LESSON 6 *January 29–February 4
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Heb. 5:1–10; Gen. 14:18–
20; 1 Pet. 2:9; Heb. 7:1–3; Heb. 7:11–16, 22, 26.
Memory Text: “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than
the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26, NKJV).
The gulf that existed between God and us was caused by sin. The
problem was compounded because sin also implied the corruption
of our nature. God is holy, and sin cannot exist in His
presence; so, our own corrupted nature separated us from God, just as
two magnets in the wrong orientation repel each other. In addition, our
corrupted nature made it impossible for human beings to obey God’s
law. Sin also involves misunderstanding. Human beings lost sight
of the love and mercy of God and came to see Him as wrathful and
demanding.
This week, we are going to study the amazing things the Father and
the Son did to bridge that gulf. Hebrews 5–7 provides a careful analysis
of Jesus’ priesthood. The author analyzes its origin and purpose (Heb.
5:1–10) and then exhorts readers not to disregard it (Heb. 5:11–6:8) but
rather to hold fast to the assurance of hope it provides (Heb. 6:9–20).
He also explains the characteristics of Jesus’ priesthood (Heb. 7:1–10)
and its implications for God’s relationship to believers (Heb. 7:11–28).
This week we will focus specifically on Hebrews 5:1–10 and Hebrews
7:1–28.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 5.
EGW Notes — SATURDAY ↓
Sabbath Afternoon, January 29
Lesson 6 - Jesus, the Faithful Priest
Christ is the Minister of the true tabernacle, the High Priest of all who believe in Him as a personal Saviour:
and His office no other can take. He is the High Priest of the church. …
Christ offered up His broken body to purchase back God’s heritage, to give man another trial. “Wherefore he
is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them” [Hebrews 7:25]. By His spotless life, His obedience, His death on the cross of Calvary, Christ interceded
for the lost race. And now, not as a mere petitioner does the Captain of our salvation intercede for us, but as a
conqueror claiming His victory. His 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.—Signs of the Times, February 14, 1900.
Christ is the connecting link between God and man. … He places the whole virtue of His righteousness on the
side of the suppliant. He pleads for man, and man, in need of divine help, pleads for himself in the presence of
God, using the influence of the One who gave His life for the life of the world. As we acknowledge before God our
appreciation of Christ’s merits, fragrance is given to our intercessions. As we approach God through the virtue of
the Redeemer’s merits, Christ places us close by His side, encircling us with His human arm, while with His divine
arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite. He puts His merits, as sweet incense, in the censer in our hands, in order
to encourage our petitions. …
Yes, Christ has become the medium of prayer between man and God. He has also become the medium of
blessing between God and man.—That I May Know Him, p. 76.
We may expect to suffer; for it is those who are partakers with Him in His sufferings, who shall be partakers
with Him in His glory. He has purchased forgiveness and immortality for the sinful, perishing souls of men; but it
is our part to receive these gifts by faith. Believing in Him, we have this hope as an anchor of the soul, sure and
steadfast. We are to understand that we may confidently expect God’s favor not only in this world, but in the
heavenly world, since He paid such a price for our salvation. Faith in the atonement and intercession of Christ will
keep us steadfast and immovable amid the temptations that press upon us. …
… We gain heaven not through our own merits, but through the merits of Jesus Christ. … Let your hope not
be centered in yourself, but in Him who has entered within the
vail.—Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, June 9,
1896.
SUNDAY January 30
A Priest on Behalf of Human Beings
Read Hebrews 5:1–10. What is the role of the priesthood and,
according to this passage, how does Jesus fulfill that role?
* Your notes will not be saved!
The basic purpose of the Levitical priesthood was to mediate between
sinful people and God. Priests were appointed by God in order to minister
in behalf of human beings; therefore, they needed to be merciful and
understanding of human weaknesses.
In Hebrews 5:5–10, Paul shows that Jesus perfectly fulfills those
purposes: God appointed Him (Heb. 5:5, 6), and Jesus understands us
because He also has suffered (Heb. 5:7, 8).
There are some important differences, however. Jesus was not “chosen
from among men” (Heb. 5:1, ESV). Instead, Jesus adopted human
nature in order, among other things, to serve as a priest in our behalf.
