The Atonement of Jesus Christ: Biblical Foundations

by | Posted April 19th at 2:01pm

Here, we will examine one of the Seventh-day Adventists’ primary but the most fundamental and challenged doctrines within and without the SDA establishment: the heretical Investigative Judgment (IJ). This doctrine negatively affects orthodox Christian doctrines: the Atonement, Justification by Faith, Sanctification by Faith, the Ascension, the Intercessory work of Christ our High Priest, the Trinity, and the Eschatological Second Advent.

It has caused many well-educated theologians (one, Desmond Ford,  who held five doctorates) within the SDA church to seek reform of this doctrine, which generally meets with imminent defamation and defrocking.

The leaders of the SDA church defer to their pioneers, one of whom claimed to be a prophetess — the woman Ellen G. White (EGW). Many leaders and members believe she has always and continues to offer a divine complement to Sola Scriptura (scripture alone), to the extent that they have published her entire writings in well-bound volumes: an SDA Commentary and The Clear Word Bible, which include her many untheological visions. Even the retired editor of a pastoral magazine publication referred to EGW as “my guru” on Facebook. This adherence to erroneous biblical proclamation presents a conundrum for the SDA leadership — it could split the church if they admit that she has erred at any point, especially the infamous IJ doctrine.

The number of Ellen G. White books printed by Seventh-day Adventist publishers such as Pacific Press and Review and Herald over the years is not definitively stated. Still, some data provides insight into the scope of her literary impact. EGW has probably published more volumes than all the cultic denominations combined.

  1. Volume of Publications: Ellen G. White authored approximately 100,000 pages of material during her lifetime, including 24 books in circulation at the time of her death, 5,000 periodical articles, and numerous tracts and pamphlets. Posthumous compilations have increased the total number of books in print to more than 130 titles.1  Her writings, such as The Great Controversy and other popular works like Steps to Christ (translated into over 165 languages), have seen tens of millions of copies distributed worldwide. 2

  2. Global Publishing Reach: The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates 62 publishing houses globally, producing literature in over 360 languages. Ellen White’s works have been central to the mission of these institutions. 3 

  3. Revenue Information: While specific financial data tied solely to Ellen White’s books is unavailable, Pacific Press Publishing Association has shown significant profitability. Ellen White’s writings have had a profound impact on Adventist publishing efforts globally, with millions of copies printed and distributed. However, detailed financial earnings attributed to her work are not publicly disclosed.

With this introduction, we declare that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is at the heart of Christian theology. Scripture describes it as conjoining His sacrificial death on the cross and His priestly work in the heavenly sanctuary, as He prepares His church to be with Him for their glorification.

Atonement on the Cross

1 Peter 2:24 emphasizes that Jesus bore humanity’s sins in His body on the cross, fulfilling the Old Testament imagery of a sacrificial lamb (Isaiah 53:12). His death was substitutionary, meaning He died in place of sinners, the innocent for the guilty (Romans 5:6; 1 John 2:2). This act reconciled humanity to God, enabling believers to live for righteousness and experience spiritual healing through salvation.

Leviticus 17:11 highlights the importance of blood in atonement, stating that “the life of a creature is in the blood” and that it is given to make atonement. This foreshadowed Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, whose blood obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).

Atonement in the Most Holy Place

Hebrews 9:11-12 describes Jesus as entering the heavenly Most Holy Place once for all by His precious antitypical blood, securing eternal redemption. This contrasts with the repeated animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant. His priestly work fulfills and surpasses the Day of Atonement rituals outlined in Leviticus 16, where the high priest entered the earthly Most Holy Place to make atonement for the sins of Israel. Jesus’ entry into the heavenly sanctuary signifies a perfect and final act of atonement.

Hebrews 9:23-28 explains that Christ’s sacrifice purifies humanity and the heavenly sanctuary. His death was sufficient to put away sin forever, and He will return not to deal with sin but to bring salvation to those waiting for Him.

Seventh-day Adventists’ Investigative Judgement

The Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of Investigative Judgment teaches that Christ began a second phase of atonement in 1844 when He entered the heavenly Most Holy Place to cleanse the sanctuary. This belief stems from Hiram Edson’s interpretation following the Millerite “Great Disappointment.” According to this view, Jesus’ work in heaven involves examining believers’ lives to determine their eligibility for salvation before His second coming. This completely skews the truth that Jesus Christ is sufficient. Note: William Miller taught that Christ would return on October 22, 1844. He has repented of his folly, whereas Ellen G. White took Hiram Edson’s misinterpretation to the depths of false doctrine.

Rejection by Other Christian Traditions

Orthodox, Reformed, and Evangelical theologians reject this Investigative Judgment doctrine for several reasons:

  1. Biblical Finality of Christ’s Sacrifice:

    • Hebrews 9:12 explicitly states that Jesus entered the Most Holy Place “once for all” by His blood, obtaining eternal redemption. The idea of an ongoing investigative phase undermines the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s atonement as taught in scripture.

  2. Misinterpretation of Prophecy:

    • Other traditions consider Adventist reliance on Daniel 8:14 (“cleansing of the sanctuary”) a misapplication. Reformed theology interprets this passage as referring to historical events involving Antiochus Epiphanes rather than a heavenly judgment beginning in 1844.

  3. Lack of Scriptural Support:

    • Orthodox and Evangelical traditions argue that there is no biblical evidence for a two-phase atonement process or an investigative judgment occurring in heaven. Instead, scripture consistently portrays Christ’s atoning work as completed on the cross (John 19:30) and applied through faith.

  4. Theological Concerns:

    • The Investigative Judgment introduces uncertainty about salvation, which conflicts with doctrines emphasizing assurance through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Reformed theology particularly stresses justification by faith as a completed act rather than contingent on future investigative judgment.

Comparison Table

Aspect Biblical Atonement Investigative Judgment (SDA)
Finality Christ’s sacrifice was “once for all” (Hebrews 9:12) Ongoing investigative process since 1844
Scriptural Basis Rooted in Hebrews, Leviticus, and New Testament Based on an interpretation of Daniel 8:14
Salvation Assurance Assurance through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) Conditional upon judgment outcomes
Historical Development Consistent with early church teachings Developed post-Millerite “Great Disappointment”

 

In summary, while Seventh-day Adventists view Christ’s work in heaven as an investigative phase tied to eschatology, other Christian traditions reject this notion based on scriptural teachings about the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s atonement on the cross and His priestly intercession in heaven.

Recommended

 How False Doctrine Can Influence Groupthink

About Ellen G White

 

1 White Estate

2 ibid

3 Ministry Magazine

 

Article posted by Glen R. Jackman, founder of GraceProclaimed.org

Glen has optimized his eldership role to teach the full scope of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ without boundaries.
You can read his testimony.