Ratification of the Covenant

Notes

#### Covenant Ratification with Each Sinner.

Notes

1. "Jesus refused to receive the homage of His people until He knew that His sacrifice had been accepted by the Father, and until He had received the assurance from God Himself that His atonement for the sins of His people had been full and ample, that through His blood they might gain eternal life. Jesus immediately ascended to heaven and presented Himself before the throne of God, showing the marks of shame and cruelty upon His brow, his hands, and feet. But He refused to receive the coronet of glory, and the royal robe, and He also refused the adoration of the angels as He had refused the homage of Mary, until the Father signified that His offering was accepted.

"He also had a request to prefer concerning His chosen ones upon earth. He wished to have the relation clearly defined that His redeemed should hereafter sustain to heaven, and to His Father. His church must be justified and accepted before He could accept heavenly honor. He declared it to be His will that where He was, there His church should be; if He was to have glory, His people must share it with Him. They who suffer with Him on earth must finally reign with Him in His kingdom. In the most explicit manner Christ pleaded for His church, identifying His interests with theirs, and advocating, with a love and constancy stronger than death, their rights and titles gained through Him.

"God's answer to this appeal goes forth in the proclamation: 'Let all the angels of God worship Him.' Every angelic commander obeys the royal mandate, and Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain; and that lives again a triumphant conqueror! echoes and reechoes through all heaven. The innumerable company of angels prostrate themselves before the Redeemer. The request of Christ is granted; the church is justified through Him, its Representative and Head. Here the Father ratifies the contract with His Son, that He will be reconciled to repentant and obedient men, and take them into divine favor through the merits of Christ. Christ guarantees that He will make a man 'more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.' All power in heaven and on earth is now given to the Prince of life; yet He does not for a moment forget His poor disciples in a sinful world, but prepares to return to them, that He may impart to them His power and glory. Thus did the Redeemer of mankind, by the sacrifice of Himself, connect earth with Heaven, and finite man with the infinite God."—"Great Controversy," (Old Edition) Vol. 3, pp. 202, 203.

2. When the name comes up in judgment and the sins are thus blotted out, there is removed the last vestige of separation between God and the sinner. In this act the new covenant is ratified between God and the individual. The covenant relation broken by sin is thus fully restored, and the redeemed stand before God as though they never had sinned.