Jesus did not offer sacrifices for His own sins (Heb. 5:3), but only for
our sins, because He was sinless (Heb. 4:15, Heb. 7:26–28).
Hebrews says that Jesus prayed “to Him who was able to save Him
from death, and was heard” (Heb. 5:7, NKJV). Hebrews was referring to
the second death, from which God saved Jesus when He resurrected Him
(Heb. 13:20). Hebrews also says that Jesus “learned obedience through
what he suffered” (Heb. 5:8, ESV). Obedience was new to Jesus, not
because He was disobedient but because He was God. As Sovereign over
the universe, Jesus did not obey anyone; instead, everyone obeyed Him.
Jesus’ sufferings and death on the cross are an essential part of His
priestly ministry. Sufferings did not perfect Jesus in the sense that He
improved morally or ethically. Sufferings did not make Him merciful.
To the contrary, Jesus came to this earth because He always was merciful,
which is why He had compassion on us (Heb. 2:17). What Hebrews
means is that it was through sufferings that the reality of Jesus’
brotherly love, the authenticity of His human nature, and the depth of His
submission as Representative of humanity to the will of the Father
were truly expressed and revealed. He was “perfected” in the sense that
His sufferings qualified Him to be our High Priest. It was His life of
perfect obedience, and then His death on the cross, that constitute the
sacrificial offering that Jesus presented before the Father as our Priest.
First Peter 2:9 says that we are “a royal priesthood.” What does
Jesus’ life tell you that your relationship with other human
beings should be because we are in this sacred role?
EGW Notes — SUNDAY ↓
Sunday, January 30
A Priest On Behalf of Human Beings
The priests ministered daily in the holy place, while once a year the high priest performed a special work of
atonement in the most holy, for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Day by day 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.—The Great Controversy, p. 418.
Of the high priest of Israel we read, “Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of
judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually”
[Exodus 28:29]. What a beautiful and expressive figure this is of the unchanging love of Christ for His church! Our
great High Priest, of whom Aaron was a type, bears His people upon His heart. … Christ as the great high priest,
making a perfect atonement for sin, stands alone in divine majesty and glory. Other high priests were only types,
and when He appeared, the need of their services vanished. … Let human beings, subject to temptation, remember
that in the heavenly courts they have a high priest who is touched with the feeling of their infirmities, because He
Himself was tempted, even as they are.—Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, March 17, 1903.
In the courts above, Christ is pleading for His church—pleading for those for whom He has paid the
redemption price of His blood. Centuries, ages, can never lessen the efficacy of His atoning sacrifice. Neither life
nor death, height nor depth, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus; not because we hold
Him so firmly, but because He holds us so fast. If our salvation depended on our own efforts, we could not be
saved; but it depends on the One who is behind all the promises. Our grasp on Him may seem feeble, but His love
is that of an elder brother; so long as we maintain our union with Him, no one can pluck us out of His hand. …
I read this over and over again, for it is so full of assurance: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that
is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). … What a Saviour we have—a risen Saviour, One who can save all who
come unto Him!—That I May Know Him, p. 80.
MONDAY January 31
According to the Order of Melchizedek
Read Genesis 14:18–20 and Hebrews 7:1–3. Who was Melchizedek,
and how did he prefigure Jesus?
Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. He also was superior to
Abraham, since Abraham paid him tithe. Likewise, Jesus is King and
Priest (Heb. 1:3); unlike Melchizedek, however, Jesus was sinless (Heb.
7:26–28).
Hebrews 7:15 explains that Jesus was Priest “in the likeness of
Melchizedek” (NKJV). This is what the earlier expression in Hebrews,
“according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:6, NKJV), means.
Jesus was not a successor of Melchizedek, but His priesthood was
similar to his.
For instance, Paul says that Melchizedek was without father,
mother, genealogy, birth, and death. Some have suggested that
Melchizedek was an incarnation of Jesus in the time of Abraham.
But this thought does not fit the argument of Hebrews. Melchizedek
“resembles” Jesus (see ESV), which implies that he was different
from Jesus (Heb. 7:3).
It also has been suggested that Melchizedek was a heavenly being,
but this would destroy the argument of Hebrews. If Melchizedek were
without father, mother, beginning, or end, he would be God Himself.
This poses a problem. Melchizedek’s heavenly, fully divine priesthood
would have preceded the ministry of Jesus. If this were the case, as
Hebrews says, “what further need would there have been for another
priest to arise” (Heb. 7:11, ESV)?
