nature of Christ

In Relation to the Law

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In previous issues, we have explored how Satan uses deceptive reasoning, blending truth with error, to lead people astray. This deceptive reasoning can cloud our understanding of Christ’s human nature in relation to the law, and it is critical that we understand this relationship.

“The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people [the whole Seventh-day Adventist church], false ideas of justification by faith. I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point. The law of God has been largely dwelt upon, and has been presented to congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as was the offering of Cain.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 810

As we continue to examine this relationship, we find a number of texts that help make it clearer to the human mind. Here are just a few.

“… Your law is the truth.” Psalm 119:142, last part

“Jesus said … , ‘I am … the truth … .’ ” John 14:6, first part

Jesus says of Himself that He, as well as the law, represents the truth. In other words, He identifies Himself as a living, breathing example of the law in action. How?

“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8

“He [Jesus] was the embodiment of the law of God, which is the transcript of His character.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1131

“The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth.” Steps to Christ, 60

“My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.” Psalm 119:172

“Jesus is righteousness. What fullness is expressed in these words!” The Review and Herald, September 2, 1890

When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the righteous and loving nature of God. No longer governed by the law of righteousness, their nature was transformed into one governed by selfishness and pride. Man’s nature, once a beautiful reflection of the image of God, was marred and distorted, out of harmony with the character of God. Many believe that if Christ did not have a nature exactly like our own, then He would not be a sufficient example. Had Christ possessed our selfish nature and tendency to sin, then He would have had an imperfect character, would have been a sinner by nature, and could not be our Saviour. This mistaken belief that Christ possessed our selfish nature comes from a superficial knowledge and understanding of the law of God and leaves the mind beclouded regarding the true nature of Christ’s character.

Jesus’ human heart embodied His Father’s nature because the law of God, which also embodies God’s nature and righteousness, is inscribed in Jesus’ heart. Understanding the righteousness of Jesus is crucial for comprehending victory over sin, and this victory is impossible if we lack an understanding of Christ’s relationship to the law.

Flaws

The common belief that Jesus inherited mankind’s sinful, selfish nature, including its tendency to sin, is flawed. Remember, our human nature is governed by the law of selfishness, producing an imperfect character which is, therefore, sinful. If Christ had possessed even the smallest speck of selfishness in His nature and heart, then He could not have been the Lamb without blemish, the perfect sacrifice for man. The Bible says that Jesus was both fully human (Hebrews 2:17) and fully divine (Colossians 2:9). His perfect character, the embodiment of the law, pleased God. But Romans 8:8 says, “Those who are in the flesh [that is, have a carnal mind] cannot please God.” Jesus could not have our sinful nature else He could not have pleased God.

As God, Jesus could not be tempted nor could He die. In order for His life to be the perfect example of the life God has promised to man, it was necessary for Jesus, in His humanity, to take on man’s nature so that He could be tempted. As a human being, He received from His Father the same power promised to man by God that enables us to understand the temptations brought against us by Satan and ultimately to successfully resist them.

“It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin. The incarnation of Christ has ever been, and will ever remain a mystery. That which is revealed is for us and for our children, but let every human being be warned from the ground of making Christ altogether human, such an one as ourselves; for it cannot be.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1128, 1129

“… in Christ divinity was enthroned in humanity. The humanity of Christ could not be separated from His divinity.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 71

“In this conflict, the humanity of Christ was taxed as none of us will ever know.

“The Prince of life and the prince of darkness met in terrible conflict, but Satan was unable to gain the least advantage in word or in action. These were real temptations, no pretense. Christ ‘suffered being tempted.’ ” Christ Triumphant, 196

“The humanity of Christ received the fallen foe and engaged in battle with him. He was sustained in the conflict by divine power just as man will be sustained by his being a partaker of the divine nature.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 183

“Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrongdoing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and everyone who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 330

Accepting erroneous definitions of the word sinful strengthens the misunderstanding that many hold regarding sin. There are those who define sinful as acting on a person’s propensity or tendency toward sin, but this definition is lacking. Correctly understood, the term sinful encompasses more than actions; it also includes the intentions of the heart.

