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Study notes: https://phm.org/who-are-the-three-highest-powers/

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02:10 - John Nevins Andrews 06:11 - James White 09:14 - Joseph Bates 13:17 - J.N. Loughborough 17:08 - J.H. Waggoner 21:13 - Uriah Smith

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1) Who or what is Babylon?

2) What does its fall signify?

This message ties in the message of Revelation 14:8 with what the SoP calls "The Shaking".

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As the inhabitants of Earth fall deeper into spiritual darkness, unready for the crisis ahead, God is working mightily to prepare a people who will stand true to Him, to finish the work and to “shine as the brightness of the firmament,” turning others to righteousness. The time has come for God’s people to return to a form of primitive godliness and experience true revival and reformation, and prepare for the shaking.

“The Shaking” — a series of meetings streaming live on April 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2019. Join Dr. Allen Davis, Pastor Daniel Mesa, and Thomas Akens for this LIVE streaming event as they explore the Three Angels’ messages and learn how, when properly proclaimed, they will bring the long-awaited Shaking.

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Notes:

I. Born or Bred? 1. Stating the problem

a. Romans 8:5-8 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit [mind] the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

2. What is man composed of? a. Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” 3. What does the word ‘soul’ mean?

a. 1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

b. James 3:15 “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” 4. What did the Lord provide give man, in order to keep his soul in balance?

a. Genesis 2:8a, 15 “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; . . . And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” i. Ed, p. 21.2 “Useful occupation was appointed them as a blessing, to strengthen the

body, to expand the mind, and to develop the character.” ◦ Lt22c-1890.9 “No single action makes a man’s character; it is through the repetition of actions that the character is formed; for repeated action form habits, and habits become character.” ◦ COL, 356.2 “Thus actions repeated form habits, habits form character, and by the character our destiny for time and for eternity is decided.”

II. Whom mindest thou? 1. What was man’s estate in Eden?

a. PP, p. 53.1 “Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation; their happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to the Creator’s law. They could obey and live, or disobey and perish.”

b. James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried [Grk. approved], he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

2. What caused man’s fall? a. Genesis 3:6 “. . . the woman . . . she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” b. Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” c. James 1:14 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”

3. How is the word ‘mind’ (Rom 8:5-8) defined by Scripture?

a. Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” b. Matthew 16:23 “. . . thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” c. Philippians 3:19 “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” 4. What does it mean to ‘mind’ carnal or earthly things?

a. 2 Timothy 3:2, 4 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

b. John 8:23, 38, 41, 44 “And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.” “Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” “Ye are of your father the devil, . . .”

5. How are we to form righteous characters? a. PrT Nov. 3, 1885, par. 8 “It is your own efforts, through Christ, which will bring you perfection of Christian character. When a path of duty is opened before you, you are not to consult your own convenience, but by living faith you are to walk in the path of humble obedience. All who enter heaven will do so as conquerors. You will have a battle to fight; you will have to overcome difficulties by strong, determined effort. But eternal life is worth a life-long, persevering effort.”

b. YI Dec. 15, 1886, par. 4 “Let the youth ever remember that there is something to es- cape, evils to shun. God has given his children faculties, the right employment of which would make them happy. The Lord never designed that they should be employed for our destruction. The structure of a strong, well-balanced character is made by a faithful performance of individual acts of duty in little things. . . . Your deportment, the spirit and feel- ings that you cherish, care and thoughtfulness in the things which are least in every-day life, form the true test of character.”

6. How is ‘duty’ defined by James? a. James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

III. “Temptation is not sin” 1. How does James describe temptation?

a. James 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

2. Is temptation sin? a. ST, Dec. 10, 1902 par. 8 “Temptation is not sin; the sin lies in yielding. To the soul that

trusts in Jesus, temptation means victory and greater strength.” b. Ms70-1894.4 “Remember that however trying the circumstances in which a man may be placed, nothing can really weaken his soul so long as he does not yield to temptation, but maintains his own integrity. The interests most vital to you individually are in your own keeping. No one can damage them without your consent. All the satanic legions cannot injure you unless you open your soul to the arrows of Satan. As long as you are firm to do right, your ruin can never take place. If there is not pollution of mind in your- self, all the surrounding pollution cannot taint and defile you.”

3. Does the flesh tempt us? a. Romans 7:21-23 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

4. Wherein lies our strength against temptation & sin? a. SC.47.1 “What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise.”

b. AA.482.1-2 “Man is to make earnest efforts to overcome that which hinders him from attaining to perfection. But he is wholly dependent upon God for success. Human effort of itself is not sufficient. Without the aid of divine power it avails nothing. God works and man works. Resistance of temptation must come from man, who must draw his power from God. On the one side there is infinite wisdom, compassion, and power; on the other, weakness, sinfulness, absolute helplessness.”

IV. The Way of escape 1. Is there a way of escape?

a. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

b. 2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, . . .” 2. How is this ‘way of escape’ described to us?

a. Romans 7:24-25 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

b. Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

c. 4SP.324-325 “God declares, ‘I will put enmity.’ This enmity is not naturally entertained. When man transgressed the divine law, his nature became evil, and he was in harmony, and not at variance, with Satan. There exists naturally no enmity between sinful man and the originator of sin.

“Had not God specially interposed, Satan and man would have entered into an alliance against Heaven; and instead of cherishing enmity against Satan, the whole human family would have been united in opposition to God. “But when Satan heard the declaration that enmity should exist between himself and the woman, and between his seed and her seed, he knew that his efforts to deprave human nature would be interrupted; that by some means man was to be enabled to resist his power.

