resurrection, translation, glorification and eternal life of those finally redeemed.
That is why we read,
"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
Ephesians 5:2; Hebr. 7:27.
The centrality of the Mercy Seat/throne of God' is addressed in Hebrews chapter 9 and also in our file on the thrones and sanctuaries.
The extended significance of the symbolism taught in the sanctuary services relates in later times also to prophetic topics which we shall address soon.
Hebrew Chapter Nine
A key chapter to a systematic understanding of the lessons one can learn about the sanctuary services is Hebrews chapter nine. In the past the lessons of this chapter have not been fully grasped. We endeavor in these few pages to present a brief point by point account on what we think is essential knowledge on this subject.
The 8 Major Principles embedded in Hebrew Nine:
I. There is a real sanctuary in heaven. (Hebr. 8:2) Just as certain as the outer court sacrifices prefigured Christ's death on the cross the first and second apartment services also prefigured essential lessons.
II. We need to come to a better understanding of the Hebrew term `qodesh' and the Greek term `hagion/hagia' for they are used in the Book of Hebrew in a unique way. `Hagion' appears some eight times in the Greek version of the Book of Hebrews where it is translated as shown:
(1) Hebrews 8:2 (`the sanctuary');
(2) 9:2 (`the sanctuary'),
(3) v 8 (`the holiest of all')
(4) v12 (`the holy place')
(5) v24 (`the holy places')
(6) v25 (`the holy place');
(7) 10:19 (`the holiest');
(8) 13:11 (`the sanctuary').
As shown above, the KJV translates the same word five different ways [500]. We need to understand and be able to give the reason why it never means `holiest of all' or `holiest'. For a long time 9 out of 38 Bible translations translate `hagia' incorrectly among them the KJV and the NIV. Correct translations may be found in the Murdoch (1855), Estes (1973), Jerusalem Bible (1966), New English Bible (1961) and the New American Standard Bible (1960) to name a few.
Explanation of `hagion/hagia':
The correct translation of `ta hagia' is the key to a better (correct) understanding of where Christ as our High Priest went to, after he ascended to heaven by 31 A.D.
The Book of Hebrews is a very carefully arranged book.
Chapter 7 - The author establishes that Jesus is a priest.
Chapter 8 - first mention that Jesus has a sanctuary of His own in heaven in which he ministers; he mentions that this ministry is based on a Covenant of Fatherhood on God's part, and Obedience by Faith on our part;
Chapter 9 - The author recognizes the need to define key terminology, i.e. sanctuary, first apartment, second apartment, veil.
a) Hebrews 9:1 - Author gives us the word he uses for the sanctuary as a whole, the entire structure as `hagion', singular for `holy'.[600]
b) Hebrews 9:2 - Author gives us the word he uses for the first apartment (holy place), `hagia' which is the plural of `hagion' and literally means `holies' (Hebr. `qodesh'). This is a strange usage but used by the author of Hebrews, writing in Greek, when he places the word in the plural. Instead of writing `holy (place)' he writes `holies (holy places)'.
c) Hebrews 9:3 - Here the author gives us the word he uses for the second apartment, (`Holiest of All'), which is `hagia hagi
n' (`' is the Greek letter omega, pronounced as a long `o'). This is also a strange usage but consistent with Hebrews 9:2 because both words are used in the plural. He does not write `holy of holies' but rather `holies of holies'.
The ordinary way to describe the sanctuary would then be, `holy places (holies)' for the sanctuary as a whole, `holy place (holy)' for the first apartment, and `holy of holies' for the second apartment.
But the author uses the words differently:
He uses the singular word `hagion (holy)' for the sanctuary as a whole and the plural words `hagia' and `hagia hagion' for the first and second apartment respectively. Why this is so is the question we endeavor to provide an answer for:
A Reasonable Answer: In the days of Paul and the early church the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, was widely read. In the Septuagint `holy place' almost always refers to the first apartment, yet there was one important exception:
When Moses wrote Leviticus chapter 16, he consistently called the second apartment the `holy place (hagion)' when he contextual wise spoke of the `most holy' apartment. Moses did this never anywhere else in his writings.
Septuagint: Leviticus 16:2
"And the Lord said unto Moses, `Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.'" Leviticus 16:2 [KJV].
The author of Hebrews may have thought that, if he uses `holy place' in the Book of Hebrews his Jewish readers might think on the basis of Leviticus 16:2ff, that he was talking about the second apartment. So he gave each apartment a different name in Hebrews 9:2-3 so that there may be no doubt for his Jewish readers on what he was talking about. In his account the author of Hebrews gave each single room in the sanctuary the plural word for it as shown above and for the sanctuary as a whole a word written in singular.
Other reasons could be inferred but we shall just present this one here for now. (Please click here for some additional explanations!)
Explaining Hebrews 9:2, part b)
III. The underlying meaning and fulfillments of the daily and the yearly services. The sanctuary underscores the lesson that atonement is much more than the death of an animal. That is why we do not only have an altar (which may be regarded as the only item needed for an animal sacrifice) but we also have a tent.
IV. Additional services going on had to do with the terms `cleansing' and `cleanse' which are found 30 times in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.
The word `atonement' is found 77 times in these same books underscoring the lesson in the phases of the services going on, so we may understand that a great deal of prefiguring is taking place. Priestly functions are brought out which relate to how God deals with sin.
V. The transfer of sin has to be studied in more detail. Many regard the slaying of a sacrifice on an altar and the vicarious death of Christ on calvary as the only instance of transfer of sin. Beyond that they do not appear to consider that the services reveal more pertinent information. So the question to be answered may be, can sin be transferred? If it cannot, then Christ cannot and does not bear our sins. We are then without hope. Christ is the Lamb that bears the sin of the world. When the man who brought the sacrifice left the outer court, his burden of sin had been rolled away. It had been transferred to something else.
Transferral: In Fact or Symbol?
When Jesus forgives our sins, where do they go? Do they just disappear?
Day by day, as we come to Jesus and, in sincerity of heart cry to Him for forgiveness, our sins are forgiven. What happens to those sins?
In the earthly service, the sins were transferred, in type, to the tabernacle [700]. But in the heavenly service, the sins are transferred, in reality, to the Sanctuary above, Hebr. 9:24. Thus Hebrews 9:24, 26 and 27 provides a conceptual link to Daniel 8:14, for where Christ serves as High Priest there will always be a work of cleansing going on. While Verse 24 tells us that Christ is entered into the heavenly sanctuary, Verse 26 and 27 tells us when it occured, "... now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself ... after this the judgment." Paul knew very well that the end of the world was not close to his time for the "man of sin" had not yet been revealed, 2.Thess. 2:3; 1.Jh. 2:18. The apostles were of course eager to see a fulfillment close to their time, but the 2300 day/ years prophecy of Daniel 8:14 was still a closed book to them. No one among them could envision such a long delay beyond their own time. Daniel's long term prophecy was not present truth in the early church. The Book of Revelation had not been written yet when John penned the referenced words in his epistle.
