godhead

Bible Study Guides – The Heavenly Trio

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February 10, 2008 – February 16, 2008

Key Text

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:2.

Study Help: “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7A, 442.

Introduction

“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, 63.

1. How many persons of the Godhead were present at Jesus’ baptism? Matthew 3:16, 17.

Note: “When Christ bowed on the banks of Jordan, after his baptism, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended in the form of a dove, like burnished gold, and encircled him with its glory; and the voice of God from the highest heaven was heard, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ [Matthew 3:17.] The prayer of Christ in man’s behalf opened the gates of heaven, and the Father had responded, accepting the petition for the fallen race. Jesus prayed as our substitute and surety, and now the human family may find access to the Father through the merits of his well-beloved Son.” Review and Herald, February 28, 1888.

2. What assurance is given to those who believe in Christ as their personal Saviour? John 20:17.

3. How many persons are mentioned in Christ’s promise to send the Comforter? John 14:16.

Note: “The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, 63.

4. Why is the Holy Spirit called “another Comforter” in John 14:16? Compare 1 John 2:1.

Note: “The promise of the Comforter presented a rich truth to the disciples. It assured them that they should not lose their faith under the most trying circumstances. The Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Christ, was to be their Guide, teaching them all things, and bringing all things to their remembrance. This Comforter was to be the representative of Christ their Advocate, who is constantly pleading in behalf of the fallen race.

“He who knows the end from the beginning has provided for the attack of satanic agencies; and he will fulfill his Word to the faithful in every age. That Word is sure and steadfast; not one jot or tittle of it can fail. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work, teaching, reminding, testifying, coming to the soul as a divine comforter, and convincing of sin as an appointed judge and guide. If men will keep under the protection of God, he will be to them as an impregnable fortress. He will give evidence that his Word can never fail. He will prove a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn; as the Sun of Righteousness he will arise with healing in his beams.” The Signs of the Times, November 18, 1897.

5. Who was mentioned by Christ in His commission to His disciples? Matthew 28:19.

Note: “The disciples were to carry their work forward in Christ’s name. Their every word and act was to fasten attention on His name, as possessing that vital power by which sinners may be saved. Their faith was to center in Him who is the source of mercy and power. In His name they were to present their petitions to the Father, and they would receive answer. They were to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Christ’s name was to be their watchword, their badge of distinction, their bond of union, the authority for their course of action, and the source of their success. Nothing was to be recognized in His kingdom that did not bear His name and superscription.” The Acts of the Apostles, 28.

6. What assurance did Christ give to His followers? Matthew 28:20.

Note: “Christ gave His disciples their commission. He made full provision for the prosecution of the work, and took upon Himself the responsibility for its success. So long as they obeyed His word, and worked in connection with Him, they could not fail. Go to all nations, He bade them. Go to the farthest part of the habitable globe, but know that My presence will be there. Labor in faith and confidence, for the time will never come when I will forsake you.

“The Saviour’s commission to the disciples included all the believers. It includes all believers in Christ to the end of time. It is a fatal mistake to suppose that the work of saving souls depends alone on the ordained minister. All to whom the heavenly inspiration has come are put in trust with the gospel. All who receive the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men. For this work the church was established, and all who take upon themselves its sacred vows are thereby pledged to be co-workers with Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 822.

7. How does Peter salute the readers of his epistle? 1 Peter 1:2. What does Paul mention also? 11 Thessalonians 2:13, 14.

Note: “ ‘God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation,’ the apostle Paul writes, ‘through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.’ 11 Thessalonians 2:13. In this text the two agencies in the work of salvation are revealed—the divine influence, and the strong, living faith of those who follow Christ. It is through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth that we become laborers together with God. Christ waits for the co-operation of His church. He does not design to add a new element of efficiency to His word; He has done His great work in giving His inspiration to the word. The blood of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the divine word, are ours. The object of all this provision of heaven is before us—the salvation of the souls for whom Christ died; and it depends upon us to lay hold on the promises God has given, and become laborers together with Him. Divine and human agencies must co-operate in the work.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 22.

8. Who worked out the plan of redemption at the very beginning?

Note: “The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more. With Christ He gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting in the plan for man’s uplifting. Here is love—the contemplation of which should fill the soul with inexpressible gratitude! Oh, what love, what matchless love! The contemplation of this love will cleanse the soul from all selfishness. It will lead the disciple to deny self, take up the cross, and follow the Redeemer.” Counsels on Health, 222, 223.

9. What promise does the apostolic benediction include? 11 Corinthians 13:14.

Note: “To His church, Christ has given ample facilities, that He may receive a large revenue of glory from His redeemed, purchased possession. The church, being endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depository, in which the wealth of His mercy, His love, His grace, is to appear in full and final display. The declaration in His intercessory prayer, that the Father’s love is as great toward us as toward Himself, the only-begotten Son, and that we shall be with Him where He is, forever one with Christ and the Father, is a marvel to the heavenly host, and it is their great joy. The gift of His Holy Spirit, rich, full, and abundant, is to be to His church as an encompassing wall of fire, which the powers of hell shall not prevail against.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 209.

10. How can we avail ourselves of the help of the heavenly trio? Luke 11:11–13.

Note: “Christ illustrates the willingness of God to bless by the willingness of a father to grant the request of his child. He says, ‘If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?’ Luke 11:11–13.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 242.

Additional Reading:

“The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight.

“The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be ‘the express image of His person.’ ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ [Hebrews 1:3; John 3:16.] Here is shown the personality of the Father.

“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour.” Evangelism, 614, 615.

“The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love to Christ, conforming us in body, soul, and spirit to His own image. Then God can use us to do His will.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 100.

“All who receive the gospel message into the heart will long to proclaim it. The heaven-born love of Christ must find expression. Those who have put on Christ will relate their experience, tracing step by step the leadings of the Holy Spirit—their hungering and thirsting for the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, the results of their searching of the Scriptures, their prayers, their soul agony, and the words of Christ to them, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee.’ [Matthew 9:2.]” Ibid., 125.

“Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfilment of the covenant that God has made with those who bind themselves up with Him, to stand with Him, with His Son, and with His Spirit in holy fellowship. Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven who are working in your behalf. Doing this you will reveal to the world the principles of righteousness.” The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901.

“Those who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their Christian life declare publicly that they have forsaken the service of Satan and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly king.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 91.

“When truth becomes an abiding principle in the life, the soul is ‘born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.’ [1 Peter 1:23.] This new birth is the result of receiving Christ as the Word of God. When by the Holy Spirit divine truths are impressed upon the heart, new conceptions are awakened, and the energies hitherto dormant are aroused to co-operate with God.” The Acts of the Apostles, 520.

“Those who study the word of God with hearts open to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, will not remain in darkness as to the meaning of the word. ‘If any man willeth to do His will,’ Christ said, ‘he shall know of the teaching whether it be of God, or whether I speak from Myself.’ John 7:17, R.V.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 36.

“Morning by morning, as the heralds of the gospel kneel before the Lord and renew their vows of consecration to Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day’s duties, they have the assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be ‘laborers together with God.’ ” The Acts of the Apostles, 56.

“What was the strength of those who in the past have suffered persecution for Christ’s sake? It was union with God, union with the Holy Spirit, union with Christ.” Ibid., 84.

Reprinted with permission, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia.

Bible Study Guides – Divine Power in Creation Pt.2

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June 8, 2008 – June 14, 2008

Key Text

“Know ye that the Lord he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 111–116.

Introduction

“In God’s word alone we find an authentic account of creation. Here we behold the power that laid the foundation of the earth, and that stretched out the heavens. Here, only, can we find a history of our race, unsullied by human prejudice or human pride.” Christian Education, 38.

1 What was God’s work on the fourth day? Genesis 1:14–19.

Note: “The sun and the moon were made by Him [Christ]. There is not a star which beautifies the heavens that He did not make.” The Ministry of Healing, 424.

2 What should the sun bring to our mind? Psalm 84:11; Malachi 4:2, first part.

Note: “The Sun of Righteousness did not burst upon the world in splendor, to dazzle the senses with His glory. It is written of Christ, ‘His going forth is prepared as the morning.’ Hosea 6:3. Quietly and gently the daylight breaks upon the earth, dispelling the shadow of darkness, and waking the world to life. So did the Sun of Righteousness arise, ‘with healing in His wings.’ Malachi 4:2.” The Desire of Ages, 261.

“After association with the Son of God, the humble follower of Christ is found to be a person of sound principle, clear perception, and reliable judgment. He has a connection with God, the Source of light and understanding. He who longed to be of service to the cause of Christ, has been so quickened by the life-giving rays of the Sun of Righteousness, that he has been enabled to bear much fruit to the glory of God.” Christian Education, 199.

3 Describe the creative work on the fifth day. Genesis 1:20–22. What declaration is made about each day thus far? Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23.

Note: “Geology has been thought to contradict the literal interpretation of the Mosaic record of the creation. Millions of years, it is claimed, were required for the evolution of the earth from chaos; and in order to accommodate the Bible to this supposed revelation of science, the days of creation are assumed to have been vast, indefinite periods, covering thousands or even millions of years.

“Such a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. The Bible record is in harmony with itself and with the teaching of nature. Of the first day employed in the work of creation is given the record, ‘The evening and the morning were the first day.’ Genesis 1:5. And the same in substance is said of each of the first six days of creation week. Each of these periods Inspiration declares to have been a day consisting of evening and morning, like every other day since that time. In regard to the work of creation itself the divine testimony is, ‘He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.’ Psalm 33:9. With Him who could thus call into existence unnumbered worlds, how long a time would be required for the evolution of the earth from chaos? In order to account for His works, must we do violence to His word?” Education, 128, 129.

4 Why is it so difficult for scientists to accept God’s word? Romans 1:18–21.

Note: “A terrible picture of the condition of the world has been presented before me. Immorality abounds everywhere. Licentiousness is the special sin of this age. Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now. The people seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness are nearly discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence.

“I [Ellen G. White] was referred to Romans 1:18–32, as a true description of the world previous to the second appearing of Christ.

“It is sin, not trial and suffering, which separates God from His people and renders the soul incapable of enjoying and glorifying Him. It is sin that is destroying souls. Sin and vice exist in Sabbathkeeping families.” Child Guidance, 440.

5 What was created during the first part of the sixth day? Genesis 1:24, 25. How does God regard all these creatures? Matthew 6:26; 10:29.

Note: “Harsh treatment, even to the brutes, is offensive to God. Those who profess to love God do not always consider that abuse to animals, or suffering brought upon them by neglect, is a sin. The fruits of divine grace will be as truly revealed in men by the manner in which they treat their beasts, as by their service in the house of God. Those who allow themselves to become impatient or enraged with their animals are not Christians. …

“God, who created man, made the animals, also. They were to minister to man’s comfort and happiness, to serve him, and to be controlled by him.” The Signs of the Times, November 25, 1880.

6 What was the crowning work of the Creator? Genesis 1:26–28.

Note: “After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon the stage of action. … ‘So God created man in His own image; … male and female created He them.’ [Genesis 1:27.] Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous conclusions. God created man in His own image. Here is no mystery. There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man’s narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high and tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the heavens with the wonders of His power, when He came to crown His glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life. The genealogy of our race, as given by inspiration, traces back its origin, not to a line of developing germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds, but to the great Creator. Though formed from the dust, Adam was ‘the son of God.’ ” Patriarchs and Prophets, 44, 45.