“The grace that Christ implants in the soul creates the enmity against Satan. Without this converting grace and renewing power, man would continue the captive of Satan, a servant ever ready to do his bidding.

“But the new principle in the soul creates conflict where hitherto had been peace. The power which Christ imparts, enables man to resist the tyrant and usurper. Whoever is seen to abhor sin instead of loving it, whoever resists and conquers those passions that have held sway within, displays the operation of a principle wholly from above.”

3. Where do we see this enmity perfectly displayed? a. ST, May 10, 1899, par. 9 “Amid impurity, Christ maintained His purity. Satan could not stain or corrupt it. His character revealed a perfect hatred for sin.” b. Psalm 40:7-8 “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” 4. How is this enmity implanted into human hearts?

a. Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” 5. What does this new heart create in man?

a. Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: . . .” b. Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: . . .”

V. The origin of original sin 1. How was sin brought into our world?

a. Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

2. What is meant by ‘sin’? a. RH, Apr. 5, 1898, par. 9 “. . . when they [Adam & Eve] accepted the assertions of Satan, which were false, disobedience and transgression were introduced into our world. This disobedience to God’s express command, this belief of Satan’s lie, opened the floodgates of woe upon the world. Satan has continued the work begun in the Garden of Eden.”

3. How was Adam’s sin perpetuated? a. Genesis 4:8 “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” 4. What do Cain & Abel represent?

a. ST, Sep. 11, 1884, par. 4 “Cain and Abel represent two classes of men that have existed from generation to generation, and will continue to exist to the close of time.”

5. How are the ways of these two sons of Adam contrasted? a. PP.72.2 “So far as birth and religious instruction were concerned, these brothers were

equal. Both were sinners, and both acknowledged the claims of God to reverence and worship. To outward appearance their religion was the same up to a certain point, but beyond this the difference between the two was great.”

b. Jude 1:11, 19 “. . . the way of Cain, . . . separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

c. Genesis 4:16 “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, . . .” d. Matthew 23:35 “. . . righteous Abel . . .” e. Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

f. PP.71.1 “Abel had a spirit of loyalty to God; he saw justice and mercy in the Creator’s dealings with the fallen race, and gratefully accepted the hope of redemption.”

6. Where did original sin originate? a. Ms8-1888.6 “Well, you say, it was Adam’s sin. You say, I am not guilty of that, and I am not responsible for his guilt and fall. Here all these natural tendencies are in me, and I am not to blame if I act out these natural tendencies. Who is to blame? Is God? Why did God let Satan have this power over human nature? These are accusations against the God of Heaven, and He will give you an opportunity, if you want it, of finally bringing your accusations against Him; then He will bring His accusations against you, when you are brought into His court of judgment.”

b. ST August 29, 1892, par. 2 “There are many who in their hearts murmur against God. They say, ‘We inherit the fallen nature of Adam, and are not responsible for our natural imperfections.’ They find fault with God’s requirements, and complain that he demands what they have no power to give. Satan made the same complaint in heaven, but such thoughts dishonor God.”

7. Did God predestine men to failure & death? a. PP. 72.4 “Cain had the same opportunity of learning and accepting these truths as had

Abel. He was not the victim of an arbitrary purpose. One brother was not elected to be accepted of God, and the other to be rejected. Abel chose faith and obedience; Cain, unbelief and rebellion. Here the whole matter rested.”

b. SW April 28, 1908, par. 5 “There is no nature so rebellious that Christ cannot subdue it, no temper so stormy that he cannot quell it, if the heart is surrendered to his keeping. Those who are overcome have only themselves to blame.”

VI. What shall we say?

1. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” – US National Archives. 2. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 3. 2 Timothy 2:14-15 “Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the

Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

4. Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Notes: https://phm.org/the-simple-on-the-sinful-thomas-akens/

Notes:

Romans 8:3

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Likeness:

g3667. ὁμοίωμα homoiōma; from 3666; a form; abstractly, resemblance: — made like to, likeness, shape, similitude.

AV (6) – likeness 3, made like to 1, similitude 1, shape 1;

Philippians 2:7

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are their wants, and where lies the strength of their temptations. The weakness of our human nature will not bar our access to the heavenly Father; for Christ was tempted in all points like as we are, “yet without sin.” {ST October 7, 1897, par. 10} (Heb. 4:15)

Think of Christ’s humiliation. He took upon himself fallen, suffering human nature, degraded and defiled by sin. {YI December 20, 1900, par. 7}

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. {Ms57-1890.11}

1 John 3:5

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble. {GC 623.1}

James 1:14-15

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

“The prince of this world cometh,” said Jesus, “and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ’s humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character. {DA 123.3}

A plain, simple but liberal diet of fruits, vegetables and grains is the best for those who are preparing for the work of God. The lower nature, with all its inclinations, must be subdued and crucified, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. It is absolutely necessary for Christians to keep the body under, bringing it into subjection, and uprooting every affection and impulse which is contrary to the will of God. The food which we eat will help or hinder us in doing this. {Ms47-1896.26}

The lower passions have their seat in the body and work through it. The words “flesh” or “fleshly” or “carnal lusts” [1 Peter 2:11] embrace the lower, corrupt nature; the flesh of itself cannot act contrary to the will of God. We are commanded to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts. How shall we do it? Shall we inflict pain on the body? No; but put to death the temptation to sin. The corrupt thought is to be expelled. Every thought is to be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. All animal propensities are to be subjected to the higher powers of the soul. The love of God must reign supreme; Christ must occupy an undivided throne. Our bodies are to be regarded as His purchased possession. The members of the body are to become the instruments of righteousness. {Ms1-1888.10}