VI. In studying further into the Book of Hebrews a student will have to consider the first and second apartment services and would come face to face with the Ten `Devarim' (Hebrew for Commandments, 10 lines of words as laid out on the stones) law of God inside the `Arch of the Covenant'.
VII. The two veils also teach important lessons. The Book of Hebrews does not use `veil' merely as a dividing `veil' between the two apartments in the sanctuary. The definition of `veil' in Hebrews 9:3 refers to a second `veil', the one before one gets into the second (most holy) apartment while Hebrews 6:19 never mentions the second apartment. By implication then, if there is a second veil there must be a first. On this basis Hebrew 9:3 defines the two veils, Hebrews 6:19 mentions the first veil, the one covering the entrance to the `holy apartment' coming from the altar of burned offerings..
VIII. The `sitting of Jesus Christ in the Sanctuary' (Hebr. 8:1,2) shows that Christ's functions in the sanctuary are not like those of the earthly priests were who were daily on their feet going here and there during the services. Christ is pictured as `sitting' to illustrate that he entered once to mediate his blood and intercede for his people.
Do we need to know about the sanctuary, judgment and all that to be saved? No - but, there is such a thing as bare-bones religion. If a person based his faith on only one biblical principle, lets say on John 3:16, - and he trusts completely in Jesus, living out all he knew about Jesus, he would be saved. That is so, because our salvation is a process, not an event. There are at least three steps involved. These are,
1. I am saved.As to the first point, we may say, `I am saved namely from the guilt and punishment of sin because accepting Christ we are justified by faith as it says, "... He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life . . ." (John 5:24) Believing God's Word brings us peace.
2. I am being saved, and
3. I will be saved.
As to the second point, we may say, `I am being saved from the power and slavery of sin - it is an ongoing process. Why? Because being justified by faith changes our status and standing before God but it does not change our sinful nature. We still have tendencies to sin. So what must occur? We must have holy living.
As to the third point, we may say, `I will be saved from the nature and presence of sin.' Our human nature is innately sinful. But God gives us His Word to remind us to keep looking upon Him and His great, free gift of salvation. Jesus did it all. He died for all already. It is an accomplished mission He completed on the cross. We must believe, accept and follow Him now, because our sinful nature will not be changed until when? --- until the day of His Second Coming! ... the Blessed Hope.
What is it we can expect to happen? What are we looking forward to?
To be adopted by God. So we can move in with God. Our whole, live, physical body will be redeemed into heaven. What is going to happen to our body?
When Jesus comes again, the Bible says, He will change our sinful nature and change our body from a corruptible body to an incorruptible body.
Where does it say that?
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
1.Corinthians 15:51-54.
On that day of His Second Coming Death will be conquered and not effect us ever again.
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
Philippians 3:20,21.
So - - we learned just now, that our hope is not limited to hopes in this life, but our main hope, the one which makes life worth living, is the one from above - that our bodies will be changed to incorruptible bodies. That will put all doctors, nurses, hospitals and pharmacies out of business - Amen.
The Bible admonishes Christians growing in their faith to study the scriptures daily. Today that may be understood to mean more than just the Bible, today it may also mean issues of creation/evolution, ancient history, so we may be able to answer for the reasons of our faith when asked. May be being able to answer questions of our own children as they grow in understanding. If mom and dad cannot answer their questions, they will find them in places which may not balance replies with faith in God. So, those of us who understand these issues, are aware of the need for addressing today's intellectual challenges. But these ancillary studies ought not to replace Bible study, they are additional work. Christians need to sustain a culture of daily Bible study in their homes and when opportunity arises help the needy if they are serious about their faith.
This is Righteousness by Faith
And what is it to believe? Two things, it is to fully accept that Jesus Christ died as our sacrifice; that He became the curse for us, took our sins upon Himself, and imputed unto us His own righteousness. Therefore we claim this righteousness of Christ, we believe it, and it is our righteousness. Secondly, it involves the act of Christ imparting His righteousness to us so we are enabled to live a different life. We may call that "sanctification," or sometimes living holiness which is never forced on man, it is a choice, 1.Peter 1:2.[800]
The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought. The enemy of God and man is not willing that this truth should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken. If he can control minds so that doubt and unbelief and darkness shall compose the experience of those who claim to be the children of God, he can overcome them with temptation. {GW 161.1} Righteousness by Faith is more than a doctrine - it is a - way of life, including the conduct and administration of the Church. [R&H, July 1888, p. 7. Written prior to the opening of the GC that year.]
In order to meet the requirements of the law, our faith must grasp the righteousness of Christ, accepting it as our righteousness. Through union with Christ, through acceptance of His righteousness by faith, we may be qualified to work the works of God, to be colaborers with Christ. If you are willing to drift along with the current of evil, and do not cooperate with the heavenly agencies in restraining transgression in your family, and in the church, in order that everlasting righteousness may be brought in, you do not have faith. Faith works by love and purifies the soul. Through faith the Holy Spirit works in the heart to create holiness therein; but this cannot be done unless the human agent will work with Christ. We can be fitted for heaven only through the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart; for we must have Christ's righteousness as our credentials if we would find access to the Father. In order that we may have the righteousness of Christ, we need daily to be transformed by the influence of the Spirit, to be a partaker of the divine nature. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to elevate the taste, to sanctify the heart, to ennoble the whole man. {1SM 374.1}
This is Justification by Faith
With great clearness and power the apostle presented the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. He hoped that other churches also might be helped by the instruction sent to the Christians at Rome; but how dimly could he foresee the far-reaching influence of his words! Through all the ages the great truth of justification by faith has stood as a mighty beacon to guide repentant sinners into the way of life. It was this light that scattered the darkness which enveloped Luther's mind and revealed to him the power of the blood of Christ to cleanse from sin. The same light has guided thousands of sin-burdened souls to the true Source of pardon and peace. For the epistle to the church at Rome, every Christian has reason to thank God. {AA 373.3}As penitent sinners, contrite before God, discern Christ's atonement in their behalf, and accept this atonement as their only hope in this life and the future life, their sins are pardoned. This is justification by faith (CTr. 150.3), the forgiveness of sin.
