Are We Missing
Something Here
The Godhead, The Holy Spirit, and the
“Infinite Cost” of
Our Salvation
by
Bruce Bivens
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The Sanctuary is
Chapter 6 and 7 Dear Reader, What follows is the
preface to Bruce Bivens’ new book (Written this
year, 2008) on the Holy Spirit. The entire book is available from: Xlibris Corporation 1-888-795-4274 Orders@Xlibris.com All emphasis by way
of emboldened parts are as they appear in Bruce’s
book. Preface ___________ A Brief History of
the “Trinity” Doctrine’s Entrance into the Seventh-day Adventist Faith |
||||
This preface has been added in order to give
readers a brief overview of the “Trinity” doctrine’s entrance into the
Seventh-day Adventist Church and to provide impetus for you to dig into the
study that follows in this book. I have found that a surprising number of
Seventh-day Adventist[s] have practically no knowledge of how we have come to believe in the
Trinity and even believe that this doctrine was one of the “Fundamental”
beliefs of our founding pioneers and of Ellen White herself. I was not. I
myself was not aware of its complete history within our denomination nor the
surprising fact that “one man” was primarily responsible for its induction
into the SDA Church until this book was nearing completion. It will become
clear why this doctrine is dangerous and why we need to “reconsider” our
belief in it. It is my hope that this information will be helpful in creating
a better-informed audience and provide a “reason” for our looking into this
study of the Godhead—and more specifically, the Holy Spirit.
It is important for us to note that the Catholic Church considers the doctrine of the Trinity to be the “central doctrine” of their faith: “The mystery of the trinity is the central doctrine of the
Catholic faith. Upon it are based all other teachings of the church.” (Handbook for Today’s
Catholic, pg. 16).
So how did the “central doctrine” of the Catholic
Church make its way into, and end up as a central doctrine of the Seventh-day
Adventist faith? It may come as a surprise to many that LeRoy
Froom (perhaps our Church’s most prominent
historian) was primarily responsible for introducing the Trinitarian doctrine
to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and very purposefully set about to
promote its acceptance and institute it into the beliefs of the Church.
In his book “Movement of Destiny,” which was
published in 1971, he tells us how he came to write about the Holy Spirit and
how he came to believe in the “Trinity.” His brief account of this is very enlightening in terms of both his history and his method. Here is what he has to say concerning this:
“May I here make a frank, personal confession?
When back between 1926 and 1928 I was asked by our leaders to give a series
of studies on “The Holy Spirit” . . . I found that aside from priceless leads
found in the Spirit of Prophecy, there was practically nothing in our literature setting forth a sound,
Biblical exposition in this tremendous field of study. There were no previous pathfinding books on the question in our literature.”
“I was compelled to search out a score of valuable
books written by men outside of our faith . . . . for
initial clues and suggestions, and to open up beckoning vistas
to intensive personal study. Having these, I went
on from there. But they were decided
early helps. And scores, if not hundreds, could confirm the same
sobering conviction that some of these other men
frequently had a deeper insight into the spiritual things of God than many of
our own men had on the Holy Spirit and the triumphant life. It was still a
largely obscure theme . . . .”
“It was then that I again saw the peerless
pre-eminence of the Spirit of Prophecy portrayals that not only supported but greatly enhanced the
choicest gems of truth glimpsed in part by these other writers . . . .”
“Mr. Froom then
exuberantly exclaims: “Thank God, that time of
reticence and misunderstanding has passed . . . . This is the supreme hour . . . . Thank God, that final awakening is definitely underway. (Movement of Destiny, p. 332: Review & Herald Publishing
Association, 1971; Used by permission; Emphasis Mine).
Froom goes on to state that the “Truth of the Trinity”
was an inevitable evolution in our theology stemming from the 1888 Conference
and message: “When once the sublime truth of the complete Deity of Christ . .
. was affirmed by a growing number at and after the Minneapolis session, emphasis on certain inseparably related truths followed
inevitably.”
“Thus the Truth of the Trinity was set forth in
Tract form by the Pacific Press . . . in February, 1892 . . . . It was not written by one of our own men, but by “the late
Dr. Samuel Spear.” . . . .This sound and helpful tract by Spear . . . . was
simple, but adequate, as the first step in
recognition and declaration. It was the logical aftermath of 1888.”
Mr Froom concludes his
brief account by claiming that the book “The
Desire of Ages” presented an “inspired depiction” of the trinity doctrine
and because of this it has become our denominations’ “accepted position.” Froom also boasts that the “Desire of Ages” was even
publicized in the prominent Catholic journal (as if this adds credibility to the book).
Here it is in his own words: “. . .The Desire of
Ages, of course, presented an inspired depiction, and was consequently
destined to become the denominationally
accepted position . . . . The
Desire of Ages . . . . is one of the most highly
esteemed books of the Denomination—a recognized classic, even publicized in such a Catholic journal as the “Universal
Fatima News” for September 1965.” (Movement of
Destiny; pp. 323, 324) I must admit that the reason for Mr. Froom’s obvious pride in its endorsement and publicity in
a “Catholic Journal” puzzles me. One
can hardly conclude that this inclusion adds anything to the credibility of the book, or
proves that the Desire of Ages supports the doctrine of the Trinity!
The very first thing I would
like to note about LeRoy Froom’s
account of how he came to believe
in the Trinity is the method he
Obviously employed in arriving at his conclusions. Mr. Froom did not start his study with the Bible and then
move on to the writings of Ellen White before turning to
“outside” sources. Indeed, Mr. Froom did his study
in the exact opposite order! He began with the writings
and theologies of “men outside our faith” and
worked his way back to the writings of Ellen White in order to find support
for his conclusions. Even if Ellen White had been alive and had agreed with
his conclusions, I believe that she would NOT have approved of his method in arriving at his position. Our denomination
would most certainly never have been brought into existence if we had begun
our study of such topics as the Sabbath, the State of the Dead, the
Sanctuary, and others if we had conducted our study of these subjects in the
manner that Mr. Froom employed! And when it comes
to the Trinity Doctrine the fact is that Ellen White never used the term “Trinity” in any of her writings, and as we will see, she did not
actually support this doctrine.
The REASON LeRoy Froom could not find anything he considered “Pathfinding” written by any of our Pioneers—or by men within our faith on the subject
of the Holy Spirit; is NOT because there
had been nothing written on the
subject but because NONE of our pioneers
were “Trinitarians” and therefore did not agree with Elder Froom’s conclusions or opinions! Mr. Froom
states that even the Spirit of Prophecy had only “priceless leads” to offer him as he began his study. Yet he later
declares that The Desire of Ages
set forth an “inspired depiction” of the Trinity. If the Desire of Ages truly
sets forth an inspired depiction of the “Trinity” and was the “Denominationally accepted position” of the Trinity,
why didn’t Mr. Froom acknowledge this to start with
as he began his study of this subject in 1926? And if Mrs. White had truly
set forth an inspired depiction of the Trinity as far back as 1898, why
couldn’t He find much more material to support his position within the rest
of the pages of the Spirit of Prophecy? If Mr. White truly believed in the doctrine of the Trinity, why is it
that she NEVER used the term “Trinity” to describe the Godhead in any of her writings?
The fact is that LeRoy Froom “discovered” what he believed was the “truth of the
Trinity” and the Holy Spirit from writers “not of our faith,” and then set out to support it with [selected]
statements from the Spirit of Prophecy. LeRoy Froom wrote a book called, “The Coming of the Comforter” as a result of,
and shortly following his study during 1926-1928.
Mr. Froom, talking about
the publication of his book in a letter to Dr. Otto H. Christiansen on
October 27, 1960; stated that: “May I state that my book, The Coming of the Comforter, was the
result of a series of studies that I gave in 1927-28, to Ministerial
institutes throughout North America. You cannot imagine how I was pummelled by some of the old-timers . . .” and speaking of
his Trinitarian views he states: “Some men denied that . . . still deny it,
but the book has come to be generally accepted as
standard.” It should be noted that this book is still widely
used and is available in our ABC bookstores.
In 1969, Russell Holt, in a term paper entitled
“The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination: Its
Rejection and Acceptance” (Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary),
divides our denominational history on the subject of the Trinity into three
periods: During the first period, which he delineates as 1844-1890, he says:
“The field was dominated by those who saw the trinity as illogical, unscriptural, pagan and subversive of the atonement
. . . . anti-trinitarianism
is the evident denominational stance.”
He next refers to the time period of 1890-1900,
saying: “Roughly within this period, the course of the denomination on the
trinity was decided by statements from Ellen G. White.” (Ibid.
Emphasis Mine).
Finally, He states of the period between 1900-1930: “This period saw the death of most of
those pioneers who had championed and held the anti-Trinitarian position.
Their places were being taken by men who were changing their thinking, or had never opposed the
doctrine . . . .” (see—
http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/trinity/moon/moon-trinity1.htm all Emphasis Mine).
Russell Holt, commenting on Froom’s
publication of “The Coming of the
Comforter (and the subsequent writing of other’s) states that: “The trinity began to be published, until by 1931 it had triumphed, and had become the standard denominational position. Isolated stalwarts
remained who refused to yield, but the outcome had been decided.” (Emphasis Mine).
In 1931, F.M. Wilcox included the term “trinity”
in the S.D.A. Yearbook’s 22-point “Statement of Beliefs” and this was the first time that this term was seen in any Adventist
Statement of Beliefs. Immediately following, in 1932, this pro-trinitarian Statement of Beliefs was added to the first “Church Manual” and all succeeding
“Adventist Yearbooks” and began to appear in nearly all the Church books. It had not been voted on by
the Church at large, by the General Conference, nor even by a representative body of the leaders of the S.D.A. Church.
Note by Ron: This is a classic example of when
Ellen White said that the General Conference is no longer the voice of
God—when a few men acting on their own, enact things that aren’t even voted
on by the General Conference in World Session, to wit:
General Conference as the Voice of
God:
"God has ordained that the representatives of His church from all parts
of the earth, when assembled in a General Conference, shall have authority.
The error that some are in danger of committing is in giving to the mind and
judgment of one man, or of a small
group of men, the full measure of authority and influence that God has
vested in His church in the judgment and voice of the General Conference
assembled to plan for the prosperity and advancement of His work. When this power, which God has placed in the
church, is accredited wholly to one man, and he is invested with the
authority to be judgment for other minds, then the true Bible order is changed....Let us give to the
highest organized authority in the church that which we are PRONE to give to
one man or to a small group of men." E.G. White, Testimonies,
vol. 9, 261. IS
THE CONFERENCE THE VOICE OF GOD? Some
Adventists believe the conference will always be the voice of God. In the early years Mrs. White described the
opinions handed down by the conference in session as "the voice of
God." If we look at later
statements by her, we will find she changed her opinion over time as the
conference changed and became less obedient to God. If the conference was a faithful
organization, making Bible-based decisions, not popularity-based decisions,
not following the world, we would be able to consider it to be the voice of
God: 1899
"Let those in America who suppose the voice of the General Conference to
be the voice of God, become one with God before they utter their
opinions." Testimony to Elder S.N. Haskell 11-16-99 1899
"It has been some years since I have considered the General Conference
as the voice of God." GCD 2-24-99 1901
"That these men should stand in a sacred place to be the voice of God to
the people as we once believed the General Conference to be, that is
past." GC Bulletin 1901, 25. 1901
"It is working upon wrong principles that has brought the cause of God
into its present embarrassment. The
people have lost confidence in those who have the management of the
work. Yet we hear that the voice of
the Conference is the Voice of God.
Every time I have heard this, I have thought that it was almost
blasphemy....We have reached the time when the work cannot advance while
wrong principles are cherished." Man. 37, 1901. 1901
"Year after year the same acknowledgment was made, but the principles
which exalt a people were not woven into the work. God gave them clear light as to what they
should do, but they departed from that light and it is a marvel to me that we
stand in as much prosperity as we do today." GC Bulletin, 1901, 23. 1909
"Every individual soul has a responsibility before God, and he is not to
be arbitrarily instructed by men as to what he shall do, and what he shall
say, and where he shall go. We are not
to put confidence in the counsel of men and assent to all they say unless we
have evidence that they are under the influence of the Spirit of God."