I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” That he might not run uncertainly or at random in the Christian race, Paul subjected himself to severe training. The words, “I keep under my body,” literally mean to beat back by severe discipline the desires, impulses, and passions. {AA 314.1}

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. {DA 125.2}

When Satan quoted the promise, “He shall give His angels charge over Thee,” he omitted the words, “to keep Thee in all Thy ways;” that is, in all the ways of God’s choosing. Jesus refused to go outside the path of obedience. {DA 125.3}

Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. {PH117 28.2}

How little we appreciate this fact. Actions make habits, and habits, character, and if we do not guard our habits, we shall not be qualified to unite with heavenly agencies in the work of salvation, nor be prepared to enter the heavenly mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare; for no one will be there except those who have surrendered their will and way to God’s will and way. He whose character is proved, who has stood the test of trial, who is a partaker of the divine nature, will be among those whom Christ pronounces blessed. {RH December 8, 1891, par. 10}

Pure religion has to do with the will. The will is the governing power in the nature of man. If the will is set right, all the rest of the man will come under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the choice, the deciding power; the kingly power which works in the children of men unto obedience to God or to disobedience. {Lt49-1887.12}

Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right. In every experience of life God’s word to us is, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Joshua 24:15. Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil. {CG 209.3}

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. {MH 176.1}

In the work of redemption there is no compulsion. No external force is employed. Under the influence of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve. In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom. The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself. {DA 466.4}

The heavenly intelligences will work with the human agent who seeks with determined faith that perfection of character which will reach out to perfection in action. To everyone engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you. {COL 332.4}

As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings. {COL 333.1}

Let every one who desires to be a partaker of the divine nature, appreciate the fact that he must escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. There must be a constant, earnest struggling of the soul against the evil imaginings of the mind. There must be a steadfast resistance of temptation to sin in thought or act. The soul must be kept from every stain, through faith in Him who is able to keep you from falling. We should meditate upon the Scriptures, thinking soberly and candidly upon the things that pertain to our eternal salvation. {RH June 12, 1888, par. 4}

But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected. {COL 331.1}

2 Corinthians 10:5

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Hebrews 4:15

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Notes: https://phm.org/sinful-flesh-dustin-butler/

A response to the trinitarian symposium held in the Central California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

A response to the trinitarian symposium held in the Central California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Notes:

Article by Norman Gulley

with a response in red by Daniel Mesa

Published on: 03-01-2018

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of salvation.”1 This took place in heaven prior to the agreement that Christ would function as the Savior.2

Notice the context:

“It is the glory of the gospel that it is founded upon the principle of restoring in the fallen race the divine image by a constant manifestation of benevolence. This work began in the heavenly courts. There God decided to give human beings unmistakable evidence of the love with which He regarded them. He “so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. CH 222.1 The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more. With Christ He gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting in the plan for man’s uplifting. Here is love—the contemplation of which should fill the soul with inexpressible gratitude! Oh, what love, what matchless love! The contemplation of this love will cleanse the soul from all selfishness. It will lead the disciple to deny self, take up the cross, and follow the Redeemer.” CH 222.2

The Godhead is never mentioned as more-than-one-being-together-to-make-up-the-Godhead in the writings of the Bible or those of EGW. Notice:

“The Father can not 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 in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here is shown the personality of the Father.” BTS March 1, 1906, par. 1

Independent of one another, the Father and/or the Son are all the fullness of the Godhead. They do not need each other to make up a Godhead, therefore, the word Godhead should be understood as “divinity” (the actual translation of each of the three uses in the Bible: Strong’s G2304, G2305, G2320).

Ellen White continues her thought:

“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 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.” BTS March 1, 1906, par. 2

Matthew 28:20 makes it clear that Christ is the one who would be with His disciples until the end of the age. Mark 16:19-20 makes it clear that Christ was the one working with His disciples after His ascension. Paul understood as well that Christ in His disciples is the “hope of glory.” He also mentioned being crucified with Christ, nevertheless, it was Christ that lived in him.

Galatians 4:6 says, “Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

Concerning Christ, the coming Messiah, Scripture says His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). The preincarnate Christ is the “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father” (Isa. 9:6). “Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity,” writes Ellen White.3 No wonder Christ knew He was “equal with God” (Phil. 2:6). Christ “was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent,” notes Ellen White, and “Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity,” “a distinct person.”4

Micah 5:2 is used in conjunction with Proverbs 8:22-30 by EGW. Notice one of them:

“The prophet Micah writes of Him, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, tho thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” ST August 29, 1900, par. 13 Through Solomon Christ declared: “The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth…. When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment; when He appointed the foundations of the earth; then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” ST August 29, 1900, par. 14

You’ll notice there are only two times the Hebrew phrase “goings forth” is used. Once in Micah 5:2, and “They brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day” 2 Kings 10:27. The word H4163 in Hebrew Strong’s means, “family descent; also a sewer (marg.; compare 6675):—draught house; going forth.” When comparing H6675, we come away with “excrement” translated “dung.”

I’d rather think that Eve’s ‘going forth’ from Adam’s side is a better illustration of Christ’s being “brought forth” from the Father, as stated in Proverbs 8. Nevertheless, that’s what is being said in Strong’s Concordance.

