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1. SINS CONFESSED, FORGIVEN, TRANSFERRED

a. Under the old covenant, when sins were forgiven in the daily atonement (Leviticus 4:20), were they also eliminated at the same time? Hebrews 10:1–4.

b. Under the new covenant, the price of our redemption was paid at the cross (1 Peter 1:18, 19; Hebrews 9:11, 12), and our sins are forgiven in answer to our daily prayers (Matthew 6:12). When will they be blotted out? Acts 3:19.

c. As the high priest entered the most holy once every year, for what purpose would Christ enter behind the second veil “once in the end of the world” by the merits of “the sacrifice of himself”? Hebrews 9:23–26.

“In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls. . . . In like manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life should now . . . afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin and true repentance.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 489, 490.

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2. SINS CONFESSED, FORGIVEN, TRANSFERRED (CONTINUED)

a. Under the old covenant, how was sin transferred from the sinner to the sanctuary? Leviticus 4:16–18, 33–35; Hebrews 13:11.

“The most important part of the daily ministration was the service performed in behalf of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was then slain, and the blood was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 354.

b. Under the new covenant, how is sin transferred from the individual to the heavenly sanctuary? 1 John 1:9; Hebrews 9:11, 12, 28; 10:12.

“As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary.”—The Great Controversy, p. 421.

c. What is represented by the censer and the altar of incense in the heavenly sanctuary? Revelation 8:3, 4; Hebrews 4:14–16.

“All who come to Christ today are to remember that His merit is the incense that mingles with the prayers of those who repent of their sins and receive pardon and mercy and grace.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 6, p. 1078.

“Today [Jesus] is standing at the altar of mercy, presenting before God the prayers of those who desire His help.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 90.

“[Christ’s] offering is complete, and as our Intercessor He executes His self-appointed work, holding before God the censer containing His own spotless merits and the prayers, confessions, and thanksgiving of His people. Perfumed with the fragrance of His righteousness, these ascend to God as a sweet savor. The offering is wholly acceptable, and pardon covers all transgression.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 156.

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3. TWIN SISTERS IN PERFECT BALANCE

a. On what two basic principles was the plan of redemption established? Psalms 85:9–11; 89:14. Where do we have a clear definition of God’s righteousness? Psalm 119:142, 172; Romans 8:4.

“Justice has a twin sister that should ever stand by her side, which is Mercy and Love.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 3, p. 1149.

b. Under the old covenant, the sacrificial offering was to satisfy symbolically (Hebrews 10:1) the Law behind the veil in the most holy place (Hebrews 9:3, 4). What does the Law demand of the offender, and what should it cause us to consider? Romans 6:23; 7:8–11; 2 Corinthians 3:6.

“Man was a criminal under the sentence of death for transgression of the law of God, as a traitor, a rebel; hence a substitute for man must die as a malefactor, because He stood in the place of the traitors, with all their treasured sins upon His divine soul. It was not enough that Jesus should die in order to fully meet the demands of the broken law, but He died a shameful death. The prophet gives to the world His words, ‘I hid not my face from shame and spitting’ (Isaiah 50:6).

“In consideration of this, can men have one particle of exaltation? As they trace down the life and sufferings and humiliation of Christ, can they lift their proud heads as if they were to bear no trials, no shame, no humiliation? I say to the followers of Christ, Look to Calvary, and blush for shame at your self-important ideas. All this humiliation of the Majesty of heaven was for guilty, condemned man. He went lower and lower in His humiliation, until there were no lower depths that He could reach, in order to lift man up from his moral defilement. All this was for you who are striving for the supremacy—striving for human praise, for human exaltation; you who are afraid you will not receive all that deference, that respect from human minds, that you think is your due. Is this Christlike?”—Ibid., vol. 5, pp. 1127, 1128.

c. When the demands of the violated Law were met, symbolically, through the blood of the substitute (Leviticus 17:11), what was the new status of the repentant sinner before God? Leviticus 4:20; 5:17, 18; Numbers 15:22–26.

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4. MERCY AND JUSTICE

a. Under the new covenant, how can you prove that Christ had to die for our sins because the demands of God’s Law in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary (Revelation 11:19; Hebrews 9:4; 8:5; Revelation 15:5) still have to be met? Romans 4:15; 7:7; 1 Corinthians 15:56; James 2:8–11.

“The claim that Christ by His death abolished His Father’s law is without foundation. Had it been possible for the law to be changed or set aside, then Christ need not have died to save man from the penalty of sin. The death of Christ, so far from abolishing the law, proves that it is immutable.”—The Great Controversy, p. 466.

b. How can you prove that the grace of God by which we are justified (Titus 3:7) and saved (Ephesians 2:8) is not a license for anyone to continue breaking the Law (Romans 6:1, 2; John 8:10, 11) but a power for the repentant sinner to render obedience to the Almighty? Romans 6:14; Titus 2:11, 12.

c. By what standard will God judge all those who have been acquainted with His will? Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; James 2:8–12.

“God’s law is spiritual. It takes cognizance of our most secret thoughts, purposes, and motives. The judgment, the will, and the affections must be controlled by its precepts. Its principles require love to God and to man; without this love, external compliance will not be accepted. This law is the standard of Christian character. Like a faithful mirror, it reveals to the children of men the defects in their moral character. It makes them watchful against temptation. It teaches them to be exact in judgment, and correct in spiritual discernment. The law of God is holy, just, and good. When our lives conform to this standard we are happy.”—The Signs of the Times, June 9, 1881.

d. What distinction will be made in the judgment between two classes of people as far as their knowledge of the Law of God is concerned? Romans 2:12.

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5. SINS BLOTTED OUT IN THE JUDGMENT

a. Why must our sins, though conditionally forgiven, enter in the heavenly records? Why can’t they be forgiven and blotted out at the same time? Ezekiel 18:24; Matthew 18:23–35.

b. Though Christ came to free us from sin, “it is appointed” for every man to die and to stand before the “judgment” seat of God. Hebrews 9:26, 27. How does the apostle Paul repeat this in other words? 1 Timothy 5:24.

c. Before what great event and on what condition will our sins be blotted out in the judgment? Isaiah 43:25; Acts 3:19, 20.

“As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. . . .

“All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.”—The Great Controversy, p. 483.

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PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Under the old covenant, how were sins transferred to the earthly sanctuary? Under the new covenant, how are sins transferred to the heavenly sanctuary?

2. What is the meaning of the censer and of the altar of incense in heaven?

3. How can you prove that God’s grace is not a license for any to continue in sin?

4. How do we know that, when our sins are forgiven, they are not automatically cancelled at the same time?

5. When and on what condition will our sins be blotted out in the judgment?