Third Quarter 2003 Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"Sanctuary Themes"

Insights to Lesson 10:
Jesus: Our Sacrifice and Salvation
August 30-Sept. 5, 2003

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

Without the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God there is no salvation and there would be no High Priest ministering His own blood in our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary. We must not limit the sacrifice of the Son of God to Calvary’s cross. The sacrifice began upon the conception of the Seed in Mary’s womb. Since that point in time, when the eternal sacrifice was literally inaugurated, the Son of God will never again be the same. He has forever bound Himself to humanity by ties that can never be broken. He was made in all things like unto His brethren, made to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And His sacrifice will continue throughout eternity in order that we might become something throughout eternity, yes, even made a little higher than the angels. The redeemed that have been purged and cleansed with His blood will have the privilege of sharing executive authority with their Elder Brother sitting with Him on His throne (Revelation 3:21).

Tuesday: The Sacrifice of Christ

Without the Gift of God’s own Son to the world, there would be no Savior, no cross, no blood, no salvation, and no perfection. “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews10:12). He died “once for all” (10:10). He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:2). How can these things be? How could one Man die for all men? The Bible expressly says that the son shall not bear the guilt of the father or the father bear guilt of the son (Ezekiel18:20). We seem to be faced with an ethical dilemma. But the biblical idea of corporate solidarity resolves the dilemma.

By condescending to take our sinful nature upon His sinless divine nature, Jesus embraced the whole human race. We’re all made of the same dough. In effect it was our humanity which became His humanity that died at the cross. So the Bible says that when “one Man died, all [men] died” in that one Man (2 Corinthians 5:14). And when that one Man rose from the dead, all men rose; and when that one Man ascended into heaven, all men ascended into heaven, in a corporate sense (a new human race). So now when the Father looks at the Son, He sees the whole race of men restored to favor with God. “The world, divorced from God by sin, has been restored to favor by the sacrifice of his Son. With his own body the Savior has bridged the gulf that sin has made.” (General Conference Bulletin, April 8, 1901; see also Selected Messages, book 1, p. 343).

Sunday: The Centrality of Blood

The very foundation of heaven’s government rests on the immutability of God’s law. Where there is no law, there is no government. If His law could be modified by one iota, the death of Son of God would be superfluous. However, the wages of sin is death, and the strength of sin is the law. But not only His government, but God Himself has now been thoroughly vindicated. His law has been forever magnified with shedding of blood at the cross (Isaiah 42:21). God can no longer be charged with injustice or aloofness to the depravity that’s in the world. Everything necessary to escape and be liberated from the grip of sin (behavior not nature) has been made available to all who believe (Romans1:16). Moreover, He paid the ransom for all men with the shedding of blood, which means that an acquittal from the curse of the law has been granted to all. With His own blood He has signed the emancipation papers for the whole race (Ministry of Healing, p. 90). It is self-evident therefore that forgiveness has been secured for mankind, because without the shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22).

Monday & Wednesday: The Effects of Christ’s Shed Blood & Purification

The effects of the sacrifice of Christ begin with His incarnation. This was the only means by which God could choose us in Christ. All men were put into the Son of God by virtue of the incarnation when He took our humanity upon His divinity. This Mysterious Act was the basis upon which God could predestine the whole race of men in His Son (Romans 8:29). The mystery of Christ is the basis for our adoption and for our election and for our redemption. The shedding of blood at the cross ratified our adoption, election, predestination, and redemption, and our forgiveness. This is unconditional good news for everyone.

But, only those who believe and unreservedly respond to this Good News with a broken and contrite heart will be eternally redeemed and adopted. Yes, these are ones who confess their sin of unbelief and neglect of this good news. Indeed, those who respond will hate sin with a passion and confess and repent from that old life of unbelief and iniquity. While living in the world, they will divorce themselves from the ways of the world and the things of the world. A supernatural enmity toward sin and a supernatural love for God’s law will permeate their soul. This is how His blood purges and cleanses our conscience when we behold the Man at Calvary, and when we behold our Elder Brother ministering His own blood in our behalf making intercession for us. Moreover we will love to enter His sanctuary by the blood of Jesus having our hearts sprinkled from evil. When we are all broken upon the Rock, Jesus is then able to cleanse and sanctify us with His own blood (Hebrews 13:12; 10:19-22).

Thursday: The Centrality of Jesus, The Author & Finisher

God demonstrated His righteousness through the faith of Jesus (Romans 3:21-22, KJV). The faith of Jesus is what Paul preached to the Galatians (3:1-2). The faith of Jesus is what Abraham understood when the gospel was preached to him: “In your Seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” The faith of Jesus was the means by which God would justify the nations (literally: “from faith” in Galatians 3:8; the faith of Jesus).

We are totally dependent upon the faith of Jesus for our salvation. God depended upon the faith of Jesus to save the world. He is the author of all faith and has given a measure of faith to all men; but only to those who willingly and gratefully respond to the condescending love of God that allowed Him to become the Author of faith, will He become Finisher of faith.

We appoint ourselves to salvation as we embrace the faith of Jesus. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

Read the study notes for lesson 11