There is also the idea of the stone being cut out of the mountain without hands. This could easily fit along side the idea of Eve being brought forth from the side of Adam, and the Lord’s “goings forth” from the Father. “The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person.” RH July 9, 1895, par. 13

Christ is called the “Mighty God,” but never the “Almighty God.” In Revelation 1:4, John called the Father “Almighty” whereas in verse 8 John referred to the Son as the “Alpha and Omega…” which was stated by the Father, “the Almighty.” Also, because God created all things through His Son, His Son is the father to us all, but He is not His Father’s Father.

Christ glory with the Father “from all eternity” is vert different compared to when she uses the phrases “through eternity” or “throughout eternity.” Christ was from eternity, we will praise Him throughout eternity. We should check for ourselves that through and throughout eternity are always future tenses in the writings of EGW.

Christ was equal with God, as stated in Philippians 2:6, because He was in “the form of God,” as He later came in “the form of a servant” (vs 7).

How was Christ equal with God?

“God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son.” 8T 268.3

Yes, Christ was with God and was God in the highest sense—just as Eve was with Adam and was adam (human, See Genesis 5:2) in the highest sense. Just as Eve was brought forth from Adam and was completely human, so the Son was brought forth from the Father as is completely divine.

“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.” YI December 16, 1897, par. 5

“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.”5 Fellowship means a relationship with each other. Jesus declared to Martha at the death of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life. . . . Whoever . . . believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25). Ellen White comments: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12, KJV. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.”6

“In speaking of His pre-existence” is prefaced in the original article by the above quote from ST August 29, 1900, par. 13-14. It’s impossible to understand this statement without first understanding what the author meant by Christ’s being brought forth. Also, the paragraph in question is not referring to the eternal existence of Christ, but rather is taking the mind—not back through eternity past, but rather through dateless ages—and His “close fellowship with the eternal God.” There is a marked differentiation made between the phrases “dateless ages” and the “eternal.”

Yes, IN Christ was life… That’s what the Bible says, “IN Him was life.” The Father was IN Christ, “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Consider the previous verse of 1 John 5:11 before extrapolating verse 12, “this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” If we have the life that God the Father has given, then we too have life “original, unborrowed, and underived.” This is proven by this statement, written one year prior to the publication of The Desire of Ages.

““In him was life; and the life was the light of men”. It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the lifegiver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from him. “I lay it down of myself”, he said. In him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent”. This is the open fountain of life for the world.” ST April 8, 1897, par. 2

When on earth, Christ was confronted by Pharisees about His age. He said to them: “I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Commenting on this claim, Ellen White writes: “Silence fell on 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 the Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been of old, from the days of eternity.’ ”7 “Self-existent” means having original life, underived from anyone else.

Yes, Christ is self-existent. How? “As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26). Consider 8T 268.3 above.

Notice the words in this quote:

““God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,”—not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” ST May 30, 1895, par. 3

What about the Holy Spirit? “We need to realize that the Holy Spirit . . . is as much a person as God is a person.”8 The Holy Spirit is “the Third Person of the Godhead,”9 and “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, [are] the three holy dignitaries of heaven.”10 “The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit.”11

This “as much a person as God is a person” phrase was written by a stenographer after a speech given to students by Ellen White at Avondale College in Australia. These were not words written by EGW. But, this is what she did say elsewhere:

“How few realize that Jesus, unseen, is walking by their side!”—PH154 32.1, 14MR 125.3

“Walking with Christ means to believe that, though unseen, Christ is walking with you.”—21MR 136.5

This is what the Bible is referring to when it speaks of Christ:

“The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”—Colossians 1:26-27

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”— Galatians 2:20

The Biblical answer to the “third person” quotes is not difficult, but takes a lot of time to study. There are 88 times in the New Testament (NT) where the phrase “son of man” is used. Of those times in the NT, Christ is the main one to use that phrase. 84 of those uses are in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Nearly every time the phrase is used, Christ is speaking of Himself as the “son of man” in the grammatical third person speech.

Knowing that Christ was speaking of Himself reflecting a ‘third person’ scenario while on earth, it makes sense that His omnipresent Spirit would still speak of Himself in a ‘third person’ scenario while He is in Heaven, yet still here by His Spirit. Notice Matthew 28:20,

“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” And Mark 16:19-20, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”

Christ Speaks With Authority

Christ was soon to leave His disciples. To comfort them, He said: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him [personal pronoun] nor knows him. You know him [personal pronoun], for he [personal pronoun] dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18, ESV).12 Two chapters later Christ said, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him [personal pronoun] to you” (John 16:7, ESV). Then Christ names some of the Holy Spirit’s responsibilities (verses 8-11).

“That Christ should manifest Himself to them, and yet be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the disciples. They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. They were thinking of the outward, visible manifestation. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ with them, and yet He be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation.” SW September 13, 1898, par. 2

The word “Comforter” only appears in the Greek five times (in purple and underlined in the following verses). Even in the context of the first use, Christ promised not to leave them “comfortless,” which would therefore leave them “comforted.” Four uses are in the book of John, the last in 1 John 2:1. Notice the last time it is used, and that John gives the Comforter a name:

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Christ continued: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he [personal pronoun] will guide you into all the truth” (verses 12, 13, ESV). In these two chapters Christ speaks of two Persons—Christ and the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s “representative” and “successor” on earth.13

If, as the trinitarian mindset demands, the Holy Spirit had always been with man (as a co-equal and co-eternal omnipresent Spirit), why would Christ promise the Spirit as a “successor?” Wouldn’t that contradict the entire idea of the Spirit as an omnipresent being who has always been ‘in the godhead?’