7 What institution did the Creator establish in the sixth day? Genesis 1:27, 28.

Note: “Jesus pointed His hearers back to the marriage institution as ordained at creation. ‘Because of the hardness of your hearts,’ He said, Moses ‘suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.’ Matthew 19:8. He referred them to the blessed days of Eden, when God pronounced all things ‘very good.’ … Then, as the Creator joined the hands of the holy pair in wedlock, saying, A man shall ‘leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one’ (Genesis 2:24), He enunciated the law of marriage for all the children of Adam to the close of time. That which the Eternal Father Himself had pronounced good was the law of highest blessing and development for man.

“Like every other one of God’s good gifts entrusted to the keeping of humanity, marriage has been perverted by sin; but it is the purpose of the gospel to restore its purity and beauty. In both the Old and the New Testament the marriage relation is employed to represent the tender and sacred union that exists between Christ and His people, the redeemed ones whom He has purchased at the cost of Calvary.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 63, 64.

8 What diet was provided for man at creation? Genesis 1:29.

Note: “In order to know what are the best foods, we must study God’s original plan for man’s diet. He who created man and who understands his needs appointed Adam his food. ‘Behold,’ He said, ‘I have given you every herb yielding seed, … and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.’ [Genesis 1:29.] Upon leaving Eden to gain his livelihood by tilling the earth under the curse of sin, man received permission to eat also ‘the herb of the field.’ [Genesis 2:5.]

“Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect, that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 81.

9 What did Malachi prophesy concerning these last days? Malachi 4:5, 6.

Note: “Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent. The great subject of reform is to be agitated, and the public mind is to be stirred. Temperance in all things is to be connected with the message, to turn the people of God from their idolatry, their gluttony, and their extravagance in dress and other things.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.

10 What did the apostle Peter say, prophetically, about this work? Acts 3:19–21.

Note: “The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are ‘the times of refreshing’ to which the apostle Peter looked forward …” Acts 3:19. The Great Controversy, 611, 612.

“In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man, is to be repaired. God’s remnant people, standing before the world as reformers, are to show that the law of God is the foundation of all enduring reform and that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is to stand as a memorial of creation, a constant reminder of the power of God. In clear, distinct lines they are to present the necessity of obedience to all the precepts of the Decalogue. Constrained by the love of Christ, they are to co-operate with Him in building up the waste places. They are to be repairers of the breach, restorers of paths to dwell in. [Isaiah 58:12.]” Prophets and Kings, 678.

Additional Reading

“The most difficult and humiliating lesson that man has to learn is his own inefficiency in depending upon human wisdom, and the sure failure of his own efforts to read nature correctly. Sin has obscured his vision, and of himself he cannot interpret nature without placing it above God. He cannot discern in it God, or Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. He is in the same position as were the Athenians, who erected their altars for the worship of nature. Standing in the midst of Mars’ Hill, Paul presented before the people of Athens the majesty of the living God in contrast with their idolatrous worship. [Acts 17:22–29 quoted.]

“Those who have a true knowledge of God will not become so infatuated with the laws of matter or the operations of nature as to overlook, or refuse to acknowledge, the continual working of God in nature. Nature is not God, nor was it ever God. The voice of nature testifies of God, but nature is not God. As His created work, it simply bears a testimony to God’s power. Deity is the author of nature. The natural world has, in itself, no power but that which God supplies. …

“In its human wisdom the world cannot know God. Its wise men gather an imperfect knowledge of God from His created works, and then in their foolishness they exalt nature and the laws of nature above nature’s God. Those who have not a knowledge of God through an acceptance of the revelation He has made of Himself in Christ, will obtain only an imperfect knowledge of Him in nature; and this knowledge, so far from bringing the whole being into conformity to His will, will make men idolaters. Professing themselves to be wise, they will become fools.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1068.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Divine Power in Creation

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June 1, 2008 – June 7, 2008

Key Text

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1, 2.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 44–51.

Introduction

“Divine wisdom, infinite grace, were made plain by the things of God’s creation. Through nature and the experiences of life, men were taught of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 22.

1 Who took an active part in the creation of the universe? Genesis 1:1, 2, 26; John 1:1–3.

  • God, the Father — Hebrews 11:3
  • Jesus Christ — Colossians 1:16, 17
  • The Holy Spirit — Psalm 104:30

Note: “If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity. God over all, blessed forevermore.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1126.

2 As we contemplate creation, what do we realize? Psalm 19:1–6.

Note: “God encourages us to contemplate His works in the natural world. He desires that we shall turn our mind from the study of the artificial to the natural. We shall understand this better as we lift up our eyes to the hills of God, and contemplate the works which His own hands have created. They are God’s work. His hand has molded the mountains and balances them in their position, that they shall not be moved except at His command. The wind, the sun, the rain, the snow, and the ice, are all His ministers to do His will.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1144, 1145.

3 How did the universe come into existence? Psalm 33:6–9.

Note: “God spoke, and His words created His works in the natural world. God’s creation is but a reservoir of means made ready for Him to employ instantly to do His pleasure.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1081.

4 What should cause us to truly marvel at God’s creation? Hebrews 11:3.

Note: “In the creation of the earth, God was not indebted to preexisting matter. ‘He spake, and it was; … He commanded, and it stood fast.’ Psalm 33:9. All things, material or spiritual, stood up before the Lord Jehovah at His voice and were created for His own purpose. The heavens and all the host of them, the earth and all things therein, came into existence by the breath of His mouth.” The Ministry of Healing, 414, 415.

“Nature in her work testifies of the intelligent presence and active agency of a being who moves in all His works according to His will. It is not by an original power inherent in nature that year by year the earth yields its bounties and continues its march around the sun. The hand of infinite power is perpetually at work guiding this planet. It is God’s power momentarily exercised that keeps it in position in its rotation.

“The God of heaven is constantly at work. It is by His power that vegetation is caused to flourish, that every leaf appears and every flower blooms. Every drop of rain or flake of snow, every spire of grass, every leaf and flower and shrub, testifies of God. These little things so common around us teach the lesson that nothing is beneath the notice of the infinite God, nothing is too small for His attention.

“The mechanism of the human body cannot be fully understood; it presents mysteries that baffle the most intelligent. It is not as the result of a mechanism, which, once set in motion, continues its work, that the pulse beats and breath follows breath. In God we live and move and have our being. Every breath, every throb of the heart, is a continual evidence of the power of an ever-present God.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 260.

5 What is revealed by God’s creation? Romans 1:20.

6 What was created on the first day of creation? Genesis 1:3–5.

Note: “He [God] causes ‘the light to shine out of darkness.’ II Corinthians 4:6. When ‘the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep,’ ‘the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.’ Genesis 1:2, 3.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415.

7 What other light also comes from the same source? John 1:6–10; 8:12; 9:5.

Note: “God is light; and in the words, ‘I am the light of the world’ [John 8:12], Christ declared His oneness with God, and His relation to the whole human family. It was He who at the beginning had caused ‘the light to shine out of darkness.’ II Corinthians 4:6. He is the light of sun and moon and star. He was the spiritual light that in symbol and type and prophecy had shone upon Israel. But not to the Jewish nation alone was the light given. As the sunbeams penetrate to the remotest corners of the earth, so does the light of the Sun of Righteousness shine upon every soul.” The Desire of Ages, 464.

8 How does this light affect all who accept it? Isaiah 60:1, 2.

Note: “In the night of spiritual darkness, God’s word goes forth, ‘Let there be light.’ To His people He says, ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.’ Isaiah 60:1. …

“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415.

“It is the highest duty of every Christian to let the light God has given shine forth in steady rays.” Review and Herald, December 12, 1893.

9 What did God create on the second day? Genesis 1:6–8. What do we learn from God’s work in the firmament? Psalm 19:1–3.

Note: “Shall we not commit to memory the lessons nature teaches? Shall we not open the eyes of our senses; and take in the beautiful things of God? We would do well to read often the nineteenth psalm that we may understand how the Lord binds up His law with His created works. …

“We are to contemplate the wonderful works of God, and repeat the lessons learned from them to our children, that we may lead them to see His skill, His power, His grandeur in His created works.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1143.

10 What was God’s main purpose in creating the world? Isaiah 45:18.

Note: “In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works of creation. It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space. … And upon all things in earth, and air, and sky, He wrote the message of the Father’s love.” The Desire of Ages, 20.

11 Explain why the sky can be especially inspiring to the Christian. Job 37:14–18.

Note: “Several years ago, while journeying from Christiania, Norway, to Goteborg, Sweden, I [Ellen G. White] was favored with the sight of the most glorious sunset it was ever my privilege to behold. Language is inadequate to picture its beauty. The last beams of the setting sun, silver and gold, purple, amber, and crimson, shed their glories athwart the sky, growing brighter and brighter, rising higher and higher in the heavens, until it seemed that the gates of the city of God had been left ajar, and gleams of the inner glory were flashing through. For two hours the wondrous splendor continued to light up the cold northern sky—a picture painted by the great Master Artist upon the shifting canvas of the heavens. Like the smile of God it seemed, above all earthly homes, above the rock-bound plains, the rugged mountains, the lonely forests, through which our journey lay.” The Faith I Live By, 248.

12 What was brought forth in the third day? Genesis 1:9–13.

Note: “When God formed the earth, there were mountains, hills, and plains, and interspersed among them were rivers and bodies of water. The earth was not one extensive plain, but the monotony of the scenery was broken by hills and mountains, not high and ragged as they now are, but regular and beautiful in shape. The bare, high rocks were never seen upon them, but lay beneath the surface, answering as bones to the earth. The waters were regularly dispersed. The hills, mountains, and very beautiful plains, were adorned with plants and flowers, and tall, majestic trees of every description, which were many times larger, and much more beautiful, than trees now are. The air was pure and healthful, and the earth seemed like a noble palace. Angels beheld and rejoiced at the wonderful and beautiful works of God.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 33.

“It is through the gift of Christ that we receive every blessing. Through that gift there comes to us day by day the unfailing flow of Jehovah’s goodness. Every flower, with its delicate tints and its fragrance, is given for our enjoyment through that one Gift.” The Ministry of Healing, 424.

13 What relationship exists between creation and the first angel’s message? Revelation 14:6, 7.

Note: “In the first angel’s message men are called upon to worship God, our Creator, who made the world and all things that are therein.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 106.

Additional Reading

“While the Bible should hold the first place in the education of children and youth, the book of nature is next in importance. God’s created works testify to His love and power. He has called the world into being, with all that it contains. God is a lover of the beautiful; and in the world which He has fitted up for us He has not only given us everything necessary for our comfort, but He has filled the heavens and the earth with beauty. We see His love and care in the rich fields of autumn, and His smile in the glad sunshine. His hand has made the castle-like rocks and the towering mountains. The lofty trees grow at His command; He has spread earth’s green velvet carpet and dotted it with shrubs and flowers.

“Why has He clothed the earth and trees with living green, instead of with dark, somber brown? Is it not that they may be more pleasing to the eye? And shall not our hearts be filled with gratitude as we read the evidences of His wisdom and love in the wonders of His creation?