This is Sanctification by Faith
The Word of God contains the statement, "I am the Lord that do sanctify you" if you observe the Sabbath, Ezekiel 20:12. This is the only true sanctification in the Scriptures -- that which comes from God because of obedience to His commandments. Then we may know that the little companies assembled together to worship the Lord on the day which He has blessed and made holy, have a right to claim the rich blessings of Jehovah. He who has declared that His words are spirit and life, should have their faith in strong exercise that the Lord Jesus is an honored guest in their assemblies. "Where two or three are met together in My name, there am I in their midst."(Matt. 18:20). If He is there, it is to enlighten and bless. Therefore as we assemble together, we all have a solemn sense of the presence of God, and know that the angels of God are in the assembly. The messengers of the gospel know by experience its truth, power and excellence. It is the hours of the Sabbath that are sacred and sanctified and holy, and every true worshipper who keeps holy the Sabbath, should claim the promise, "That ye may know I am the Lord that doth sanctify you." (Ex. 31:13). Sabbath keeping does not make holy, the Lord God makes his faithful people holy. {4MR 347.2}
God's plan for sanctification begins with faith and ends with love. Satan's counterfeit plan begins with self and ends with emotionalism. Satan's plan develops hindrances, obstacles, that prevent the Christian from developing the character of Christ. These characteristics become stronger, thus preventing divine love from being attained to. In its place come deceptive substitutes we call emotionalism which holds millions of people in its spell.
First an Explanation of some of the Terminology of the Israelite Sanctuary
There is some confusing terminology even in the Bible about the Sanctuary. A difference between the holy and most holy is addressed in Ex. 26:33,34. We find that the same word does not always mean the same thing. If you look back in the writings of Moses, then go forward in the Bible and study what it says about the Sanctuary, you will find something interesting. There are two different terminologies in the Old Testament for the two different apartments of the Sanctuary.
1. In one terminology the tent is called the Tabernacle of the Congregation. In the Bible, that is a name for the first, the Holy Place or apartment, Ex. 29:30.
2) When the first is called the Tabernacle of the Congregation, then the second apartment is called the Holy Place, Lev. 16:15-17.
But there is also another terminology; in which the first apartment is called the Holy Place and the second apartment is called either the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, Ex. 26:33,34.
So when you are reading in the Bible about the Sanctuary, you have to pay attention to which set of terms is being used:
a) the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Holy Place or
b) the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
Luther's calling and the Sanctuary
Luther came out of Roman Catholicism where the common people believed in the `doctrine of indulgences'. In fact, Tetzel said, "As soon as the coin hits the bottom of the bucket, the soul will be released from Purgatory." And so they taught a system of indulgences which, actually, they still teach today. If you look in a Roman Catholic Catechism, they still teach and they still believe in the doctrine of indulgences.
Therefore, in the Roman Catholic Church, the people believed that when you paid money, the souls of your relatives were released from purgatory. If you paid money, anything could happen. You could have your sins forgiven by paying money. Let us think this through, if you can get your sins forgiven by paying money for a high mass, what is the difference between that and righteousness by works? There is no difference. That is righteousness by works. Now technically, the Roman Catholic theologian would say to you, `Well, no, we really do not believe it that way, we believe that you are saved by grace and the Church dispenses the grace.' Of course, if the church will not dispense the grace unless you pay money, what is the common person going to think? What conclusion is he going to make? Technically they would say, `No, we believe in salvation by grace,' but if you have to pay money to get the grace (except tithe and offerings), the average person on the street cannot tell the difference between that and salvation by works, or righteousness by works. That is what Martin Luther attacked, this idea that you could be saved by works.
The following poem by Hans Sachs gives an idea (of the sway of the gospel - even touching on contrite obedience) of the times:
Our calling - Sanctification by FaithLuther teaches that we all
Are involved in Adam's fall,
If man beholds himself within,
He feels the bite and curse of sin.
When dread, despair, and terror seize,
Contrite he falls upon his knees.
Then breaks for him the light of day.
Then the gospel may have sway.
Then sees he Christ of God the Son,
Who for us all things has done.
The law fulfilled, the dept is paid,
Death overcome, the curse allayed,
Hell destroyed, the devil bound,
Grace for us with God has found.
Christ, the Lamb, removes all sin.
By faith alone in Christ we win.
So, when the common people were able to obtain and read Bibles in their own language, they could see that the Word of God does not teach anything about indulgences, instead they read that our sins are forgiven by grace alone through faith. That is righteousness by faith. It comes to you through the grace of Christ, but it comes to you, not when you pay money (indulgences) to the church, but when you exercise faith in the Lord.
When that happens, the sinner is outside of the Sanctuary, in the court, the sacrifice was made outside of the Sanctuary on the altar of burnt offerings. The sacrifice was made in this world and when the sinner has faith in Jesus and puts his trust in Jesus, his guilt is taken away. Where does his guilt go? The guilt is transferred to the sacrifice. That is why the lamb had to die. [In the Hebrew language the word sin offering and the word sin is the very same word (`chattath'). You have to look at the context to tell which way to translate it.]
Paul says, concerning Jesus, that God "... made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2.Cor. 5:21). --
What does that mean? When you come to Jesus as your Saviour from sin, you confess your sins and you put your trust in Him. Your sin, your guilt, is taken away from you and transferred to Him and His righteousness is taken and transferred to you. -- When you come to Jesus, your sin is transferred to Him. How is it transferred to Him? It is transferred through His blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, Hebr. 9:22; Lev. 17:11. -- The guilt of the sin comes into the Sanctuary where the priest would touch the horns of the altar of incense with the blood every morning, Ex. 29:12.[900] This sacrifice takes place by the altar of burnt offerings in the court of the sanctuary and points forward to what Jesus would accomplish on calvary. It was the gospel, the present truth for Israel up to the time when Jesus died on the cross.
Christ's work was finished when He expired on the cross, crying with a loud voice, "It is finished." The way was laid open; the veil was rent in twain. Sinners could approach God without sacrificial offerings, without the service of a priest. Christ Himself was a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Heaven was His home. He came to this world to reveal the Father. His work on the field of His humiliation and conflict was now done. He ascended up into the heavens, and is forever set down on the right hand of God. . . . {CTr 293.3}
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." Psalm 24:9.