RH 7-1-09. End note by Ron. “The 1931
Statement of Beliefs read as follows: “That the Godhead, or Trinity, consists
of the Eternal Father, a personal, spiritual Being, omnipotent, omnipresent,
omniscient, infinite in wisdom and love; the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of
the Eternal Father, through whom all things were created and through whom the
salvation of the redeemed hosts will be accomplished; the Holy Spirit, the
third person of the Godhead, the great regenerating power in the work of
redemption. Matt. 28:19.” (Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, “Seventh-day Adventist Year Book,
[Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1931], 377). Holt
comments on this change in our fundamental beliefs by noting: “A comparison of statements of faith
issued at various times by the denomination shows a marked change in the
opinion of the church concerning the trinity . . . .” He observes that:
“. . . Separate statements appeared in
1874, 1889, 1894 and 1931. The first three of these are, for all practical
purposes, identical in the articles dealing with the deity. A comparison of
the statements of 1894 and 1931 shows the change.” Please
note that there was no change in the Statement of Beliefs in regard to the
“Trinitarian” viewpoint while Ellen
White was alive. J.S. Washburn (1863-1955; a retired Adventist
minister and contemporary of Ellen
White—He was converted by J. N. Andrews at 11, baptized by James White at 12
and began preaching Adventism at 21), opposed this change in the strongest
possible terms writing: “The doctrine of the
trinity is a cruel, heathen monstrosity, removing Jesus from His true
position of Divine Saviour and mediator. . . . This monstrous doctrine
transplanted from heathenism into the Roman, papal church is seeking to
intrude its evil presence into the teachings of the Third Angel’s Message.”
Washburn goes on to say: “If we should go back to the immortality of the soul,
purgatory, eternal torment and the Sunday Sabbath, would that be anything
less than apostasy? If however we leap over all these minor, secondary
doctrines and accept and teach the very central, root doctrine of Romanism,
the trinity, and teach that the Son of God did not die, even though our words
seemed to be spiritual, is this anything else and anything less than apostasy
and the very omega of apostasy?” (See Judson
Washburn, “The Trinity,” 1929. Emphasis mine).
Benjamin Wilkinson, the man who wrote the book
entitled “Truth Triumphant,” wrote a letter to Dr. T.S. Teters
in 1936, saying: “Replying to your
letter of October 13 regarding the doctrine of the Trinity, I will say that
Seventh Day Adventists do not, and never have accepted the dark, mysterious,
Catholic doctrine of the Trinity.”
In 1941, the Baptismal Vow was revised to include the Trinitarian statement (Mr. Froom was involved in this action as well). So that, NOW, in order to become a Seventh-day Adventist, you
have to agree to belief in the trinity.
In a letter written to Roy Allan Anderson, J. L.
Schuler, Denton Reebok, A.W. Peterson, W.G. Turner and J.E. Weaver; November
22, 1966; LeRoy Froom
says: “I am writing to you brethren as a group for you are the only living
members of the original committee of 13, appointed in 1931 to frame a uniform baptismal covenant. Elder
Branson was the chairman and I was Secretary. The task of this committee was to formulate a uniform
baptismal covenant and vow based on the 1931 Fundamental Beliefs statement in
the yearbook and Manual. . . to point up a bit more sharply, the first, second
and third persons of the Godhead.” (Emphasis mine).
In 1945, all the standard Adventist books were edited, and all the anti-trinitarian statements
taken from them. In his book Movement
of Destiny, LeRoy Froom
states: “The next logical and inevitable step in the implementing of our unified fundamental beliefs involved
revision of certain standard works, so as to eliminate statements that
taught, and thus perpetuated erroneous views on the Godhead. Such sentiments
were now sharply at variance with the accepted fundamental beliefs set forth
in the Church Manual.” (Movement
of Destiny, page 422 Emphasis mine).
The “official” acceptance of the “Trinity” into
our fundamental beliefs did not come until 1946. According to Dr. Jerry A.
Moon (in “Andrews University
Seminary Studies, Vol. 41, No. 1, 113-129”): “when the statement had gained general acceptance, the General
Conference session of 1946 made it official, voting that “no
revision of this Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, as it now appears in the [Church] Manual, shall be made at
any time except at a General Conference session.” [See Fifteenth Meeting,
General Conference Report No. 8, Review and Herald,
June
14, 1946] (Emphasis mine).
In 1946 the book Evangelism was compiled from
the writings of Ellen White. LeRoy Froom (along with others) was instrumental in the choice
and compilation of statements from Ellen White’s writings, which seemed to support the Trinitarian viewpoint. This book
contains the quotes most often used now (from the
writings of Ellen White), to support the trinitarian
doctrine within our denomination.
Here’s what Froom had to
say about this is a letter he wrote to Roy Allan Anderson on January 18,
1966: “I am sure that we are agreed, in evaluating the book Evangelism, as one of the great contributions in which the Ministerial Association had a part back in those days. You know what it did with men in the Columbia
Union who came face-to-face with the clear, unequivocal statements of the
Spirit of Prophecy on the deity of Christ, the personality of the Holy Spirit, the trinity and the like.” “They either had to lay down their arms and accept those
statements, or else they had to reject the Spirit of Prophecy. I know that you
and Miss Cluser and I had considerable to do with the selection of those things under the
encouragement of men like Elder Branson, who felt that the earlier concept of the White Estate brethren on this book
on evangelism was not adequate.”
Note: I fear that this is still the attitude of
our Denomination and that it is based largely on the Ellen White quotes that
were chosen to be included in the book Evangelism.
The book you now hold in your hands will seriously challenge the
assumptions that have been made because of the narrow and carefully selected
use of Ellen’s writings on this subject.
In 1955 there were meetings of the leaders of the
Adventist Church with Dr. Walter Martin and Dr. Barnhouse,
two evangelical theologians who felt that the Seventh-day Adventist Church
was a cult, and as a result of these meetings the book “Questions on
Doctrine” (a book in which LeRoy Froom played a leading role) was produced in
1957 in an attempt to show that SDA’s were not a cult and that we were quite
“mainstream” in our beliefs—including the doctrine of the Trinity. [This
book, unfortunately, also contained statements that we do not believe the
atonement is taking place in Heaven right now, that Christ came with an “unfallen” human nature, and other
untrue and misleading statements regarding Seventh-day Adventist
beliefs].
In 1980, the General Conference voted on a new set
of “27 Fundamental Beliefs” in which the Trinity Doctrine was upheld.
Fundamental belief number 2 now read: “2. The Trinity[.] There is one
God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons.” (Emphasis mine). The concept
delineated here, that there are “three co-eternal Persons,” is in
complete harmony with the Catholic Church’s teaching regarding the “Trinity”
and, as we shall see, is incorrect (http://www.sdanet.org/atissue/trinity/moon/moon-trinity1.htm;
note 60).
In 1988 the book “Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . A
Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Beliefs” was published and included
the doctrine of the Trinity. This book was highly promoted for use as an
evangelistic tool to explain to non-Adventists what we believe our core
doctrines to be.
It seems clear to me that as I review the history
of the “Trinity” doctrine and its acceptance into the Seventh-day Adventist
Church that something has gone seriously amiss within our denomination. We have not critically
considered the “Truth” (or non-Truth) of this doctrine in light of the Great
Controversy, and we have certainly not considered the serious implication this doctrine has on the sacrifice, mediation, and ministry of Jesus Christ!
Indeed, the doctrine of the Trinity—with its focus on the Holy Spirit as a
“third co-eternal person” of the Godhead—has successfully caused us to lose
our focus on Christ, His Sacrifice, and His ministry in the lives of all
believers since the Cross. It effectively limits Christ’s ministry to that of
“Justification” only, while leaving the work of “Sanctification” to the
“Third” person of the Godhead—the Holy Spirit. This is, frankly,
unbiblical—and is why we must earnestly examine this subject. I pray that you
will find, as a result of your prayerful consideration of this book, that your focus is returned [to] the person of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, and that your understanding of His great sacrifice in
the plan of redemption will be broadened and enriched beyond words.
This is, in fact, a book about Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit and is not meant to be a refutation [of] our denomination’s
“Trinity” doctrine per se, but rather a book that will open up to you the
enormity of the sacrifice of Christ on your and my behalf. A clear
understanding of this sacrifice will enable you to refute quite adequately
the “Trinity” doctrine on your own.
Having said all this, let me state that I do believe that there are “three” persons in the Godhead. How there came to be three is the subject of the rest of this book. The
“TRUTH” about the Holy Spirit will astound you! It is a beautiful and important truth for God’s
Remnant people. My promise to you is that, by the time you have finished this
book, you will understand why an understanding
of all this is vitally important. You will clearly
understand “who” the Holy Spirit
really is and where He came from. You will have a much deeper appreciation of
the “inconceivable” sacrifice made by
Jesus Christ in order to redeem you and me. And you will be able to intelligently “pray with understanding” for the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Latter Rain power. That said; I invite you
now to delve into a careful, and prayerful study of the remainder of this book . . .
Bruce Bivens
Chapter 1
_____________________
Introduction to The Godhead & The Holy Spirit
Let me make clear that
the things that I am espousing in this book are not likely to be the
“end-all” of this subject. I have not arrived
at a perfect knowledge of this subject and make no claims to know the “whole
Truth”—anyone who knows me, knows
that. It is, however, my hope that those who are more knowledgeable than I
will be able to take what I am setting forth here and expound upon it until
we ALL arrive at an understanding of these vital Truths. I have studied,
intensely, the things contained here for several years now (I expect to be
studying this for the rest of eternity!) and it is my firm belief that this
subject is vital and that it has everything to do with our experience with Christ and with our
eventually being enabled to receive the promised blessing of the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit. With that in mind, let me tantalize you for a moment and
start the wheels of your mind turning. Consider this: We
are told that, “The great gift of
salvation has been placed within our reach at an infinite cost to the Father
and the Son. To neglect salvation, is to neglect the knowledge of the Father
and of the Son whom God hath sent in order that man might become a partaker
of the divine nature, and thus, with Christ, an heir of all things.” (RH
March 10, 1891; par. 2). Now I ask you:
What was that “infinite cost” to
the Father and to Christ? Was it merely Christ coming to live on this earth
as a human; denying self and suffering ridicule, pain and death? Was it even
having the sins of all of mankind laid upon Him? As great and as humiliating
as all this was, it hardly seems to me that this would be an infinite Page 2 cost to
God. What would 33 years as a human be in the life of a God who is eternal? Would that (if that was all
that was involved) be considered an “infinite
cost”? What would the sufferings of a moment be in the life and the glory
of an eternal God? I believe that
“Sin” in its most basic and truest sense is “separation” from God. Apart from
God, ultimately, there can be no life. I believe that Christ is my “Sin” bearer and that in order for Christ
to bear my sin He had to experience this “separation” from God. I also
believe that Christ, in taking my “Sin” upon Himself, suffered the penalty of
that separation from God brings—which is “death” (for “the wages of sin is death” Rom. 6:23). “The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the
burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in
His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung
from His lips the anguished cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity,
of its separation of the soul from God—it was this that broke the heart of
the Son of God.” (SC, p. 13, par. 2). This “death” was not the death that all
men must face (for many have died the natural, physical death (but was the
“second death” from which there is
no resurrection. If Christ was “GOD” and “died” then I must
conclude that God died. That would certainly qualify as an “infinite cost” wouldn’t it? But how
can God “die”? Could God really separate from Himself and die?