“The same creative energy that brought the world into existence is still exerted in upholding the universe and continuing the operations of nature. The hand of God guides the planets in their orderly march through the heavens. It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth continues her motion round the sun and produces her bounties. The word of God controls the elements. He covers the heavens with clouds and prepares rain for the earth. He makes the valleys fruitful and ‘grass to grow upon the mountains.’ Psalm 147:8. It is through His power that vegetation flourishes, that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom.

“The whole natural world is designed to be an interpreter of the things of God. To Adam and Eve in their Eden home, nature was full of the knowledge of God, teeming with divine instruction. To their attentive ears it was vocal with the voice of wisdom. Wisdom spoke to the eye and was received into the heart, for they communed with God in His created works. As soon as the holy pair transgressed the law of the Most High, the brightness from the face of God departed from the face of nature. Nature is now marred and defiled by sin. But God’s object lessons are not obliterated; even now, rightly studied and interpreted, she speaks of her Creator. …

“In the natural world, God has placed in the hands of the children of men the key to unlock the treasure house of His word. The unseen is illustrated by the seen; divine wisdom, eternal truth, infinite grace, are understood by the things that God has made. Then let the children and youth become acquainted with nature and nature’s laws. Let the mind be developed to its utmost capacity and the physical powers trained for the practical duties of life. But teach them also that God has made this world fair because He delights in our happiness; and that a more beautiful home is preparing for us in that world where there will be no more sin. The word of God declares: ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.’ I Corinthians 2:9.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 185–188.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

The Third Person of the Godhead in the Writings of Ellen G. White

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Everywhere we look, we see plenty of evidence that we are living in the last days of the earth’s history. As we look at the end-time period, we have to admit that this period is almost over, so we are living at the end of the end-time period. This is especially true if we recognize the signs of the times in the advent movement. There is not only apostasy of mainstream Adventism, but the increase of fanaticism we see everywhere shows us that we are in the time of shaking and sifting and that we are in a fierce battle with the archenemy of God. In Revelation 12, we find this war of Satan against the beloved church of God. In verse 17, it says: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

That makes it very simple for us. All we have to be aware of is that our feet stand upon the Ten Commandments and the Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 19:10). Sometimes we may be confused when we listen to a debate on a question of doctrine, and we may not know which position is right. But if we view it in the light of Revelation 12:17, it usually gets very simple again. No matter how convincing any argument may seem to us, if it leads us away from or brings us in opposition to the Ten Commandments or the Spirit of Prophecy, we should know that this position is wrong.

The Very Last Deception

This is especially true for the third person of the Godhead. In recent years, an increasing number of Seventh-day Adventists have refused to believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. They argue with the Bible and sometimes quote the Spirit of Prophecy. But as soon as they are shown quotes from Ellen G. White in which she calls the Holy Spirit the third person of the Godhead, they have no other argument than, “This quote has been changed.”

That shows that the real issue is not the Godhead but the Spirit of Prophecy. If we read anything in the writings of Ellen G. White and come to the conclusion that she is wrong and we are right, we can be sure that Satan has succeeded in his warfare against the Spirit of Prophecy, and we have been separated from the remnant that have the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy.

We have not been warned that the very last deception would be about the Godhead but about making the testimonies of none effect. “The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.—Letter 12, 1890.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 48.

This is what it is really all about. If you come to believe a lie that the testimonies concerning the third person of the Godhead have been changed, you are deceived by Satan. “The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them [the testimonies] . . . . —Letter 40, 1890.” Ibid.

These skeptics are comparable to soldiers believing that the commands of their general are a delusion of the enemy. If a pilot comes to believe that the commands he receives in his jet bomber come from the enemy, he will do the opposite of what he is told to do and will surely die. But you cannot be used in Christ’s army, if you do not do what He tells you. “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46.

“One thing is certain: Those Seventh-day Adventists who take their stand under Satan’s banner will first give up their faith in the warnings and reproofs contained in the Testimonies of God’s Spirit.” Ibid., Book 3, 84.

A Mystery not Clearly Revealed

In a letter from Brother Chapman, Ellen White was asked about his special view concerning the Holy Spirit. He believed that the Holy Ghost was not a person or a personality of the Godhead “but the angel Gabriel.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 175. In rejecting this view, she makes clear that the nature of the Holy Spirit is not fully revealed to us.

“Some are ever seeking to be original, to bring out something new and startling. . . .

“Your ideas of the two subjects you mention do not harmonize with the light which God has given me. The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery not clearly revealed, and you will never be able to explain it to others because the Lord has not revealed it to you. You may gather together scriptures and put your construction upon them, but the application is not correct. The expositions by which you sustain your position are not sound. You may lead some to accept your explanations, but you do them no good, nor are they, through accepting your views, enabled to do others good.

“It is not essential for you to know and be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost . . . . [John 14:16, 17 quoted.]” Ibid., 178, 179. [Emphasis supplied.]

Ellen White points out that the nature of the Holy Spirit is a side issue and puts it into nice words that someone who believes the Holy Spirit is not a person who would serve the work of God more if he or she kept silent. She goes on: “There are many mysteries which I do not seek to understand or to explain; they are too high for me, and too high for you. On some of these points, silence is golden.” Ibid., 179. (See Deuteronomy 29:29.)

This thought is repeated in The Acts of the Apostles, 52: “The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these views will not strengthen the church. Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is golden.” [Emphasis supplied.]

People who think they have the burden to proclaim that the third person of the Godhead is a papal error should heed the closing words of Sister White to Brother Chapman: “Now, my brother, it is truth that we want and must have, but do not introduce error as new truth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 180.

Quotations Altered?

Now, take a closer look at some quotes referring to the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead. Often it is said that the quotes in the book Evangelism are a fake. This book was first published several years after Ellen White’s death, so it is said that these quotations were added without her approval. Look at the first one:

“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905)” Evangelism, 615. [Emphasis supplied.]

This quote was first printed in 1905 in Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, page 63.1 In this edition, you read exactly the same words as in the book Evangelism. If you do a research on that in the original files, you find the same words.2

 

When Ellen White was in Australia, she helped to found Avondale School. In 1899, she addressed the students of the school: “We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.—Manuscript 66, 1899. (From a talk to the students at the Avondale School.)” Evangelism, 616.

You cannot put it more clearly. The Holy Spirit is as much a person as is God the Father a person. If you look at the original file, you find it indexed as Manuscript 66, March 25, 1899. A copy of the original is shown in the end notes.3

Holy Spirit person

You will also find that quote in Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 137; Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 299; and The Faith I Live By, 52. If you take a closer look, you will notice that Ellen White read this text, as she was used to it, after it had been typed by her secretary, and she made some remarks. Sometimes she crossed out some words, but concerning the third person of the Godhead, she never did so. It was typed in exactly the way she wanted it to be. There is no fake at all.

Another quote we read in Evangelism, 617, is indexed as Manuscript 20, February 7, 1906. Ellen White had also read the original document, after it had been typed by her secretary. She gave her final approval by writing the words down: “I have read this carefully and accept it.”4

EGW read and accepted

In that document you find the words, “The Holy Spirit has a personality, else he could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else he could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. . . .” 5

divine person

In the same document, you find another quotation which has been published in Evangelism, 616. “The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.” These words may be read in Mrs. White’s own handwriting.6

Holy Spirit is a person

One famous quotation, that is available in many Seventh-day Adventist homes, may be found in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1074: “The work is laid out before every soul that has acknowledged his faith in Jesus Christ by baptism, and has become a receiver of the pledge from the three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (MS 57, 1900).” The same statement, in Ellen G. White’s handwriting, is shown in the end notes.7

three person

Another handwritten statement was published in Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 324: “The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ’s name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality.” 8

Holy Spirit personality

No Room for Doubt

I could go on showing statement after statement. Study the references shown in the end notes9 to realize how many quotations have been given on this subject, and assure yourself that they are all reliable. Notice that there are plenty of quotes from periodicals released during Ellen White’s lifetime. They were widely spread throughout Adventism in her days. You may also look up facsimile reprints of periodicals like the Review and Herald or The Signs of the Times, if they are available, to see the original printing authorized by Ellen White personally. They were printed during her lifetime. See it with your own eyes. There is no doubt about it at all.

To those who still cannot believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, I would like to ask: Why do you hesitate? Why do you doubt? Who put this doubt in your heart? Is it God who wants you to doubt His Word, or is it His enemy? God is displeased because you doubt the words of His prophet.

When you one day will stand before the throne of God, and He asks you why did you not believe the Holy Spirit to be the third person of the Godhead, you will have to admit that you did not trust His Word and believed it had been changed. God will then say to you, “You were the one who changed it for yourself. Could you not believe My words, ‘There has not failed one word . . .’ or ‘Thy testimonies are very
sure . . .’ ?” 1 Kings 8:56; Psalm 93:5.

No Diversions

Do you not believe that God is able to keep His Word unchanged for your and my salvation today? Has He told you to be the judge over His Word to decide what is true and what is not true?

Do not make this side issue a salvation topic. Ellen White says: “The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them.” The Acts of the Apostles, 52. By occupying your mind with this question, Satan diverts you from the Three Angels’ Messages.

“Here is your danger, of diverting minds from the real issues for this time.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 180. These words were written to Brother Chapman who had some special ideas about the Holy Spirit.

“We are to pray for divine enlightenment, but at the same time we should be careful how we receive everything termed new light. We must beware lest, under cover of searching for new truth, Satan shall divert our minds from Christ and the special truths for this time. I have been shown that it is the device of the enemy to lead minds to dwell upon some obscure or unimportant point, something that is not fully revealed or is not essential to our salvation. This is made the absorbing theme, the ‘present truth,’ when all their investigations and suppositions only serve to make matters more obscure than before, and to confuse the minds of some who ought to be seeking for oneness through sanctification of the truth.” Ibid., 178.

The Pioneers

You might say that the pioneers did not believe in the trinity. By the way, Ellen White never used the term “trinity,” but she wrote about the “heavenly trio.” It is true that we do not believe in the trinity as the Catholics might do when they refer to one God with three heads. But we believe in “three living persons of the heavenly trio . . .—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7a, 441. The pioneers rejected not only the Catholic view, but they also rejected the idea of the Holy Spirit being the third person of the Godhead. They also rejected the belief, as Ellen White put it, that “Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore.” Review and Herald, April 5, 1906.

James White, for example, referred to the trinity in 1846 as that “old unscriptural Trinitarian creed,” in 1852 as “the old Trinitarian absurdity that Jesus Christ is the very and Eternal God,” and in 1877 as the “inexplicable trinity” that was a less than helpful teaching. The Day-Star, January 24, 1846; Review and Herald, August 5, 1852; November 29, 1877.

Uriah Smith and J. N. Andrews also rejected the trinity. Smith did not only deny the personhood of the Holy Spirit, but also had an Arian or at least Semi-Arian view of Christ. In 1865, for example, he wrote, in his book, Thoughts on Revelation, that Christ was “the first created being, dating his existence far back before any other created being or thing.”