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
In God's providence Jesus death on the cross was the fulfillment of the slaying of the paschal lamb on the altar of burnt offerings in the court of the temple in Jerusalem in 31 A.D.. But in the days of the Patriarchs, when Abraham ". . . stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son ... the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham ... lay not thine hand upon the lad ..." (Gen 22:10-12). God had tested the faith of Abraham, but Isaac, the at first intended victim in a small way forshadowing the sacrifice of Christ, `escaped' and in his place God provided "... a ram caught in the thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son." (Gen. 22:13). Similarly, we are told, when Christ called out, "It is finished", the heavy veil between the holy and most holy was rent from top to bottom and both apartments of the sanctuary were revealed through the open doors and the rent curtain to the gaze of the priest performing the annual paschal sacrifice in the court [1000]. The priest was so startled by the noise of the rending of the veil that he lost his grip on the lamb and it escaped like Isaac did as a type of Christ, for on that hill by the city the real sacrifice had died as the fulfillment of the centuries of offerings in the temple services. This rending of the second veil took place on crucifixion day at just the right moment and therefore does not apply to the shut door (or veil), spoken of in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 3:7,8) which was later to be opened and talks about what Christ, as our high priest, does in heaven. In the book of Hebrews and Revelation the symbolism of the veil and doors is retold with the purpose in mind to show the stages of the real priestly ministry of Christ first in the holy and then in the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary of which the earthly, Jewish services were merely a shadow to teach in picture lessons about how God would save us from sin. But God's ancient people made these services into forms and customs they did not understand and cared not to inquire about to learn their true meaning from God, Ezekiel 20:3-8; Jer. 29:19; Isa. 30:9; Gal. 4:21.
Daniel 7:9,10 talks about the Judgment, and it is an Investigative Judgment which takes place in the Sanctuary - that is where the books are opened - and those books contain a record. -- However, the reformers taught that our sins were transferred to Jesus, that He was our High Priest; that you did not need to go to a human priest, because Jesus was your priest and you could confess your sins directly to Him.-- The reformers would quote to the people the text where it said that there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 1.Tim. 2:5. They taught, when that happens, my guilt is transferred from me to my Saviour. He bears my guilt through His blood (Lev. 16:15; Rom. 3:25; 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). My guilt is in the Most Holy Place. The Bible teaches, when you read in Leviticus 16 about the cleansing of the Sanctuary, if you look at verses 16 and 19, you will see that it was because of the sins and the uncleanness of God's people that the Sanctuary had to be cleansed of the blood sprinkeled every day by the altar of incence before the veil, Lev. 4:2-6. -- Therefore, let us remember, if there is guilt, if there is sin in the Sanctuary, sin and guilt defiles and makes something unclean. Therefore, it needs to be cleansed. --- In this Sanctuary in heaven, we are told, there are some kind of `books' (Mal. 3:16; 1.Tim. 5:24) which contain exact records - until our sins are blotted out just like the prophet Abraham's and Isaac's (Gen. 22:4,5; Ps. 69:28; 109:13,14; Isa. 44:22; Acts 3:19)- those books contain exact records of every sin that we have ever committed. The record of our whole life is in those books. --- In order for the Sanctuary to be cleansed, the guilt has to come out - the sin has to come out - and how is that going to happen?
This second step of the cleansing of the Sanctuary, please notice it, is the opposite of what happened in the first part of the service. In other words, what happens in the yearly service is the opposite of what happens in the daily service. People who do not understand that say, `Well, you Adventists, you do not believe at all what the reformers taught.' - We do believe what the reformers taught, but we understand that the Sanctuary service has two stages. We believe what the reformers taught, but they only understood the first part. The reformers did not understand what the Bible taught about the cleansing of the Sanctuary (Dan. 8:14). That was not the present truth yet for 1520. It was present truth in the nineteenth century, 2.Peter 1:12.
How is the Sanctuary going to be cleansed? Notice, this is the exact opposite of what happens in the first part of the service, and both of these are taught in the New Testament as righteousness by faith. Let us use common language to explain this. In the daily service, the Sanctuary becomes dirtier and dirtier. As more people come and confess their sins and their guilt is transferred into the Sanctuary, it just keeps getting dirtier and dirtier, more and more defiled, Eze. 44:7. -- That is what happens in the daily service - the longer it goes on, the more defiled it becomes. But in the yearly service, something different is going to happen. That which has become dirtier and dirtier is going to be cleansed. How much is it going to be cleansed? It is going to be cleansed to the point where there will not be a single sin, or guilt, or anything defiling left in there.
Now let us look at this. Sometimes theologians talk about these things with such abstract theoretical terms that nobody can follow. So let us try to present this subject in very simple, concrete terms so that it is easy to understand. In Hebrews, the apostle Paul teaches very clearly that we are to come boldly, he says, unto the throne of grace, Hebr. 4:16.
We worship down here in our churches today, but the church on earth and the church in heaven is all one and the same. The Bible teaches, while we are down here in the body, we are in heaven in spirit. Paul said one time to the Corinthian Church, `I am absent but in the spirit I am with you." 1.Cor. 5:3.-- Although we are down here in the world, our faith reaches clear up to the Sanctuary in heaven. In fact, our faith reaches clear into the Most Holy Place. -- Let us think this through. God's Church, as you can read in Hebrews 12, is all registered in heaven. God's Church is registered in the Sanctuary. -- If you have professed faith in Jesus, and you are a Christian, your name is in a book. Underneath your name is every single detail, or record, of your life history. Every good deed that you have ever done; every kind and affectionate word you have ever spoken; every tender thought you have ever thought; every act of sympathy and courtesy that you have ever done, is all recorded in that book.
So here is a record, not only of the good things that men and women have done and thought, but also of the evil, (1. Tim. 5:24; Ex. 32:31,32). -- We remember sin always defiles, therefore there is only one way that this heavenly Sanctuary can be cleansed from the blood that was sprinkled there, but it was sprinkled there only once on the basis of the perfect sacrifice of Christ. In the old covenant the blood was sprinkled every year, but Paul makes it very clear in Hebrews 10 that in the new covenant, the blood is only sprinkled one time at the end of the ages to blot out sin.
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebr. 10:10-14.
And once that is sprinkled, Paul says, there is no more forgiveness ...
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."
But this man
(Christ Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. . . . Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." Hebr. 10:12,18.
Christ "sat down", ready to come again when `his enemies be made his footstool.' As our High Priest Christ is represented as accomplishing priestly services in the heavenly sanctuary. That would mean, He is continually on His feet ministering in that function. But eventually the atonement service in the Most Holy is finished and verse 12 highlights that moment when Christ sits down on the right hand of God until the moment He and all the angels descend to earth to end the reign of sin. This time span of our High Priest finishing the intercessory service until he comes again, we are without a mediator. That time is coming.
Once our sins are blotted out, they will not be blotted out twice. They will only be blotted out once.
"And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord."
Exodus 30:10.
In the shadowy service of the earthly sanctuary the cleansing of the Most Holy apartment of the sanctuary took place once a year.
"And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses."
Lev. 16:34.
"For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebr. 9:26.
