Category Archives: The Atonement

Is the Nature of Christ Doctrine Important? Part 1

Audio: mp3

This an extract of a sermon preached in 2010 called The Rock. Many people do not feel the detail of the doctrine on the nature of Christ is vitally important but here is a short excerpt that says we are to respect Jesus at one with us as much as his holiness. I hope you will enjoy this sermon as much as I have.

Jesus the Rock  

Is He at one with the overwhelmed? He is. As He is at one with the overwhelmed, take it in, believe it. He was on Golgothas hill crying my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He died of a broken heart, but He says:

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Practical Righteousness by Faith

 By John Thiel, mp3

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this [is the name] wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.  Read the rest of this entry

Jesus, In All Points Tempted

By John Thiel, Beholding Christ Series, Part 10, mp3

We are gathered to behold Jesus and to worship in consequence of what we see of him.  We are to gaze upon a mystery, a mystery that is very hard for us to comprehend.  We will consider written revelations that will boggle your mind.  They are revelations of God.  If it’s a revelation and we don’t understand it, we mustn’t argue with it, it’s a revelation.  Do not become disturbed by the realities of God’s word that you cannot comprehend.

Our understanding is too weak to penetrate the mystery of the incarnation, God manifest in Christ, His only begotten Son.  {BEcho, March 8, 1897 par. 8}

Our poor understanding is too weak and yet we are instructed regarding it.  It is a subject that we need to study and yet it is beyond our understanding to comprehend. Read the rest of this entry

For What the Law Could Not Do

When the divine Word became at one with humanity, what was the nature of His flesh?

Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

“Through sin the whole human organism is deranged…Sin has degraded the faculties of the soul” -Testimonies for the Churches Vol. 8, p. 312

“What a strange symbol of Christ was that likeness of the serpents which stung them. This symbol was lifted on a pole, and they were to look to it, and be healed. So Jesus was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. He came as the sin-bearer. . . .” –Sons and Daughters p. 222

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Read the rest of this entry

Sabbath School Lessons 2014 – Lessons on the Atonement

By John Thiel

Word format: Lessons on the Atonement

Section 1 The Atonement

Introduction

The subject of the Atonement is one sadly understood by few. If asked what the word atonement in the bible really refers to, a great majority reflect back to the Old Testament to the animal sacrifices and temple services of the Hebrew sanctuary. While it is known that this Old Testament symbolism is in reference to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and the content of the saving Gospel; the great majority have very limited understanding of the practical engagement of the atonement. Read the rest of this entry

Minneapolis 1888

For more than 100 years Seventh-day Adventists have looked back at the 1888 General Conference session as a milestone in their history, a major turning point in their theological development. It is considered the most important theological conference in the church’s history. Though lasting less than a month, both the Minneapolis session (Oct. 17-Nov. 4) and the ministerial institute that preceded it (Oct. 10-16) changed the shape of Adventism.

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Was Christ Tempted from Within?

Hebrews 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Read the rest of this entry

Did Jesus Come In Sinful Flesh?

In the year 1900 a fanatical teaching was started in the state of Indiana in the United States. This fanatical teaching was termed the doctrine of holy flesh. Advocates of this movement taught that when Christ passed through the agony of Gethsemane he obtained holy flesh and those who follow Christ by faith in the Gethsemane experience would likewise obtain holy flesh and having obtained physical holiness, they could no more experience corruption and they would not die but be translated to heaven. That was the theory of the holy flesh movement.

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

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Emmanuel God With Us

Introduction

The above titles are well known by us and it has been the work of God’s ministers to enlighten the people in regard to the practical reality of these. It is the purpose of this study to gaze into the depths of the intended meaning of the given titles. To be saved from sins involves an intelligent interrelationship of sinful humanity with Divinity which of necessity must include a conscious process of detection, overcoming and eradication of sin. Read the rest of this entry

The True Witness Testifies

By John Thiel

We all acknowledge that JESUS is the head of His visible church. As we live at a time of unprecedented confusion of church organizations who claim to be God’s visible church; does it do us well if we really enter the arena of contestants with that claim? How does the Head of the church teach us to think?

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.” John 5:31, 32. Read the rest of this entry

Conquering Satan’s Torment

By John Thiel, mp3

Scripture reading:Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 

We are living in a grand and awful time as we see wicked spirits are gathering around.  The torment the evil one puts us through and we need to understand and conquer that torment.

The day is at hand. For the lessons to be learned, the work to be done, the transformation of character to be effected, the time remaining is but too brief a span.  {Ed 184.2}

To develop character, to reach a particular point in time, it’s too brief a span to reach it.  Sanctification is the work of a life time.  According to this quote, we don’t have a life time in fact we have too short a period, too brief a span.  The thought that affected me with this statement is, is it too late now to develop character to pass the judgement when God examines us?  Are we who are born in this time lost as we come to the knowledge of present truth which has been proclaimed since 1844? The above statement was written in 1903.  The day is at hand.  Here we are over 100 years from that time. Where do we stand now?  I had not been able to answer this for some time until recently.  I looked at the seven churches and focused on Philadelphia. The period of Philadelphia is the period of Gods church from 1833 to 1844 – the church of brotherly love and it pointed to the people who were being prepared for the message of the judgement when Jesus goes from the holy to the most holy place.  There commences the day of judgement. Read the rest of this entry

Divine Assurance

By John Thiel, mp3

How much do you sense your need of Jesus?

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

This Scripture illuminates the need of Jesus. Jesus brings to us a wonderful privilege and peace. Peace of what kind? Not as the world giveth. Not the kind of peace that we gain from the lack of happiness that the world can produce but a peace that only God can produce. The peace that Jesus speaks of here is a peace he gives unto you. It’s a peace that is at rest when everything around us is in tumult. I don’t know if you have heard the story of the competition between three artists and the different impressions that these artists had of what really is peace. One artist painted a picture of a family sitting together. The second artist painted a beautiful scene in nature and the third artist painted a very storm-tossed ocean. There in the ocean were rocks and crevices and the waves were beating up against these rocks with great crashing and there in the side of that rock, that huge rock, was a little cave and inside of that cave was a dove with her little ones sitting in the nest. He won the competition because that was a true representation of the peace that only Jesus can bring, a peace amongst troubles and conflicts that surround us. Read the rest of this entry

24. Victory in the Conflict Between the Spirit and the Flesh

By John Thiel, First Angel’s Message, study 24, mp3

The practical experience of the everlasting gospel is an apprenticeship that is a life-time work of sanctification. God varies His training in our apprenticeship according to His permissive and perfect will. We sometimes want things our own way in the sanctification experience so God lets us have our way until we come to the point where we are really suffering and then He says, this is the way I want you to go. As we are living under the three angels’ messages and so close to the end, we need more information so we can hasten our learning experience. To hasten our submission to God’s perfect will instead of His permissive will is required as there is not much time left. We need to understand something about ourselves – our dual nature that we have. Through the plan of salvation we have a dual nature and conflict between our two natures – the spirit and the flesh. Jesus addresses our condition at birth:

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