“God does not deal with actions so much as with the heart that prompts them.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 4, 440

Sin and Righteousness

The law of God requires righteousness—a perfect life and character—which humanity does not possess (The Desire of Ages, 762). An inherited tendency [a predisposition] towards wrongdoing is sin because such because such inherited tendencies proceed from a selfish heart and selfishness is sin. Therefore, the belief that Jesus was born with our sinful nature results in misinterpreting the Bible’s definition of sin to mean that the sinful tendency of the heart is only sin when the person acts on it, but selfishness itself is transgression of the law of God, which commands love in the place of selfishness.

Jesus taught that the essence of the law is loving God with all of one’s heart, soul, and mind, leaving no room for divided affections (Selected Messages, Book 3, 330). This principle applies universally; therefore, by nature, humans—devoid of divine love—harbor no love at all for God. Inherently sinful, humans violate God’s law by having a sinful nature, even before any act is committed (The Review and Herald, March 12, 1901; Matthew 5:21, 22).

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines sinful as something “tainted with sin” or “containing sin.” This definition aligns with the Bible, suggesting that being sinful refers to both a state of being and its resultant actions. If being tainted means to be filled with something, then the tainted state of being of man’s nature is a nature filled with sin. Other dictionaries also offer a meaning of the suffix ful as having a tendency toward, which falls short of describing an actual act. Describing the human condition as having a tendency toward sin rather than being filled with sin is misleading. In other words, I am not sinful only because I do bad things; I do bad things because I am sinful—filled with sin.

So, why is humanity predisposed to sin? Disobedience perverted humanity’s noble powers and pure thoughts, replacing love with selfishness, making man’s nature carnal and antagonistic to God’s law.

  1. At the Fall, Satan gained control of man’s will.
  2. Selfishness took the place of love in man’s heart and became the ruling principle in his life.
  3. Man became carnal, a partaker of the satanic nature.
  4. Man’s appetites and passions were perverted and became warring lusts within the heart.

“Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love.” Steps to Christ, 17

This terrible transaction took place in the heart. The words heart and mind are used interchangeably to mean the place where a man’s affections are found. When man sinned, his affections became carnal, and his entire nature was changed from divine to satanic, from the image of God into the image of Satan. “You must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 515. This is why man, left to his natural inclinations, tends toward sin.

The Will

But when the will—the governing power of the mind (The Ministry of Healing, 176)—is surrendered to God, one gains control over his thoughts, impulses, and affections.

“The tempted one needs to understand the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man—the power of decision, of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. Desires for goodness and purity are right, so far as they go; but if we stop here, they avail nothing. Many will go down to ruin while hoping and desiring to overcome their evil propensities. They do not yield the will to God. They do not choose to serve Him.

“God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise. We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We cannot make ourselves pure, fit for God’s service. But we can choose to serve God.” The Ministry of Healing, 176

This choice to serve God brings the rest of our nature under Christ’s direction. Inspiration stresses that our daily choices determine whether our will aligns with Satan or Christ (Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, 210). Choosing to be fully surrendered to God results in a transformation and renewal of our human nature, restoring His image within us.

In contrast, the natural human heart, filled with warring lusts due to the Fall (Pacific Health Journal, February 1, 1902), tends toward sin, which originates from within. This tendency arises because man’s mind and nature are dominated by sin and Satan’s influence. And sadly, many will lose eternal life, all the while hoping to be saved because they did not overcome their propensities to evil. They did not choose to serve God.

Mrs. White indicates that while flesh can describe the physical body, distinguished from the spirit or the soul, it is also used to describe the naturally carnal mental condition of the heart of an unconverted person. These are two very different things. And too often, many mistakenly equate man’s physical flesh with his sinful nature, leading to the erroneous conclusion that Christ shared our inherent tendency toward sin. However, Inspiration consistently portrays Christ’s human nature, though capable of yielding to temptation, as being without any taint of sin, showing that He did not possess our carnal mind.