This is how EGW used the verses, please notice the subject:

“Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall (although unseen by you), [This phrase was added by Ellen White.] teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” [John 14:26]. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will come not unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” [John 16:7].” 14MR 23.3

Holy Spirit’s Further Functions

It takes a Divine Person to give human birth to Christ (Matt. 1:20), [Either Mary is the “Divine Person,” or Christ now has two fathers! Or, as Luke 1:35 says, the Holy Ghost, the “power of the Highest,” is the Father’s Spirit] to author the Old Testament (Acts 28:25-27) and the New Testament (1 Peter 1:20, 21; cf. 1 Thess. 2:13). [I believe the author meant to write 2 Peter 1:20, 21. But, 1 Peter 1:10-11 explains that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, saying that the “prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”] It takes a Divine Person to be an administrator of the church in the book of Acts: giving guidance (Acts 8:29; 10:19, 20; 11:12, 28; 13:2-4; 16:6, 7; 20:23, 28); filling believers (Acts 4:8, 31; 8:17; 9:17; 10:44, 45; 11:15, 24; 13:9, 52; 19:6); [Christ, as “the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23), is able to lead His people through His Spirit] giving languages (Acts 2:4), teaching (John 14:26) [Christ is “the greatest Teacher the world has ever known.” AA 17.2], bringing to remembrance Christ’s words (John 14:26) [Done through the ministration of angels, “The Bible should never be studied without prayer. The Holy Spirit alone can cause us to feel the importance of those things easy to be understood, or prevent us from wresting truths difficult of comprehension. It is the office of heavenly angels to prepare the heart so to comprehend God’s word that we shall be charmed with its beauty, admonished by its warnings, or animated and strengthened by its promises. We should make the psalmist’s petition our own: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Psalm 119:18. Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons. But angels are round about those who are willing to be taught in divine things; and in the time of great necessity they will bring to their remembrance the very truths which are needed. Thus “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19. GC 599.3], comforting (Acts 9:31) [Sent as a Comforter in human and spirit form in Galatians, “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.], being a witness (Acts 5:32).

He intercedes (Rom. 8:26) [Consider the context, notice verse 34, “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Also, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5]; can be grieved (Eph. 4:30) [“When the human agents deal with these souls in a hard spirit they grieve the heart of Christ, and put Him to open shame, for they misrepresent in their own character the character of Christ.” FE 284.1]; sanctifies (1 Peter 1:2; cf. John 17:17) [Christ is “the word,” whereby He prayed we would be sanctified by in John 17:17.]; produces fruit in Christians—love, with all of its qualities (Gal. 5:22, 23) [“When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” DA 324.1—Question: where is the Holy Spirit in all of this?]; gifts church members for different ministries in the church (1 Cor. 12:4-11) [with the use of the term “Spirit of God” defining the “Holy Ghost” as mentioned in verse 3.]; and brings the risen Christ to live in His followers (John 17:26; Gal. 2:20, 4:19; Eph. 3:17; Phil. 2:13; Col. 1:27) [YES! Christ in you, the hope of glory. Why would we have a third being—having never become human, having never been able to be tempted—come to live within us?]. At the close of the Jerusalem Council the leaders recognized the Holy Spirit as a person, saying, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28) [the term “Spirit of Christ” would work more consistently with the Scripture, rather than making the “Holy Spirit” a third god. “He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.” 14MR 23.3].

The Holy Spirit says: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God [cf. John 3:16], and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14) [Speaking of Christ, EGW says in Steps to Christ 52.2, “They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot resist evil.” Also, we are told in Galatians 4:6, “because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Notice, it doesn’t say ‘for His Son,’ but rather, “of His Son.”]. “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: The Father, the Word [John calls Christ the Word (John 1:1, 14)], and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7) [Have you noticed the SDA Bible commentary on this verse? “The passage as given in the KJV is in no Greek manuscript earlier than the 15th and 16th centuries. The disputed words found their way into the KJV by way of the Greek text of Erasmus (see Vol. V, p. 141). It is said that Erasmus offered to include the disputed words in his Greek Testament if he were shown even one Greek MS that contained them. A library in Dublin produced such a MS (known as 34), and Erasmus included the passage in his text. It is now believed that the later editions of the Vulgate acquired the passage by the mistake of a scribe who included an exegetical marginal comment in the Bible text that he was copying. The disputed words have been widely used in support of the doctrine of the Trinity, but, in view of such overwhelming evidence against their authenticity, their support is valueless and should not be used. In spite of their appearance in “the Vulgate A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture” freely admits regarding these words: “It is now generally held that this passage, called the Comma Johanneum, is a gloss that crept into the text of the Old Latin and Vulgate at an early date, but found its way into the Greek text only in the 15th and 16th centuries” (Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1951, p. 1186).” — The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 675]. In Scripture each person in the Trinity is called God [Please first find the word trinity.]. The Father calls Christ God (Heb. 1:3, 8) [Yes, God called Him God as His Son, but not “My God” as Christ had said to the Father seven times in the New Testament: Matthew 27:46, John 20:17, Revelation 3:12.], Christ calls the Father God (John 8:42). Peter remonstrated with Ananias: “You have lied to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3, NIV),14 and in so doing, “you have not lied just to human beings but to God” (verse 4, NIV) [In verse 9, Peter said, “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?”]. So inspired writings define God as three persons in the Godhead, a communion of love, with life original, self-existent, unborrowed, and underived. [Because of what the Father has offered us in 1 John 5:11, Life, we too can have the same original, unborrowed, underived life! This is confirmed by EGW as well. Consider the previous comments above.] 