That will be it. There will not be any more forgiveness; there will not be any more plan of salvation. Once that is done, once this blood is sprinkled, at the end of the ages, the plan of salvation is over. It is only done one time. -- If that is the case, if the Sanctuary is going to be cleansed - just cleansed once at the end of the ages as Paul says. The work of salvation that began with great power must be finished with the great power of God so that "the mystery of God should be finished." (Rev. 10:7). The blood is sprinkled in the Most Holy Place, and as soon as Jesus is through sprinkling this blood, what does He do? -- He comes out of the Most Holy Place, sits down with the Father for a period of time and we are going to see Him in a very few days in the clouds of heaven. Let us think this through in concrete terms.
My name and your name is in the Most Holy Place. Below your name there is the record of every sin you have ever committed. Now, if this Sanctuary is going to be cleansed, there are only two ways that this can happen.
1) Here is the way that you do not want it to happen. There is the record of my name and all my sins, and as long as the record of all my sins is in the Sanctuary, it is defiled. So one way that the Sanctuary can be cleansed is by just tearing out my page. God can just take it out, tear out my page, take my name out. My name is not in the book any more. That is one way the Sanctuary can be cleansed. You see, the Sanctuary is going to be cleansed of all sin. Whether you overcome or not, the Sanctuary is going to be cleansed of sin. (Neh. 4:4,5; Ps. 69:26,28; 109:13,14)
2) The other way, the way that you want it to happen, is that your name is retained in the book, but your sins are blotted out, Acts 3:19; Isa. 44:22; Rev. 3:5. So now your name is in the book (of life Phil. 4:3) and there is no sin there (Mt. 10:32; Lk. 11:8), and your name does not pollute or defile God's Sanctuary any more. -- Of course, it would not do any good to blot out your sins if you sinned again the next day. Does that make sense? Would it do any good to blot out my sins if I sin the next day? It would not do any good at all. The plan of salvation would have failed. So, before your sins can be blotted out, you must have an experience in living without sin, or overcoming sin, Jh. 8:11.
". . . And Jesus said unto her, . . . Go, and sin no more."
John 8:11.
That is why we are preaching so much about the necessity of overcoming sin, because we are living in the time, friends, when this is actually going to happen, and it is only going to happen once, Hebr. 9:26,28. One of two things is going to happen - either your sins are going to be blotted out (of the books of record), or your name is going to be blotted out (of the book of life).
Here is another place where this is taught in your Bible - see Revelation 3:5. It says the one who conquers, the one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white garments and I will most certainly not blot his name out of the Book of Life and "I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
Let us remember this, Jesus says, If you overcome; if you overcome the world, the flesh and the devil; if you overcome, then your name will not be blotted out, your sins will be blotted out, John 16:33; Rom. 12:21; 1.Jh. 2:13,14; Rev. 17:14; Isa. 44:22; Acts 3:19.
This is exactly what the reformers did not understand, and that is why when somebody looks at the doctrine of righteousness by faith, they say, `Well, you do not teach what the reformers taught.' -- No, we do not. The reformers only taught that which had to do with the daily service. There was nothing wrong with that, but that is just a part of the plan. After the daily service, eventually there has to be a yearly service to cleanse the Sanctuary and to remove the sins and to remove all defilement.
Remember, it is true that the yearly service does do something that is just the opposite from the daily service, because in the daily service, the defilement is constantly getting greater, but in the yearly service the defilement is going to be totally removed.
Now, friends, this is the truth that God has committed to Seventh-day Adventists, which the rest of the Christian world does not understand. This is why the devil has contrived to have us called cults and every kind of other name imaginable of a hated sect [2000], because the devil hates the truth of the Sanctuary that God is going to deliver His people totally and completely from sin. The devil has persuaded the majority of other churches that pardon is all there is. There are a few other churches that understand Sanctification very similar to us, but not very many.
The devil has persuaded people that they can be saved in sin and that they will just go on sinning and confessing their sins all of their lives and they lose totally sight of the Bible teaching that we are to overcome sin, 2.Peter 3:10-14. Now the doctrine of overcoming sin, my friends, is not something that was to be confined to the last generation.
We understand it, perhaps more clearly today than it was understood in past ages, but if you read what Paul wrote to the Romans, or what he wrote to the Galatians - when the apostle Paul writes about righteousness by faith, he always writes also about the necessity of overcoming sin. Read Romans 6, Romans 8, Romans 12, Romans 9 and 10, Galatians 5 or 6, and you cannot miss it, Jh. 5:4, 5; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:12, 21; 21:7.
We have no argument with the reformers, but our salvation involves more than they understood. (Check here for more on reformation history.) It involves not only obtaining a pardon, it involves a transformation of life where the Holy Spirit gives you the power to overcome. As the Holy Spirit gives you the power to overcome, you can come to the place where the Lord can look down upon you, and He can say, This person is now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, living without sin and I am going to be able to blot out his sins.
The whole record is going to be blotted out. The whole record of sin is going to be blotted out. And, my friend, when you get to heaven - this to me is one of the most marvelous and amazing things about the character of God - throughout eternity, God is never going to hold up your sins before you! He is not going to do it!
He is not going to parade your sins out for other people to look at; He is not going to embarrass you by all the sinful things that you have done; He is going to have blotted it out. It is all taken care of, it is all finished.
When we talk about this subject, and we show that righteousness by faith involves not only the first part, but the second part, people cannot believe it.
One of the things that happens in our generation is that we are living in a pessimistic age. Since the development of the atomic bomb, the world has become very pessimistic. The world was optimistic until about World War I. People used to say, `We are getting better and better.' They are not saying that any more.
We have just the opposite problem in our day. We have people who, just as soon as you teach that you can overcome sin and they are in bondage to some sinful habit that they have tried a thousand times to overcome and they cannot, they say, in effect, `I guess I will have to be lost.' Sometimes people are still worried about all the sins committed even after they prayed for forgiveness. After we pray for forgiveness we must believe by faith that we are cleansed and out of thankfulness to God and appreciation of so great a salvation, live that `clean' life and abstain from sin.
Romans 4:6-20 teaches that trusting in God can save you and me. `Just trust and obey, there is no other way to be happy in Jesus.' Develop this trust and he can save you from all dependencies you now have, from alcohl, tobacco and all these habits one can have. Jesus can make you clean. But remember, it says, `Trust and obey,' Psalm 31. For those who trust and obey, God's Word in many places and also through the Most Holy, the crown of gold surrounding the Ark of the Covenant represents the fulfillment of God's reward for the faithful flock - they shall receive a crown of gold for every overcomer, Rev. 2:10; 3:11; Rom. 8:30; Mt. 25:34. This is the path to the throne of God.