Is it possible to reconcile this paradox? When we add to this paradox the
fact that Christ was resurrected
and that He lives, the paradox
becomes even more complex and
confusing. What are we to do with all this? How are we to understand and reconcile these truths? As Seventh-day
Adventists we put great stock in understanding the “Great Controversy”
existing between Christ and Satan. This is fine and proper and is what has
made our message unique and necessary. However, it seems to me
that we have failed to apply this knowledge to certain
doctrines (or aspects of
doctrines), which we now hold. It is my firm belief that All Doctrine must be viewed in
the context of the Great Controversy
or we will fail to grasp the
importance and/or Truth of the
Doctrine. And I believe this failure has been especially true concerning our understanding of the Nature of the
Godhead and the Holy Spirit. Have we been missing something here? There simply must be more to all this than we currently understand. Page 3 Not convinced? Then
consider this interesting quote: “The incarnation
of Christ has ever been, and will ever remain a mystery. That which is
revealed, is for us and for our children, but let every human being be warned from the ground of
making Christ altogether human, such an one as ourselves; for it cannot be. The
exact time when humanity blended with divinity, it is not necessary for us to
know. We are to keep our feet on the rock, Christ Jesus, as God revealed in
humanity.” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 13; p. 19, par. 1). This statement is
NOT made in the context of some discussion as to when Christ was born—that
is, it is not said in response to the question as to the exact “time” of
Christ’s birth as a “human” here on
this earth. This statement is made in response to the position put forth
by some that Christ was “brought forth” (Proverbs 8:24, 25) or “Created”, and therefore was merely
and “altogether” human. That is,
some proposed, that He was “created” just
as we were. The fact is that Jesus was neither “Created”, nor “brought
forth as “altogether human”. Remember that even in His “birth” as a human
there was a blending of the divine with the human: Mary was told that “The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High [God] will overshadow you; and
for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35 emphasis mine). According to the
prophet of God; Jesus was God, existed as
God, and even today exists as God: “…while
God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also
speaks decidedly regarding his pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son
of God, in union and oneness with his Father … The Word was with God, and the
Word was God.” Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God and
was God.” (RH April 5, 1906; par. 5). “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed,
underived …. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.” (DA; p. 530, par. 2). To suggest otherwise is to rob ourselves of any hope of salvation. If Christ had
been “Created”, He could not be
our savior, for no created being could redeem another created being. If
Christ were “created” and “brought into existence”, even
possessing all the qualities of the unfallen Adam, then we would be lost—left without a
Savior. “The highest angel in heaven had
not the power to pay the ransom for one lost soul … The reconciliation of man
to God could be accomplished only through a mediator who was equal with God
…” (RH December 22, 1891; par. 1) Only
one who was equal with God—who Page 4 was God—could make atonement
for those created beings who have transgressed His law. That being
understood, what then does this statement mean? Why would the Prophet of God
tell us: “The exact time when
humanity blended with divinity, it
is not necessary for us to know.” This would seem to
suggest that the blending of Christ’s divinity with that of humanity occurred
at a time other than strictly at
the time of His conception or at His birth as a babe in a manger. And this
would seem to be in harmony with the Biblical position that Christ was “the
Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world” (Rev. 13:8)—that is, at a time prior to Creation. While it must be conceded that this
information is not necessary for
us to know in order to obtain “SALVATION”
“There are many questions treated upon that are not necessary for the
perfection of the faith.” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 13; p. 20, par. 2), it does suggest that there is more to the blending of Christ’s
divinity with that of humanity than we have yet grasped (“there are things
not yet simplified, statements that human minds cannot grasp and reason out …
[Ibid]). The fact is that
Christ’s divinity did blend with
that of humanity. He took upon Him our human nature. And while this
happened in the fullest sense at the time of His birth here on earth—I
believe that His “partaking” of the lot of His Created beings actually
happened, or began, before He Created anything![1] That is, that it
took place in a mysterious manner at the time described in Proverbs 8:22-31 (prior
to creation) when He was “brought forth” from the
Father—with whom He was “One” and with whom He alone shared the Godhead. The
text says: “When there were no depths I was brought forth … Before the hills
I was brought forth; While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, nor
the first dust of the world … Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; and
I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him” (vs. 22, 24, 30). Page 5 Now, if Christ had
existed as God from all eternity (which I fully believe) then how is it that
He was “brought forth”? Was this bringing forth, as some of our scholars say,
merely a change in His official
“office” or work—or is there something of much greater significance being
revealed here? Is there something more involved in the “incarnation” that we
have yet to understand? Is there something of vital importance that we are missing
in our understanding of the Nature
of Christ and whether His Nature has changed or why it would be necessary for
it to change? What was [is] actually involved in the incarnation, the plan of redemption, and God’s ultimate purpose
and objective for us? Is your interest
still not aroused? Let me pose to you a few more “difficult” questions that
even the “scholars” within our church have failed to give adequate response
[to]. Why is it that when the “Throne
of God” is spoken of, in both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, there are
only TWO personages ever associated with it—the Father
and the Son [Christ]? Why aren’t there three
spoken of? Why does Ellen White consistently
speak only of the Father and the
Son when she speaks of the “Councils of God”, the origin of the “Plan of
Salvation”, or of the plan to “create” man? Here are a few examples: “…Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal
Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes
of God….The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly
beings.” (PP p. 34, par. 1-2). “The
Father and the Son engaged in the mighty, wondrous work they had
contemplated—of creating the world.” (PP p. 44). “After the earth was
created, and the beasts upon it, the
Father and Son carried out their purpose, which was designed before the
fall of Satan, to make man in their own image. They had wrought
together in the creation of the earth and every living things
upon it. And now God says to his Son, “Let
us make man in our image.” (ST Jan. 9, 1879; par. 13). “In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested
upon the Sabbath after Their work
of creation.” (DA p. 769, par. 2). “The great plan of redemption was laid
before the foundation Page 6 of the world. Christ did not stand alone in this wondrous
undertaking for the ransom of man. In the councils of heaven, before the world was created, the Father and the Son covenanted
together that if man proved disloyal to God, Christ, one with the Father, would
take the place of the transgressor, and suffer the penalty of justice that
must fall upon him.” (RH November 15, 1898; par. 1). “There is a personal God, the Father; there is a personal Christ, the
Son.” (RH November 8, 1898; par. 9. “…Christ and the Father would redeem the fallen race.” (ST Feb 17,
1909; par. 9). “His death had answered the question whether the Father and the Son had sufficient
love for man to exercise self-denial and a spirit of sacrifice.” (PP p. 69,
par. 3). Where is the Holy
Spirit in all this? If there have always been THREE members of the Godhead, then why do we see so many key instances where only TWO are mentioned? Here is another
conundrum: Jesus said, “where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am
there in their midst” (Mat. 18:20). He
also said “I am with you always, even to the
end of the age” (Mat. 28:30). “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come
to you” (John 14:18). Now this wouldn’t be a
problem except for the fact that
when Christ left this earth, He did so with a “human” body—He had taken on “human
nature” and has retained that nature (including its physical limitations)—“He is our Sacrifice, our Advocate, our Brother, bearing our
human form before the Father’s throne, and through the eternal ages one with
the race He has redeemed—the Son of man.” [SC, p. 14])—He simply could not be here “with” us, in our “midst”,
or “come” to us as He promised He would. “Christ did not make believe to take human nature; He did
verily take it: He did in reality possess human nature.” (RH April 5, 1906;
par. 4). “The Son of God, now at the Father’s right hand, still pleads as
man’s intercessor. He still retains His human nature, is still the Saviour of
mankind.” (ST July 15, 1908; par. 7). “Cumbered with humanity Christ could
not be in every place personally …” (Manuscript #1084, p. 7—Manuscript
Releases, vol. 14; p. 23). So what did Jesus mean
when He said that He would come to us and always be with us—even in our
“midst”? How could this be accomplished if He is limited by His adopted
human nature—including its form? Note by Ron: Here
is another instance where Ellen White said that Christ retains His humanity
forever. "By His life and His death, Christ has achieved even more than
recovery from the ruin wrought through sin. It was Satan's purpose to bring
about an eternal separation between God and man but in Christ we become more
closely united to God than if we had never fallen. In taking our nature, the
Saviour has bound himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken.
Through the eternal ages He is linked with us.” The Desire of Ages, p.
25. End note. Page 7 Jesus also made
this remarkable statement: “no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does
anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to
reveal Him.” Luke 10:22 puts it this way: “no one knows who the Son is except
the Father, and who the Father is except the Son,
and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Are we to believe that the
Holy Spirit doesn’t know the Father or the Son? Are we to believe that the
third member of the Godhead doesn’t even know who the Father and the Son are?
Sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? Was Jesus lying? Didn’t Jesus know what He was
talking about? Are we willing to say: “Yes, that is what Christ said …but this is what He meant.” Are we
so presumptuous that we would suggest that we know better than He what He meant to say? And consider this:
The Apostle Paul states that; “There
is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”
(1 Tim. 2:5). There are several
statements in the Spirit of Prophecy that confirm this; here are a couple from the book Steps to Christ: “Christ was the
medium through which He [the Father] could pour out His infinite love upon a
fallen world” ….”Jesus, the only medium of communication between God and
man.” (SC, pp. 13&20). Here is another: “Men have only one advocate, one intercessor, who is able to
pardon transgression.” (Bible Echo; May 1, 1899; par. 7). In Hebrews 7:25 Paul tells us that: “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God
through Him, since He [Jesus] always lives to make intercession for them
[us]” (See also Rom. 8:34). Yet Paul also
wrote that, “In the same way the Spirit also
helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the
Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words” (Rom.
8:6)! This is supported in the SOP as well. So which position is
correct?—Is there only one mediator
and intercessor or are there two? Was Paul mistaken? Was Ellen White confused? Are God’s Disciples, His
chosen Apostles and His Prophets all wrong?
I don’t think so. I believe that the reason that we have such a problem
answering or resolving some of these problems
is that we have become entrenched
in what we have accepted to be “the truth” and have tenaciously
defended our belief for so long that we will listen to nothing else. The
Lord’s servant has said that this should not be the case among us: “Investigation of every point that has been received as truth
will repay the searcher: He will find precious gems. And in closely
investigating every jot and tittle which we thing is established truth, in
comparing Scripture with Page 8 Scripture, we may
discover errors in our interpretation of Scripture.” (RH, July 12, 1898).
“The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by
our people is not proof that our ideas are infallible.” (RH, December 20,
1892). “We cannot hold that a position once taken, an idea once advocated, is
not, under any circumstances, to be relinquished. There is but One Who is
infallible—He Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (TM, 105). Indeed, we have been told: “New
light will ever be revealed on the word of God to him who is in living
connection with the Sun of Righteousness… The diligent seeker for truth will
find precious rays of light yet to shine forth from the Word of God… Many
gems are yet scattered that are to be gathered together to become the
property of the remnant people of God… Let no one come to the conclusion that
there is no more truth to be revealed … There is no excuse for anyone in
taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed… We are not
safe when we take the position that we will not accept anything else than
that upon which we have settled as truth.” (Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 34). There are a couple
of statements in the Spirit of Prophecy that have intrigued me, even bugged
me, like an itch that you can’t reach to scratch. Here is one of them. “The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty.” (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p.
1129). Or this one that was made concerning what God did when
Lucifer had rebelled and had insisted that he be included in the councils of God. God responded in this way: “The Great Creator assembled with the heavenly host, that he
might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon his Son.
The Father then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ, his Son,
should be equal with himself.” (Spirit
of Prophecy (1870), vol. 1, p. 17). And if
you add to that quote, this one—“To
Christ had been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the
Father.” (Testimonies, vol. 8, p.
