Second Quarter 2003 Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"The Forgiven"

Insights to Lesson 11: "Out of the Heart"

June 7-13, 2003

(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)

Forgiveness for evil acts done or words spoken is wonderful; but now we face another need. Evil that is buried deep within the heart can be healed or "cleansed" only by our great High Priest as He ministers in His special final work of atonement in the Most Holy Apartment. That's His business now on this cosmic Day of Atonement. That special ministry is "the blotting out of sins."

As we come near the end of our lessons on "Forgiveness," we pause to look at that aspect of "forgiveness" that is not in our Quarterly. Ever since our pioneers, the "blotting out of sins" has been part of "the third angel's message." The "most precious" light the Lord "sent" us in the 1888 era enhances its meaning. It is directly related to the forgiveness of sins, yet it probes more deeply than what we can learn from the Sunday-keeping Evangelicals when they teach "righteousness by faith."

The reason is: those who believe in natural immortality assume that at death the saints go to heaven; therefore they can't appreciate the physical resurrection when Jesus returns (there are only two ways to get to heaven—resurrection or translation).      Therefore these sincere people in Babylon have no idea of an "investigative judgment," which Jesus says must come before the first resurrection can happen. Speaking to the Sadducees about the literal resurrection of those who will be ready He described them as "they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead" (Luke 20:35). "Accounting" is a work of judgment. It's obvious, those who are not "accounted worthy" must sleep on until the second resurrection ("all in their graves" must come up in either one or the other, John 5:28, 29).

A separation in judgment therefore must take place before Jesus returns; otherwise how will the angels know which graves from which to call the sleepers to come forth?

But a question comes up: how could anyone be "accounted worthy" when Jesus says that all of us are "unprofitable servants"? (Luke 17:10). Will our merit get us into the first resurrection? No; the "accounting" in this pre-Advent judgment is concerned only with, do we have faith? And the only way that faith can be evaluated as genuine is by considering its "works." What did it do, or was it "dead" faith?

This "blotting out of sins" is parallel with receiving the latter rain, says Peter: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). This is part of the Day of Atonement agenda, the great "at-one" work that Christ will accomplish in the second apartment. But such at-one-ment cannot be complete until all our buried "enmity against God" is healed, our now-beneath-the-surface alienation (that's our lesson this week—"out of the heart"). A far deeper work will be done than we have superficially assumed. (And it's being done today—time to wake up so we don't lose out.)

Suppose one of the saints who lived long ago died while still unaware of sins buried in his heart, but he was sincere according to the light he had. Ellen White was shown that an atonement will be made for such among the dead during the time of Christ's Day of Atonement ministry (EW 254). But for those living in the Day of Atonement, Christ's ministry must go down deep and become thorough before translation. Ellen White speaks often of the Holy Spirit's work of convicting us of now-unrealized sin (see for example, 2SM 70; PP 419; DA 58; TIMKH 290; MH 470, 471). In the 1893 General Conference Bulletin Jones speaks of it as follows. His context is the reception (or otherwise) of "the most precious message" five years earlier and since:

"When sin is pointed out to you, say, 'I would rather have Christ than that.' And let it go. [Congregation: 'Amen.'] … Then where … is the opportunity for any of us to get discouraged over our sins? Now some of the brethren here have done that very thing. They came here free but the Spirit of God brought up something they never saw before. The Spirit of God went deeper than it ever went before, and revealed things they ever saw before; and then, instead of thanking the Lord that that was so and letting the whole wicked business go, … they began to get discouraged. …

"If the Lord has brought up sins to us that we never thought of before, that only shows that He is going down to the depths, and He will reach the bottom at last; and when he finds the last thing that is unclean or impure, that is out of harmony with his will and brings that up and shows that to us, and we say, 'I would rather have the Lord than that'—then the work is complete, and the seal of the living God can be fixed upon that character. … Let him go on, brethren, let Him keep on His searching work" (p. 404).

The spiritual appeal here is parallel to how Ellen White explains the Holy Spirit's work at this time. It's not a fear—or works—trip; it's common sense living in cooperation with the ministry of our Savior:

"Those who really desire to glorify God will be thankful for the exposure of every idol and every sin, that they may see these evils and put them away" (4T 354).

"If we have defects of character of which we are not aware, [the Lord] gives us discipline that will bring those defects to our knowledge, that we may overcome them. … But nothing is revealed but that was in you" (RH Aug. 6, 1889).

"The work of restoration can never be thorough unless the roots of evil are reached. Again and again the shoots have been clipped, while the root of bitterness has been left to spring up and defile many; but the very depth of the hidden evil must be reached, the moral senses must be judged, and judged again, in the light of the divine presence" (SDA 5BC 1152).

"We are in the day of atonement, and we are to work in harmony with Christ's work of cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of the people. Let no man who desires to be found with the wedding garment on, resist our Lord in His office work" (Jan. 21, 1890).

Ellen White wants to tell us about "the blotting out of sins. There is a difference between "the forgiveness of sins" and "the blotting out of sins" and that is what's involved in preparation for the final crisis:

"The ministration of the priest throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary . . . represents the work of ministration upon which Christ entered at His ascension. … So did Christ plead His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners. … Such was the work of ministration in the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven. . . .

"For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary [in heaven]. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent sinners, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, 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 the redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days [years] ended [1844]. At that time … our High Priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of His solemn work—to cleanse the sanctuary.

" … And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out of the sins which are there recorded. But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment … prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works" (GC 421, 422).

This truth is not difficult for God's people to grasp. Even children and youth can see it if it is explained to them with the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

But if we confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9), does that not mean that when we confess our sins they are at that time dumped in the depths of the ocean? How then can they come up in a final pre-Advent judgment? The answer is that yes at that time they were dumped in the ocean where no one can retrieve them except we ourselves. Like Judas Iscariot, baptized and ordained who walked for a time in the light, it is possible for one to choose to take that condemnation back upon himself. He has added a new sin to those that were dumped in the ocean—apostasy, now it's the sin of crucifying Christ afresh (Heb. 6:6).

Further, the Day of Atonement now finds a new mission: Christ at the cross (and since) has taken all the guilt of those who have repented upon Himself—which is why those sins now pollute the heavenly sanctuary. Satan has charged the guilt for the great controversy upon Christ. His cross vindicated us—now a new work must be done—He Himself must be vindicated.

And God's people living in this final Day of Atonement can help with that. Are you willing? What it means is taking up our cross on which self is crucified "with Christ."

Read the study notes for lesson 12