Ellen White did not openly discuss this issue with the leaders of the movement. This, some say, proves that Ellen White’s writings support the view of the pioneers. But they do not seem to be aware of the fact that Ellen White—unlike her husband and most other early Adventist leaders—did not make any explicit anti-Trinitarian or Semi-Arian statement. When she first touched this issue directly and clearly in the 1890s, she did not contradict her own previous writings.

Reaction to Inspiration

Ellen White is the Lord’s messenger, and the Lord knew when the time had come to reveal to His people the truth about the God-head, as He knew the right time not to touch this issue.

The important point is not what the pioneers believed before the 1890s but how they dealt with the revelation from the pen of Ellen White. This test came to the pioneers when The Desire of Ages was first published. Perhaps her most controversial and surprising statement for most Adventists in the 1890s was a sentence in her book on the life of Jesus in which she noted that “in Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.” The Desire of Ages, 530. The forcefulness of that sentence caught many off guard. One was a young preacher by the name of M. L. Andreasen. He was convinced that she really had not written that statement, that her editors and assistants must have altered it. As a result, he asked to read her handwritten book manuscript. She gladly gave him access to her document files.

He later recalled: “ ‘I had with me a number of quotations that I wanted to see if they were in the original in her own handwriting. I remember how astonished we were when The Desire of Ages was first published, for it contained some things that we considered unbelievable, among others the doctrine of the Trinity which was not then generally accepted by the Adventists.’

“Staying in California for several months, Andreasen had adequate time to check out his suspicions. He was especially ‘interested in the statement in The Desire of Ages which at one time caused great concern to the denomination theologically: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.’’ . . . That statement may not seem very revolutionary to you,’ he told his audience in 1948, ‘but to us it was. We could hardly believe it. . . . I was sure Sister White had never written’ the passage. ‘But now I found it in her own handwriting just as it had been published’ (MLA MS, November 30, 1948).” 10 [Emphasis supplied.]

The evidence is clear. If her handwriting and the original files do not convince those who doubt, even an angel from heaven or God’s own voice could not convince them. So I close with a Bible text urging you to take your stand with those who have the “testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17) which is the “Spirit of Prophecy” (Revelation 19:10): “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 11 Chronicles 20:20.

9 “Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead.” The Desire of Ages, 671.

“He determined to give His representative, the third person of the Godhead.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1053; The Signs of the Times, December 12, 1898, par. 2; The Watchman, November 28, 1905, par. 2; My Life Today, 36.

“Evil had been accumulating for centuries and could only be restrained and resisted by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 392, (Cooranbong, Australia, February 6, 1896); The Upward Look, 51; Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers—No. 10, 25; Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 34; vol. 4, 329; vol. 10, 63; The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 4, 1493.

“The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit—arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, . . . would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin.—Manuscript 145, 1901.” Evangelism, 616.

“The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.”—Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 10, p. 37. (1897)” Ibid., 617.

“We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,—and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.”—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 51. (1905)” Ibid.

“Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fulness of divine power.” The Desire of Ages, 671; Review and Herald, May 19, 1904, par. 3; November 19, 1908, par. 6. See also Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers—No. 10, 25; The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 4, 1493.

“The three powers of the Godhead have pledged their might to carry out the purpose that God had in mind when he gave to the world the unspeakable gift of his Son.” Review and Herald, July 18, 1907, par. 3.

“The three powers of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are pledged to be their [those who have been baptized] strength and their efficiency in their new life in Christ Jesus.” Australasian Union Conference Record, October 7, 1907, par. 9.

“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized and these powers will cooperate with the obedient.” In Heavenly Places, 336; Evangelism, 615.

“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio. In the name of these three powers,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will cooperate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Bible Training School, March 1, 1906, par. 2; Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, 63.

“The rite of baptism is administered in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. These three great powers of heaven pledge themselves . . . .” Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 27.

10 George R. Knight, A Search for Identity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs, Review and Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland, 2000, 116, 117.

 

Dr. Hermann Kesten is a physician and elder of the Historic Seventh-day Adventist Church in Berlin, Germany. He may be contacted by e-mail at: hkesten@mefag.de. Check out his web sites at: http://www.historische-adventisten.de www.mefag.com

The Godhead

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What did Ellen White teach about the Godhead ?

When Jesus was here, one of the major contentions of the Jews was over the fact of His deity. In fact, this was one of the major reasons offered by the high priest why they had to crucify Jesus, because He claimed to be Jehovah—the eternal God. Four thousand years or more before that time, Lucifer had brought up a similar contention, challenging the absolute authority of Christ. Lucifer said that he should be equal with Christ. “Satan was jealous of Jesus.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 17. “Lucifer was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved upon Christ alone.” The Story of Redemption, 13. It was this envy of Lucifer that Christ should be equal with the Father that resulted in his fall and the rebellion against the government of God. He is still attempting to prove that Christ is not or should not be equal with the Father.

Since the times of the early church, innumerable variant teachings have been developed in regard to the Godhead and the deity of Christ. A principle one of these teachings was the development in the fourth century of Arianism, the idea that there was a time when Christ was not, or stated a different way, that Christ was the first of all created beings. Arianism is still a teaching of some churches today. Many fights and battles occurred, both military and spiritual, over the issue of the Godhead. This was one of the principle controversies for a period of at least two hundred years between the fourth and sixth century.

In the development of Adventism, as people came into the second Advent movement from many different churches and backgrounds, it is not surprising that there would be different individuals who had contrary ideas on the subject of the Godhead. Before looking at this controversy there are two points that we should understand. First of all, since the Godhead is one of the oldest controversies in Christendom, we should expect it to be revived among God’s people toward the end, because Ellen White predicts that old controversies will be revived. “Those things which have been, will be repeated. Old controversies will be revived, and new theories will be continually arising.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 109. “We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people on every side. Intensity is taking possession of the human family . . .Impostors of every caste and grade will claim to be worthy and true, and there will be a magnifying of the common and impure against the true and the holy. Thus, the spurious is accepted, and the true standard of holiness is discarded, as the word of God was discarded by Adam and Eve for the lie of Satan.” Review and Herald, August 31, 1897. “The whole earth is to be lightened with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the channels of the great deep. Prophecies are being fulfilled, and stormy times are before us. Old controversies which have apparently been hushed for a long time will be revived, and new controversies will spring up; new and old will commingle, and this will take place right early.” Special Testimonies, Series A, 38.

A second point that we need to understand, before looking at this old controversy which has been revived just as Ellen White predicted, is that if we accept as authoritative and divinely inspired the writings of Ellen White, the special messenger to the remnant, we will be protected from all the delusions that will come upon the world. Ellen White wrote to Elder Simpson, an Adventist minister, (Letter 50, 1906), “The Lord never denies His word. Men may get up scheme after scheme and the enemy will seek to seduce souls from truth, but all who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days.” So, we see that the Lord has given us, through the Spirit of Prophecy, a safeguard against the many delusions that will come in; a point of reference to turn to when there is any old or new controversy arising, by which we can be stabilized in Bible truth, and kept from all delusions.

We go now directly to the controversy over the Godhead, not in religious history in general, but in the developing second Advent movement. Many, if not most, of the leaders in the early second Advent movement, after 1844, were Arian in belief. For example, Uriah Smith wrote that Christ was a created being. Not only this, but Uriah Smith did not believe that Christ was the Alpha and the Omega, except in a very qualified sense (i.e. the Alpha and Omega of the plan of salvation). Also, Uriah Smith was unwilling to say that the phrase, “the one who is, and the one who was, and the one who is to come” could be applied to Jesus Christ. Moreover, people such as Uriah Smith, D.M. Canright and J.N. Loughborough had the position that the Holy Spirit was not really a personality, not a person, but was simply some type of a divine emanation or influence. E.J. Waggoner also said that there was a time when Christ had not existed, that His life was derived from the Father. Statements concerning the equality of Christ to the Father were interpreted to mean that He had an equality that was conferred upon Him.

One of the main reasons that these beliefs disappeared from Adventism was that in 1898, Ellen White published a book called The Desire of Ages, which made unequivocal definitions of Christ’s place, power and authority, and also spoke of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead. The reason that the controversy over Arianism was solved without the church splitting was because our pioneers had implicit faith and confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy. This faith and confidence in the writings of Ellen White as being a true prophet of God had been built over many decades so that by the latter part of the nineteenth century, when she made statements totally contrary to what they believed, they surrendered their ideas and believed what the Lord had told them through the Spirit of Prophecy.

We look now at statements concerning the Godhead from the pen of Ellen White. First of all, we must understand that the Godhead is a subject that is beyond the mind of man, and that we will never fully understand it throughout eternity. She said, “Do not try to explain in regard to the personality of God. You cannot give any further explanation than the Bible has given. Human theories regarding Him are good for nothing.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 94. Also, “The revelation of Himself that God has given in His word is for our study. This we may seek to understand. But beyond this, we are not to penetrate. The highest intellect may tax itself until it is wearied out in conjectures regarding the nature of God; but the effort will be fruitless. This problem has not been given us to solve. No human mind can comprehend God . . . Let none indulge in speculation regarding His nature. Here silence is eloquence. The Omniscient One is above discussion.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 279.

A second point that we notice in Ellen White’s writings is that she speaks of one God. She does not teach that there are three Gods, but that there is one God. And yet, at the same time, as we will see, she teaches that this one God includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which are three personalities mysteriously united as one. We will now quote statements that indicate this. “With solemn dignity, Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I Am.’

“Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilaean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.’” Desire of Ages, 469, 470. “There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was One with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in itself, explains other mysterious and otherwise unexplainable truths, while it is enshrined in light unapproachable and incomprehensible.” SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1126. [All emphasis supplied.]

Ellen White speaks of the Father and Son as being of one substance: ” ‘Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not; the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.’ With what firmness and power he uttered these words. The Jews had never before heard such words from human lips, and a convicting influence attended them; for it seemed that divinity flashed through humanity as Jesus said, ‘I and my Father are one.’ The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as he put forth the claim that He and the Father were of one substance, possessing the same attributes. The Jews understood His meaning, there was no reason why they should misunderstand, and they took up stones to stone Him.” Signs of the Times, November 20, 1893.

Ellen White teaches that the “I am” refers to Christ and the Father, both Christ and the Father are self existent. And she states unequivocally that the “I am” is one. Notice, “Heavenly beings, sustained and guided by the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, were impelling these wheels; above them, upon the sapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and round about the throne a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy . . . The history which the great I AM has marked out in His word, uniting link after link in the prophetic chain, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, tells us where we are today in the procession of the ages and what may be expected in time to come.” Education, 178. Notice, there is One upon the throne and this Eternal One is also the great “I AM.” But we have already seen from the Desire of Ages that the “I AM” includes Christ as well as the Father. (See John 8.) So this “Eternal One” must include both the Father and the Son. In this passage she is commenting on Ezekiel 1:4, 26, and 10:8. Notice, there is One upon the throne. There is one God, but this one God includes both Christ and the Father. The God who gave the ten commandments is spoken of by Ellen White as the “Eternal One.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 329. But, Ellen White speaks of this Eternal One as both the Father and the Son: “When they came to Sinai, He took occasion to refresh their minds in regard to His requirements. Christ and the Father, standing side by side upon the mount, with solemn majesty proclaimed the Ten Commandments.” Evangelism, 616. So both Christ and the Father are included in that term “the Eternal One.”