“Here we must not become in our ideas common and earthly, and in our perverted ideas we must not think that the liability of Christ to yield to Satan’s temptations degraded His humanity and He possessed the same sinful, corrupt propensities as man.

“The divine nature, combined with the human, made Him capable of yielding to Satan’s temptations. Here the test to Christ was far greater than that of Adam and Eve, for Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God. To suppose He was not capable of yielding to temptation places Him where He cannot be a perfect example for man, and the force and the power of this part of Christ’s humiliation, which is the most eventful, is no instruction or help to human beings.

“But the facts of this history are not fable, but a living, acting, experience. [To deny this] would rob Jesus of His greatest glory—allegiance to God—which enshrouded Him as a garment in this world on the field of battle with the relentless foe, and He is not reckoned with the transgressor. He descended in His humiliation to be tempted as man would be tempted, and His nature was that of man, capable of yielding to temptation. His very purity and holiness were assailed by a fallen foe, the very one that became corrupted and then was ejected from heaven. How deeply and keenly must Christ have felt this humiliation.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182, 183

Preparation

A correct understanding of Christ’s true nature is pivotal for preparation for His second coming. As believers, recognizing the right relationship between Christ’s human nature and the righteousness of the law is fundamental to achieving a victorious Christian life.

“He who becomes a partaker of the divine nature will be in harmony with God’s great standard of righteousness, His holy law. This is the rule by which God measures the actions of men. This will be the test of character in the judgment.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 314

“The law requires righteousness—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can ‘be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.’ Romans 3:26. …

“By His life and His death, Christ proved that God’s justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could be forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be perfectly obeyed. Satan’s charges were refuted. God had given man unmistakable evidence of His love.” The Desire of Ages, 762

“The Son of God endured the wrath of God against sin. All the accumulated sin of the world was laid upon the Sin-Bearer, the One who was innocent, the One who alone could be the propitiation for sin, because He Himself was obedient. He was one with God. Not a taint of corruption was upon Him. … For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted.” The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897

Christ was the perfect combination of the divine and the human. He did not come to this world to show the universe what God could do, but what man could do by the power and grace given to him by God Almighty (Selected Messages, Book 3, 140). By faith, and constant surrender of his will to God, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature, and is able to overcome every temptation.

“The Lord Jesus has bridged the gulf that sin has made. He has connected earth with heaven, and finite man with the infinite God. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, could only keep the commandments of God in the same way that humanity can keep them. ‘Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust’ (2 Peter 1:4). …

“Christ took upon Himself humanity, and laid down His life a sacrifice, that man, by becoming a partaker of the divine nature, might have eternal life. … He was innocent of all guilt. He gave Himself in exchange for the people who had sold themselves to Satan by transgression of God’s law—His life for the life of the human family, who thereby became His purchased possession.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 140, 141

Because of His love, life, and sacrifice, Christ enables us to be like Him. We need not fear Satan nor his devious ways. As long as our will remains surrendered to God, as we seek to do His will only and always, and with our hand firmly clasped in His, the devil can do nothing to harm us.

“Unless Christ should consent to temptation, He could not be overcome. Not all the power of earth or hell could force Him in the slightest degree to depart from the will of His Father.” The Desire of Ages, 125

And it is this same power that is offered to us. As our will “cooperates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent [all powerful].” Christ’s Object Lessons, 333

“The tempter can never compel us to do evil. He cannot control minds unless they are yielded to his control. The will must consent, faith must let go its hold upon Christ, before Satan can exercise his power upon us. But every sinful desire we cherish affords him a foothold. Every point in which we fail of meeting the divine standard is an open door by which he can enter to tempt and destroy us. And every failure or defeat on our part gives occasion for him to reproach Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 125

It is our life’s work to choose, repent, surrender, and trust. Only then can we be assured that the law of God will be written in our hearts, that our nature will once again be governed by God’s love and righteousness, and then we will soon be with Him forever.

