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

January 30, 2019September 27, 2018 by Hermann Kesten

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When God’s People Will Be Sealed

January 5, 2018 by John J. Grosboll

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.