268)—it ought to really leave you scratching your head! Interesting
questions aren’t they? There are many more, equally intriguing questions
regarding the Godhead and the Holy Spirit, which we have yet to
satisfactorily answer. As Seventh-day Adventists we believe in the “Latter
Rain”—that the Holy Spirit is to be poured out in full measure upon God’s
people just prior to His Second Coming—and that this outpouring of the Spirit
is essential if the people of God are to be fitted and empowered to do the
work which God has called us to do. We believe that it will be an essential
component in the experience of God final representatives in revealing Christ
to the world. And we believe Page 9 that the outpouring of the Spirit is what will enable us to actually be partakers of the divine Nature! If
this is the case, it seems only logical to me that we will need to understand
much more clearly who or what the Holy Spirit is. It seems rather
ludicrous for me to ask God for something when I have no idea what that thing is. Could God answer my prayers and bless
me if I were praying to “Mary”, or for
Mary to answer my prayers? He could not, because if He did He would be
reinforcing my belief in that which is not
Truth and would be sanctioning a lie. I would be praying to and for something that has no power to
provide. I would, in reality, be praying to and for a false God—a god of my own making.
Could we be doing exactly the same thing when we pray for the Holy Spirit,
while not understanding what it is that we are actually praying for? Could we
believe that the Holy Spirit is something that it is not, and therefore be limiting
God in His desire to answer our prayers by the outpouring of His Spirit?
If we don’t understand who or what the Holy Spirit is, while we are earnestly
praying to receive it, might we be opening the door for the Devil to deceive us through an outpouring of a
false spirit—his spirit? How can we resolve these
issues? Or, why even try to understand them at all? I would like to propose
that the answer to these questions actually has much to add to the experience of those of us “upon whom the ends
of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11). I believe that all of these things can and will be resolved when we
consider the Godhead, the plan of Salvation, and the Holy Spirit within the context of the Great
Controversy! These questions and others beg
an answer, which I have yet to see adequately addressed. But before we look
at this, let me explain why. I believe that
these questions have not been adequately addressed or answered primarily
because we have attempted to answer them by using the “proof-text” method
exclusively. Let me explain why the proof-text method alone is inadequate for such a task. Chapter 2 _____________________ Why the “Proof-Test” Method is
Not Adequate or Sufficient for the Understanding or Explanation of Al
Biblical “Truths” and Concepts The Proof-Text method is
not sufficient for the comprehension of all Biblical
concepts for the simple reason that “Truth” is a progressive revelation. If
Truth were not progressive we would find the Bible to be a very short book!
God would simply lay out everything to us in a list and that would be that.
But God does not operate like that and neither does His Truth. Proof-text
studies tend to be very static,
while God’s Truth is a living dynamic. Proof-texts may
win you an argument, but they are unlikely to produce any meaningful change in the
lives
of those who approach the study of God in this way. Truth must be
understood from that which has been revealed—that is, that
which has come before—and understood from the ongoing
revelation of the Holy Spirit, both from the Scriptures and within
the life of the believer. Truth is person centered. It is centered in
the person of Jesus Christ—who is “the
way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6)—and it is centered in the lives of those who believe in
Him and in whom He abides. Paul uses the Old
Testament Scriptures to support what he is revealing and
expounding upon—but he does not do it exclusively in a “proof-text”
fashion. He does not make a statement and then exclusively quote scripture to
prove
that statement. He Page 11 does quote
scripture to back up, or “prove” what he is saying sometimes—but more
often he uses scripture (what has been revealed) as a launching
point (starting point) for the Truth that he is introducing and then expounds
upon. In other words, Scripture is used by the inspired writers of the New Testament
as the basis, or starting point, for the revelation and development
of new truth—or the revelation of a deeper understanding of a
truth already introduced elsewhere. Paul was interested in
imparting knowledge, but he was more interested in the effect that true
knowledge produces in the believer when it becomes an experience and not just
a bunch of facts. We should use the
Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) in much the same way. “There are mines of truth yet to be discovered” (5T, p. 704).
“There are bright and important truths of which we only discern the shadows.”
(E.G. White; Letter 147, 1897). “We have only glimmerings of the rays of the
light yet to come to us.” (RH, June 3, 1890).
If there is much truth “yet to be discovered,” “truths of which we only
discern the shadows,” then we can safely conclude that they are not
written out in a concise fashion within a few texts of scripture (we must
“dig” for Truth as for hidden treasure)! This is why the “proof-text”
method will fail to reveal all of the rays of light yet to come to us.”
We must use the scriptures, but we cannot expect a text
here, and a text there, to be combined into a concise or total
understanding of every truth. We must understand that God often has
introduced concepts within the text of the scriptures, which are to be developed
under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. These concepts
are not always laid out plainly in a fashion that lends itself solely
to the proof-text method of interpretation or understanding. Another reason that the “proof-text” method often fails is that, too often, people will use only those texts that will
“prove” their own beliefs. We often have a preconceived idea of what the
“truth” is and set out to “prove” it by quoting only those texts that support
our preconceived views or positions. If one does this, one can
make the Bible (or the Spirit of Prophecy) say almost anything!
This is why Christians often disagree on subjects such
as the Sabbath or the state of the dead. Some Christians will use texts that
“prove” that the day we are to keep holy is the 7th day Sabbath,
while others use texts that seem to “prove” that Christians are to
Page 12
Keep Sunday, the 1st day of the week,
holy—or that it doesn’t matter which day you keep holy as long as you keep
some day holy (Ex. 20:8; Acts 13:42, 44 & 18:4; Mar. 2:28; Heb. 4:9 cf.
Acts 20:7; Col. 2:16; Rom. 14:5). One Christian will use texts that indicate
that Death is an unconscious “sleep,” while others will use texts that would
seem to indicate that we return to God (or go to be with Him) when we die
(Jn. 11:11, 14; Eccl. 9:5; Ps. 115:17; 1 Thes.
4:15; 1 Cor. 15:18; Ps. 146:4 cf. Eccl. 12:7; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21; Ps.
146:4; etc.). Notice that Psalms 146:4 can be used by both groups to
“prove” opposite positions! The Biblical concept of
“Righteousness by Faith” is a particularly difficult thing to adequately
explain using only the proof-text methodology. Perhaps that is why so few
Christians “truly” understand or experience it.
When it comes to the Godhead and to the Holy
Spirit I have heard prominent leaders in our own church using texts like
“holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa. 6:3) to defend the Trinity doctrine
(as we teach it) and to prove that there are three individual
beings that have existed as God from all eternity and who comprise the
Godhead because the text uses the word “Holy” three times. This is no
different than those who use the text “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God,
the Lord is ONE” (Duet. 6:4) to prove that there is only one person of the
Godhead or who is God. It is also no different than many Christians using the
text “the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7) to prove
that man has a “spirit” that exists separately from his body and which
“returns” to God (goes to heaven) at the time of death! These are the weakest of arguments and
show the failing of trying to use the “proof-text” method alone to establish an
understanding of the doctrine. It is also a terrible misuse of the
Scriptures.
Adventists have rightly maintained that
the whole Bible must be used to understand the truth of any
given subject—that all the texts dealing with a subject must be gathered
together and studied within their context in order to arrive at an understanding of “The
Truth.” Any Scriptures that appear obscure, or appear to indicate something
disagreeing with the majority of the rest of the texts, must either be
resolved by the overriding majority opinion and context of the texts as a whole—or must be
considered as having a meaning intended by its author of which we are unsure or
simply don’t
Page 13
Understand. For Adventists, this is further
complicated by our belief in the inspiration of the writings of Ellen White;
for we must gather everything from the vast additional light
that she has provided on Biblical subjects and consider and compare her
statements on those subjects as well. This comparison must be made, not only
to what is contained in the Scriptures, but, also to that which is contained in the whole of her writings. When
you consider that Ellen White has provided us with more than 100,000 pages of
printed text (that’s more than 25 million words—or the equivalent of more words than could
fit into 32 Bibles)—one can readily understand that this can be a daunting task!
We also must understand that “inspired” writers
(whether the writers of the Bible or other inspired writers such as Ellen
White) sometimes reveal things from their visions, or in their writings, which
they themselves did not understand! This was certainly true for Daniel (see Dan.
12:8, 13) and it seems quite obvious that this was the case for Ezekiel and for John
the Revelator in many of the things that they saw and recorded. Why would we assume that it would be
different for Ellen White? Indeed, given the vast amount of information that
God conveyed through her, it would seem quite unreasonable for us to assume
that she “understood” everything about everything she wrote! She never
made any claims to such “all-knowing” understanding, and often spoke of things
as “mysteries” and as things that she did not understand fully (e.g. the
Incarnation, the nature of the Holy Spirit, etc.).
This fact should not come as a surprise to us when we consider and
realize that “Truth” is progressive. No-one has ever yet had and understood ALL the Truth that
God has revealed—or that God is going to reveal! I find it unconscionable to think that
God revealed to the Bible writers OR to Ellen White everything that He intended
to reveal to mankind. When we consider that almost a century has elapsed
since the death of Ellen White—can we possibly conclude that God has had
nothing more to say to us? Can we really hold to the position
that there was to be no more “new light” yet to be revealed? Mr. White speaks strongly to the contrary
(see Appendix “D” on “New Light” quotes)!
Ellen White recognized and acknowledged her
limitations as a human being—even as one through whom the Lord spoke directly.
Page 14
She says: “There are many mysteries which I do not
seek to understand or to explain; they are too high for me” (Manuscript 1107;
p. 5; Manuscript Releases vol. 14, p. 179). Interestingly, she makes that
statement in the context of (in the middle of a discussion about) the Nature
of the Holy Spirit! Just a few sentences earlier she said: “The nature of the
Holy Spirit is a mystery not clearly revealed.” (Ibid).
These statements in no way imply that the nature of the Holy Spirit would forever remain a
mystery, or that the truth about its nature would never be “clearly
revealed.” I believe that it was a mystery to her in the same way that much
of what Daniel wrote was a mystery to him: She could not understand it
“fully” simply because it was a Truth who’s [whose] time had not yet
come. Like Daniel, however, she faithfully revealed that which was revealed
to her—in spite of the fact that she did not understand all that she
revealed. I believe, that like Daniel, much of what she wrote about the “Godhead”
and about the “Holy Spirit” will rise again for its “allotted portion at the
end of the age” (Dan. 12:13)—that the things which she wrote will be
“revealed” and “understood” in their proper light prior to our Lord’s coming.
This “revealing,” however, will not come as the result of suing the
proof-text method alone.
I do not think that it is a mere coincidence that Jesus told
His disciples: “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear
them now” (John 16:12)—and that He said that in the middle of a discourse
about the Holy Spirit! I also do not think that it is a mere coincidence that Mrs. White
informs us that what Jesus left “unrevealed” (or not totally revealed) to the
disciples involved the plan of Redemption. “What was it that Jesus withheld
because they could not comprehend it?—It was the more spiritual, glorious
truths concerning the plan of redemption.” (RH October 14,
1890; par. 4).
Within Adventism, we have found ourselves arguing
about the nature of the Holy Spirit primarily because we have
sought to “prove” our positions by using only the “proof-text”
method. We have failed to consider the truth about the nature of the Holy
Spirit within the context of the problem of Sin, the Great Controversy, and
the Plan of Redemption. It is my opinion that this has caused us to
misunderstand much about the “nature” of both the Godhead and the Holy Spirit.
Proof texts are not a bad thing. Indeed they are a
necessary component in understanding the nature of God, the entrance
of
Page 15
Sin and the problems sin brought with it, and they
are absolutely necessary to our understanding the plan of Salvation! I have
used many “proof texts” in writing this book and in order to explain what I am
expounding here—but I will be suing these “proof texts” within the context of the Plan of
Redemption, and this is where their use will differ from merely
“proving” a bunch of facts. They will be sued in order to gain a greater understanding of the immense
Sacrifice that has been made in order to make possible the great plan of
Redemption, what that Sacrifice entailed and how it actually affects us, and to give
us a greater appreciation of both the Loving God (Father) an our Loving
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
With all this in mind, I would like to consider
the nature of the Godhead and the Holy Spirit within the context of the Great
Controversy and the Plan of Salvation, and attempt to discover what God has revealed to us concerning
these things. So let’s go back to the beginning and consider the predicament that faced God
as He planned to create intelligent beings—beings that would have the freedom and capacity to choose for themselves
whom they would serve.
Chapter 2 Summary
1.