“The world’s Redeemer was treated as we deserve to be treated, in order that we might be treated as He deserved to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins upon His own divine soul, that we might receive His imputed righteousness. 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. The world’s Redeemer gave Himself for us.” The Review and Herald, March 21, 1893

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

The Spiritual Nature of the Law

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We have studied many things regarding the mystery of godliness. Our eternal destiny is directly affected by this sacred subject.

God gave to Martin Luther, one of the great heroes of faith, the work of reminding the entire Christian world of the doctrine of justification by faith. This important doctrine had been almost forgotten, and Christians needed to be brought back to an understanding of it.

Let’s say this very clearly: Justification by faith is the only way that we can be saved. It doesn’t matter what you do, how religious you are, that you go to church and pay tithe, how much you sing and pray, how much you read your Bible, or the amount of missionary work and good deeds you do, unless you are justified by faith you are lost.

“The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of justification by faith.” Faith and Works, 18. Mrs. White wrote this in 1888, at a time of great crisis in the Adventist church. Even today, we are in danger of accepting false ideas regarding justification by faith. Have we seen that in the Christian world, in Adventism, today? “I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point.” Ibid. It is the devil’s direct purpose to muddy the spiritual waters as much as he possibly can. He takes special measures, especially on this point, to bring in confusion.

Even though some people will say that Mrs. White wrote more than a hundred years ago, thus these counsels were for her time, they are, in fact, just as true today as when she first wrote them. “The law of God has been largely dwelt upon and has been presented to congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as was the offering of Cain.” Ibid. As bad as the offering of Cain? That is a strong rebuke. We must have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the ten commandments.

For over 40 years after the above statement was written, Adventist ministers preached the three angels’ messages, God’s last message of warning and mercy to the world. The Second Advent Movement was to reach out to a fallen world that was, and still is, rapidly heading toward destruction. The three angels’ messages offered to the people of the world a choice—listen and have life; don’t and be destroyed.

Seldom is there anything revealed that is more important than when God says to listen. We have a problem with listening. Adam and Eve didn’t listen. Cain didn’t listen. The people of the Antediluvian world didn’t listen. The people of Sodom didn’t listen. People today are listening, just not to God. Messages are being given by strange voices, but they are not messages from heaven. These voices are so attractive. They say that man will not die. They say that man can know everything that God knows. They say that man can be and do and have whatever he wants. They say that man can be like God. But these voices are lying, and they lead all who listen to them to destruction.

Ellen White was a prophet. God spoke to her and gave her visions regarding the things He needed for her to share with His people. “I have been shown that many have been kept from the faith because of the mixed, confused ideas of salvation, because the ministers have worked in a wrong manner to reach hearts.” Ibid. She is talking about Seventh-day Adventist ministers in this passage. Sadly, many people have been kept from accepting Jesus as their Saviour because of what these ministers have taught. What a terrible indictment against Adventist ministers!

How much is salvation worth to you? What would it mean if you could have a life with God that would never end—a life with no pain or sorrow, no death or funerals, no troubles or disappointments, no violence—instead there would be songs and praises, everlasting joy and gladness? Then it should be important to us to have a correct understanding of salvation.

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, speaking of the last days, said that there will be many Christians who would think they were saved, but who, in fact, would be lost. They would come right up to the very end, believing that they were doing the work of God, only to find out it wasn’t true.

