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Commentary on "God as Artist"
BEN AND DELINA McPHAULL
Day 3: Monday, March 12, 2012 - God as Architect
Today’s lesson focuses on the intricate beauty of the earthly Old Testament, Jewish sanctuary. God gave specific instructions on its creation. The earthly sanctuary was patterned after the heavenly sanctuary.
The author asks, “How much more beautiful must the heavenly one be?” But lets cut to the chase. The real beauty of the heavenly sanctuary is that, at the cross, our spotless lamb (Jesus) took on and became ALL of our sin, and paid the price so that we could be ransomed and forgiven forever. This is the beauty of the heavenly sanctuary. It is the place where our sins have already been forgiven. It’s where our sin issue was handled, once and for all.
Jesus did it all. He was the Lamb, the Scapegoat, the High Priest and the Blood. I encourage you to read the book of Hebrews in its entirety in order to begin to grasp the beauty of the heavenly sanctuary and how it relates to the actual sanctuary on earth.
Adventist sanctuary theology paints an ugly distorted picture of salvation and what Jesus accomplished on our behalf at the Cross. It is not art. And it is not pretty.
Here are examples from Ellen White:
“We are now living in the great day of atonement. In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life should now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart. The light, frivolous spirit indulged by so many professed Christians must be put away. There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Everyone must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are the interests involved therein. The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For many years this work has been in progress. Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time above all others it behooves every soul to heed the Saviour’s admonition: “Watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” Mark 13:33.” {CCh 348.5}
“For eighteen centuries this work continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ secured pardon and acceptance with the Father in behalf of penitent believers, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This began when the 2300 days ended. At that time our High Priest entered the most holy to cleanse the sanctuary.” {HF 260.1}
Ellen White elaborates on the work that we must still do in order to keep our names in the Book of Life. She also says that Jesus has not completed the work of atonement.
But the Bible tells us that Jesus has already done everything that needs to be done to permanently secure our spot in the Book of Life. The New Covenant that He has made with us, He has made with Himself.
Hebrew 6:7-20 (NLT) says,
“God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
The sanctuary in heaven doesn’t mirror the one on earth, it surpasses it, in beauty AND in what was accomplished in it.
Hebrews 10: 1-14:
The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
Pause: Notice that by contrast, the new way (Christ’s sacrifice) provides perfect cleansing, once for all time, and removes our feelings of guilt.
But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,
- “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
- But you have given me a body to offer.
- You were not pleased with burnt offerings
- or other offerings for sin.
- Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
- as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”
First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
Jesus is not in the Most Holy Place still working. He is seated, having accomplished His work. It’s done. It’s finished. Rest in that.
Questions to consider
- What difference does it make, in the life of a believer, if one believes that Christ has already accomplished his complete salvation and redemption?
- How will a person who has to daily confess every sin and ask for forgiveness in order to receive it, approach God differently than a person who believes he is already forgiven?
- Read the first 10 chapters of the book of Hebrews. List all of the things that Christ has done on your behalf. Where is He right now?
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised March 10, 2012. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Camp Verde, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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