1 Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1923), p. 222.

2 Compare here more in Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1890), p. 36.

3 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), pp. 38, 39.

4 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), p. 615; Ellen G. White, in Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Apr. 5, 1906.

5 Ellen G. White, in Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900.

6 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), p. 530.

7 Ibid., pp. 469, 470. (Italics supplied.)

8 Ellen G. White manuscript 66, 1899, in Evangelism, p. 616.

9 E. G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.

10 See Ellen White’s understanding of Matthew 28:19 in Ellen G. White manuscript 92, 1901. In The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1956), vol. 5, p. 1110.

11 Ellen G. White manuscript 145, 1901, in Evangelism, p. 616.

12 Bible texts credited to ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

13 Ellen G. White, Lift Him Up (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1988), p. 179.

14 Bible texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Norman Gulley, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Southern Adventist University, has served as pastor, missionary, and teacher and lives with his wife in Collegedale, Tennessee, United States.

Notes: https://phm.org/one-god-in-three-persons-a-response-to-norman-gulley/

Notes:

Article by Norman Gulley

with a response in red by Daniel Mesa

Published on: 03-01-2018

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of salvation.”1 This took place in heaven prior to the agreement that Christ would function as the Savior.2

Notice the context:

“It is the glory of the gospel that it is founded upon the principle of restoring in the fallen race the divine image by a constant manifestation of benevolence. This work began in the heavenly courts. There God decided to give human beings unmistakable evidence of the love with which He regarded them. He “so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. CH 222.1 The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more. With Christ He gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting in the plan for man’s uplifting. Here is love—the contemplation of which should fill the soul with inexpressible gratitude! Oh, what love, what matchless love! The contemplation of this love will cleanse the soul from all selfishness. It will lead the disciple to deny self, take up the cross, and follow the Redeemer.” CH 222.2

The Godhead is never mentioned as more-than-one-being-together-to-make-up-the-Godhead in the writings of the Bible or those of EGW. Notice:

“The Father can not 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 in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here is shown the personality of the Father.” BTS March 1, 1906, par. 1

Independent of one another, the Father and/or the Son are all the fullness of the Godhead. They do not need each other to make up a Godhead, therefore, the word Godhead should be understood as “divinity” (the actual translation of each of the three uses in the Bible: Strong’s G2304, G2305, G2320).

Ellen White continues her thought:

“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 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.” BTS March 1, 1906, par. 2

Matthew 28:20 makes it clear that Christ is the one who would be with His disciples until the end of the age. Mark 16:19-20 makes it clear that Christ was the one working with His disciples after His ascension. Paul understood as well that Christ in His disciples is the “hope of glory.” He also mentioned being crucified with Christ, nevertheless, it was Christ that lived in him.

Galatians 4:6 says, “Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

Concerning Christ, the coming Messiah, Scripture says His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). The preincarnate Christ is the “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father” (Isa. 9:6). “Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity,” writes Ellen White.3 No wonder Christ knew He was “equal with God” (Phil. 2:6). Christ “was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent,” notes Ellen White, and “Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity,” “a distinct person.”4

Micah 5:2 is used in conjunction with Proverbs 8:22-30 by EGW. Notice one of them:

“The prophet Micah writes of Him, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, tho thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” ST August 29, 1900, par. 13 Through Solomon Christ declared: “The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth…. When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment; when He appointed the foundations of the earth; then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” ST August 29, 1900, par. 14

You’ll notice there are only two times the Hebrew phrase “goings forth” is used. Once in Micah 5:2, and “They brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day” 2 Kings 10:27. The word H4163 in Hebrew Strong’s means, “family descent; also a sewer (marg.; compare 6675):—draught house; going forth.” When comparing H6675, we come away with “excrement” translated “dung.”

I’d rather think that Eve’s ‘going forth’ from Adam’s side is a better illustration of Christ’s being “brought forth” from the Father, as stated in Proverbs 8. Nevertheless, that’s what is being said in Strong’s Concordance.

There is also the idea of the stone being cut out of the mountain without hands. This could easily fit along side the idea of Eve being brought forth from the side of Adam, and the Lord’s “goings forth” from the Father. “The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person.” RH July 9, 1895, par. 13

Christ is called the “Mighty God,” but never the “Almighty God.” In Revelation 1:4, John called the Father “Almighty” whereas in verse 8 John referred to the Son as the “Alpha and Omega…” which was stated by the Father, “the Almighty.” Also, because God created all things through His Son, His Son is the father to us all, but He is not His Father’s Father.

Christ glory with the Father “from all eternity” is vert different compared to when she uses the phrases “through eternity” or “throughout eternity.” Christ was from eternity, we will praise Him throughout eternity. We should check for ourselves that through and throughout eternity are always future tenses in the writings of EGW.

Christ was equal with God, as stated in Philippians 2:6, because He was in “the form of God,” as He later came in “the form of a servant” (vs 7).

How was Christ equal with God?

“God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son.” 8T 268.3

Yes, Christ was with God and was God in the highest sense—just as Eve was with Adam and was adam (human, See Genesis 5:2) in the highest sense. Just as Eve was brought forth from Adam and was completely human, so the Son was brought forth from the Father as is completely divine.