Truth
is progressive—that is, it is ever unfolding and some subjects
cannot be simply “proved,” and the matter permanently settled, because there
is more to be learned and more to be revealed about the
subject. The “proof-text” method will fail to reveal all the truth about some
subjects for this reason.
2.
The
“proof-text” method is often used to “win” an argument (to prove that “our”
position is correct and “theirs” is wrong). It may accomplish this objective,
but little is achieved in simply “winning” an argument. The Truth must be
explained in a way that will make a difference in one’s life and in their
relationship with God. The proof-text method does not always do this.
3.
The
“proof-text” method often does not take into consideration the context of the texts
themselves and can be sued to prove almost anything if one is not careful.
4.
Finally,
the “proof-text” method is a helpful aid in explaining truth when it is done
within the context of the subject being explained. For Seventh-day
Adventists, it is vitally important to consider all doctrine (and all
proof-texts used to prove a doctrine) within the context of The Great
Controversy between Christ and Satan. Failure to do this will
cause us to fail in comprehending the “truth”—and the significance of the truth—of
the subject being studied. This is especially true with regard to the subject of the Godhead and the
Holy Spirit.
CHAPTER 3
___________________
IN THE BEGINNING!
The “Problem” Facing God as He
Considered
Creating Intelligent Life
In discussing the “Godhead” (exactly who and what
it comprises) we must go back to the “Beginning”—before the “Creation” of
Heaven and Earth, and everything that exists save God Himself. This is
necessarily important because GOD is eternal and omniscient (all knowing—knowing the “end” from
the “beginning”). Anything and everything God has done, is doing, or will do has a
purpose—and if His purposes are not to be thwarted or overthrown in any way,
He must have made provision for every contingency.
So let’s consider for a moment, as much as is
humanly possible, the plans of God and the predicament in which those plans
placed Him. Sometime in eternity past God purposed to Create intelligent life—Life that
would exist not only “by” Him, but also “for” Him and “with” Him. Because
God is a God of “LOVE” (because “God IS Love” [1 John 4:8)]) His special, intelligent,
created beings would not only be capable of Love themselves—they must also be granted “free will” (because Love
cannot be “forced” or “imposed” on anyone or anything). This poses certain
problems because with the capacity to Love also come the capacity, or power
NOT to Love. Love must be Chosen. In other words: Love can be given, but “giving” love does not
insure that it will be received, accepted, or returned! If God were to
Create Beings capable of experiencing,
Page 18
Expressing and returning love (sharing in His very
“essence” which is love) they must also be created as intelligent, “Free” moral
agents—capable of acknowledging and returning God’s Love but
also capable of deciding to reject that Love.
God wanted intelligent beings to share His life
and essence. He wanted beings that were capable of appreciating HIM and who would
acknowledge Him AS God—the source of Love. He wanted more than anything else
to be the recipient of love as well as the giver of it! But this
brought with it the risk (just as it does with us when we choose to love
another) of rejection—the risk of being hurt—the risk of not
having His love returned and thus, the inevitable consequences of that
rejection. Which, in the case of God, meant not only pain
and suffering—but also ultimately DEATH
for those who would reject His Love. A life devoid of love; devoid of
God; a life chosen
to
be lived apart from Him; a life in which His Creatures would assert themselves to be superior
to Him could not be allowed to continue, for it would ultimately be a “Life”
or existence worse than “Death.”
God, the consummate author and sustainer of life, could not allow HIS creatures
(creations) of love to continue living apartr from
His love. Because God is Love those beings choosing to reject love
(and therefore HIM) would, of
necessity, cease to exist. Death for these beings would, in reality, be the
ultimate act of Love on
God’s part for they would NEVER be happy, joyous and fulfilled apart from Him! That could be
the subject of [an] entire study in itself but,
sufficient for the one at hand, it brings into focus the problem God faced in
creating intelligent, free-moral beings!
This brings up another conundrum. How could a God
who IS LOVE and who’s very Being is SO PURE that it
would consume anything impure instantly, create other beings that had the “potential” to become imperfect? God knew that
He would create everything “perfect,” albeit with the capacity for growth.
But in the case of free-moral agents, beings with the capacity to choose to become
something other than He desired, how was He to exist in their presence—or they in His? What was HE to
do?
God would have to make a way possible for created beings not only to
exist in His presence but also to interact with Him (even those who would make the mistake
of doubting Him). He
Page 19
Would have to make it possible for intelligent
beings to be able to approach and learn from Him. He would have to make it
possible for them not only to receive His Love, but also provide a way for them to share it—a way for
them to return and express their love for Him and a way for them to grow in it. He would
have to have a way to communicate with them in a way that they would understand (He
would have to come down to their level if you will). There would HAVE to be some sort
of “go-between” or mediator between Himself in His Total Consuming Purity and
those with whom He wished to commune—Someone capable
of communing in HIS physical presence while also being able to commune
in the presence of His created beings (even those who would become
“imperfect” and separate from Him through sin). He would need someone through whom He could reveal
Himself while maintain the opportunity for mercy and forgiveness if and when
that should become necessary.
That “Someone” could NOT
be
one of the beings He intended to create. No, that “Someone” would have to be
someone who was like Him. Indeed, someone who was ONE with Him—someone who
shared His very essence. That someone would have to be (in human terms)
“Flesh of His Flesh,” “Bone of His Bone,” Blood of His Blood;” while at the
same time, being capable of partaking of the nature of the beings He intended to create. God would
need someone who could communicate His love to created beings AND could
communicate their love back to Him in return. It would have to be someone
that could serve as a mediator, it you will, between Him and His creation when Sin would appear so
that they would not simply be consumed and immediately cease to exist. Where was God to find such a
being?
God was not alone:
The Bible informs
us in John 1:2 that; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.” That this “Word” was the person of Jesus Christ in
His pre-incarnate form is made evident by verse 14 of the same chapter: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” This could only refer to the person of Jesus. The
phrase “with God” in John 1:1 carries the meaning of being “by
the
Page 20
Side of God” and expresses a uniqueness or individuality from God (the
Father). The phrase “was God” indicates a state of being and expresses the nature that Jesus had
at this time. So Jesus co-existed “with” God the Father as a separate or individual being
and He shared the
Father’s nature of “being” God. Christ was in fact God AND existed with the
Father (God) before the creation of intelligent life.[2] “The Word existed as a divine being, even as the
eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with his Father . . .Before men or
angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.” (RH
April 5, 1905; par. 5). The fact that the Father God was not alone and that He had
someone else who existed with Him who shared all of His attributes is what
actually made it possible for Him to create intelligent life in who would
be imbued the capacity and freedom of choice. Had He been alone in His creation
of intelligent beings possessing the freedom to choose whom they would
serve (God or “self”), those beings whom He created who would choose to serve
themselves would have been incapable of existing in His presence
and would have been instantly destroyed by His absolute purity.
This is why the Father created (and had to create) all
things through the Son, Christ Jesus. There had to be a mediator
between Himself and His created beings. Someone who could fully reveal the
Father’s character and purposes to His created beings and who could interact directly with them and with Himself.
Someone who could serve as a “buffer,” if you will, between the Father’s
absolute and consuming purity and the beings He wished to create who would
fall short of His ideal—while they were learning to serve Him, and when some would
choose not to
Page 21
serve Him. Jesus was that person. “From
everlasting he was the Mediator of the covenant” (RH April 5, 1906; par. 5). “Christ is
mediating in behalf of man, and the order of unseen worlds also is preserved
by His mediatorial work.” (MYP, p. 254). “It was for
them [unfallen worlds and Angels] as well as for us
that the great work of redemption had been accomplished. They with us share
the fruits of Christ’s victory.” (DA, p. 758).
“Christ was appointed to the office of Mediator from the creation of God, set
up from everlasting to be our substitute and surety.” (1SM p. 250).
The Bible clearly reveals that: “All things came into being through Him [Christ],
and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John
1:3—see also Heb. 1:1). The Spirit of Prophecy (referred to as the “SOP”
in the remainder of this book) confirms this in a most concise and clear
way—“The
Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings.” (PP p. 34, par. 2). Most of us have
no problem accepting and acknowledging this fact. However, right here is where we have
missed an important and vital Truth concerning
the Godhead, the Creation, and the plan
of Salvation. Here is what we have missed:
BEFORE God could create intelligent “free-will” beings
through His Son, there had to be a change in the Nature of the Son and of
the Godhead. Had Jesus maintained His “pure God” nature, the same problem
would have existed as has been outlined above. Christ’s purely “God Nature” would have consumed imperfect beings
and sinners just as surely as the Father’s pure nature would! So what was the
change that took place?
What change had to take place in order for God to accomplish both
the work of creation and the plan of redemption? What was the change, and how would
this change affect the Godhead?
Chapter 3 Summary
1.
God
was faced with a very real problem when He contemplated creating
intelligent—free moral beings. If He were to create them with the potential
to choose to separate from Him (Sin) then that potential in and of itself
would create difficulty in His being able to directly commune with them. If
they chose to sin, they would be immediately consumed and would have no
chance to reconsider their choice. This would eventually lead to His
creations being afraid of Him (and serving Him out of fear instead of out of
love) as they saw their fellow beings “disappear” from existence. God must
have a mediator, someone who could serve as a “go between” between Himself
and His creations.
2.
That
mediator would have to be someone who was like Himself—someone who was equal
with Him and could participate in His creation. He needed someone who could
partake of His nature and be capable of partaking of the nature of His
created beings as well—someone who could express and exhibit God’s nature and
will to His creation and be capable of expressing and exhibiting their love
in return. That person was the person of Jesus Christ.
3.
Before
Jesus could perform this role, there had to be a change in His very nature.
He could not maintain His purely “God” nature and accomplish His mission. A
drastic change in His very being had to take place before He could function
in the role of mediator between the Father and His intelligent, free-willed
creations.
Note by Ron Beaulieu: Bruce’s book ignores the
fact of the Everlasting Covenant whereby in order for a mediator to exist at
all, the Testator of the Covenant [Christ] would have to die, to wit:
|
||||
God the Father could not be the Testator for man’s
sin because He could not die. Someone had to be alive to keep the universe
intact. This is another reason the Son had to be amongst the Godhead; to pay
the penalty for man’s sin. That penalty was eternal death for us and it had
to involved eternal death to something involving the Testator, Jesus Christ.
And it did which we will discover further along. End of note by Ron.
Page 23
Chapter 4
________________
The Original Godhead &
Christ’s Nature Prior to Creation
The “Trinity” doctrine, which has been espoused and
taught as a major tenet of the Orthodox Christian Faith for many centuries,
was not taught in its current form by Christ or by the Apostles. It entered into
Christian Theology long after the first disciples had passed from the scene.
The first real mention of the term “Trinity” was made by Tertullian (150-225
AD). The “doctrine” of the “Trinity”—that is, “One God in Three co-eternal
persons” was developed over a period of years and “Officially” became the orthodox teaching of
Christianity during the 4th century AD.[3] Interestingly, it was
introduced, developed and proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church and
is claimed to be the Doctrine upon which every other doctrine they hold and
teach rests.[4]
Page 24
That, in and of itself ought to raise suspicion in
the minds of God’s Remnant people!
Are we to believe that the “TRUTH” about the
nature of God and the Godhead was revealed, by God, to the
organization which His Word describes as “the Beast” (Rev. 11:7;
13:1-4, 18), the “Scarlet Woman” (Rev. 17:3, 4), the “Mother of harlots” (Rev. 17:5) and
the “Anti-Christ” (1 Jn. 2:22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 1:7)?[5] Are we to believe that
God has sent His “Truth” through the organization that has been foremost in
its propagation of “Error” regarding the nature of God and of His plan of
Salvation? Does God send “light” through agents of darkness? The idea is
preposterous and unconscionable, and yet this is exactly what mainstream
Christianity has done—and what Seventh-day Adventist’s have done also. The
fact is that God is not going to reveal Truth through an
organization that is diametrically opposed to Him, and who teachings run contrary to His revealed
Word! Please remember that the Devil introduces error by amalgamating
(or mingling) it with truth. He creates “partial truths” (deception)
with
the sole intent of thwarting God’s purposes and through which acceptance he hopes to
secure our eternal destruction.