When studying the Word of God it helps to always keep the sacrificial system in mind for it started in Genesis 3:15 and from there to Cain and Abel, bringing offerings to the divinely ordained tabernacle services instituted at Sinai, and all the way to 31 A.D. It helps to recognize these threefold services (expanding a bit more) represented in the Jewish Temple and how they would picture what Christ would do in the heavenly.
1. The services pertaining to the altar of burnt offerings in the forecourt,All these prefigure what Christ would do. He would die on the cross and thus fulfill the forecourt services. After His ascension He would begin His priestly services in the holy
2. The services pertaining to the services in the Holy apartment of the Temple, and
3. the services pertaining to the Most Holy apartment in the temple.
apartment of the heavenly sanctuary and at a certain point in time, close the door to the holy, put on His High Priestly robes, open the door to the Most Holy and judgment would sit and God's law exalted and divine truths revealed by means of the `three angels messages' and then the end would come, Rev. 14:14ff; Mk. 4:29; Mt. 13:39. In Matthew 28:20 we read that the end of the world would be when all of the world heard the gospel, Hallelujah. Only recently I heard ministers involved in world wide missions say that they think that the gospel is heard all around the world in our very days. Dear reader, do not hesitate. Make sure of your salvation and that of your family and friends. The important message to remember is that each of these three aspects of the temple complex teach important lessons. The first point made shows how God taught his representative people how the blood of Christ would cleanse from sins. For the people, their eyes were to be fastened on how priests performed the services and what they meant - it was the present truth for their time. The second point is meant for us to follow Jesus from the cross to His service in the holy apartment - this was the present truth for the time from the cross to the reformation and beyond to the next point, 1844. The third point is meant to direct the eyes of people to Christ and how he closes the door to the holy, opens the door to the most holy in order to reveal truths revealed in there to ready His people for His Second Coming. This is present truth for our time. - Therefore, the important message for us is, to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him to where He goes. Remaining behind prevents us from learning the truths He is trying to teach in each of these 3 stages. Not keeping our eyes on where Jesus is, means, our understanding of His work becomes unclear and darkness prevails as to understanding Bible truths, thus opening us up for Satan's devices. While we are not trying to minimize any of the stages, and their is a degree of back and forth between them, our mind must be directed to present truth which is intended to get a people ready for the climax of all history.
Explanation of the Image: #1 and #2 are the 2 squares which make up the court of the temple complex. #3 and #5 represent the central spots of these two squares. The central spot of #3 is occupied by the altar of burnt offerings. The central spot of #5 is occupied by the ark of the covenant. Number 4 is the holy apartment which is twice as long as the most holy (#5) apartment. Thus the two central spots are occupied by key articles of furniture which explain very important aspects of Bible teaching about salvation from sin and the foundations of God's Kingdom. (Not exactly to scale.)
The Atonement Message of the Sanctuary and the Three Angels Messages
For these last days God has a message which will prepare a people to meet the Lord in reality. Therefore, when we read in God's Word or hear of being (a) `under the law' and being `under grace' or of (b) justification and righteousness by faith, many times it may puzzle us what is meant by such expressions. We may ask, where is the simplicity of the gospel?
(a) The first point is beautifully explained by the experience of Joseph when he said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Gen. 39:9. Joseph did not say, `I cannot do this because then I loose eternal life', or `It is just not right'; no, he said he cannot sin against God. Joseph loved God and the great salvation he promised his people. His motivation was to honor and glorify God by remaining loyal to Him. He wanted a clean conscience in order to be able to serve the Lord better rather than a happy life in the here and now. We are to direct our attention to how God is glorified, not to the thought how we can improve our life today.
(b) The second point may be described by realizing that justification is free and therefore available for all. The love of God which melted the heart of Joseph, can melt our heart too so that justification by faith can take place. Being justified, that means propitiated by the blood of Christ, a stone of guilt is rolled away from us and we can start in the newness of life to live in hearty appreciation of His love for Him for we accepted His free gift.
Christ does it all. We accepted His free gift. He reclaimed us from sin. That is why "... then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan. 8:14) is such good news. Joseph's heart was clean because he had fortified his mind against attacks by evil, by resolving and purposing not to dishonor God, who had chosen him and given him visions when he was still living at home.
In our discussion of the Book of Hebrew, this truth from the pen of the prophet Daniel sees a successful conclusion to the problem of sin in the universe.
Just as there is the cross, the altar of incence and the ark of the covenant, so God sends three angels at the time of the end to draw attention to these messages. The messages of these three angels are designed to let people know that salvation comes by grace through faith alone. Realizing this good news our response is to tell this to those around us. We discover that we can overcome our self centeredness by beholding what Christ did on the cross. How He died that awful second death, so this free gift of eternal life is available for all people on earth. Realizing that the whole world has been drawn through Christ's sacrifice, His righteouss act (Jh. 12:32) we respond to make this truth of such a great redemption known to all.
The gospel is that God takes the initiative and seeks us, everyone, to draw us unto Himself if we just behold what Christ did and the great salvation He brought about, and in response and because of our `agape' love burning now inside of us, we choose to say, `Yes.' This love of God is the "width and length and depth and height" of gospel truth.
The thus changed believer in this gospel exercises his faith inwardly and outwardly by reading the Word of God and obeying all that God requires. Those who follow God this way freely and gladly, are prepared for the second coming of Christ. - Yet, not all will be saved. Not because they were not clever enough or quick enough to seize the initiative and say `yes', but because they actively resisted and rejected such a great salvation and choose not to want to be with God.
Christ's work in the Holy apartment prepared believers (those living before 1844) for death with the hope of resurrection. His work in the Most Holy apartment, prepares (end time) believers today for translation without seeing death. They will be sealed. Once depraved people are freed from the fetters of sin by the grace of God, when appeals to self-centered religion cannot truly motivate people in the right direction to bring about a lasting change of heart, they are aided by the Holy Spirit to remain free.
As the gospel of the soon coming of Christ is brought before all nations, thousands respond today in many places around the world. They realize that time is running out and Christ will have finished His High Priestly ministry and His people will be sealed and the winds of strife are held in check for just a little longer. But there are still billions (hopefully less now) who have not heard the message of salvation. Only the outpouring of the Holy Spirit can bring about conditions where all can decide whom they want to be master over their life.
The cleansing of the sanctuary (the `books of record') in the final atonement, is a picture and experience of the cleansing of our hearts from all sins because enough comprehend and believe this gospel truth and unreservedly give their all to God. They saw that Christ had the same nature as we do, yet He never sinned. Being born as we were, Christ knows what we need, and He gave it for us as a free gift if we just accept it. Therefore, the battle is whether our alienation from God can be resolved in "sinful flesh." It is evident that there is no problem with sin being conquered in sinless nature different from ours. That battle was won in heaven long ago. Since then Satan took up residence in our fallen human nature. He claims that sin can only be tolerated and lightly "pardoned", or God must continue to overlook sin or tackle the problem after death in purgatory (the Catholic view). Most Christians agree with Satan in one or the other of these views. They say, as long as we have a sinful nature, it is inevitable that we must continue sinning - which is Satan's argument.