“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

They are absolutely sure that they are saved. They have prophesied, cast out demons, performed miracles and wonders, all in the name of Jesus. Their prophesies have come true, and when they admonished demons, they departed. They healed the sick and did many other miraculous things. But here is the problem:

“And then I declared to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ ” Verse 23. In spite of all the things they have done, believing that the power was coming from Jesus, He says He did not know them at all. Why? Because they were still sinning. So where was the power to perform all these things coming from? The devil can give prophesies and then make them come true. He can make people sick and then heal them. A demon can certainly allow himself to be cast out so that it looks like the work of the Holy Spirit. These Christians had a power, but it wasn’t a power from God. They had claimed to have worshipped God for years, but Jesus will say that He doesn’t know them.

The Greek word anti plus the Greek word Christos is anti-Christos. From these two Greek words comes our word antichrist. Friend, there is an antichrist in the world. The Greek word anti in its primitive sense means “someone who stands in the place of someone or something else.”

The apostle John writes that there are many antichrists who have stood and are standing in the place of Christ (1 John 2:22). The chief antichrist is the devil. Revelation predicts that a time is coming when almost the whole world will think they are worshiping Christ, but they will be worshiping the antichrist.

How can you tell whether you are worshiping Christ or the antichrist? Matthew 7:23, last part, tells us. “ ‘Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” These people who claim to be Christians are breaking God’s law. The antichrist teaches people to break God’s law. Christ teaches people to keep God’s law. “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” 1 John 3:6. Those who transgress God’s law do not know Jesus and Jesus does not know them.

The Bible is clear that sin is the transgression of the law. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil.” Verses 4–8, first part. If I am living in sin, I am serving the devil, not Christ. Everyone who is living in sin is a child of the devil. “… the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Verse 8, last part

Christ came to this world as a man to destroy sin. It was decided thousands of years ago that sin could not be tolerated and would have to be destroyed. He has allowed it to continue for so long so that the entire universe can see just how bad sin really is, how it destroys lives.

God hasn’t destroyed sin yet because there are people all around the world who have sin in them. If He destroyed sin now, then they would be destroyed, too. God doesn’t want to destroy anyone, but anyone who clings to sin will be destroyed when sin is destroyed. There is only one way to avoid the destruction that will come when sin is destroyed: if we allow Jesus to take the sin out of us. Understand, I can never take the sin out of myself. Neither can you take the sin out of yourself.

When I was a child, people didn’t understand this. They thought if they prayed enough and studied their Bibles enough, if they went to church every Sabbath and paid their tithe, if they told people about Jesus, that sin would be booted out of their lives. But there is no amount of praying, studying, church attending, tithe paying, or witnessing that will remove sin from my life. All of these things are needful, and are the outworking of a transformed life, but by themselves, they will not remove sin from my life. Only God can take the sin out of me and replace it with the righteousness of Jesus in my heart. That is why Jesus died on the cross. Without His death, it would have been impossible for God to take the sin out of me.

Romans 6:23 tells us, that ”the wages of sin is death.” Death is the natural consequence of sin, so when a person sins, they are guilty and cannot receive eternal life. Jesus died on the cross to bear my guilt for me and free me from the penalty of sin.

“The point that has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ.” Faith and Works, 18. That is how God takes the sin out. There are several things that have to happen. What should happen when a person sins? They should die. Remember, “The wages of sin is death.” That is the natural consequence of sin—if you are guilty of sin you deserve death and you cannot be given eternal life. So, the first thing that has to happen if you are going to have eternal life is the guilt in your conscience has to be removed. Sin and the guilt we bear is so awful that the only way it could be removed was for Jesus Christ to die on the cross, bearing your guilt for you.

“I have wondered that this matter was not made the subject of discourses in our churches throughout the land, when the matter has been kept so constantly urged upon me, and I have made it the subject of nearly every discourse and talk that I have given to the people.” Ibid.

Let’s look at the following three points to help us better understand Jesus’ relationship to God’s law.