Does this mean that I do not believe in the
“Trinity?” Yes and no! I believe that “There are three living persons of the heavenly
trio . . .three great powers of heaven—the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit” (Special Testimonies, Series B,
No. 7, p. 63; 1905—quoted in Evangelism,
p. 615).
I believe this with all my heart. However, I do not believe it in the totality or sense that the
Trinity doctrine (as developed by the Catholic and accepted by orthodox
Christianity—including Seventh-day Adventists) is taught today.
The Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, which
Seventh-day Adventists have come to espouse and teach (see the “Preface” of
this book for a brief history of [how and when] the Trinity doctrine entered
the SDA Church), states that there are three members of the Godhead—the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and that these three have always existed as
“one” and yet as three separate individuals or persons. It is the latter half
of this doctrine (or belief) that I question and
Page 25
Which I believe
we have failed to properly understand. Have there
always been three members of the Godhead? I don’t think so—at least not in
the “beginning!?
The “Original” Godhead
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn. 1:1). This text, I
believe, reveals the “Original” Godhead. Other texts support this text and
show that Christ existed as God with the Father from
all eternity and indicate that He and the Father alone were responsible
for creating the universe and the plan of salvation (see Jn.
17:5; Micah 5:2; Isa. 9:6; Jn. 1:1-3; Heb. 1:1, 2; Col. 1:13-16; Jn. 3:16;
17:3; 6:44-46; 2 Cor. 5:19; etc.). There are NO Biblical texts, which speak of or confirm that
there was a third member of the
Godhead from eternity past.
Note by Ron: Some would cite Genesis 1:2 as
evidence that the Holy Spirit was extant as a third person at that time, but
that is not the case. Scripture says that God is a Spirit and that there is
one eternal spirit. It was the Spirit of God and Christ (who share the same
ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT) that moved upon the face of the waters.
Gen 1:2 And the earth was
without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. End note.
I have also found
NO Spirit of Prophecy quotes that speak of an independent third member of the
Godhead from eternity past. Some may object that there are texts which speak
of the Holy Spirit being the third member of the Godhead and of His being “as
much of a person as God is a person” [e.g. Manuscript 66, 1899]—which does
express both God-being and individuality),[6] but I have found none
that suggest the existence of an original, individual, third member of the
Godhead apart from the Father or Christ. Frankly, it amazes me that we have
not critically examined this glaring omission in both the Bible and the SOP!
We will examine this in detail as we proceed and what we will find is a
surprisingly “easy to be understood”
Note by Ron: See
Appendix F wherein I comment on the statements that are most often proffered
as “proof” that the Holy Spirit existed as a third SEPARATE person from
eternity. He sure existed ETERNALLY in the person of the Son of Man, but not
as a third, separate person until He was slain from the foundation of the
earth.
Page 26
Truth that may leave you wondering how we have
been so slow to recognize and understand it.[7]
We are told that: “... Christ, the
Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in
nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the
counsels and purposes of God .... The Father wrought
by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings.” (PP p.
34, par. 1-2). In this
statement, the word “nature” must refer to Christ’s physical substance—His physical
“being”–because she makes the distinction between His “nature” and His “character.” If the
“nature” being referred to here consisted of His
“character” then the statement would be nonsensical—it would read like this:
“Christ ... was one with the eternal Father—one in character, in character, in
purpose ...”. I believe that in using the word “nature” (in this instance)[8] she is referring to
Christ’s existence prior to creation in which He existed as one with the Father in Spirit form.
This “Spirit”
form, or “nature,” would include His physical form as well as
the attributes that make God, God. These attributes include His Omniscience, His Omnipotence, and His Omnipresence. These three are
attributes of His “being,” not simply of His character per se. For
example, Omnipotence is an attribute of being “ALL-POWERFUL” and is a physical attribute (if you will) not one of character (as are “Love,
Mercy, and Justness”). It implies the ability to create and to “act” upon
both the animate nature (the physical dimension of matter) as well as on
the inanimate nature (the spiritual dimension) of beings such
Page 27
As
in the “thoughts and desires of the heart.” This is not simply a character trait. Likewise,
Omnipresence is the capacity or ability to be everywhere at once and is a
physical attribute, not a character attribute. I believe that omniscience
(the attribute of being “all-knowing”) is inseparably connected to
Omnipresence (the attribute of being everywhere) because I find it
inconceivable that one could be “all-knowing” if one was not also
“ever-present” in some fashion. Christ showed this to be the case when,
describing the timing of His Second Coming, He declared: “But of that day or
hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father
alone.” (Mark 13:32). Jesus was not “all-knowing” (omniscient) when He said
this because He did not possess the ability to be “ever-present”
(omnipresent) at this point in time. This point is important as we consider
the incarnation and will become clearer and more evident in a moment.
Christ existed as
“one” with the Father
in the beginning. He was “one” with Him in Character, purpose, substance, and in glory. God is a “Spirit”
(John 4:24) and I believe that, since Christ was God in eternity
past, that He existed with the Father before the creation in
the form of “Spirit.” John 1:14 says that “the Word
[Christ] became flesh, and dwelt among us.” If Christ “became” flesh then He
must have existed in some other form before this time. “Before Christ
came in the likeness of men, he existed in the express image of His Father.” (Youth’s Instructor;
December 20, 1900; par. 4). Now I do not wish to get into a debate as to what
“form” a “spirit” has (if does apparently have one for we are told in Early Writings, page 55: “I saw a throne,
and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus’ countenance and
admired His lovely person. The Father’s person I could not behold, for a
cloud of glorious light
Page 28
Covered
Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like
Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, “If you
should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist”),[9] the point is that Jesus once shared the Father’s
“Spirit form” (with God and as God) and enjoyed all the attributes of God
including Omniscience, Omnipresence and Omnipotence. This is not entirely the
case now.[10]
Before the creation of other intelligent life forms—when
Christ existed solely with the Father—there would have been no need for
Christ to exist in any other form than that of “Spirit.” In this “Spirit”
form, Christ and the Father were most fully, completely, and totally ONE! They were still individuals yet they were
united in form, character, and purpose. It was only as
the Father and the Son began their work of creation that the necessity for a change in this nature (or state of
“being”) arose.
Some will argue that
God does not and cannot change. They will cite Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do
not change” as “proof” of this. But the context of this text
shows that God is speaking of His character and not of His form or nature—the word “therefore” indicates this:
“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore [because of this fact] you, O sons
of Jacob, are not consumed.” God indicates that He is willing to change His stated purposes based on our reaction
and relationship to Him: “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation
or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that
nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent
concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I
might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to
plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying
My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to
bless it.” (Jer. 18:7-10; see also Jer. 42:10). God’s character does not change
and is not subject to change. God could not change His Law, for
instance, in order to accommodate man in his sinful condition or in order to
save him. This type of “change” would have violated His character (for the Law
is a transcript of His character) and would have caused Him
Page 29
To become
something that He is not. But to say that God cannot change in any way would
effectively deny the incarnation. “Incarnation,” by its very definition,
means “to invest with flesh or bodily nature and form... to give a concrete
or actual form to...”[11] If God cannot change in
any way then Christ could not have become “flesh, and dwelt among us” (Jn.
1:14). It is evident that God can and indeed did change in the “bodily nature
and form” of Jesus Christ. So let’s look at the “original” Godhead for a
moment.
Where is the Holy Spirit? The
“Creation?”:
When one reads in
the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy one cannot help but be struck by the
omission and absence of the Holy Spirit in the most vital acts and plans
of God. For instance, the Bible clearly states that the Father and the Son
were active in the creation, but there is no mention of a third member of the Godhead
being involved here. In Hebrews 1:2 we are told that the Father created all
things through the agency of His Son: “God [Father] ... in these last days has spoken
to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the world.” Likewise, Colossians 1:16 tells us “For by Him
[Christ] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions or rulers or authorities—all
things have been created by Him and for Him.” John 1:2 says: “All things came
into being by Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come
into being.” Proverbs 8:30-31 states: “Then I [Christ]
was beside Him [Father-singular], as a master workman; and I was daily His
delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the world, His earth, and
having my delight in the sons of men.”
Mrs. White also
speaks of the Father and the Son as those responsible for the creation, but
like the Bible writers she omits any mention of a third person of the
Godhead. Here are several of her quotes:
“The
sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence.
Page 30
He had an
associate—a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His
joy in giving happiness to created beings ... Christ, the Word, the only
begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character,
in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes
of God .... The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly
beings.” (PP p. 34, par. 1-2). “The Father and the
Son engaged in the
mighty, wondrous work they had contemplated—of creating the
world.” (PP p. 44). “After the earth was created,
and the beasts upon it, the Father and Son carried out their purpose, which
was designed before the fall of Satan, to make man in their own image. They
had wrought together in the creation of the earth and every living thing upon
it. And now God says to his Son, “Let us make man in our image.” (ST Jan. 9, 1879; par. 13). “In the beginning the Father
and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after their work of creation.” (DA p. 769, par. 2). “ . . . Adam and Eve united with them
[the birds and all nature] in thanksgiving to the Father and the Son.” (PP p. 50).
Why is the Holy
Spirit omitted? Why is He so glaringly absent in all these
references? I am sure that some will argue that Genesis 1:1 speaks of the
“Spirit of God’ moving over the surface of the waters and that this must mean that there
was a third person involved here—but does it? We will
consider this in a moment. One must be struck, however, by the many
references to the creation and by the fact that only two persons are
mentioned in connection with it!
The “Councils of Heaven” and the
“Plan of Redemption”:
Who do we find involved in the “councils of heaven” and in the
Plan of Redemption? Again, we find only two
persons referred to as responsible
for it—the
Father and the Son. “Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was
one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only
being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God” (PP p. 34,
par. 1-2). “The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the
eternal, self-existent One encircled both . . . . none
but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes,
and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will” (PP,
p. 36). “The great plan of redemption was laid before the foundation of the
world. Christ did not stand alone in this wondrous undertaking for the ransom
of man. In the councils of heaven, before the world was created, the Father
and the Son covenanted together that if man proved disloyal to God, Christ,
one with the Father, would take the place of the transgressor, and suffer the
penalty of justice that must fall upon him.” (RH November
15, 1898; par.
Page 31
1). “. . . .Christ and the Father would redeem the
fallen race.” (ST Feb 17, 1909; par. 9). “The great
contest that had been so long in progress in this world was now decided, and
Christ was conqueror. His death had answered the question whether the Father
and the Son had sufficient love for man to exercise self-denial and a spirit
of sacrifice.” (PP p. 69, par. 3). “There is a
personal God, the Father, there is a personal
Christ, the Son.” (RH November 8, 1896; par. 9).
The “Throne of God”:
There are at
least 66 verses in the Bible that refer to the “Throne of God” (23 in the Old
Testament and 43 in the New Testament-24 references to the “Throne” are found
in the Book of Revelation alone!). Only two persons are ever named in
connection with God’s Throne—the Father and the Son! In the Spirit of
Prophecy there are over 2,000 references to the “Throne of God,” and while I
cannot claim to have read every one of these I have read many and have found
only two persons mentioned in relation to God’ Throne. Never have
I come across a reference in either the Bible or the SOP where three persons
are associated with the Throne of God, OR where the Holy Spirit is
specifically identified (as a person) in connection with it. If someone can find a
reference to a third person residing on God’s Throne I would welcome the
opportunity to see it!
Surely, if there
were three persons in the Godhead there would be three
persons mentioned regarding God’s Throne, or regarding His Creation, or
regarding the councils of God and the development of the Plan of Redemption.
Why isn’t the Holy Spirit mentioned, named, and included in
these references to the Godhead?