Concerning the Holy Spirit Ellen White said, “‘The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities;’ and the Spirit, being God, knoweth the mind of God.” Signs of the Times, October 3, 1892. Ellen White taught that all three members of the Godhead were God in the fullest most complete sense: “All these spiritualistic representations are simply nothingness. They are imperfect, untrue. They weaken and diminish the Majesty which no earthly likeness can be compared to. God cannot be compared with the things His hands have made. These are mere earthly things, suffering under the curse of God because of the sins of man. The Father cannot be described by the things of earth. The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight.

“The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be ‘the express image of His person.’ ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Here is shown the personality of the Father.

“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Savior. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers —the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Evangelism, 614, 615.

We see in these statements that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all referred to as being the “fullness of the Godhead,” and that they are referred to as persons, specifically as three persons. We will now see further evidence that these three Persons, each of whom is the fullness of the Godhead, are all “one God.”

The world was created by one God, as you can read in Testimonies, vol. 8, 256. It is generally conceded that this one God includes the Father, but we now see that it included the Son and the Holy Spirit also. Notice, “‘When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth.’ John 16:13. Only by the aid of that Spirit who in the beginning ‘was brooding upon the face of the waters;’ of that Word by whom ‘all things were made;’ of that ‘true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,’ can the testimony of science be rightly interpreted.” Education, 134.

We next come to the term “Jehovah.” “Jehovah, the eternal self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the Source and Sustainer of all is alone entitled to supreme reverence and worship.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 305. But “Jehovah is the name given to Christ.” Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899. Although this word generally refers to Christ in the Scriptures, sometimes it can refer to the Father: “In His wisdom the Saviour teaches us to approach God with the confidence of a child. He instructs us to call Jehovah by the endearing name of ‘Father,’ that we may not separate from Him in awe and coldness. Constantly He points us to the emblems of fatherly love, seeking to encourage faith and confidence in God. He pleads with us to have a correct idea of the Father.” Signs of the Times, January 20, 1898.

Next, we see again an emphasis in Ellen White’s writings that there are three distinct personalities in the deity. Notice, “The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some men of science represent, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a spirit; yet He is a personal Being, for so He has revealed Himself.” Ministry of Healing, 413. “Christ is one with the Father, but Christ and God are two distinct Personages.” Review and Herald, June 1, 1905. “The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 247, or Review and Herald, April 5, 1906. [Notice when the word eternity is used, the writer is referring to an infinite number so that you can not say that there was ever a time when Christ was not a distinct person from the Father. This completely destroys the teaching that some infer from Proverbs 8 that there was a time when Christ was not a distinct person from the Father. The term “bring forth” does not there have implications of a bringing forth in the sense of a birth or beginning of existence—as we will see, no more can this be said about the Son than about the Father. The sense of “bring forth” in Proverbs 8 is the same, or similar, as in Psalm 18:19 where it is speaking of a change in location and has nothing to do with beginning of existence.] “There is a personal God, the Father; there is a personal Christ, the Son.” Review and Herald, November 8, 1898. “The scriptures clearly indicate the relation between God and Christ, and they bring to view as clearly the personality individuality of each.” Ministry of Healing, 421. “The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one is purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one.” Ministry of Healing, 422.

The Holy Spirit is a person also.

“The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.” Evangelism, 616.

We come now more specifically to the point of the pre-existence of Christ. Ellen White bears much witness to the fact of the eternal pre-existence of Christ. “But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. ‘I lay it down of myself’ (John 10:18), He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived.” Signs of the Times, April 8, 1897. (See also Desire of Ages, 530.) “Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent, Son of God . . . In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.” [Fellowship, means by definition that two distinct intelligences are referred to, there is no fellowship with one’s self.] Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900. “Christ shows them that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet, His divine life cannot be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures.” Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899. Well did the disciples understand this love as they saw their Saviour enduring shame, reproach, doubt, and betrayal, as they saw his agony in the garden, and his death on Calvary’s cross. This is a love the depth of which no sounding can ever fathom. As the disciples comprehended it, as their perception took hold of God’s divine compassion, they realized that there is a sense in which the sufferings of the Son were the sufferings of the Father. From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character. Youth Instructor, December 12, 1897.

Concerning the equality of the Father and the Son, Ellen White makes many statements which show that Christ was equal with the Father before His incarnation, during His incarnation, and forever. For example, “Though he took humanity upon himself, he was divine. All that is attributed to the Father himself is attributed to Christ.” Review and Herald, May 19, 1896. “Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all blessed forevermore.” Review and Herald, April 5, 1906. “To save the transgressor of God’s law, Christ,the One equal with the Father, came to live Heaven before men, that they might learn to know what it is to have heaven in the heart.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 179. “But although Christ’s divine glory was for a time veiled and eclipsed by His assuming humanity, yet he did not cease to be God when He became man. The human did not take the place of the divine, nor the divine of the human. This is the mystery of godliness. The two expressions human and divine were, in Christ, closely and inseparably one, and yet they had a distinct individuality. Though Christ humbled Himself to become man, the Godhead was still His own.” Signs of the Times, May10, 1899. “The only way in which the fallen race could be restored was through the gift of His Son, equal with Himself, possessing the attributes of God. Though so highly exalted, Christ consented to assume human nature that He might work in behalf of man and reconcile to God His disloyal subject.” Review and Herald, November 8, 1892. Notice, that in this preceding statement, Ellen White makes the claim that only by One who was equal with the Father could man be redeemed. If Christ was a junior God or in any way not equal with the Father, as Arians have claimed, Ellen White claims that the atonement would not be complete. This claim completely destroys the Arian position.

We next come to the question about what happened to Christ’s deity when He died. On this question, Ellen White is very specific. She said, “Humanity died: divinity did not die.” Youth’s Instructor, August 4, 1898. The reader might also see statements in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1113, 1129. Also, The Desire of Ages teaches that when Christ came forth from the tomb, he was raised by His own divine power. See Desire of Ages, 785.

Last of all, Ellen White describes the Holy Spirit as a personality, a deity, and not an inferior emanation or influence, but in every sense, part of the Godhead. Notice, “The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else he could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God.” Evangelism, 617. “The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the Third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.” Special Testimonies, Series A, number 10, 37. “Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer.” Desire of Ages, 671. Ellen White does not speak of the Holy Spirit as an emanation, an influence or something subordinate or inferior to the Father and the Son. She speaks of the Holy Spirit as the fullness of the Godhead. “The comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to Heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the Heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their effort to live the new life of Christ.” Special Testimonies, Series B, Number 7, 62, 63. Many have written treatises on the above subject but one of the best ones that this writer has seen which contains most of the references used in the above article is a Thesis on the Arian views in Seventh-day Adventist Literature and the Ellen G. White Answer by Erwin Roy Gane, submitted to Andrews University Seminary June, 1963.

The Door – What Does it Represent?

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Within the Bible passage of John 10:1–30 there are many wonderful lessons, one of which is the study on the door. Every person who is saved must go through this door.

Jesus tells the story in which He says:

  1. The person who does not go through the door of the sheepfold, but goes up or gets in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

Still today, if a person enters another’s house other than by the door it is because they do not belong there and they are there for no good reason. They are most probably a thief or a robber.

  1. The one that goes through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (See John 10:2.)
  2. Jesus says, I myself am the Door of the sheep. (See John 10:7.) How can Jesus be the Door and yet go through the door?
  3. Remember, Jesus said He is the Door. “Through Me, if anybody enters in, he will be saved.” John 10:9. This is good news. If you go through this door, you will be saved. There are no exceptions. Not one person who goes through this door will be lost.
  4. The sheepfold has only one door. Everybody in the fold who has not gone through the door is a thief and a robber.
  5. The fold is the church, but the only people who are actually members of the church are the ones who have gone through the door. Suppose a robber comes to your house entering through the window. Though he may be in the house, he is not a member of your household.

In the same way the fold is the church, and only those who have entered through the door are actually members, all others in there do not really belong. Even though they may look like part of the flock, they are not, but imposters.

  1. The Shepherd is the Door. Remember, Jesus said that He was the Door.
  2. If you go through a door, there is both a time before going through it and a time after going through it.
  3. Jesus said He went through the door. That means there was a time before Jesus went through the door and there was a time after He went through the door.
  4. Everyone who gets into the sheepfold without going through the door will be lost, because they are a thief or a robber. The book of Revelation makes it very clear that there will be no thieves or robbers in heaven.
  5. The fold is the church and the door is the entrance into the church. All who enter through the door will be saved without exception.
  6. In Matthew 17, Jesus warned to beware of wolves that are in sheep’s clothing. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing within the church and although they profess to be members of the church, they are not members of the household of God; they are the children of the devil dressed in sheep’s clothing. One way to identify them is by their backbiting. Sheep do not backbite.
  7. At some time all of the sheep must go through the door.

Remember, all who go through the door receive eternal life—without exception. So what does the door represent and what does it mean to go through it? Jesus said that He was the Door but He also said that He went through the door. Since Jesus went through the door, there was a time before He went through the door and a time after He went through it. Since there was a time before He went through, we know for sure that the door does not represent the divinity of Christ, because there never has been a time when Christ was not divine.

“Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory.

“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God. … In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. …

“His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures.

“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. [He was with the Father, but He was a distinct person from all eternity. There never was a time when that was not so.] He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right.

“He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent.” The Faith I Live By, 46.

The following tells us that Jesus was Jehovah. In John 8:56–59, it says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ Then they took up stones to throw at Him.”

Why did they take up stones to throw at Him? Because the Jews knew the significance of what He had just said but which some people today do not understand.

“With solemn dignity Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM’ [John 8:58].

“Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One.” The Desire of Ages, 469, 470.

There are many references in the Bible that indicate very clearly that Jesus Christ is Jehovah. But because that is the case, the door cannot represent Christ’s divinity because He said He went through the door. There was a time before and a time after He went through the door.

Both the Shepherd and the sheep all go through the door, and all who will be saved, also have to go through it. The door cannot represent our humanity, because there has never been a time in our existence when we have not been human. The door cannot represent either divinity or humanity, so what does it represent?

In an article written in The Review and Herald, March 10, 1892, Ellen White states, “The only way in which salvation could be provided for man was through the union of divinity with humanity. Christ in human flesh alone could bridge the gulf that sin had made.”

Notice, Jesus was divine, but man could not be saved by His divinity alone. He must also become a man so His divinity could join with our humanity.

We are also told: “Christ came to our world, sent of God to take human nature upon him. The mysterious union was to be formed between human nature and the divine nature. … The great condescension on the part of God is a mystery that is beyond our fathoming. The greatness of the plan cannot be fully comprehended, nor could infinite Wisdom devise a plan that would surpass it. It could be successful only by the clothing of divinity with humanity, by Christ becoming man, and suffering the wrath which sin has made because of the transgression of God’s law.” Ibid., October 22, 1895.

There is a door that the Shepherd (Christ) entered through (John 10:2). There was a time that He was fully divine, but when He entered through the door, He was not only divine, but also a human being. The door then represents a union of divinity and humanity. Jesus said that only those who enter that way will be saved. It takes more than mere humanity to enter through that door. Jesus entered by uniting His divinity to our humanity. We must enter by uniting our humanity with His divinity. This unity is clearly taught in the Bible and is the only way.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:2–4. It goes on to say that if you will do this you will have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God.

