Adventist teaching: Yes
Biblical teaching: No
In Seventh-Day Adventist theology, the atonement is still taking place (what they call final atonement) but in Heaven. Jesus is supposedly doing a work of investigation, looking over the books of record, to see who will and will not have the atoning benefits of His sacrifice applied to their account. This doctrine is called the Investigative Judgment and is only happening for all professed believers from the Adam and Eve to present day.
In order to be found worthy, one must have a life completely free from sin (sinless perfectionism). It is only after this is demonstrated that Christ will apply his atoning benefits to your account and your sin will be removed from you.
Speaking on this, Ellen G. White (the Seventh-Day Adventist prophetess) said this…
“Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God, to engage in the last acts of his ministration in behalf of man,—to perform the work of investigative Judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits.”—The Great Controversy (1888), pg. 479 (GC88 479.3)
“The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be investigated.”—Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 180 (CIHS 180.2)
“The work of judgment which began in 1844 must continue until the cases of all are decided, both of the living and the dead…In order to be prepared for the judgment, it is necessary that men should keep the law of God. That law will be the standard of character in the judgment.”—Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 167 (CIHS 167.1)
The Bible teaches that none of us are worthy of salvation as we have all sinned and fall short (Romans 3:23). Man is a rebel sinner who is naturally hostile to God (Romans 3:10-18), by nature a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), deserving of condemnation. But God in His great mercy sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save sinners from condemnation (John 3:16-18, 6:37-40). By a heartfelt trust (living faith) in Jesus, one receives reconciliation (Romans 5:9-11) resulting in peace with God (Romans 5:1).
None of us are worthy—but Jesus Christ is—and “in Christ” (Romans 8:1) and only in Christ—are we seen as worthy. It’s not by our efforts to keep the Law perfectly and demonstrate that we are worthy.