“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.” YI December 16, 1897, par. 5

“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.”5 Fellowship means a relationship with each other. Jesus declared to Martha at the death of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life. . . . Whoever . . . believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25). Ellen White comments: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12, KJV. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.”6

“In speaking of His pre-existence” is prefaced in the original article by the above quote from ST August 29, 1900, par. 13-14. It’s impossible to understand this statement without first understanding what the author meant by Christ’s being brought forth. Also, the paragraph in question is not referring to the eternal existence of Christ, but rather is taking the mind—not back through eternity past, but rather through dateless ages—and His “close fellowship with the eternal God.” There is a marked differentiation made between the phrases “dateless ages” and the “eternal.”

Yes, IN Christ was life… That’s what the Bible says, “IN Him was life.” The Father was IN Christ, “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Consider the previous verse of 1 John 5:11 before extrapolating verse 12, “this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” If we have the life that God the Father has given, then we too have life “original, unborrowed, and underived.” This is proven by this statement, written one year prior to the publication of The Desire of Ages.

““In him was life; and the life was the light of men”. It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the lifegiver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from him. “I lay it down of myself”, he said. In him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent”. This is the open fountain of life for the world.” ST April 8, 1897, par. 2

When on earth, Christ was confronted by Pharisees about His age. He said to them: “I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Commenting on this claim, Ellen White writes: “Silence fell on 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 the Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been of old, from the days of eternity.’ ”7 “Self-existent” means having original life, underived from anyone else.

Yes, Christ is self-existent. How? “As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26). Consider 8T 268.3 above.

Notice the words in this quote:

““God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,”—not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” ST May 30, 1895, par. 3

What about the Holy Spirit? “We need to realize that the Holy Spirit . . . is as much a person as God is a person.”8 The Holy Spirit is “the Third Person of the Godhead,”9 and “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, [are] the three holy dignitaries of heaven.”10 “The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit.”11

This “as much a person as God is a person” phrase was written by a stenographer after a speech given to students by Ellen White at Avondale College in Australia. These were not words written by EGW. But, this is what she did say elsewhere:

“How few realize that Jesus, unseen, is walking by their side!”—PH154 32.1, 14MR 125.3

“Walking with Christ means to believe that, though unseen, Christ is walking with you.”—21MR 136.5

This is what the Bible is referring to when it speaks of Christ:

“The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”—Colossians 1:26-27

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”— Galatians 2:20

The Biblical answer to the “third person” quotes is not difficult, but takes a lot of time to study. There are 88 times in the New Testament (NT) where the phrase “son of man” is used. Of those times in the NT, Christ is the main one to use that phrase. 84 of those uses are in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Nearly every time the phrase is used, Christ is speaking of Himself as the “son of man” in the grammatical third person speech.

Knowing that Christ was speaking of Himself reflecting a ‘third person’ scenario while on earth, it makes sense that His omnipresent Spirit would still speak of Himself in a ‘third person’ scenario while He is in Heaven, yet still here by His Spirit. Notice Matthew 28:20,

“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” And Mark 16:19-20, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”

Christ Speaks With Authority

Christ was soon to leave His disciples. To comfort them, He said: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him [personal pronoun] nor knows him. You know him [personal pronoun], for he [personal pronoun] dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18, ESV).12 Two chapters later Christ said, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him [personal pronoun] to you” (John 16:7, ESV). Then Christ names some of the Holy Spirit’s responsibilities (verses 8-11).

“That Christ should manifest Himself to them, and yet be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the disciples. They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. They were thinking of the outward, visible manifestation. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ with them, and yet He be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation.” SW September 13, 1898, par. 2

The word “Comforter” only appears in the Greek five times (in purple and underlined in the following verses). Even in the context of the first use, Christ promised not to leave them “comfortless,” which would therefore leave them “comforted.” Four uses are in the book of John, the last in 1 John 2:1. Notice the last time it is used, and that John gives the Comforter a name:

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Christ continued: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he [personal pronoun] will guide you into all the truth” (verses 12, 13, ESV). In these two chapters Christ speaks of two Persons—Christ and the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s “representative” and “successor” on earth.13

If, as the trinitarian mindset demands, the Holy Spirit had always been with man (as a co-equal and co-eternal omnipresent Spirit), why would Christ promise the Spirit as a “successor?” Wouldn’t that contradict the entire idea of the Spirit as an omnipresent being who has always been ‘in the godhead?’

This is how EGW used the verses, please notice the subject:

“Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall (although unseen by you), [This phrase was added by Ellen White.] teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” [John 14:26]. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will come not unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” [John 16:7].” 14MR 23.3

Holy Spirit’s Further Functions

It takes a Divine Person to give human birth to Christ (Matt. 1:20), [Either Mary is the “Divine Person,” or Christ now has two fathers! Or, as Luke 1:35 says, the Holy Ghost, the “power of the Highest,” is the Father’s Spirit] to author the Old Testament (Acts 28:25-27) and the New Testament (1 Peter 1:20, 21; cf. 1 Thess. 2:13). [I believe the author meant to write 2 Peter 1:20, 21. But, 1 Peter 1:10-11 explains that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, saying that the “prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”] It takes a Divine Person to be an administrator of the church in the book of Acts: giving guidance (Acts 8:29; 10:19, 20; 11:12, 28; 13:2-4; 16:6, 7; 20:23, 28); filling believers (Acts 4:8, 31; 8:17; 9:17; 10:44, 45; 11:15, 24; 13:9, 52; 19:6); [Christ, as “the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23), is able to lead His people through His Spirit] giving languages (Acts 2:4), teaching (John 14:26) [Christ is “the greatest Teacher the world has ever known.” AA 17.2], bringing to remembrance Christ’s words (John 14:26) [Done through the ministration of angels, “The Bible should never be studied without prayer. The Holy Spirit alone can cause us to feel the importance of those things easy to be understood, or prevent us from wresting truths difficult of comprehension. It is the office of heavenly angels to prepare the heart so to comprehend God’s word that we shall be charmed with its beauty, admonished by its warnings, or animated and strengthened by its promises. We should make the psalmist’s petition our own: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Psalm 119:18. Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons. But angels are round about those who are willing to be taught in divine things; and in the time of great necessity they will bring to their remembrance the very truths which are needed. Thus “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19. GC 599.3], comforting (Acts 9:31) [Sent as a Comforter in human and spirit form in Galatians, “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.], being a witness (Acts 5:32).