  1. We must understand the spiritual nature of the law. The main thrust of the Sermon on the Mount was the spirituality of the law (Romans 7:14).
  2. We want to understand Jesus Christ and His relationship to the law—the ten commandments (The Signs of the Times, November 15, 1899).
  3. If you don’t understand the first two points, here’s what will happen:
  4. You will have a wrong idea about justification by faith.
  5. If you have a wrong idea about justification by faith, you will have a wrong idea about sanctification.
  6. If you have a wrong idea about sanctification, you will not know what to do to be ready for Jesus to come.

The foundation of truth in all of these doctrines begins with a correct understanding of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the law. Before a sinner is justified, he must be convicted of sin and confess it.

The experience of Paul reveals that it is the moral law that brings conviction of sin. “I was alive once without the law.” Romans 7:9, first part. Paul had been taught by Gamaliel. He was a strict Pharisee. In the Jewish church, he was called a doctor of the law and a teacher of it. He could quote the law perfectly in three languages. He could explain all the tenants of the ten commandments. But in this text, Paul admits, without realizing it, that he did not understand the spiritual nature of the law. He knew the words, but he did not know the part the law played in the spiritual transformation of his heart.

Paul engaged in hunting down, persecuting, and killing Christians, breaking the sixth commandment in the name of God, until one day, as he journeyed along the Damascus Road, on his way to hunt down more Christians, God struck him down. A brilliant light shone all around him, brighter than the sun. He fell to the ground, and he “heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ ” Acts 9:4–6

Before he truly understood the law, Paul believed that he was doing God’s work. He believed he was a good Jew, a good Pharisee, doing good work in hunting down those who allegedly spread blasphemy—those who, in Paul’s view, were sinners. Although most of the people of this world, because of their sins, are children of the devil, and yet, they still belong to God. The way we treat them, shows how we would treat Jesus. Thus unknowingly, Paul’s treatment of faithful Christians reveals how he might have treated Christ.

“ ‘Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.” ‘Then they also will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?” Then He will answer them, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ ” Matthew 25:41–46

Paul is saying in Romans 7:9 that, for the first time in his life, the law revealed to his conscience that he was a sinful man. Only then did he begin to understand the spiritual nature of the law. He never understood it before. He lived in the world without the law, but now he was able to see himself as he truly was—a sinner with a character filled with sin. He believed himself to be a righteous person, but the law showed him that he was exactly the opposite. What was his response to this revelation? “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.” Recognizing that he is totally devoid of righteousness, devoid of all spiritual life, he says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” Verse 18, first part

“The law revealed to Paul his defects of character; but he did not seek to abolish the law because he stood condemned before it. He said, ‘I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came [home to his conscience], sin [in his character] revived, and I died. … Wherefore the law [that worked so sharply against the natural propensities] is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.’ To his quickened conscience, sin became exceedingly sinful. This is the work of the law and the Holy Spirit, that convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Home Missionary, October 1, 1897

When the moral law comes home to the conscience and the spiritual nature of the law is discerned, the sinner will realize that he is condemned because of his natural, sinful propensities. Notice the law not only convicts of sin, it also convicts of the righteousness found only in Jesus.

“Even the moral law fails of its purpose, unless it is understood in its relation to the Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 608

If we fail to recognize this relationship, we are in danger of embracing false ideas of justification by faith. Many today fail to recognize the relationship between Christ and the law, and therefore, they are not convicted that man is born a sinner. The definition of sin is limited to simply a choice. They deny that we have sin within—that we are sinners by nature—so they ascribe to the humanity of Christ the same sinful flesh [carnal nature] that we inherited from Adam.

Jude warns us against this danger—ascribing our sinful nature to Christ’s humanity—admonishing us to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.

My dear friend, the plan of salvation provides for the removal of sin from your life. Jesus, more than anything else in the world wants to take the sin out of your life so that He can replace it with His righteousness, and give you eternal life.

Are you willing to let Him do it? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to allow Jesus to come into your heart and mind and change you? To save you requires a creative act of God. He speaks and our sinfulness is removed and He creates in us a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit, a new character.

“Behold! I stand at the door and knock.”

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

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.