The Epistle to the Hebrews has been a point of contention among Seventh-day Adventists. Heat (and maybe some light) has been generated on a diverse range of issues. Who wrote the Epistle? Did Jesus enter the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary on his ascension to heaven? Which veil did he go through? Is the Heavenly Sanctuary spoken of in Hebrews a literal building, or is it symbolic of Christ’s ministry on behalf of humans? Did he begin his day of atonement ministry at his ascension or in 1844, and does Hebrews clarify the issue?

My focus will be on the meaning of Jesus’ high priestly, heavenly ministry, rather than on any of the above issues. However, it is likely that some of the contentious issues may surface in connection with that discussion.

Understanding Jesus in the Context of Hebrews

One cannot read far into the Epistle without noticing the prominent motif of superiority. In fact, it begins with the first few verses: "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son [who]…is the exact representation of his being.…" (Heb .1:1–3). The Son is also superior to angels (1:4) and Moses (chap. 3); he is a priest of the order of Melchizedek, rather than that of Aaron (5:10; chap. 7); he is the high priest of a new and better covenant (chap. 8); and his sacrifice is superior in every way (9:11–10:18).

Hebrews, it seems, is telling us that Jesus’ life and death is a superior revelation of God’s plan of salvation than was the ancient sacrificial system. We should be alert, then, that we cannot argue woodenly from the old sanctuary order to what Christ has done and is still doing on behalf of humankind.

In addition, it is obvious that the writer to the Hebrews has a very practical intent. The Hebrew Christians are tempted to drift away from the faith (2:1). Theology is continuously integrated with Christian living. Hence the warnings to pay attention (2:1–4), to guard against falling away from the faith (5:11–6:12); and the call to persevere (10:19–39). It is in this context that Jesus is revealed as the high priest who "meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens" (7:26). It is because of him that we can "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (4:16).

Question for reflection and discussion:

• Since the readers of the Epistle to the Hebrews could relate to Jesus as high priest because they were familiar with the sacrificial system, does this make the Epistle more meaningful to them than for us? Is this emphasis on the sanctuary system unique to Hebrews, or do we also find it among the other New Testament epistles?

Our context is different to that of our predecessors, the earliest Adventists. They viewed the doctrine of the sanctuary as "the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844."1 However, as Fritz Guy points out, that was then.

What about now? Does the idea of Christ’s ministering in the Heavenly Sanctuary on our behalf still have "theological and experiential significance now? What difference does it—or should it—make in our lives?"2 Guy’s questions are particularly significant in view of the practical purpose of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Guy himself believes that the "construction of a fully developed, intelligible understanding of the sanctuary is part of the present vocation of Adventism. It is part of our obligation to the contemporary Christian world—along with a theology of the Sabbath and a theology of the Second Advent."3

Fritz Guy’s own view is that Christ’s ministry in heaven is twofold; relating to intercession and judgment. His intercession means that we have assurance because of our "immediate, direct access to the God of the universe" through Jesus Christ.4 This, in turn, implies that Jesus identifies with us, that God is continuing to be active for us, that our confidence in God arises from his act in Jesus Christ, that human life has "transcendent significance," and that we are part of the community of the high priest.5

On the other hand, Christ’s work of judgment tells us that God takes us seriously as decision-making beings, that none of our decisions and actions are insignificant, that commitment to Jesus has quot;behavioral consequences," and that God will bring the reign of sin to an end.6

Questions for reflection and discussion:

• To what extent is Guy’s portrayal of Christ’s heavenly sanctuary ministry based in the themes of the Epistle to the Hebrews?
• Has Guy stripped the judgment of the "scary" elements? Does Hebrews suggest a continuing role for warnings? What is that role?

But, Don’t We Already Have It Together?

Do Seventh-day Adventists still need to work on a theology of the sanctuary? Don’t we "have it together" already? Doesn’t Ellen White provide us with a pre-packaged doctrine of the sanctuary in chapters 23 and 24 of The Great Controversy? Certainly, Ellen White uses some of the language of Hebrews to describe Jesus’ first-apartment sanctuary ministry.

She says, for instance: "The ministration of the priest throughout the year in the first apartment of the sanctuary, ’within the veil,’ which formed the door and separated the holy place from the outer court, represents the work of ministration upon which Christ entered at His ascension."7 Yet, the author/s of the Lesson Quarterly go to great pains to insist that one should not try to determine whether Hebrews is referring to the first apartment or to the second apartment in relation to Christ’s ministry.8 Nor does Ellen White appear to refer explicitly to the idea of Christ’s inauguration of the Heavenly Sanctuary, as some Adventist scholars do in interpreting Hebrews.

These matters highlight for us again the role that we give to Ellen White in our interpretation of Scripture. However, I don’t plan to conclude my comments on this lesson with a hermeneutical issue. That would be to miss the point of the Epistle to the Hebrews as well as that of The Great Controversy.

Hebrews reveals that God is on our side. In his Son, he has provided full atonement for our sins (2:17–18).9 In Jesus, God identifies completely with us, making questions as to whether Jesus went into the first or second apartment of the Heavenly Sanctuary pale into insignificance.

The point is, that God "can be just while He justifies the repenting sinner and renews His intercourse with the fallen race; that Christ could stoop to raise unnumbered multitudes from the abyss of ruin and clothe them with the spotless garments of His own righteousness.…"10 But perhaps the Lesson Quarterly missed that point!

Notes and References

1. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (1911; reprint, Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1950), 423.
2. Fritz Guy, "Confidence in Salvation: The Meaning of the Sanctuary," Spectrum 11 (Nov. 1980): 44.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid., 46.
5. Ibid., 46–48.
6. Ibid., 48–49.
7. White, Great Controversy, 420. See also page 421.
8. See Monday’s, Tuesday’s, and Wednesday’s lessons.
9. Note that at least some of the context in Hebrews seems to be set in day of atonement language. See, for instance, Hebrews 9:12, 24–26.
10. White, Great Controversy, 415.

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