He intercedes (Rom. 8:26) [Consider the context, notice verse 34, “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Also, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5]; can be grieved (Eph. 4:30) [“When the human agents deal with these souls in a hard spirit they grieve the heart of Christ, and put Him to open shame, for they misrepresent in their own character the character of Christ.” FE 284.1]; sanctifies (1 Peter 1:2; cf. John 17:17) [Christ is “the word,” whereby He prayed we would be sanctified by in John 17:17.]; produces fruit in Christians—love, with all of its qualities (Gal. 5:22, 23) [“When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” DA 324.1—Question: where is the Holy Spirit in all of this?]; gifts church members for different ministries in the church (1 Cor. 12:4-11) [with the use of the term “Spirit of God” defining the “Holy Ghost” as mentioned in verse 3.]; and brings the risen Christ to live in His followers (John 17:26; Gal. 2:20, 4:19; Eph. 3:17; Phil. 2:13; Col. 1:27) [YES! Christ in you, the hope of glory. Why would we have a third being—having never become human, having never been able to be tempted—come to live within us?]. At the close of the Jerusalem Council the leaders recognized the Holy Spirit as a person, saying, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28) [the term “Spirit of Christ” would work more consistently with the Scripture, rather than making the “Holy Spirit” a third god. “He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.” 14MR 23.3].

The Holy Spirit says: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God [cf. John 3:16], and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14) [Speaking of Christ, EGW says in Steps to Christ 52.2, “They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot resist evil.” Also, we are told in Galatians 4:6, “because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Notice, it doesn’t say ‘for His Son,’ but rather, “of His Son.”]. “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: The Father, the Word [John calls Christ the Word (John 1:1, 14)], and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7) [Have you noticed the SDA Bible commentary on this verse? “The passage as given in the KJV is in no Greek manuscript earlier than the 15th and 16th centuries. The disputed words found their way into the KJV by way of the Greek text of Erasmus (see Vol. V, p. 141). It is said that Erasmus offered to include the disputed words in his Greek Testament if he were shown even one Greek MS that contained them. A library in Dublin produced such a MS (known as 34), and Erasmus included the passage in his text. It is now believed that the later editions of the Vulgate acquired the passage by the mistake of a scribe who included an exegetical marginal comment in the Bible text that he was copying. The disputed words have been widely used in support of the doctrine of the Trinity, but, in view of such overwhelming evidence against their authenticity, their support is valueless and should not be used. In spite of their appearance in “the Vulgate A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture” freely admits regarding these words: “It is now generally held that this passage, called the Comma Johanneum, is a gloss that crept into the text of the Old Latin and Vulgate at an early date, but found its way into the Greek text only in the 15th and 16th centuries” (Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1951, p. 1186).” — The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 675]. In Scripture each person in the Trinity is called God [Please first find the word trinity.]. The Father calls Christ God (Heb. 1:3, 8) [Yes, God called Him God as His Son, but not “My God” as Christ had said to the Father seven times in the New Testament: Matthew 27:46, John 20:17, Revelation 3:12.], Christ calls the Father God (John 8:42). Peter remonstrated with Ananias: “You have lied to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3, NIV),14 and in so doing, “you have not lied just to human beings but to God” (verse 4, NIV) [In verse 9, Peter said, “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?”]. So inspired writings define God as three persons in the Godhead, a communion of love, with life original, self-existent, unborrowed, and underived. [Because of what the Father has offered us in 1 John 5:11, Life, we too can have the same original, unborrowed, underived life! This is confirmed by EGW as well. Consider the previous comments above.] 

1 Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1923), p. 222.

2 Compare here more in Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1890), p. 36.

3 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), pp. 38, 39.

4 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), p. 615; Ellen G. White, in Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Apr. 5, 1906.

5 Ellen G. White, in Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900.

6 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), p. 530.

7 Ibid., pp. 469, 470. (Italics supplied.)

8 Ellen G. White manuscript 66, 1899, in Evangelism, p. 616.

9 E. G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.

10 See Ellen White’s understanding of Matthew 28:19 in Ellen G. White manuscript 92, 1901. In The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Ellen G. White Comments (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1956), vol. 5, p. 1110.

11 Ellen G. White manuscript 145, 1901, in Evangelism, p. 616.

12 Bible texts credited to ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

13 Ellen G. White, Lift Him Up (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1988), p. 179.

14 Bible texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Norman Gulley, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Southern Adventist University, has served as pastor, missionary, and teacher and lives with his wife in Collegedale, Tennessee, United States.

Notes: https://phm.org/one-god-in-three-persons-a-response-to-norman-gulley/