Instead, Hebrews uses the silence of Scripture regarding Melchizedek’s
birth, death, and genealogy to build a typology, a symbol, for Jesus’
priestly ministry (Gen. 14:18–20) and reveals that Jesus Himself was
eternal. In short, Melchizedek was a Canaanite king-priest who served
as a type of Christ.
“It was Christ that spoke through Melchizedek, the priest of the most
high God. Melchizedek was not Christ, but he was the voice of God in
the world, the representative of the Father. And all through the generations
of the past, Christ has spoken; Christ has led His people, and has
been the light of the world.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book
1, p. 409.
What does the revelation about Melchizedek teach us about how
God works among those who have never had human missionaries
preach to them?
EGW Notes — MONDAY ↓
Monday, January 31
According to the Order of Melchizedek
The tithing system reaches back beyond the days of Moses. Men were required to offer to God gifts for
religious purposes before the definite system was given to Moses, even as far back as the days of Adam. In
complying with God’s requirements, they were to manifest in offerings their appreciation of His mercies and
blessings to them. This was continued through successive generations, and was carried out by Abraham, who gave
tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God. … God does not compel men to give. All that they give
must be voluntary. He will not have His treasury replenished with unwilling
offerings.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 393.
God has never left Himself without witness on the earth. At one time Melchisedek represented the Lord Jesus
Christ in person, to reveal the truth of heaven, and perpetuate the law of God.
It was Christ that spoke through Melchisedek, the priest of the most high God. Melchisedek was not Christ,
but he was the voice of God in the world, the representative of the Father. And all through the generations of the
past, Christ has spoken; Christ has led His people, and has been the light of the world. When God chose Abraham
as a representative of His truth, He took him out of his country, and away from his kindred, and set him apart. He
desired to mold him after His own model. He desired to teach him according to His own plan.—Ellen G. White
Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, pp. 1092, 1093.
Today in every land there are those who are honest in heart, and upon these the light of heaven is shining. If
they continue faithful in following that which they understand to be duty, they will be given increased light, until,
like Naaman of old, they will be constrained to acknowledge that “there is no God in all the earth,” save the living
God, the Creator.—Prophets and Kings, p. 253.
Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by
human instrumentality, yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have heard His
voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the law required. Their works are evidence that
the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.
How surprised and gladdened will be the lowly among the nations, and among the heathen, to hear from the
lips of the Saviour, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto
Me”! How glad will be the heart of Infinite Love as His followers look up with surprise and joy at His words of
approval!—The Desire of Ages, p. 638.
TUESDAY February 1
An Effective Priest
“Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for
under it the people received the law), what further need was there that
another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and
not be called according to the order of Aaron?” (Heb. 7:11, NKJV).
Priests are mediators between God and human beings. Hebrews says,
however, that Levitical priests could not provide complete, confident
access to God because they could not provide perfection (Heb. 7:11,
18, 19). After all, they themselves weren’t perfect; so, how could they
somehow bestow perfection upon others?
Nor could the animal sacrifices cleanse the conscience of the sinner.
Their purpose was to point forward to the ministry of Jesus and His
sacrifice, which alone would provide true cleansing from sin (Heb.
9:14; Heb. 10:1–3, 10–14). The function of the Levitical priests and
their sacrifices was temporary and illustrative. Through their ministry,
God wanted to lead the people to put their faith in the future ministry
of Jesus, “ ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ”
(John 1:29, NKJV).
Read Hebrews 7:11–16. Why was there a need to change the law?
Hebrews 7:12 explains that the change of priesthood made a change in
the law necessary. Why? Because there was a very strict law that prohibited
a person who was not of the line of Levi through Aaron from serving
as a priest (Num. 3:10; Num. 16:39, 40). Hebrews 7:13, 14 explains that
Jesus was from the line of Judah, and so this law prohibited Him from
being a Levitical priest. So, Paul argues that the appointment of Jesus as
Priest meant God has changed the law of the priesthood.
Jesus’ coming also implied a change in the law of sacrifices. Sinners
were required to bring different kinds of sacrifices to obtain atonement
(Leviticus 1–7), but now that Jesus has come and offered a perfect sacrifice,
the law of animal sacrifices also has been put aside (Heb. 10:17, 18)
as a result of the new covenant and the fuller revelation of the plan
of salvation.