“In Christ dwelt all the fullness of the God-head. But the only way in which He could reach men was to vail His glory by a garb of humanity. The angels beheld the hiding of His glory, that divinity might touch humanity.” The Signs of the Times, January 20, 1898.

That is what it meant for Jesus to go through the door. He is the Door. He took our humanity upon His divinity so that He became both divine and human. Without the union of divinity with humanity the plan of salvation will not work. To enter through the door, humanity must be united, linked up, part of, His divinity. We are to become partakers of the divine nature.

“Divinity took the nature of humanity, and for what purpose? That through the righteousness of Christ humanity might partake of the divine nature. This union of divinity and humanity, which was possible with Christ, is incomprehensible to human minds. The wonderful things to take place in our world—the greatest events of all ages—are incomprehensible to worldly minds; they cannot be explained by human sciences.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 332.

Our minds cannot understand how we can become a partaker of divine nature. The Bible says that spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

There are many Christians today who do not seem to understand this and think that all you have to do is say, “I believe in Jesus” and that is it. That is not it! You must go through the door. Belief is wonderful if you understand the meaning of the Greek word—to make a commitment.

“The powers of heaven shall be shaken. Christ is coming in power and great glory, but His coming is not such a mystery as the things to take place before that event. Man must be a partaker of the divine nature in order to stand in this evil time, when the mysteries of satanic agencies are at work. Only by the divine power united with the human can souls endure through these times of trial.” Ibid.

Have you gone through the door? There is a wide difference between a pretended union and a real connection with Christ. Jesus illustrates this fact in the parable of the vine (John 15). He said He was the vine and we are the branches. The outer branches that are not connected directly to the vine get cut off and thrown into the fire.

This represents those who are in the fold but have not gone through the door. They profess Christianity, they may belong to a church or may be an elder, a preacher, an evangelist, or have some other position, but they have not gone through the door. They do not have that inner connection where the life of the vine comes into the branch. If the inner life of the vine reaches out to the branch, it is alive and bears fruit. But if the branch is connected to the vine with just an outer connection and not a living connection, then it dies and will be cut off. All who are in the fold but have not gone through the door are thieves and robbers and are only there temporarily.

“To know the truth, to claim union with Christ, and yet not to bring forth fruit, not to live in the exercise of constant faith—this hardens the heart in disobedience and self-confidence. Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness, all depend on our union with Christ and the degree of faith we exercise in Him. … Everyone who is united to Christ will depart from all iniquity.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 48, 49.

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows those who are His and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” II Timothy 2:19.

Those connected to Christ will depart from all lawlessness. Those entering the fold by jumping the fence do not belong there.

“Every individual, by his own act, either puts Christ from him by refusing to cherish His spirit and follow His example, or he enters into a personal union with Christ by self-renunciation, faith, and obedience.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 46.

How does a person enter into a union with Christ?

Renounce self—no longer trust self. This is one of the most difficult things for people who are successful. After talking to the rich young ruler, Jesus told His disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). Because we are human, we have a tendency to judge others as well as ourselves by outward appearance, but to enter through the door requires a change of heart and a new spirit. You cannot go through the door by just changing your appearance. Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders in the time of Christ, became sarcastic when Jesus told him he was not ready to go to heaven (John 3). Jesus said that unless you are born of the water and the spirit, unless you receive a new spirit and a new heart, there is no way to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

That new spirit, the divine spirit, is made manifest when you go through the door. Humanity linked up with divinity! Many people have a desire to be a Christian but are often trapped in one of their darling sins. They have not gone through the door and received the Holy Spirit, which gives power to do certain things that before have been impossible and to stop doing those things that previously you had not been able to stop.

The gospel is offered as a free gift to all. There are people in prison for all manner of sin—murder, rape, theft, to mention just a few. When the person, guilty of any sin, is willing to go through the door and receive the Holy Spirit, he/she will receive a new heart and a new mind and will begin to live a new life. The blood of Jesus Christ, which can take away all uncleanness, will forgive his/her sins. There are many people who want to be saved in their sins without going through the door. They consider their sins not too big, and if the rapist and the murderer can be saved, well, they never robbed a bank or murdered anyone or did anything really bad! Surely their little sins would be overlooked. No! Jesus told Nicodemus that unless he was born of the Holy Spirit; unless he went through the door, he was not really part of the church, but just playing church.

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one spirit.” I Corinthians 12:13. Baptism by water is a symbol. The Jews had symbols. Every sacrificed lamb represented Jesus. John said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29. Jesus was the true Lamb of God. Many people offered animal sacrifices having the symbol without understanding what that symbol represented. Caiaphas, the high priest and the leaders of the Jewish church all offered animal sacrifices and will still be lost because they only knew the symbol and not the real thing.

All who put their trust in Jesus, surrendering their lives totally to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and receive His Spirit, will be saved, but there will be many people who have been baptized by water who will be lost. Baptism by water is a symbol, but unless baptized by the Holy Spirit, they are just playing church.

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ” Acts 2:38. Paul met some others who had been baptized by John but did not understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit so they were re-baptized (Acts 19:1–7). After going through the door, becoming united with the divine nature, care must be taken to stay connected with Christ.

“This spiritual relation can be established only by the exercise of personal faith. This faith must express on our part supreme preference, perfect reliance, entire consecration. Our will must be wholly yielded to the divine will, our feelings, desires, interests, and honor identified with the prosperity of Christ’s kingdom and the honor of His cause, we constantly receiving grace from Him, and Christ accepting gratitude from us.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 229.

“All Christ’s followers have as deep an interest in this lesson as had the disciples who listened to His words. In the apostasy, man alienated himself from God. The separation is wide and fearful; but Christ has made provision again to connect us with Himself. The power of evil is so identified with human nature that no man can overcome except by union with Christ. Through this union we receive moral and spiritual power.” Ibid., 230.

It is impossible to overcome sin without going through the door and entering into Christ.

“A union with Christ by living faith is enduring; every other union must perish. Christ first chose us, paying an infinite price for our redemption; and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and best in everything. But this union costs us something. It is a union of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud being. All who form this union must feel their need of the atoning blood of Christ. They must have a change of heart. They must submit their own will to the will of God. There will be a struggle with outward and internal obstacles. There must be a painful work of detachment as well as a work of attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness—sin in all its forms—must be overcome if we would enter into a union with Christ. The reason why many find the Christian life so deplorably hard, why they are so fickle, so variable, is that they try to attach themselves to Christ without first detaching themselves from these cherished idols.” Ibid., 231.

In order to attach yourselves to Christ you must be detached from the world—detatched from everything that involves sin.

Jesus says the way that leads to destruction is broad but the door of salvation is narrow. Entering through this door, sins must be left outside. Are you willing to do that? This is why there are a lot of Christians who want to jump over the fence and get into the fold another way. They are not willing to go through the narrow door, too narrow for their baggage. The Lord is soon going to clean house and all the thieves and robbers will be cast out.

Do you still want to go through the narrow door where all sins must be left on the outside? All who enter there will be saved without exception. No matter how weak you are, when united with divine power, the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all uncleanness and the power of the Holy Spirit will give you the power to live a new life. You will have a new heart and a new spirit with new desires and everything will be changed. Paul said that if any man is in Christ Jesus, old things are passed away and he is a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). Do you want that experience in your life?

If you are willing to go through the door, the Lord is willing to give you the Holy Spirit that will empower you to live a different kind of a life. Whatever your struggle in this life, if you are willing to go through the door, there is no problem that Jesus cannot solve through the power of the Holy Spirit, as long as you are willing to make a commitment.

We thank God that there is a door to salvation and that if we are willing to make a complete commitment of our lives to Jesus Christ He will give to us the Holy Spirit so that we may receive a new heart, a new spirit, a new mind and a new life.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

When God’s People Will Be Sealed

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Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. Rumors had reached him of the new miracle-working teacher and his interest was stirred, so he sought out Jesus under the cover of night. He said to Jesus, “ ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ ” John 3:2, 3. Nicodemus became a little sarcastic, so Jesus made His point more emphatic: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Verse 5.

If you have been born again and received the Holy Spirit into your life, eternal life has already begun for you. Every other gift that God wants to give to you comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit. In The Desire of Ages, 388, it says, “It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.” If the Holy Spirit is not in you, eternal life has not yet begun for you and never will begin, until the Holy Spirit comes into your life.

Amazing things happen when you receive the Holy Spirit. “In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating [to bring something back to life] agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.” Ibid., 671.

Without receiving the Holy Spirit, the sacrifice of Jesus will be of no avail to you.

“The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” Ibid.

Whatever inherited tendency to evil you struggle with, if you receive the Holy Spirit you can overcome all inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. Isn’t that exciting news? You are not stuck if you receive the Holy Spirit.

It is amazing how much the apostles dwelt upon this subject. If you go through the different letters and books of the New Testament, you will find them making some reference or statement in regard to the Holy Spirit over and over again. Let’s look at several:

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:11–16.

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body and overcome sin. We cannot do it by ourselves. None can overcome unless they receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul had a lengthy discussion about the Holy Spirit to the church in Corinth: “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Corinthians 2:9–14.

In I Corinthians chapters 12, 13 and 14, the apostle Paul has three chapters devoted to a discussion of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and the things the Spirit wants to do in each person. He makes it very clear in I Corinthians 12:4 and 7 that every Christian is to receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul teaches that it is through the Holy Spirit that we are sealed. A special seal is placed on all those who live to see Jesus come again. This is described in Revelation 7 and 14. “Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” II Corinthians 1:22. It is the evidence that you have eternal life. Paul says the same in Ephesians 1:13: “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in Whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit is the seal, the guarantee, the down payment, the assurance that you are going to have eternal life. Without the Holy Spirit you have no assurance.

In talking of the Holy Spirit, Paul also mentions the danger of some who will receive the wrong spirit. He said, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” II Corinthians 11:3, 4.

There is going to be a great deception at the end of the world. The whole world will feel and believe that they have received the Holy Spirit. Jesus said this was going to happen: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ” Matthew 7:21, 22. Notice how these people prophesy. They really believe they have received the Holy Spirit, which tells them that they prophesy through the Spirit. The problem is, the spirit under which these people prophesy is not the Holy Spirit, but a different spirit.

Sadly, Jesus explains, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” Verse 23. All who receive the Holy Spirit into their lives will be led to keep the law of God, and if the spirit you have received is not leading you to keep the law of God, it is a spurious spirit.

There are two supernatural spirits contending to take control of the world. In the last ten chapters of the book of Revelation it is very clear that in the last days almost the whole world will be following the wrong spirit. It is critical to ask yourself the question, Is the spirit that I have received leading me to keep the law of God or not?

To the many different churches, Paul wrote over and over again about the Holy Spirit in his letters. He told the Galatians about the Holy Spirit: “I say then: walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16–18. This is misinterpreted as meaning the law no longer has to be kept. But what Paul says here is that if the Spirit is leading, you will keep the law and not be under its condemnation.