There is an
important reason why we do not find the “Third Person”—the “Holy
Spirit”—mentioned in any of these critical references to the
“Godhead.” And it all has to do with the “change” that took place
in the Godhead prior to the creation in order to accommodate the eventuality and
entrance of Sin and in order to provide a means by which sinners could be redeemed and reconciled to God.
Page 32
Chapter 4 Summary
1.
The
doctrine of the Trinity, which is accepted and taught by Orthodox
Christianity, including Seventh-day Adventists, teaches that there are three members of the
Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and that these three individual members of the One true God have always existed as three individual persons within the
Godhead. This is simply not true!
2.
Christ
existed in the beginning as “One” with the Father in nature (form), character, and in purpose. That is to say
that Jesus existed, prior to the creation of intelligent life, in Spirit Form—with all the attributes
inherent in God’s “Spirit” form including Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Omnipotence. Prior to creation all
the evidence from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy indicates that there
were only two members of the Godhead-0-the Father and the Son. These
two—Jesus and the Father—comprised the Original Godhead.
3.
In
order for the Creation of intelligent and free moral beings to be accomplished—there
had to be a change
in the nature of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in any of the
critical references to the Godhead (e.g. The Councils of God, the Plan of
Redemption, and the Throne of God) because of the change that took place
in the nature of Christ—which resulted in a change in the composition of the Godhead. This will be
explained more in the next chapter.
Chapter 5
________________
The “Change” in the “Person” of
Jesus Before and After the Creation
The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, from the
beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths I
was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before
the mountains were settled, before the hills I was brought forth; While He
had not yet made the earth and the field, Nor the first dust of the world.
When He established the heavens, I was there. When He inscribed a circle on
the face of the deep, When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of
the deep became fixed, When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water
would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the
earth; Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His
delight, Rejoicing always before Him” (Proverbs 8:22-30).
Dr. Richard M.
Davidson has written a compelling research paper on Proverbs 8 in which, I
believe, he conclusively shows that the being spoken of in Proverbs 8 (that
is, “Wisdom”) pre-existed with God and was also, himself God.[12] In his
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Paper, I believe
that Dr. Richardson not only only establishes the prexistence of “wisdom” in the form of a distinct person with God the
Father prior to the creation, he also provides compelling
proof that “Wisdom” is the person of Jesus Christ and that it was indeed Christ
that was “brought forth” (vss. 24, 25) from the Father at, or more succinctly
preceding, the creation. Some Bible Commentaries also confirm this position:
Matthew Henry comments on Prov. 8:22-31 ( and the
relationship existing between “Wisdom” and Christ) in this way:
“That it [Wisdom] is an intelligent and divine person that here speaks
seems very plain, and that it is not meant of a mere essential property of the divine
nature [character trait], for Wisdom here has personal properties and actions; and that
intelligent divine person can be no other than the Son of God himself, to whom the
principal things here spoken of wisdom are attributed in other scriptures . .
.”[13]
M Many modern commentaries are
totally silent regarding Proverbs 8. Those Scholars that do
comment on it generally take the position that the language of Christ’s being
brought forth “is to be taken
as technical terminology for the installment into office”—that is, that it
is suggestive only of a change in the role (or office work) that Christ
was to perform from that time forth and not indicative of a substantive change in His being (Davidson, p.
50). However, and much to his credit, Dr. Davidson also muses:
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“Is it possible that, perhaps in a
council between the members of the Godhead before creation, it was decided
that the One we now call the Second Person of the Godhead would at the
commencement of creation condescend to partially empty himself (cf. The kenosis of Phil 2), to
step down (perhaps taking the form of an angel? [Emphasis mine])
to become the Mediator between the infinite God and
finite creatures? And that Prov 8 is referring to
this installation—this “begetting” of the Son of God—into the office of
Mediator between the transcendent God and finite created beings? And that Prov 8 describes the
mediatorial role of Wisdom—the pre-incarnate Christ?” (Davidson, p. 53).
I would take the language of Proverbs 8 a step
further and suggest that Christ’s being “brought forth” involved much more than a mere
change in His office work. I do not debate that Christ’s being “brought
forth” did involve a change in His position and office
work—but I believe that it involved a great deal more than that. I
believe that His being “brought forth” involved a change in the very substance of Christ’s being—as well as a
change in His office work and/or role. I believe that this “change” is very
much a part of the incarnation—the beginning of it—and that one can only resolve the difficult and apparently
contradictory statements in the Bible and the SOP regarding the
Godhead and the nature of the Holy Spirit by accepting the position that
Christ’s being “brought forth” involved a substantive change in His
being.
Later, when we examine this “change” in detail, we
will see that the personification of “Wisdom” takes on particular significance when
it is viewed as an existential component of Christ: “Wisdom is the
principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get
understanding” (Proverbs 4:7; KJV), or “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire
wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding” (NASB). “Christ [is]
the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24: Young’s Literal
Translation, 1898). Righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are
all intrinsically linked with Jesus Christ. But they are more than just linked to (associated
with) Him, they are actually embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. “. . . .ye are in Christ Jesus, who became to us from God wisdom,
righteousness also,
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and sanctification
and redemption,” (1 Cor. 1:30; Young’s). “And in none other is there
salvation; for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given
among men, wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12); Revised Version). For the moment,
however, I hope that we have established (and agree on) the fact that Jesus was
“brought forth” from the Father prior to creation and that a very important change took place in
the nature of the Godhead at this time.
Jesus had existed
as God and with God from the depths
of eternity past. This is confirmed in Proverbs 8:22 above, and in John
1:1-2. When He existed as God and with God, before the Creation of
intelligent life, He existed as/with God in “nature [form], character, and
purpose” (PP p. 34, par. 1). That “nature” (or form) was
almost assuredly that of “Spirit”—for “God is Spirit” (Jn. 4:24).
According to Proverbs 8:22-30, Christ was “Brought Forth” from the Father
prior to the creation
“when there were no depths I was brought forth . . . before the hills I was brought forth.” Proverbs 8
describes Christ being brought forth as “a Master Workman” (vs. 30) and is in harmony
with other Biblical texts that teach that all things were created through and
by Christ (Jn. 1:3;
Heb. 1:1, 2; Col. 1:16). As outlined in chapter 3, this was necessary in order for God
to commune with His intelligent (free-willed) created beings and to provide
for the eventuality of Sin. But what exactly was this bringing forth? What did this
involve? Was there a change in the nature of Christ at this time? And how
does this change affect our understanding of the Scriptures, the
Godhead, Christ’s nature, and the plan of Salvation?
Brought
Forth—How?
It is clear from
Proverbs 8:22-30 that Jesus was “Brought Forth” prior to the creation—but in
what sense was He “Brought Forth?” Was it just in terms of the role He would assume
from then on (His “office work”) or was it something more?
When we consider
Christ’s interactions with the Angelic host prior to the fall of man, it becomes clear
that Jesus had indeed changed in form and that He appeared in a form that was very much
like their own! Throughout the Bible we find references to “the Angel of the
Lord” which undeniably refer to the person of
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Christ. Examples
of these can be found in the accounts of Abraham and Sarah, Hagar, Jacob,
Moses, Balaam, Gideon, Manoah, David, Joshua, and
others (See: Gen. 16:7-9; 22:11, 15; Ex. 3:2; Num. 22:32; Judges 6:12, 21-22;
13:15-21; Zech. 3:1-7; etc.). The accounts of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and
Joshua are worthy of particular notice.
Genesis 22:10-18
describes one encounter Abraham had with the “angel of the Lord” where it can
be clearly demonstrated that the “Angel” was actually the LORD! These
passages recount the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is just about to
sacrifice his only son in obedience to the command of the LORD: “Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife
to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and
said, “Abraham, Abraham! And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch
out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you
fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” ...
“Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and
said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing
and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless
you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as
the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of
their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
because you have obeyed My voice.”
When the Lord was
about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah He appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day and Abraham “lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men
were standing opposite him; and when he saw them he ran from the tent door to
meet them and bowed himself to the earth, and said, ‘My Lord, if now I have
found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by’” (Gen.
18:2-3). Then he prepared
a feast of the best he had to offer them and they ate with him. One of these “men” was the LORD. It was
here that the Lord promised: “I will surely
return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a
son” (vs. 10). Sarah laughed at the thought but the LORD rebuked her and
said: “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will
return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son” (vs. 14). Then came the familiar conversation between Abraham and the
LORD about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are a couple of
things worthy of note in these passages. First, it is clear that Abraham was
speaking with the LORD! Second, the LORD, appeared
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as a man. Third, the other
“men” were angels (Gen. 19:1).
Fourth, the LORD ate with Abraham (he
ingested food!)—Does a “Spirit” ingest food?
When Moses was on
the Mount, we are told: “The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing
fire from the midst of a bush” (Ex 3:2). And when Moses went closer to see
why the bush was not consumed “the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God
called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he
said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not come near here; remove your sandals
from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He
said also, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to
look at God.” (vs. 3-6). It was here that God (the “Angel of the LORD” in verse 2)
declared His name: “I AM, WHO I AM.” In John 8:58 “Jesus said to them,
‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” So we are on very safe ground when we conclude
that JESUS was the “Angel of the LORD.”
In Exodus 24:9-10
we find Moses returning to the Mount:
“Then
Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw
the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of
sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.”
In Exodus 33:22-23 we find the LORD telling Moses: “and it will come
about, while my glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the
rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed
by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall
not be seen.” Exodus 31:18
reveals that the Ten Commandments were written by God’s own hand: “When he had finished speaking with him upon Mount
Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone,
written by the finger of God.” “Then Moses turned and went down from the
mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which
were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other. The
tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the
tablets” (Ex. 32:15-16). In all these
texts we find physical attributes attributed to God—feet, hand, finger,
back—that were seen by Moses. If Jesus was the One who appeared to Moses
declaring Himself to be the “I AM”—then we can see that Jesus, as “the Angel
of the LORD,” had physical attributes just like other Angels spoken of in the
bible.
When Jacob
wrestled with the Angel by the brook Jabbok, the
being he wrestled with certainly had physical substance! Jacob
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Wrestled all
night with Him! And when the morning came and he realized who he had actually
been wrestling with he declared: “I have seen God face to face, yet my life
has been preserved.” (see Gen. 32:1-32). The Spirit
of Prophecy confirms that the being spoken of in these passages as the “Angel
of the LORD” was indeed Jesus:
“Abraham had seen in his guests
only three tired wayfarers, little thinking that among them was One whom he
might worship without sin. But the true character of the heavenly messengers
was not revealed . . . . Two of the heavenly messengers
departed, leaving Abraham alone with Him whom he now knew to be the Son of
God” (PP; p. 138, 139).
|
|
How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God? |
“THE”
eternal Spirit means one eternal spirit. The Spirit the Son of God laid aside
at his incarnation was of the same essence and substance as the Father’s
Spirit.
|
Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we
will come unto
him, and make our abode with him. |
But
it was Christ’s Spirit that was “laid aside” for us and the Son was raised to
take away our iniquities.
“Who but the Holy Spirit can work with human
minds to transform character by withdrawing the affections from those things
which are temporal, perishable, and imbues the soul with earnest desire by
presenting the immortal inheritance, the eternal substance which is
imperishable, and recreates, refines, and sanctifies
the human agents that they may become members of the royal family, children
of the heavenly King.” Ellen White, Ms. 1, 1892.
"The Power of God in the Third
Person.--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).
Acts 3:26 says that God raised up His Son Jesus to bless us in turning us away
from our iniquities (Sins).
Ellen White said that such iniquity,
evil, sin, can be held in check ONLY by the third person of the Godhead, the Holy
Spirit.
So what
Scripture means in John 14:23 by saying “we will come” is not certain except
that evidently all three members of the Godhead come to those who receive
them. But it is true that the Father
comes to us through Christ’s Holy Spirit. It might be better to say that we
partake of God’s Spirit through the Son, Jesus, and that is what Bruce says
in essence in what follows. End note.