Think about the endless number of animal sacrifices offered
through antiquity, all pointing to Jesus, and yet not one of
them—or all of them—could truly pay for our sins. Why could
only the death of Jesus pay for them?
EGW Notes — TUESDAY ↓
Tuesday, February 1
An Effective Priest
Jesus is our Advocate, our High Priest, our Intercessor. Our present position therefore is like that of the
Israelites, standing in the outer court, waiting and looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. …
When the high priest entered the holy place, representing the place where our High Priest is now pleading,
and offered sacrifice on the altar, no propitiatory sacrifices were offered without. While the high priest was
interceding within, every heart was to be bowed in contrition before God, pleading for the pardon of
transgression. Type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb slain for the sins of the world. The great High
Priest has made the only sacrifice that will be of any value.—That I May Know Him, p. 73.
Christ Jesus is represented as continually standing at the altar, momentarily offering up the sacrifice for the
sins of the world. He is a minister of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. … A daily and
yearly typical atonement is no longer to be made, but the atoning sacrifice through a mediator is essential because
of the constant commission of sin. Jesus is officiating in the presence of God, offering up His shed blood, as it had
been a lamb slain.—Ellen G. White Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1077.
These lessons were taught to the chosen people of God thousands of years ago, and repeated in various
symbols and figures, that the work of truth might be riveted in every heart, that without the shedding of blood
there is no remission of sins. The great lesson embodied in the sacrifice of every bleeding victim, impressed in
every ceremony, inculcated by God Himself, was that through the blood of Christ alone is forgiveness of sins; yet
how many carry the galling yoke and how few feel the force of this truth and act upon it personally, and derive
the blessings they might receive through a perfect faith in the blood of the Lamb of God. …
Justice demanded the sufferings of man; but Christ rendered the sufferings of a God. He needed no atonement
of suffering for Himself; all His sufferings were for us; all His merits and holiness were open to fallen man,
presented as a gift.—Ellen G. White Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 913.
WEDNESDAY February 2
An Eternal Priest
Read Hebrews 7:16. On what basis did Jesus become priest?
Jesus received the priesthood on the basis of an indestructible
life and because He holds an eternal ministry. The implication of
these facts is astounding. It means that Jesus’ ministry will never be
surpassed or outclassed. Jesus saves completely, eternally, “to the
uttermost” (Heb. 7:25). The salvation that Jesus provides is total and
final. It reaches the innermost aspects of human nature (Heb. 4:12,
Heb. 9:14, Heb. 10:1–4). Jesus’ intercession before God involves all
the benefits granted under the new covenant.
It includes much more than the forgiveness of sins, too. It implies
putting the law in our hearts, making us new people in Him, and leading
us to the dissemination of the gospel to the world (Heb. 8:10–12).
As one with God and with human beings, He represents us before the
Father. As One who offered His life as a sacrifice, Jesus has unwavering
favor before God.
Read Hebrews 7:22. What is Jesus in relation to the new covenant?
Jesus is the surety of the new covenant because God swore an oath
that Jesus would be a priest “forever” (Heb. 7:21). It is very easy to fail
to understand the importance of this oath. Paul already had referred
to the oaths God made to the desert generation and to Abraham (Heb.
3:7–11, Heb. 6:13–15). The difference between those oaths and the
oath that God has sworn to the Son is that those oaths were made to
mortal human beings. Oaths stay in force as long as the beneficiaries
are alive. God’s oaths to the desert generation and to Abraham were
binding as long as there was a desert generation and there were
descendants of Abraham (see Gal. 3:29).
In the case of the Son, however, whose life is “indestructible,” the
oath God made to Him will be binding forever. A person who stood in
surety or guarantee of another was liable to the same penalties as the
person for whom he stood in surety, including death. Yet, the Father
established Jesus as a guarantee to us that He will not default on His
promises. That’s how certain we can be of the salvation that we have
been given in Jesus.