He told them, “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation.” Ephesians 5:18. It is almost impossible to translate with one English word. It means that a person is so debauched, or so defiled or ruined, that there is no hope for them anymore. It is a very strong word, one without an exact equivalent in the English language. Paul says, “Don’t be drunk with wine” [that is, utter moral depravity], but rather “be filled with the Spirit” (verse 18, last part).

To the Thessalonian church he wrote, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.” I Thessalonians 1:5. The gospel that Paul preached was with the power of the Holy Spirit.

He further said, “Do not quench the Spirit.” I Thessalonians 5:19. So it is possible to quench the Spirit. Ellen White confirms this: “When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God.” The Great Controversy, 443. Once they had lost the Spirit and found they had no power, they sought the power of the state to control the people.

Anytime the church seeks the power of the state to enforce their will on their own people or on others, you can know for sure that it has lost the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit governs the church, that church will not need the power of the state to enforce its will, because the people will be under conviction and do God’s will without force. They won’t need it. The apostles did not need it. After Paul describes the great apostasy that is coming, he then says, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” II Thessalonians 2:13.

Notice that salvation comes through the Holy Spirit. Sanctification comes through the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit acknowledges that there are other spirits that are not holy. “Now the Spirit [the Holy Spirit] expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” I Timothy 4:1. That has already happened, and it is not over yet. Look at what Paul said: “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us.” II Timothy 1:14. Remember, every command in the Bible is a promise.

God never gives a command without making the way possible to fulfill that very command in your life. This is a wonderful promise. Writing to Timothy, Paul tells him that he has received certain knowledge of truth and spiritual blessings through the power of the Holy Spirit and to keep what he has received. There are a lot of Christians today who do not keep what they have received, and they are losing it. It is important that when you have received spiritual truth and knowledge that you don’t lose it, that you keep it.

One way people lose the blessings that God has given to them is to understand truth, but fail to implement that truth into their lives. There is a saying that if you don’t use it, then you will soon lose it!

“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” I John 3:24.

Jesus Christ wrote to the seven churches and to each it is said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 2:7. In Revelation 22:17 we read: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

The Spirit of God says to the people of this world, “Come!” We live in a world where often there are signs that say, “Stay Out” or “Do Not Enter.” We build all kinds of fences and barricades and lock our doors to keep people away from us. But God, the sovereign of heaven, through the Holy Spirit, at the very end of the Bible says to the inhabitants of this world, “Come!” He loves us and wants us to abide with Him.

Are you willing to do whatever you need to do so you can receive the Holy Spirit? Paul says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 4:30. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are to be “sealed for the day of redemption” (verse 30, last part), so it is necessary to know how not to cause this grief.

We are told that, “The willful commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the soul from God. Jesus cannot abide in the heart that disregards the divine law. God will honor those only who honor Him.” The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1884.

There will be many who say to Jesus, “Well, I had the Spirit; I was working miracles, and I was prophesying, and I was casting out demons in Your name.” Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

A while ago I knew of a lady who was into the New Age movement. She was not married to the man with whom she lived. Somehow they were induced to go to a Christian meeting. It was not a Seventh-day Adventist meeting, and when the preacher made an altar call inviting the audience to surrender their lives to Jesus and follow Him and have eternal life, this couple went forward and made a commitment to follow Christ. Putting aside their New Age ideas, they gave their hearts to the Lord. Now, they were Christians! They were both given Bibles, and that night when they got in bed, before they went to sleep, the lady opened her new Bible to read something. The first text she opened was about not committing adultery. Immediately she slammed it shut.

Later she told the story: “I couldn’t open the Bible any day without it telling me something was wrong with committing adultery, or being in fornication, and living in sin.” Each time the same thing happened, and it was evident that the Holy Spirit was working on her heart. She decided to go all the way with Jesus. Unfortunately, her partner was not under the same commitment, and their relationship ended. It was the Holy Spirit that convicted her to quit her former life of adultery and be filled with the Spirit.

If there is some sin in your life that you are tightly holding on to, it will prevent you from receiving God’s precious gift, His Spirit. Be willing to let it loose and get away from it today, before the voice is silenced forever.

A mother was counseled, “Constant faultfinding is wrong, and the Spirit of Christ cannot abide in the heart where it exists.” The Adventist Home, 272. Constant faultfinding is wrong.

A physician was counseled. “We are not to allow our perplexities and disappointments to eat into our souls and make us fretful and impatient. Let there be no strife, no evil thinking or evil-speaking, lest we offend God. My brother, if you open your heart to envy and evil surmising, the Holy Spirit cannot abide with you.” Counsels for the Church, 175.

Paul told the church in Corinth that they could not have fellowship with both God and the devil; they must choose. “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” I Corinthians 10:20, 21.

“I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’ ” Revelation 18:4. God separates His people from sin and sinners to protect them from the plagues that will fall at the end of time. The Holy Spirit will not abide with sin, period. Sin must be gotten rid of both in the life of the Christian and also the church to have the presence of Christ.

“We are bidden of God to hold ourselves separate and distinct from these men who have not given heed to His warnings.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 196. We are to be a separate and distinct people.

Every soul who, in the light now shining on their pathway, continues in sin will be blinded and will accept Satan’s delusions. Paul taught this in II Thessalonians 2:1–12.

Personal religious experience is needed in every church. We have the assurance that in this age of the world the Holy Spirit will work with mighty power unless, by our unbelief, we limit our blessings and thus lose the advantage we might obtain. “Unless the revival of the Spirit of God shall come, all their profession will never make the members of the church Christians. There are sinners in Zion who need to repent of sins that have been cherished as precious treasures. Until these sins are seen and thrust from the soul, until every faulty, unlovely trait of character is transformed by the Spirit’s influence, God cannot manifest Himself in power.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 366.

God wants to give His Holy Spirit to His people. And we are going to receive it just as soon as we are in a condition to receive it.

“There is more hope for the open sinner than for the professedly righteous who are not pure, holy, and undefiled. …

“The spiritual anointing of the Lord will never come to self-sufficient men and women. … You will certainly be weighed in the golden scales of the heavenly sanctuary and be found wanting.” Ibid., vol. 1, 366, 367.

“What kind of witnesses are we for truth and righteousness? Are we striving with all our God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever reaching higher and higher, trying to attain to the perfection of His character?

“When God’s servants reach this point, they will be sealed in their foreheads. The recording angel will declare, ‘It is done.’ ” Ibid., vol. 1, 370. Would you like to be in that group of people?

When that happens, it will not be generations until Jesus comes; it will be right around the corner. Jesus wants to come more than you want Him to come. We talk about being disappointed because the Lord hasn’t come. Jesus Christ is the One Who is disappointed. He has the power to raise all the dead in the cemeteries, but He delays till His people are ready.

“Satan is working that the history of the Jewish nation may be repeated in the experience of those who claim to believe present truth.” Ibid., vol. 17, 13. Whether he will succeed depends on the choices that you and I are making today.

“The great burden of every soul should be, Is my heart renewed? Is my soul transformed? Are my sins pardoned through faith in Christ? Have I been born again? Am I complying with the invitation, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [Matthew 11:28]?’ ” Ibid. vol. 17, 23.

Ask yourself, Have I received the Holy Spirit, or am I just pretending religion? Without the Holy Spirit, all religion is a pretense and worth nothing.

“Sin is degrading, and there is no place for it in heaven.” Ibid., vol. 16, 274. All the trouble we have in this world is because of sin. Ellen White wrote a letter August 13, 1900. It says, “As the last conflict with Satan will be the most decisive, the most deceptive and terrible that has ever been, so also will his overthrow be the most complete.” Ibid., vol. 10, 317.

My mother used to tell me over and over again that the path of truth and the path of error is going to be so close together that you will not be able to tell the difference without the Holy Spirit.

After quoting Revelation 18:1–8, Ellen White said, “This terrible picture drawn by John to show how completely the powers of earth will give themselves over to evil, should show those who have received the truth how dangerous it is to link up with secret societies or to join themselves in any way with those who do not keep God’s commandments.” Ibid., vol. 14, 152.

Are you willing to forsake your sins so you can receive the Holy Spirit?

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Bible Study Guides – God’s Supreme Plan

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April 7, 2013 – April 13, 2013

Key Text

“If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” Job 33:23, 24.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 52–62; The Story of Redemption, 42–50.

Introduction

“It is the glory of the gospel that it is founded on the principles of restoring in the fallen race the divine image.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1912.

1 CHRIST, THE EXPRESS IMAGE

  • How does God the Father address His Son? Hebrews 1:8–10. What distinctions characterize the Son of God? Colossians 2:9.

Note: “In the work of creation, Christ was with God. He was one with God, equal with Him, the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person, the representative of the Father.” The Signs of the Times, February 13, 1893.

“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity. God over all, blessed forevermore.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1126.

  • How does the Son of God summarize His relationship with the Father? John 10:30. What should we then realize as we seek to worship God?

Note: “In Christ is gathered all the glory of the Father. In Him is all the fullness of the Godhead.” The Signs of the Times, November 24, 1898.

“Our ministers must be very careful not to enter into controversy in regard to the personality of God. This is a subject that they are not to touch. It is a mystery, and the enemy will surely lead astray those who enter into it.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 343.

2 THE COUNSEL OF PEACE

  • What was to be the crowning act of God’s entire creation? Genesis 1:26; Psalm 100:3. In view of the crisis that had occurred in heaven, what did the Father and Son consider?

Note: “The Father consulted His Son in regard to at once carrying out their purpose to make man to inhabit the earth. He would place man upon probation to test his loyalty before he could be rendered eternally secure. If he endured the test wherewith God saw fit to prove him, he should eventually be equal with the angels.” The Story of Redemption, 19.

  • How did the Father and Son plan to redeem humanity in case they would fall prey to the archrebel? Zechariah 6:13, last part; Job 33:27–30.

Note: “The great plan of redemption was laid before the foundation of the world. And Christ, our Substitute and Surety, did not stand alone in the wondrous undertaking of the ransom of man. In the plan to save a lost world, the counsel was between them both; the covenant of peace was between the Father and the Son. ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). The Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, would become a servant. The only-begotten Son, in whom the Father delighted, was given for the ransom of a fallen race. …

“The Father gave Himself to the world in the gift of His Son. It was the love of the Father for fallen man that devised in union with the Son the plan of redemption. And in this great gift the character of God is exemplified to all who shall receive the world’s Redeemer by faith, as a God of holiness and a God of love. In the crucifixion of His dear Son upon the cross of Calvary, He gives to all the sons and daughters of Adam an expression of His justice and His love. This offering made manifest the immutability of the holiness of His law. In the cross of Calvary justice and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

“The Lord God omnipotent is the God of His people. He is also a tender, loving Father, ready to hear their prayers; for God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. God sent forth His Son to be the propitiation for them through faith in His atoning blood.” The Signs of the Times, December 23, 1897.

3 THE CREATION OF THE HUMAN RACE

  • What distinguishes humanity from all God’s other creatures? Genesis 1:27.

Note: “Created to be ‘the image and glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 11:7), Adam and Eve had received endowments not unworthy of their high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in form, regular and beautiful in feature, their countenances glowing with the tint of health and the light of joy and hope, they bore in outward resemblance the likeness of their Maker. Nor was this likeness manifest in the physical nature only. Every faculty of mind and soul reflected the Creator’s glory. Endowed with high mental and spiritual gifts, Adam and Eve were made but ‘little lower than the angels’ (Hebrews 2:7), that they might not only discern the wonders of the visible universe, but comprehend moral responsibilities and obligations.” Education, 20.

