The Atonement -- What is it all about?

[Soli Deo Gloria]

I may be wrong, but I think EJ's statements have to do with restoretruth's last question, which is a very important question.

It did not seem that EJ was responding to Restore's post, but he came on in the context of several of us celebrating the meaning of the  cross of Christ.

The atonement did not start in 1844. The Bible is so very clear on this, and even Desire of Ages makes this point clear in at least one statement that the atonement proper was finished on Calvary, and this was the official position of the SDA church dating back to 1957.

I like what Pastor O'Ffill stated here:

http://www.revivalsermons.org/forums/index.php?topic=2873.0

"The message of our church is unique and that is the hour of His judgment is come. We also speak much about living a holy life. Yet it occurs to me that this message must be built on the truth of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. I am not sure that we generally hear much about these truths.  Without the cross and the resurrection all the rest has no meaning. Our salvation comes from the cross. Our hope of the resurrection on the fact that He died and rose again.

The message of the Investigative Judgment without the cross and the resurrection leads one away from God rather than to Him. We must be careful. Our message in general takes it for granted that a person has been born again. Our church must not be full of Catholic haters, Religious Right haters or simply people scared out of their wits for what is happening around them.

The church should be made up of those who with joy have come or are coming to accepted the wonderful news of a crucified, resurrected and soon to come Savior."
--------------------------------

Unless I am wrong about EJ's post, I somehow saw a de-emphasis on the cross. But I am willing and hoping to be corrected if I am wrong.

Stan

[ejclark]

I may be wrong, but I think EJ's statements have to do with restoretruth's last question, which is a very important question.

Thank you Larry.  Yes, in part the statements I gave were in that response.  But also they were in response to the feeling I was getting from the lack of knowledge, understanding and explanation of what the Atonement is all about.  More and more frequently, from our pulpits is preached the messages of Justification.  And less and less frequently is preached Sanctification and Atonement.  This thread was giving me this same impression.  My statements were not to lessen the importance of the Cross, but to bring the Atonement into harmony with the Cross and to broaden and deepen the understanding and importance of the work Christ does in The Most Holy Place through the Cross today.

The emphasis in the New Testament is on the atonement which Christ completed on Calvary

If that were true, then what is the lesson in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, what is the lesson in the Feast of First Fruits, Feast of Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement?  It breaks my heart when I hear people talk about their salvation and this wonderful relationship they are having with Christ, and when you ask them about the Sanctuary Message, they have no clue what you are talking about.  I think to myself "Really, you are having a relationship with Jesus and you have no clue what He is presently doing for you in the Most Holy Place?  Then what on earth kind of relationship are you having?"  That's not aimed at you Stan.  I don't recall you ever saying anything like this.  I'm speaking of people I have talked to personally, so please don't take this as me aiming it at you.

I want to know my Saviour so intimately: I want to know as far as possible what anguish He went through for me on the cross; when He woke up Resurrection morning and presented His blood to the Heavenly Temple in consecration to begin His heavenly ministry for me; during this Anti-typical Day of Atonement, what is He doing for me to clean me up, to get me ready for my life with Him; what is He doing with the precious blood that He shed on the cross to cover my sins, and what am I supposed to be learning and doing to give Him my life?  How do I eat His flesh and drink His blood? John 6:54.

Matt. 20:22 Jesus asked His disciples "Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?  They say unto Him, We are able.  And He saith unto them,Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with:"

Gal. 2:20"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

How should these two texts be applied in this time of the Day of Atonement?  I think I know, but not well enough to explain it very well.  That's why I continue to study and learn so as to deepen my relation with Jesus Christ.

Lev. 16:29-31"And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.  It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever."

When Jesus makes atonement for me, to cleanse me, is that process to begin now, or will it happen at His second coming?  I believe it begins now.

[Ed Sutton]

Paul while he wrote this :

Romans 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Paul also wrote this :

1 Corinthians 15:17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

The contradiction in the mind is removed by understanding the Sanctuary.    The Jew rejected blood atonement unless it was an animal,  the Christian rejected animal blood atonement because they acceped Christ as both God / Man and Messiah / Vicarious Sacrifice.     The atonement spoken of in Romams 5:11 is the blood of the brazen altar / Jesus's life laid down Gethsemany, Trial, and life blood shed on Calvery. 

The blood once offered must be taken by the priest INTO the Holy Place ( daily) and later into the Most Place - Yom Kippur ( Day of Atonement ).

Only Christ could physically and spiritually and in divine authority - carry His life blood atonement into Heaven's Sanctuary.  The Temple in Jerusalem had become "your house...desolate".    Only the Temple in Heaven remains as God's Sanctuary.   

[restoretruth]

HAVE GOD'S REQUIREMENTS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS CHANGED?

Have God's requirements for righteousness changed? Are His requirements different for the "last generation" than they were for the Apostles? Perhaps, His requirements haven't changed but this generation has been given more light & thus more is required of it.  Also, living in the Day of Atonement requires soul searching & living right with God. Here are some thoughts:

In answer to the question "...which is the great commandment in the law?", Jesus said

"...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Mat 22:37- 40

These were not new requirements of God. These two principles were spoken of in Moses time. (See Duet. 6:5 & Lev 19:18) They were, without doubt, everlasting principles that transcended eternity, & are the principles on which God's government & His commandments are based. These principles go beyond the letter of the law to the very spirit involved in keeping the law. When we try to live by the letter of the law it is not good enough, because God's love principles must come from the heart and from God's Spirit living within us!  Keeping God's law involves the spirit and motive in the heart (Matthew 5). That is why God has given us the new covenant promise to give us a new heart and to put a right spirit within us. "...A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.... (Eze 36: 25-27)

But, hasn't this been God's purpose ever since sin entered this world? The promise of a new heart is an old promise that is applied to us, the last generation!