EGW Notes — WEDNESDAY ↓
Wednesday, February 2
An Eternal Priest
The priest went through the ceremony of his official work. He took the child in his arms, and held it up before
the altar. After handing it back to its mother, he inscribed the name “Jesus” on the roll of the first-born. Little did
he think, as the babe lay in his arms, that it was the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory. … He did not think that
this babe was He whose glory Moses had asked to see. But One greater than Moses lay in the priest’s arms; and
when he enrolled the child’s name, he was enrolling the name of One who was the foundation of the whole Jewish
economy. That name was to be its death warrant; for the system of sacrifices and offerings was waxing old; the
type had almost reached its antitype, the shadow its substance.
The Shekinah had departed from the sanctuary, but in the Child of Bethlehem was veiled the glory before
which angels bow. This unconscious babe was the promised seed, to whom the first altar at the gate of Eden
pointed. … This was He whom seers had long foretold. He was the Desire of all nations, the Root and the
Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star. The name of that helpless little babe, inscribed in the roll of
Israel, declaring Him our brother, was the hope of fallen hu manity. The child for whom the redemption money
had been paid was He who was to pay the ransom for the sins of the whole world. He was the true “high priest
over the house of God,” the head of “an unchangeable priesthood,” the intercessor at “the right hand of the
Majesty on high.” Hebrews 10:21; 7:24; 1:3.—The Desire of Ages, pp. 52, 55.
As you confess your sins, as you repent of your iniquity, Christ takes your guilt upon Himself and imputes to
you His own righteousness and power. To those who are contrite in spirit He gives the golden oil of love and the
rich treasures of His grace. It is then that you may see that the sacrifice of self to God through the merits of Christ
makes you of infinite value, for clothed in the robe of Christ’s righteousness you become the sons and daughters
of God. Those who … ask forgiveness in the name of Jesus will receive their request. At the very first expression
of penitence Christ presents the humble suppliant’s petition before the throne as His own desire in the sinner’s
behalf. He says, “I will pray the Father for you.”—That I May Know Him, p. 77.
The Lord Jesus loves His people, and when they put their trust in Him, depending wholly upon Him, He
strengthens them. He will live through them, giving them the inspiration of His sanctifying Spirit, imparting to
the soul a vital transfusion of Himself. He acts through their faculties and causes them to choose His will and to
act out His character. With the apostle Paul they then may say, “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” [Galatians 2:20.]—Letter 13, September 27, 1894.
THURSDAY February 3
A Sinless Priest
Read Hebrews 7:26. What are the five characteristics of Jesus in this
passage?
Jesus was “holy.” This means that Jesus was without fault in relationship
to God (Heb. 2:18; Heb. 4:15; Heb. 5:7, 8). The Old Greek translation
of the Old Testament used the same Greek term to designate those
who maintain their covenant relationship with God and with others.
Jesus was “undefiled.” He remained pure and untouched by evil,
despite being tempted in “all points” (Heb. 4:15, Heb. 2:18). Jesus’
perfect sinlessness is important for His priesthood. The old covenant
stipulated that sacrificial victims had to be “without blemish” to be
acceptable to God (Lev. 1:3, 10, etc.). Jesus’ perfect obedience during
His earthly life made it possible for Him to offer Himself as an
acceptable sacrifice to God (Heb. 9:14).
Jesus was “separated from sinners” when He ascended to heaven. The
Greek verb tense suggests that this is a present state for Jesus, which
began at a specific point in time. Jesus endured hostility from sinners
during His earthly life, but He was victorious and then was seated at the
right hand of God (Heb. 12:2, 3). Jesus also is “separate from sinners”
in that He was perfectly sinless (Heb. 4:15).
Jesus was “exalted . . . above the heavens” (ESV). It means that Jesus
has been exalted above everything there is and, therefore, He is one
with God. In the Psalms, God is the One who is “exalted above the
heavens” (Ps. 57:5, 11; Ps. 108:5).
Jesus was fully human, but He was not a sinful human being, as we
are (Heb. 2:14–16, Heb. 4:15). Jesus is perfect, not simply because He
never sinned but because He was not corrupted by sin as we are.
Yet, because He also was fully human, He also is our Example. He
shows us how to run the race of life (Heb. 12:1–4). He is the example
that we must follow (1 Pet. 2:21–23). Because He is “holy, innocent,
unstained, separated from sinners” (Heb. 7:26, ESV), He is our Savior,
and we, too, can reflect His character.