What does Christ say?
Christ proved that human sin is willful and therefore unnecessary. So He created a new abhorance of sin that leads to its final eradication, Dt. 7:25,26; Ps. 119;163; Rom. 12:9. Thus He set the captives free to say "no" to sin (Lk. 4:18), and through the faith of Jesus to become pure and holy, (Ex. 30:30,31,35; Eph. 5:27). We can become thus because Christ built a bridge over the abyss of human alienation from God caused by sin. His sacrifice is called the "atonement" - the making `at-one' those who were separated from God.
This alienation is the reason for the reign of sin, their illicit desires, in the lifes of so many young people. They hunger and thirst for acceptance by something they know not what. Only Christ can fill the abyss, the vacuum they feel inside, and make them whole. Abounding sin needs abounding grace and we know that God's grace knows no limits. It is there for all.
People wonder, how close they can come to God, that must depend on how close you believe He has come to you. Exercising that faith then helps us to identify with Him. That is what the Bible means with being "crucified with Christ", Gal. 2:20. It is God's way of enhancing our self-respect. To be "crucified with Christ" means also that such are resurrected with Him, or as the Bible puts it, "it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me."
[001] We should clarify right at the beginning what is being atoned for. It is not "sin", a wicked deed, that is being atoned for. The truth is rather that sin cannot be atoned for, but the sinner, that is sins plural (character), can be reconciled to God's righteousness and delivered from the power of sin, which God still hates, and therefore is not reconciled to. Isa. 55:7; Hosea 14:4. Thus the sinner is atoned for to sin no more, Jh. 5:14; 8:11.
[005] See also Sarah E. Peck, The Path to the Throne of God, N.Y., 2002, p. 52.
[008] Who is part of this priesthood? We read, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." 1 Peter 2:9.
Who are those referred to? Many of the believers to whom Peter addressed his letters, were living among the heathens, and much depended on their remaining true to the high calling of their profession of faith. Originally of course "ye" was Israel for sure, the `woman' which God had married at Sinai, which later on, however, became unfaithful to the Lord. This woman, God married at Sinai, was later on referred to in Revelation 12 as the woman on the mood. She, like old Israel, had a special, exampliary role to play in history. From her was born the `man child (Jesus)'. She was the woman which is characterized by "keeping the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:18), which is the "Spirit of Prophecy", Rev. 19:10. These characteristics are also referred to in the epistle of Peter. There we wonder who they "ye", the "chosen generation" is. We read, they are "elect", "through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ . . ." 1.Peter 1:2. To be sanctified means to believe the truth taught in the Word of God and to practice it, Eze. 18:31; it is the work of a life time - under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The other characteristic of the "ye" is that they are "obedient". `Obedient' to what? To something that has to do with the `sprinkling of the blood of Christ.' What could that be? What made the cross necessary? Of course the event of sin made it necessary. Since sin is the transgression of the Ten Commandment Law of God, `obedience' necessarily refers to keeping them. And we repeat again that what God "blessed" in Genesis (Gen. 2:3) is still `blessed' in Revelation (Rev. 22:14).
"And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
The crowds around Jerusalem knew Jesus was the "blessed . . . that comes in the name of the Lord" (Mt. 20:9), the name of the Lord which is deeply burried inside the 4th commandment. - That Jesus had to die because these 10 laws were violated, indicates that they are unchangeable, they are eternally valid and stand still exactly so written in stone today, as they were written by God at Sinai. God's faithful people are also spoken of as priests in the Bible, 1.P. 2:9.
[010] For example see the Pentecostal Bible Study Course, Vol. One, Hazelwood, Missouri, 1966. We need to remember that the memorial for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is baptism. Romans 6:4,5; Colossians 2:12. Instead, the extended lesson from Aaron's rod that budded is that it had been cut off from a living tree, cut to length and was dead wood, yet blossomed, because it was `attached' to God. This is the great miracle and we read about the same imagery in John chapter 15 on the vine and the branches.
[100] For two drawn images, purportedly of these pillars painted in the tombs of Tell Sandahannah near Beit Jibrin in southern Palestine, see W.F. Albright, `Two Cressets from Marisa and the Pillars of Jachin and Boaz' in BASOR, Feb 1942, p. 18-27.]
[0300] `Grace' has different aspects to it. a) Grace convicts man of sin, and seeks to draw him to Christ. b) Grace moves man to repent, and for those who repent, it becomes forgiving and enabling grace. c) But for those who constantly reject God's grace, committ sin against the Holy Spirit and grieve Him away. - - Thus, grace starts out unconditionally to everyone, but then, gradually, it is rejected or accepted. Those who yield to the working of the Holy Spirit are enabled to live godly lives.
[0500] Some seem to want to suggest that the KJV is the perfect translation of the original Hebrew/ Aramaic/ Greek Bible text, also referred to as the `received text.' When it comes to translating, a translation can hardly ever be so `perfect' as the original. Such statements undermine Bible faith because if someone does find an inconsistency the damage is done. The KJV was produced during the time of the English poet and dramatist William Shakespear (1564-1616). The KJV translators managed to put his name into the biblical text. We read: "Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake ... he maketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder ..." Psalm 46:3,9. The NEB and NIV use the words, `quake' and `spear'. The NAB uses `shaken' and `spears' (plural). The Living Bible uses `tremble' and `weapon'. The German language Dr. Martin Luther Bible uses `die Berge sinken/ sänken' und `Spieß', die Zürcher Bibel uses `die Berge taumeln' und `Speer' following the KJV. While we believe the KJV is a very good translation, we would refrain from using perfect in the sense of without the possibility of conveying a word in a sense which could not be better expressed equally or better with another word. This writer prefers the KJV for memorizing Bible texts, because using too many different translations may destroy one's ability to memorize Bible texts.
[0600] Protestants, as they were represented by Walter Martin in 1982, have shown that they do not comprehend this chapter of the Book of Hebrews and its definitions.
[0700] The mediation or transfer of sin is indicated by several terms and occurrences in the sanctuary services. Terms like "make an atonement" (Lev. 16:6,10,11..), "the blood of Jesus", 1.Peter 1:2; 1.Jh. 1:7; to name a few.