  • What should we realize about the high calling of humanity? Psalm 8:3–9.

Note: “The same unseen Hand that guides the planets in their courses, and upholds the worlds by His power, has made provision for man formed in His image, that he may be little less than the angels of God while in the performance of his duties on earth.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 415, 416.

  • Describe the Edenic scene of Adam’s early existence. Genesis 1:31; 2:8, 15.

Note: “Adam was surrounded with everything his heart could wish. Every want was supplied. There was no sin, and no signs of decay in glorious Eden. Angels of God conversed freely and lovingly with the holy pair. The happy songsters caroled forth their free, joyous songs of praise to their Creator. The peaceful beasts in happy innocence played about Adam and Eve, obedient to their word. Adam was in the perfection of manhood, the noblest of the Creator’s work. He was in the image of God, but a little lower than the angels.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 268.

4 TRAGEDY STRIKES

  • How and why did God test Adam’s fidelity? Genesis 2:9, 16, 17.

Note: “God created man in His own image, after His likeness, free from sin, and with organs well developed. The earth was to be populated with intelligent beings who were only a little lower than the angels. But God would first prove the holy pair, and test their obedience; for He would not have a world filled with beings who would disregard His laws.” The Signs of the Times, January 23, 1879.

  • What warnings should we heed from observing the way Adam failed the test? Genesis 3:1–13.

Note: “The very fact that Adam’s trial was small, made his sin exceeding great. God tested him in that which was least, to prove him; and with the prohibition He stated that the punishment consequent upon his disobedience would be death. If Adam could not bear this smallest of tests to prove his loyalty, he surely could not have endured a stronger trial had he been taken into closer relationship with God, to bear higher responsibilities. He evidenced that God could not trust him; should he be exposed to Satan’s more determined attacks, he would signally fail. …

“Adam did the worst thing he could do under the circumstances. In doing that which God had expressly forbidden he set his will against the will of God, thus waging war with His requirements. The pen of inspiration has with accuracy traced the history of our first parents’ sin and fall, that all generations may be warned not to follow Adam’s example, in the slightest disregard of God’s requirements. Had the test been in regard to larger matters, men might have excused the sin of disobedience in what they call smaller things. But God made the test with Adam upon things that are least, to show man that the slightest disobedience to His requirements is sin in every sense of the word. God, the Governor of the universe, has made all things subject to law; things apparently insignificant, and things of the greatest magnitude, are all governed by laws adapted to their natures. Nothing that God has made has been forgotten or left to blind chance. To man, as being endowed with reasoning powers and conscience, God’s moral law is given to control his actions. Man is not compelled to obey. He may defy God’s law, as did Adam, and take the fearful consequences; or by living in harmony with that law he may reap the rewards of obedience.” The Signs of the Times, January 23, 1879.

5 HEAVEN TO THE RESCUE

  • How did the angels exemplify unselfish love? John 15:13. What was to be their privilege? Romans 15:1.

Note: “The angels prostrated themselves at the feet of their Commander and offered to become a sacrifice for man. But an angel’s life could not pay the debt; only He who created man had power to redeem him. Yet the angels were to have a part to act in the plan of redemption. Christ was to be made ‘a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death’ (Hebrews 2:9). As He should take human nature upon Him, His strength would not be equal to theirs, and they were to minister to Him, to strengthen and soothe Him under His sufferings. They were also to be ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who should be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They would guard the subjects of grace from the power of evil angels and from the darkness constantly thrown around them by Satan.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 64, 65.

  • In the words addressed to the serpent, what hope did God offer to the fallen pair? Genesis 3:14, 15; Romans 16:20.

Note: “The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1912.

“Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin—sin so offensive to a holy God that it must separate the Father and His Son. Christ would reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63.

“Adam marveled at the goodness of God in providing such a ransom for the sinner.” The Signs of the Times, February 20, 1893.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What are the heavenly credentials of the Son of God?

2 What was the “counsel of peace”?

3 Why was Adam tested? Why is each of us tested?

4 Explain why the test in Paradise was relatively small. Why are our daily tests small as well?

5 Can we be inspired by the response of all Heaven to this crisis?

© 2007 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – The Word Was God

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April 2, 2017 – April 8, 2017

Key Text

“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Study Help: Christ’s Object Lessons, 113, 114; The Faith I Live By, 46.

Introduction

“From all eternity Christ was united with the Father, and when He took upon Himself human nature, He was still one with God.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 228.

Sunday

1 JESUS, ONE WITH THE FATHER

  • What does the Word of God say about Jesus before His incarnation? John 1:1, 2.

Note: “From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness and majesty, ‘the outshining of His glory.’ It was to manifest this glory that He came to our world.” The Desire of Ages, 19.

“In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.” The Signs of the Times, August 29,1900.

“Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 34.

  • How is Jesus regarded by the Father and the angels? Psalm 45:6; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:6–8.

Note: “Angels are God’s ministers, radiant with the light ever flowing from His presence and speeding on rapid wing to execute His will. But the Son, the anointed of God, the ‘express image of His person,’ ‘the brightness of His glory,’ ‘upholding all things by the word of His power,’ holds supremacy over them all (Hebrews 1:3).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 34.

Monday

2 JESUS, THE CREATOR

  • Who created all things? John 1:3, 10; Colossians 1:1–17.

Note: “In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works of creation. It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field. ‘His strength setteth fast the mountains.’ ‘The sea is His, and He made it’ (Psalms 65:6; 95:5). It was He that filled the earth with beauty, and the air with song. And upon all things in earth, and air, and sky, He wrote the message of the Father’s love.” The Desire of Ages, 20.

  • How were the worlds and the universe created? Psalms 33:6, 9; 104:1–6. What was our world like when it was created?

Note: “God spoke, and His words created His works in the natural world. God’s creation is but a reservoir of means made ready for Him to employ instantly to do His pleasure.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1081.

“ ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.’ ‘For He spake, and it was;’ ‘He commanded, and it stood fast.’ He ‘laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever’ (Psalms 33:6, 9; 104:5).

“As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth’s rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. There were no loathsome swamps or barren deserts. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proudest palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 44.

Tuesday

3 THE LIGHT OF THE UNIVERSE

  • Who is the Author of all life and light? John 1:4–9; Acts 17:28.

Note: “Christ is the ‘Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world’ (John 1:9). As through Christ every human being has life, so also through Him every soul receives some ray of divine light.” Education, 29.

“Through Christ had been communicated every ray of divine light that had ever reached our fallen world. It was He who had spoken through everyone that throughout the ages had declared God’s word to man. Of Him all the excellences manifest in the earth’s greatest and noblest souls were reflections. The purity and beneficence of Joseph, the faith and meekness and long-suffering of Moses, the steadfastness of Elisha, the noble integrity and firmness of Daniel, the ardor and self-sacrifice of Paul, the mental and spiritual power manifest in all these men, and in all others who had ever dwelt on the earth, were but gleams from the shining of His glory. In Him was found the perfect ideal.” Ibid., 73.

  • What does Jesus say concerning Himself and what does He promise us? John 10:28; 8:12; 12:46.

Note: “In the words, ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12), Jesus declared Himself the Messiah. The aged Simeon, in the temple where Christ was now teaching, had spoken of Him as ‘a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel’ (Luke 2:32). In these words he was applying to Him a prophecy familiar to all Israel.” The Desire of Ages, 465.

“Only through Christ can immortality be obtained. Said Jesus: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life’ (John 3:36). Every man may come into possession of this priceless blessing if he will comply with the conditions. All ‘who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality,’ will receive ‘eternal life’ (Romans 2:7).” The Great Controversy, 533.

“That which had been revealed in His words was revealed also in His character. He was the embodiment of the truths He taught.” The Desire of Ages, 465.

Wednesday

4 GOD WITH US

  • What did Isaiah prophesy about Christ’s name? Isaiah 7:14.
  • When was this prophecy fulfilled and what does it mean to us? Matthew 1:20–23.

Note: “Since Jesus came to dwell with us, we know that God is acquainted with our trials, and sympathizes with our griefs. Every son and daughter of Adam may understand that our Creator is the friend of sinners. For in every doctrine of grace, every promise of joy, every deed of love, every divine attraction presented in the Saviour’s life on earth, we see ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23).” The Desire of Ages, 24.

  • What did Jesus do to reach us in our fallen state? John 1:14; Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 2:14–18.

Note: “In Christ’s parable teaching the same principle is seen as in His own mission to the world. That we might become acquainted with His divine character and life, Christ took our nature and dwelt among us. Divinity was revealed in humanity; the invisible glory in the visible human form. Men could learn of the unknown through the known; heavenly things were revealed through the earthly; God was made manifest in the likeness of men. So it was in Christ’s teaching: the unknown was illustrated by the known; divine truths by earthly things with which the people were most familiar.

“The Scripture says, ‘All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; … that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world’ (Matthew 13:34, 35). Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life-experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written word. Leading thus from the natural to the spiritual kingdom, Christ’s parables are links in the chain of truth that unites man with God, and earth with heaven.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 17, 18.

Thursday

5 THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH

  • What did Jesus come to do for humanity? John 1:14; 3:16, 17; Luke 19:10.

Note: “Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. ‘With His stripes we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5).” The Desire of Ages, 25.

  • How is the sinner considered by the Father when he believes in Jesus, His only begotten Son? John 1:12, 13; I John 3:1, 2.
  • What relationship is restored between the sinner and the Father through Christ? Galatians 4:5–7; Hebrews 2:10.

Note: “Christ is the uniting link in the golden chain which binds believers together in God. There must be no separating in this great testing time. The people of God are, ‘fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord’ (Ephesians 2:19–21). The children of God constitute one united whole in Christ, who presents His cross as the center of attraction. All who believe are one in Him.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 21.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What nature has Jesus possessed since eternity?

2 Who spread the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth?

3 From whom does all true life and light emanate?

4 What is Jesus called in Isaiah 7:14?

5 What did Jesus become upon assuming our human nature?

Copyright © 2016 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Editorial – Gods Many and Lords Many

by

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. … Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind. … Trees without fruit are cut down as cumberers of the ground.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80, 81.

We are rapidly approaching the time predicted in these sentences. Notice one of the descriptions of that time is that there will be gods many and lords many. Maybe we are already in such a time. If you desire to profess yourself to be a Christian, then you will arrange to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (See Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 2:38.)

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are all called God in the Bible. (See 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:8 and Acts 5:3, 4.)

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are also all called Lord in the Bible. (See Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 3:17.)

Both the Father and the Son are referred to many times in Scripture as being our Savior. (See Titus 3:4–6 and Luke 2:11.)

Inspiration makes it clear that the Father and the Son are two distinct persons.

“From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character.” The Youth’s Instructor, December 16, 1897.

Jesus “existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven.” The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906.

It requires, however, not only the Father and the Son for a human being to be saved but also the working of the Holy Spirit on the heart. This is what Jesus taught Nicodemus by night so long ago. (See John 3:5.)

“The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure.” The Desire of Ages, 671.