Though Jesus was a human being, like us, He never sinned. How
do we wrap our minds around this amazing thought? Think
about just how holy He must be! Why, then, should the promise
of His holiness being credited to us by faith help assure us of
salvation?
EGW Notes — THURSDAY ↓
Thursday, February 3
A Sinless Priest
Jesus has given to childhood and youth a perfect example. Study the Pattern, Christ Jesus, and copy it if you
would be like Him—pure, holy, sinless, and undefiled. Study the childhood of Christ. He was the Son of God, yet
the Bible record tells us He returned from Jerusalem and was subject unto His parents. …
Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, did as He was told even if the task was not agreeable to His feelings. Obedience
is an element of true greatness. No one can be truly good and great who has not learned to obey with alacrity. …
Remember your characters are not finished; you are building up day by day a character. Weave all the
kindness, obedience, thoughtfulness, painstaking, and love into it you can. Make it after the divine model. Educate
yourselves that you may possess the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great
price. You can make the world better by living in it if you only do the very best you
can.—Our High Calling, p. 264.
The first four commandments enjoined upon man his duty to serve the Lord our God with all the heart, and
with all the soul, and with all the mind, and with all the strength. This takes the whole man. This requires a love
so fervent, so intense, that man can cherish nothing in his mind or affections in rivalry with God; and his works
will bear the signature of heaven. …
Let men worship and serve the Lord God, and Him only. … Anything that is made the subject of undue
thought and admiration, absorbing the mind, is a [god] chosen before the Lord.
Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the source and sustainer of all, is alone entitled to
supreme reverence and worship. Man is forbidden to give to any other object the first place in his affections or his
service. Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service due Him, of that
do we make a god.—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 56.
In His intercession as our Advocate, Christ needs no man’s virtue, no man’s intercession. Christ is the only
sin bearer, the only sin offering. Prayer and confession are to be offered only to Him who has entered once for all
into the holy place.
Christ represented His Father to the world, and He represents before God the chosen ones in whom He has
restored the moral image of God. They are His heritage. … No priest, no religionist, can reveal the Father to any
son or daughter of Adam. Men have only one Advocate, one Intercessor, who is able to pardon transgression.
Shall not our hearts swell with gratitude to Him who gave Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins? Think deeply
upon the love the Father has manifested in our behalf, the love that He has expressed for us. We cannot measure
this love. Measurement there is none. We can only point to Calvary, to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world. It is an infinite sacrifice. Can we comprehend and measure
infinity?—That I May Know Him, p. 73.
FRIDAY February 4
Further Thought: “Christ is watching. He knows all about our burdens,
our dangers, and our difficulties; and He fills His mouth with arguments in
our behalf. He fits His intercessions to the needs of each soul, as He did in
the case of Peter. . . . Our Advocate fills His mouth with arguments to teach
His tried, tempted ones to brace against Satan’s temptations. He interprets
every movement of the enemy. He orders events.”—Ellen G. White, The
SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 931 (letter 90, 1906).
“It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between
God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God
than if we had never fallen. In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound
Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken. . . . This is the
pledge that God will fulfill His word. ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us
a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder.’ God
has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried
the same into the highest heaven. It is the ‘Son of man’ who shares
the throne of the universe. It is the ‘Son of man’ whose name shall be
called, ‘Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.’ Isaiah 9:6. The I AM is the Daysman between
God and humanity, laying His hand upon both. He who is ‘holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners,’ is not ashamed to call us brethren.
Hebrews 7:26; 2:11. In Christ the family of earth and the family
of heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven
is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of
Infinite Love.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 25, 26.
Discussion Questions:
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1. The first quotation above says, “He [Jesus] fills His mouth with
arguments in our behalf.” What does that promise mean to you?
Think about what this teaches us about God’s love for us. Why is
this idea so encouraging? Why do we need someone arguing in our
behalf?
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2. The second quotation above says that “in Christ we become
more closely united to God than if we had never fallen.” What
does that mean? How can we experience that closeness, and what
comfort can you draw from that experience? In class, describe
what this closeness means and what it is like to experience it. How
do His “arguments in our behalf” help us have this experience?
EGW Notes — FRIDAY ↓
Friday, February 4
For Further Reading
That I May Know Him, “A Bridge for the Gulf,” p. 82;
The SDA Bible Commentary, “The Terms of Our Election,” vol. 7, pp. 930, 931.
