I have been thinking about the Investigative Judgment and all the theological reasons, arguments, and details that many of us worry about, discuss, have even argued over in some cases! But if all we have is the theoretical head knowledge, none of it really matters very much. I have been impressed lately that the Investigative Judgment is a matter of the heart.
Why try to stuff the Gospel of Grace in a fairy tale? tom Z
One such word is âInvestigative.â
this is EXACTLY how i feelâŚ
i think about the joy of the investigative judgment almost constantlyâŚas i understand it, jesus is supplementing my spirit-mediated efforts with his own perfect righteousness, meaning itâs impossible for me to fall short of the standard of perfection god is usingâŚthis is all so excitingâŚi wish i could somehow ascend into heaven and see it all happeningâŚ
Dennis
Thanks for a really positive meditation and contribution. Such things are really a rarity on this site!
You are correct! Godâs love is the basis for his decisions in the judgement. The love that was poured out on a hill just outside Jerusalem.
And that is exactly why the foundation for a correct understanding of the judgement pictured for us in Daniel chapter 8 is to be found in a prior understanding of Godâs love in Daniel chapter 9.
One of the ways of rethinking a controversial belief, is to spiritualize it in an affirming way that seeks to protect its historical legitimacy without having to continue to literalize it. In that tradition this homily works well, to the degree that salvation is like modern courtship and marriage. The bible, however, knows nothing of salvation as analogues to a contemporary Western courtship ritual.
Could salvation be more like the biblical matrimonial metaphor in which the bride (the group who will be saved upon Jesus the bridegroomâs return to claim) was purchased by the groom or the groomâs father and had no say in the marriage?
A more helpful rethinking of the Investigative Judgment may be to address the topic itself, as this treatise does, http://www.rethinkingadventism.com/support-files/cottrell_1844.pdf and as this treatise does https://adventiststudies.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/assumptions-re-1844-full-version.pdf .
The lurking issue is not the Investigative Judgment, of course, but rather to work out just how our church can move away from a teaching many in the church can no longer embrace as substantive to them? Seventh-day Adventists actually have experience in doing this with multiple beliefs across the first few decades after the churchâs founding. And forty years after the founding of the church Ellen White in 1892 offered her belief that the church not only had âmuch to learnâ yet, but âmuch, muchâ to âunlearn.â
Alas, this is not easy work, which is why at the time Ellen White called for the church to reclaim the spirit of its founders, who were willing to embrace one another in a jubilant consensus of Godâs presence among them rather than demanding doctrinal consensus.
Meanwhile, we have, it seems, become something of a collector of what we now term Fundamental Beliefs, and increasingly seek to measure members by the beliefs, rather than the beliefs by the members as we fundamentally did during our founding.
I am rather attracted to the sense that revival and reformation will take us back to the founding spirit of the church. So far the leadership clamor for revival and reformation has failed to move the church in any direction it seems. Indeed, progress as measured by rate of church growth has stalled. We have not even half the members a year-2000 study predicted we would have today if the average rate of growth between 1980 and 2000 were to have continued.
A possible takeaway is that it is really hard to catch the train when having substantially over-baggaged for the journey and there are no porters to assist.
The meaning of the white stone is not totally clear, or agreed upon by commentators, but it seems to be something different than what is posited above. The best idea seems to be that white stones were awarded to the winners of athletic games, with their names written upon them. They served as tickets to the awards banquets that would follow.
Thus, Jesus, in promising a white stone with a new name engraved upon it to those who overcome, is promising admission into the victory banquet, the marriage supper in his eternal kingdom. The new name is the identity of those who have been made newâŚwho have run the race as those who have genuinely identified themselves with him, and with his name. IOW⌠Jesus is saying, âYou won, and you belong here, and it all happened because you really do belong to me!â
The prodigal who came home knew this experience, the celebration of his fatherâs forgiveness, favor, and loveâŚwhile the self righteous older brother was still standing outside.
ThanksâŚ
Frank
In the book of Revelation Chapter twenty two, Christ states emphatically in verse seven âI am coming SOONâ and again in verse twelve âI am coming SOONâ. then in verse twenty: âSURELY I am coming SOONâ
The King James Version has muddied the text for us by translating the word âsoonâ as âquicklyâ but the newer translations, as well as the French, Dutch and Spanish Bibles have always translated the word as âsoonâ.
This was brought home to me when I attended the Adventist church in Nice, France, near which I own a home. On the wall behind the pulpit they had printed in neon letters, in French, âI am coming SOONâ.
I had an epiphany in that moment: how could Christ proclaim in circa AD 60 that He was coming SOON if he knew that He could not possibly come BEFORE 1844 when He âsupposedlyâ had to enter the Sanctuary?
This would make Him out to be a liar.
At best, our sanctuary and investigative judgement doctrine has tenuous roots.
The best and brightest minds at other theological, seminaries have not subscribed to this doctrine.
I do not believe for a moment that Christians in other denominations will be eternally âlostâ because they do not accept the doctrine of the investigative judgement.
Although I am itinerant in my retirement years and attend many Adventist churches, I never hear the investigative judgement preached anymore.
I therefore neither reject it nor accept it, but consider it entirely peripheral to my salvation and depend on Christâs death on the cross to justify me.
For me the whole debate is inconsequential and a âstorm in a teacupâ
What detail causes the MOST worry?
âŚ".the hour of His judgment has come"⌠it is so harsh to some that they teach that we judge God instead of Him judging us.
Maybe the author forgot to include a word in this sentence.
We should love no one else?
Not only it is a trust issue, it is even a doctrinal issue. Do a survey anywhere in SDA land to see what % of SDA even believe they can overcome all sinâŚeven with Godâs grace available.
Now because most are not of the overcoming persuasion/theology for whatever reasonsâŚthis is a major factor in why so many reject the investigative judgment.
Just check to see how many have ever read âFacing Lifeâs Recordâ (The Investigative Judgment) chapter in Great ControversyâŚ
Most will sayâŚthe blood has got me covered.
The robust power of a motherâs love freed her child pinned under a car lifts it up as if a feathered hunk of iron let the child go free, that, it is TRUST in jubilant consensus of Godâs LOVE for us as well the father to his Prodigal Son. This is a Matter of Heart to what Heart robust in Godâs realm.