Friday: Further Thought – Tried and Crucified
Daily Lesson for Friday 20th of September 2024
Read Ellen G. White, “In Pilate’s Judgment Hall,” Pages 723–740; “Calvary,” Pages 741–757; “ ‘It Is Finished,’ ” Pages 758–764, in The Desire of Ages.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Pilate longed to deliver Jesus. But he saw that he could not do this, and yet retain his own position and honor. Rather than lose his worldly power, he chose to sacrifice an innocent life. How many, to escape loss or suffering, in like manner sacrifice principle. Conscience and duty point one way, and self-interest points another. The current sets strongly in the wrong direction, and he who compromises with evil is swept away into the thick darkness of guilt.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 738.
“Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. All His life Christ had been publishing to a fallen world the good news of the Father’s mercy and pardoning love. Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 753.
Discussion Questions
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The theology of Christ's substitutionary death has become the subject of some fairly intense debate both within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in the wider Christian community. I did some research on the topic using search engines and mostly I got responses that concluded with the observation that there are many nuances to this discussion and no clear answers. Part of the problem is that folk who take up this argument often form their own definitions and vigorously defend their ideas based on those definitions.
Here are some observations about Seventh-day Adventists that I have picked up from my research (Note these are not my ideas; I am simply asking you to think about them):
I am not sure that we would agree with these all perceptions. Nor do I believe that it is essential to our salvation to understand all the nuances that are represented here.
I like Ellen White's simple summary:
If we accept God's love and live within that love, then the argument is won.