Christology of Access: Desmond Ford and F. F. Bruce on the Book of Hebrews a Comparative Study

Room N235

In 1971 Desmond Ford was sponsored to go to Manchester University in England to work on his second doctorate degree. During his tenure there his academic work was done under the supervision of renowned evangelical scholar Frederick F. Bruce. In spite of denominational differences, they developed a kinship based on their shared pastoral burden for the gospel. The 1970s was a decade of great theological tension within the Seventh-day Adventist church as scholars debated over righteousness by faith and Christ’s human nature. Ford’s views on the topic were seen by traditionalist as supporting an evangelical view. This led to suspicions that his theological views had been influenced by F. F. Bruce. Desmond Ford’s Christological views from the book of Hebrews, when compared with F. F. Bruce’s exposition of the Epistle, reveals clearly where their ideas intersect in common agreement, where they may differ in stating the theological point, and where they disagree in their interpretation and/or conclusions. Their common ground is clearly the view that believers have already found access to God the Father through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. The idea of access to God’s presence through Christ permeates their whole Christological argument in Hebrews.