I would say it like this: Our title to heaven is based upon God's graciousness (i.e., His grace). Our fitness to heaven is the result of our responding to His graciousness.

I'll try and do this systematically for the topic rather than just going through our comments till now.

Atonement isn't glorification and translation - it is purification: the other two occur because atonement is complete beforehand. Atonement completes the removal of sinful characteristics from our lives, minds and characters but does not touch on the sinfulness of our human bodies - glorification deals with our bodies. You appear to have missed this distinction that I made in my previous post.

It is the very ambit of atonement which is unique to our investigative judgement understanding within Christiandom: being actively saved from sinning from now into eternity and for all eternity in the antitypical day of atonement, while the typical day of atonement did the same thing for Israel for one day of the year, in hope of what we now have.

The timing factor has a practical reason: from Luther to Wesley no theology was developed by Reformers like unto Adventist theology following 1844....no Christians were aware of needing to work directly with Christ on a heavenly day of atonement, but when the time came God made sure someone down here was doing his homework on that topic, starting with Miller and continuing with the vision of the sanctuary given to Hiram Edson on 23rd October 1844. There has always been boldness to approach God's presence in the name of Jesus, but no understanding of participating in a Christian day of atonement experience of the calibre of the Jewish one: a day of judgement in the Christian era - wherein completing sanctification is the order of the day, not justification, since the latter is the reason we're Christian at all.

On salvation history moving from the Jews to 'generic' Christians, and the temple service in between, the break with the temple services was at the death of Jesus: the Temple's veil was rent in two, exposing the most holy place to all and sundry...! Jesus' atonement ministry started at that point in time - though his incarnation and righteous life were the indispensible preparation for it: a righteous death and a righteous high priestly ministry thereafter both based obviously on his life record of victory over sin in our sinful nature.

The time gap before Jesus' ministry of final atonement since he began as our Mediator with God (after his ascension, of course) is more likely because God had to let the Devil loose on Christians. Don't forget the 1260 years fulfilling prophecy about persecution by the church in Rome; otherwise our church pioneers' interpretation of the prophecy ending in 1844 was based on Rome's wrong church practices being referred to by "the daily" of Dan 8:11, as "the daily" or "continual" symbolising paganism and self-righteousness as the state religion and attitude toward the living God of Persia, Greece, Rome and the church of Rome (the kingdoms and powers of Dan 8's vision)...as well as bad and wrong practices of God's own people in Jerusalem and since then in Christiandom, since Persian times, ie. when the temple was rebuilt, with partial recovery by the Reformation, until 1844. Thus the cleansing or restoring or setting right of the sanctuary of Dan 8:14 began in 1844 as per the time prophecy, from which time we as a church have been studying out the meaning of Eph 4:13 for the sake of the world under the auspices of the Three Angels' Message.

This 'late' recovery of the everlasting gospel is also mentioned in Hebrews: 9:10b has "until a time of reformation" for the purposes of earthly sanctuary regulations and procedures. Christiandom has understood faith to focus on Christ's fulfilment of the sanctuary service and to know Christ by that knowledge from his Spirit, but until 1844 this knowledge did not amount to properly understand the day of atonement. That word "reformation" is the Greek word with the same meaning as "set right" or "restored" and such like meanings given today for Dan 8:14's sanctuary. This strongly suggests Paul knew what the future held for persecution and revival and a Christian day of atonement in its real sense - the Jews were waiting with their Yom Kippur for Jesus' first coming, we are waiting with Christ's heavenly atonement ministry for him to finish it with us and come the second time for us: that's a perfect and real experiential atonement event - purifying us so we are properly ready for existing in the presence of God's glory, here at Christ's return and in heaven from there.

Where in the bible does it describe and teach this investigative judgement? Adam and Eve were sought after and quizzed by God's Son in Eden about what they had done before they were booted out. In Job God proved Job's faith against Satan's allegations about both Job and God. In Ezekiel God showed him in vision how Jerusalem was being judged by God's 'SAS' inspectors (the SAS & SBS are the UK's superiority over US Seals) who marked God's faithful people with a Hebrew letter close to the shape of a cross or crucifix, and the executor for those who were not sighing and crying over the apostacy in Jerusalem - an apostacy led by the elders: the examination would..."start in my sanctuary". There are many other spots in the Bible which teach such examination and approval or condemnation, including several Gospel parables.

Next question.

The following EGW quote from another topic is also relevant to this one:

Quote:

When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah. (COL 312)


The above quote is the answer to James' question.

Per the above quote:

Christ's Robe of Righteousness = Perfect Obedience to the Law of Jehovah.

If I am understanding this correctly, and/or saying this correctly, this means that a person wearing Christ's Robe of Righteousness is seen by Jehovah as though he had never sinned.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(end of quote)

Daryl, I don't think you are understanding the quote correctly, because the quote doesn't say anything at all about how God see us. It's talking about our being united with Christ in heart, will, thought, mind and life. The reason God doesn't see the fig leaf garment is because we have been converted. It's not a matter of God seeing us to be something which we aren't, but God's transforming us into something which we aren't (or wouldn't be, but for His saving grace).

Btw, I'm not discussing whether or not your statement is true, just the point that it is not what the quote you cited is discussing.

Quote.
Daryl, I don't think you are understanding the quote correctly, because the quote doesn't say anything at all about how God see us. It's talking about our being united with Christ in heart, will, thought, mind and life. The reason God doesn't see the fig leaf garment is because we have been converted. It's not a matter of God seeing us to be something which we aren't, but God's transforming us into something which we aren't (or wouldn't be, but for His saving grace).

Btw, I'm not discussing whether or not your statement is true, just the point that it is not what the quote you cited is discussing.
Unquote.

I agree with you Tom. Daryl and Colin think that my idea of standing at the judgment in our own robe of righteousness is really our own righteousness obtained by obeying the law, which of course is filthy rags. What I mean with standing at the judgment in our own righteousness is that we have a righteousness obtained through lifetime sanctification by the Spirit of Christ, we stand at the judgment in a state where the law had been fulfilled in us, written in our hearts, where Christ righteousness is fulfilled in us. At this state, who is standing at the judgment? Who is being judge? James or Jesus? It is James, right? But not in his own righteousness obtained though a lifetime effort of obedience to the law, but in Christ righteousness imparted to him through life time sanctification by the Spirit. God would justify him by his faith, for through faith he has reached oneness with Christ through the Spirit.

I mean, wearing Christ robe of righteousness is not some kind of robe that Jesus lends it to you at the judgment; it is a robe you owned through lifetime sanctification ever since the time Christ had given it to you. It is your robe now, it is yours. How could we say a robe given to me by Tom 20 years ago is still his robe? It is mine along time already.

In His love

James S

What about those who have no lifetime of using this robe? What about a person that perhaps only has a week or a few days of having this robe?

As long as he keep his robe clean he would stand at the judgment perfect.

In his love

James S

The text referring to those who did many things in the name of Jesus. Yet Jesus says He does not know them. You will notice that Jesus did not comment on there works. As I understand it they were self mottived, self glory,and did not have saving personaly relationship with christ as there savior. Like the foolish virgins they did not allow Christ to change there internal spirital life. Remember satan will do mircles as he impersonates christ and say many wounderful things but we know his movited is destruction of the people who follow the Lord. That is why Jesus says depart from me i never knew you. They only Knew Jesus in name, did not allow the saving grace of Jesus to change them inside out. While they did grand things in the eyes of the world they passed by the poor, the sick, the suffering, the person who needed a drink of water, those who were in prison. Perhaps above all the Christ like Love was missing. I cor. Chapter 13