The conditions of eternal life, under grace

 The conditions of eternal life, under grace, are just what they were in Eden--perfect righteousness, harmony with God, perfect conformity to the principles of His law. The standard of character presented in the Old Testament is the same that is presented in the New Testament. This standard is not one to which we cannot attain. In every command or injunction that God gives there is a promise, the most positive, underlying the command. God has made provision that we may become like unto Him, and He will accomplish this for all who do not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace.  {MB 76.2}  

"Love is the agent which he uses to expel sin from the heart."

  With untold love our God has loved us, and our love awakens toward Him as we comprehend something of the length and breadth and depth and height of this love that passeth knowledge. By the revelation of the attractive loveliness of Christ, by the knowledge of His love expressed to us while we were yet sinners, the stubborn heart is melted and subdued, and the sinner is transformed and becomes a child of heaven. God does not employ compulsory measures; love is the agent which He uses to expel sin from the heart. By it He changes pride into humility, and enmity and unbelief into love and faith.  {MB 76.3}  

Faith is the act of the soul by which the whole man is given over to the
guardianship and control of Jesus Christ

Faith, saving faith, is to be taught. The definition of this faith in Jesus Christ may be described in few words: It is the act of the soul by which the whole man is given over to the guardianship and control of Jesus Christ. He abides in Christ and Christ abides in the soul by faith as supreme. The believer commits his soul and body to God, and with assurance may say, Christ is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. All who will do this will be saved unto life eternal. There will be an assurance that the soul is washed in the blood of Christ and clothed with His righteousness and precious in the sight of Jesus. Our thoughts and our hopes are on the second advent of our Lord. That is the day when the Judge of all the earth will reward the trust of His people. {1888 495.3}  

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained...." Acts 17:30-31

[restoretruth]

WAS CHRIST'S WORK OF ATONEMENT COMPLETED AT THE CROSS?

Most of us would agree, "When Christ took our sins upon Himself & died in our place, He set us free from the penalty of sin. He gave us the right to eternal life!

Some might say, "There are no conditions except faith in Christ's blood! His blood is sufficient for us!"

Others might say, "We wholeheartedly embrace Christ's death for us! He did set us free! But, He not only set us free from the penalty of sin, He set us free from the power of sin! He sets us free by giving us a new heart & a right spirit! This is sanctification! This gives us a fitness to live in heaven! This comes through union with Christ! This is what Christ's work in the sanctuary is about. It's about renewing in us the same spirit God put in mankind when he was created."

Every created being to be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator

From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple. God designed that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness to the high destiny open to every soul. But the Jews had not understood the significance of the building they regarded with so much pride. They did not yield themselves as holy temples for the Divine Spirit. The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts. In cleansing the temple from the world's buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,--from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul. "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver."  Malachi 3:1-3.  {DA 161.1}

You are the temple of God, and  the Spirit of God dwells in you

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17. No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple. But He will not force an entrance. He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says,   "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him." Revelation 3:20. He will come, not for one day merely; for He says, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; . . . and they shall be My people." "He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." 2 Corinthians 6:16; Micah 7:19.  His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that it may be a holy temple unto the Lord, and "an habitation of God through the Spirit." Ephesians 2:21, 22.  {DA 161.2}  

Doesn't it make sense, as well as being Bibical, that to have union with Christ would require a mediator?

 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  1Jn 1:7,9

Isn't cleansing from sin a continual process that requires Christ as our mediator?

These are just some thoughts, not a definitive study.

If someone wants to study the Atonement & its relationship to the Heavenly Sanctuary there is online an excellent (out of print) book by William H Branson, a former GC President. He makes the subject clear & easy to understand. It is a free download!

<http://www.scribd.com/doc/48765010/The-Atonement-in-the-Light-of-God-s-Sancturies-Wh-Branson>

[Ed Sutton]

If the ENTIRE atonement was completed at the brazen altar then there was no need for anything else in the Sanctuary service to follow it.  That is not seen in Scripture.

If the ENTIRE atonement was completed at Calvary, then there was no need for Christ to come out of the tomb, and any such work as detailed in Hebrews and Daniel 8:14 to take place.

The sacrifice, and life, and lifeblood laid down at Calvary were not the ENTIRE completion of the process they are part of, but they were and are the ENTIRE completion of the work of the brazen altar of sacrifice portion of the process, Hebrews says that the sacrifice, laying down the life, pouring out the lifeblood was to be done ONLY ONCE. In that ONCE and FOR ALL action, they are complete, and never to be repeated.

Their merits are by the described mediated works of the High Priest in the Book of Hebrews, of necessity - be reapplied by and ongoing mediation because of necessity.


Let me put it this way - "ONCE ACCEPTING CHRIST - HAVE YOU STOPPED SINNING ? "     If not, and only the cross of AD 31 is the work of atonement, then you are lost, without the daily or continual mediation - the cross was AD 31 - sin still happens in Christ's followers in 2011.

If the cross completed the atonement, God has lost all His children sin they started sinning after AD 31, if after AD 31 He lost the means to remove guilt, for when the High Priest's mediation stops guilt eternally remains where it is. at that point.  

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Exodus 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children