[800] If a believer chooses to read the Bible and follow its instructions and teachings to cooperate with God he opens himself up to experience the sanctification of the Spirit. He will become a good citizen on earth as he prepares for life in God's kingdom. That is available to every believer. At this juncture, however, as it always happens on matters of faith, divergent opinions may come in, the theories made by men and gospel reality.
Men may interpret "foreknowledge" as used in the Bible by presenting their own ideas about predestination, while God links the fate of man to sanctification of the Spirit.
The converted heart is a rare find. It has been offered that only one in twenty is converted making such a one a peculiar person. And yet the world is sprinkled by thousands and thousands of churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and places of worship. Many, many obtain higher education to divide the Word of God rightly, but will they be part of God's kingdom because of that? There is a theological system for every one of them. Why so many doctrines among men? Is it because they desire a method of forgetting God which passes as a method of remembering him? Do they want merely the benefits of religion without its moral demands? And so it is that at one end of the street stands a church where biblical standards are upheld and where gospel transformation is preached, and at the other end of the street men and women are told that they belong to Jesus although Bible claims are not pressed. One church goes by the Bible; another is the setting for spiritual snake oil.
The whole of the race has made commitments to sin. Few are committed heart and soul to moral renovation. False assumptions lead to non-gospel outcomes. All the world groans, waiting for the manifestations of the sons of God, the conclusive demonstration of the power of the gospel which Heaven has promised and which will put sin out of business and redeem man.
Christians are elect unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. It is God's intention, through sanctification, to enable our present obedience. - And so it is true, we learn a great deal of independence in the world but where do we go to learn how to cooperate with God's keeping power? We know Jesus is willing to make us clean, but are we wondering whether He thinks us personally worthwhile of making us clean? Where then are the results? Why do we not feel clean? Why do we think sinful thoughts consistently? - The answer comes when we recognize that we are subject to a radical misunderstanding of the Bible. In quite a general way, the power of faith is misunderstood. - God's miraculous power is revealed in His creation and we may discover that the miracles of Christ are not accessories or appendages to creation, they are examples of God's core intention for man: to make free, holy beings.
Yet, while faith is the central feature of monotheism, it is one of the most poorly understood elements in western Christianity. Rome's legal emphasis set men towards a `salvation by works plan.' In Protestantism arose a reaction to that Catholic imbalance, but some of its central thinkers counter-balanced too far; they sharply diminished the role of works. Calvin and Luther, who all studied as lawyers, laid their emphasis on the plan of salvation - not as physicians, but as jurists.
How is the person made whole (Mt. 9:22; 15:28; Mk. 5:34)?
Jesus says many times to people that their faith made them whole. How so? While faith can never be a solitary matter - it has to have an object - it is not to be understood as being made whole in our body cells only, but rather the whole person is to made whole, cells and spirit, our thinking mind. So we realize that faith is an acid, it burns through our cold heart and barriers, which sin has put up in us, Galatians 5:4-6. No one is made right by an independent obedience to the law. If it is done apart from God then it is done apart from transforming power. It is hollow and unwatered by grace. The Spirit must accomplish work inside us, an inner work. It is not being Jewish or any other ethnicity that recreates us. It is faith which works by love. Real faith works. It cannot be idle or sit inert in a jar. Head knowledge can condemn but it is unable to transform. We must believe in Jesus. We must embrace, appropriate, have joy, transact with Him. We must have His merits, but it is not just a lawyerly thing. Saving faith puts us in a covenant relationship with God. It brings life to us. It helps us to have more spiritual vigor, more confiding trust in God. By these `your soul' becomes a conquering power.
In what way? In the exercise of faith.
Salvation must be larger than our giving intellectual ascent to what Jesus did for us on the cross. - A development of our faith takes place, a demonstration of the gospel, that only reaches its fullness in the last time, the time of the end, 1.Peter 1:5.
So we ask, `But what can the gospel do? Can the gospel keep men from sin? When the plan of salvation is unleashed in the lives of believers, what will be seen?
God is ready. He has brought His people to this time. He has something for the world and the universe ready to be revealed in the last time. The Reformation is not yet finished. More needs to be reformed. There is a need to go further back in the search for true gospel - to the Bible. We are not to be merely reformers but restorers. We are to throw away the traditions and practices of man that are found to be unbiblical, and restore Bible standards. We have not been radical enough in following God. We have become contented without having drilled-through the truth so we can, with God's help, go deeper. [After thoughts by L. Kirkpatrick]
[900] More than that, when an offering was made, the blood would be sprinkled "round about upon the altar" (Leviticus 1:5, 11; 3:2, 8, 13; 7:2; 8:15, etc.). The blood was also sprinkled before the vail (Leviticus 4:6, 17). On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) the blood was actually taken within the vail and sprinkled upon the kapporeth, the "atonement piece," the lid of the ark, often called the "mercy seat."
[1000] In God's providence the slaying of the paschal lamb coincided with the Passover in that year, 31 A.D., exactly with Christ dying on the cross. When Caiphas rend his cloths (Mt. 26:65) conviction, mingled with passion, caused him to do this. He was furious with himself for believing Christ's words, and instead of rending his heart under a deep sense of truth, and confessing that Jesus was the Messiah, he rent his priestly robes in determined resistance. The rending of the veil also teaches that from then on, the shadowy sacrifices, rites and services in the Jewish tabernacle, sanctuary were fulfilled and over, never again to be performed. To start up such services again would deny the all sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Christ's first words after they had gathered about the table were "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.". . . Luke 22:16.
[2000] German Theologian Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923), `The Social Teaching of the Christian Church', coined the word "cult", defining it as `Any spiritual oriented group or movement that was neither a church nor a sect', later to be altered into any group advocating `curious and unconventional belief and behavior.' Probably the closest Bible term may be the word `heathen'. A `heathen' was anyone not believing in the Creator God. The Bible recognizes only two religions, churches or world views, true and false, faith in God or adherence to Satan; it does not recognize a middle ground. Thus, the above definitions on cult are misleading and apparently tailored to please large religious systems as the RCC, Islam, Hindhus, Buddhists and the like. `Doomsday' religions are frequently considered in the above referenced concept of `cult', however, what is not being said is, that all Christian religions have a doomsday in their theology. Some just preach it more than others. Why? Because the Bible teaches a definite end of all civilizations in this world at the Appearing of the Lord God of Heaven. That is a non-negotiable event still in the not too distant future. The latest doomsday time setter appears to be Harold Camping who teaches that Jesus will return on May 28, 2011, on the basis of ill conceived and complicated mathematics only he really understands. One might conclude, well, as long as someone sets a date, and the Bible says it is futile, Jesus will never be able to come, for then some date will be correct. ... When Jesus comes no one will think of the date setters, all eyes will be riveted to the sky.
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