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because of the critical differences between
our being and His being (listed above). Christ could fully partake of the
Father’s Spirit. He was of divine origin and had been brought forth from the
Father. He had never sinned and
this fact set Him apart from us in a very distinct manner. However, it should
be noted that this gave Christ no
advantage over us. Had Christ committed sin, He would have been
consumed—the Father’s presence
residing in Him would have
consumed Him had He sinned. But as long as He remained without sin, Christ could
partake of His Father’s Spirit and live through complete dependence on His
(Father’s) strength and power to overcome temptation and sin. We are not in that exact position, but the “way” that we are to resist
temptation and be victorious over sin is the same—we must depend on God’s
Spirit (in this case Christ’s Spirit)
for the strength and power to overcome. The process is the same for
us as it was for Christ even though the direct agency of dependency differs.
Jesus
has always pointed us to God the
Father as the source of all
goodness and of all power. But the Father can only give us these things in and through the person of Jesus Christ. He has appointed Christ as
the only medium through which He can bless mankind. “No
one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of
the Father, He has explained Him” (Jn. 1:18). “All things have been handed
over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father nor does
anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to
reveal Him” (Matt. 11:27).
God’s
wisdom and strength and power are to flow to us, but they must flow through
the agency of Christ. This “power” cannot flow to us through the physical person (man) of Christ. It must flow through
Christ’s “Spirit.” Remember that
Christ is the only means of
communication between fallen man and God. ALL things must go through Him. “
. . . Man alienated himself from God; earth was cut off from heaven. Across
the gulf that lay between, there could be no communion. But through Christ,
earth is again linked with heaven . . . Christ connects fallen man in his
weakness and helplessness with the Source of infinite power” (SC: p. 20, par.
2). Even the Angelis messengers are described, by Christ, as
coming through Him. In His conversation with Nathanael, Christ said, “Truly
truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens
opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (Jn.
1:51). Christ is the
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means
by which God’s graces flow to us. “There is no true excellence of character
apart from Him. And the only way to God is Christ” (SC: p. 21, par. 1). “ . . . the communication between God and man . . . was
opened through Jesus Christ alone” (RH: March 25, 1875; par. 1). Jesus said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but
through Me” (Jn. 14:6).
Christ
partook of His Father’s divine nature
and “Christ expects that men will become partakers of His divine nature while
in this world, thus not only reflecting His glory to the praise of God, but
illumining the darkness of the world with the radiance of heaven” (5T p. 731,
par. 1). Christ was dependent upon
His heavenly Father—we are to be dependent upon our Heavenly Father, which is Christ Jesus![34]
One
of the greatest temptations the
Devil brought to Christ was to use or depend upon His own divine nature in order to overcome, or to relieve any of
the burden and suffering He experienced. In the wilderness, the Devil tempted
Christ in just such a manner. “The archdeceiver
hoped that under the force of despondency and extreme hunger, Christ would
lose faith in his Father, work a miracle in his own behalf, and take Himself
out of his Father’s hands. ]He wanted Christ to take
His power back up and use it for Himself\ Had He done this,
the plan of salvation would have been broken; for it was contrary to its
terms that Christ should work a miracle in his own behalf . . . . As man’s
representative, He was to bear the trials of man, leaving a perfect example
of submission and trust in God” (Bible Echo: November 15, 1892; par. 2). “He
exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As
man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God.” (DA
p. 24, par. 2).
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When
Christ was “brought forth,” prior to the creation, He had undergone a change in His nature—He had separated some part of Himself from
the part of Himself that carried the attributes of God (Omnipresence, etc.).
However, the brought forth Christ did not
completely divorce Himself from using
His divine power, but had subjected its use to the Will of the Father. When
Christ was fully incarnated as a man, Christ relinquished His prerogative to use His divine power completely.
From here on out, the brought forth—fully incarnated Christ would be
forever dependent upon the Father
for the source of His power. It
should be noted that Christ never relinquished
His “RIGHT” to power—which was His
by “birth” and by “merit.” This fact is made clear by the Father’s
pronouncement to the heavenly host regarding “the true position of His Son” and “the relationship He sustained to all created beings” (see PP: p. 36,
par. 2). Jesus Christ was still
the “Son of God” and shall always
have “right” to the authority, power, and homage that goes
with that title. This is also made clear in the Bible—for God has appointed
Christ “heir of all things” (Heb. 1:2) and “of the Son He says, Thy throne, O
GOD, is forever and ever” (Heb. 1:8).
However,
after His incarnation as a man, Christ declared: “I
can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I see not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hat sent
me” (Jn. 5:30). Even after His resurrection Christ declared that: “All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat. 28:18). It
was His by “right,” but it was not inherently
His any longer—it was given to Him
by His Father. Even His authority to rule as “Judge” has been given to Him:
“This is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the
dead” (Acts 10:42; see also Acts 17:31). Things had changed dramatically for
the One who in the beginning, “was with God and was
God.” Things had changed even more drastically now that Christ had become a
“man.” And things were about to change irreversibly
for the “Son of God.”
Up
until the point of His death on the Cross, Jesus could have abandoned His plans and picked up His Divine
Power—reunited Himself with His divine “Spirit”—and returned to His original relationship with His
Father. Had He done so, however, mankind (the entire human race) would have been lost.
“Terrible was the temptation to let the human race bear the consequences of
its own guilt, while He stood innocent before God . . . . Christ might even
now refuse to drink the
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cup apportioned to guilty man. It was
not yet too late. He might wipe the bloody sweat from His brow, and leave man
to perish in his iniquity. He might say, let the transgressor receive the
penalty of his sin, and I will go back to My Father . . . . Three times his
humanity shrunk from the last, crowning sacrifice. But now the history of the
human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer. He sees that the
transgressors of the law, if left to themselves,
must perish. He sees the helplessness of man . . . . He will save man at any
cost to Himself . . . . He will not turn from His mission” (DA pp. 688, 690,
693).
When
Christ entered into His last hours here o this
earth He began to feel the full affects of His
Sacrifice. “As the substitute and surety for sinful man, Christ was to suffer
under divine justice. He was to understand what justice meant. He was to know
what it means for sinners to stand before God without an intercessor.” (PK: p. 691, par. 1). Christ began to
suffer the total separation from
God that sin brings. “The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of
sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul
the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His
lips the anguished cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Matthew
27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its
separation of the soul from God—it was this that broke the heart of the Son
of God” (SC, p. 13, par. 2).
As
a “man” Christ had to bear the burden of the sins of the world. It is true
that: “Deity suffered and sank under the agonies of Calvary” (SDA Bible
Commentary, vol. 7, p. 907. [Manuscript #44, 1898])—But Christ was redeeming
the human race and, as man’s surety and substitute, He must do so as the
rightful head of the human race—He would have to accomplish this in His humanity. This meant that He
would be “separated” from His Father. “Christ suffered upon the cross. He
bore the sins of the whole world upon Him. He was separated from His Father
and great bloody sweat came from His brow and moistened the sod of
Gethsemane. He said, ‘If it be possible let this cup pass from me,
nevertheless not my will but thine be done.’ He staggered, and the cup
trembled in His hand. The destiny of a lost world was upon Him.” (Northern
Illinois Recorder: August 17, 1909, par. A4). I really do not believe that we
have grasped the enormity or significance of this “separation.”
Christ
was paying the penalty for man’s sin. He was paying the penalty for
“lawlessness”—the penalty for man’s transgression of
the Law of God. The penalty for “lawlessness” (transgressing the Law) is
“death.” But it is not the mere physical death that all men face. “.
. . to
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knowingly transgress the holy
commandment . . . is a crime in the sight of heaven which was of such a
magnitude under Mosaic law as to require the death of the offender. But this
was not all the offender was to suffer, for God would not take a transgressor
of His law [a lawless—“Selfish” person] to heaven. He must suffer the second
death, which is the full and final penalty for the transgressor of the law of
God” (1T, p. 533, par. 1). Although Christ had never sinned, He
was taking the guilt of man’s transgression upon Himself and, as such, would
have to suffer the consequences
rightly due to man. The death that Jesus faced (and must experience) was the
“second death.” We simply cannot escape this conclusion. This is “the full and final penalty for the
transgressor of the law of God.” If Christ were to truly make a full and final atonement for our sin,
He would have to pay the full and final penalty
for sin. It could be no other way.
But
“The penalty threatened is not mere temporal death, for all
must suffer this. It is the second death, the opposite of everlasting life”
(SOP vol. 4; p. 364, par. 2). What is the “second
death?” If it is the “opposite of
everlasting life” then it must be the final,
permanent, everlasting death of the individual (or person). This poses a problem for us. If Christ must pay
the penalty for sin, and that penalty is the “second death” (the final,
permanent and everlasting death)—then how is it that Christ was resurrected? How is it that He
“Lives?” The answer lies in what Christ did through the incarnation and
through the Cross. We must understand how Christ actually “died” (and what
was actually sacrificed) at the Cross. Did it involve only His “physical”
human life?
We
are told that: “Humanity died: divinity did not die” (Youth’s Instructor,
August 4, 1898, par. 1). There is an awful lot contained in
that short statement! The death that occurred on Calvary was not just the
death of one man! All of “humanity” died in the person of Jesus Christ!
Christ came to pay the penalty for the whole
human race—every man, woman, and child that has ever lived! God has laid
“the iniquity of us all” upon Christ” (Isa. 53:6). “For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22). “He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the
whole world” (1 John 2:2). In Christ is the hope of the entire
human race.
But
the quote says that “Humanity died: divinity did not die.”
Christ obviously died as a man. It was in
His humanity that Christ died. Christ became a man, died as a man, was raised as a man—and Christ still retains His human nature. “The
Son of God, now at the Father’s right
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hand, still pleads as man’s
intercessor. He still retains His human nature, is still the Saviour of
mankind.” (ST, July 15, 1908, par. 7). If His “divinity” did not die, then what happened to it? We
know that Christ was “raised” in
His humanity and that He will forever retain
His human nature—so He could not
have returned to His original divine Spirit self. “He
who was one with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that
are never to be broken. Jesus is “not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrews
2:11); He is our Sacrifice, our Advocate, our Brother, bearing our human form
before the Father’s throne, and through eternal ages one with the race he has
redeemed—the Son of man. And all this that man might be uplifted from the
ruin and degradation of sin that he might reflect the love of God and share
the joy of holiness” (SC, p. 14). What then became of His
divinity—His “divine” self—the “Spirit” self that existed with God in the
beginning?
The
“death” that Christ suffered was the second
death. It had to be Christ must suffer eternal separation from God. And
this separation had to be of a permanent nature for there is no resurrection from the second death
(Eternal separation from the life giving Spirit of God is the very nature of
the second death). How then, was the man Jesus Christ eternally and permanently
separated from God the Father when He died? Wasn’t He resurrected, and doesn’t
He now exist in the Father’s presence?
Two
things need to be recognized here. First, as a “man” Christ did not sin (individually considered) and
therefore the Law could not condemn Him—it
could hold no threat of eternal death for Him. The individual person of Christ could be resurrected because He had
committed no sin and had no right
to death. The man Jesus Christ,
the only man who has ever lived
without committing Sin, could not
be held in the grave for death held no claim on Him. This is why the man
Jesus Christ could be resurrected
and “live.” God is a Just God and
could not hold an innocent man—a
man that had obeyed Him fully and without fail—a man who never sinned—guilty under the penalty of death for something that
he had never done. The grave simply could not hold Christ. In Christ, humanity could be resurrected and live eternally.
But
Christ had taken on the sins of
the world. Christ literally “became
Sin” for us, and suffered the results of Sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our
behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”). Christ
was able to do this
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because he was of divine origin. “The law of Jehovah, the
foundation of His government in heaven and upon earth, was as sacred as God
Himself; and for this reason the life of an angel could not be accepted of
God as a sacrifice for its transgression . . . . But the Son of God, who had
in unison with the father created man, could make an atonement for man
acceptable to God, by giving His life a sacrifice and bearing the wrath of
His Father.” (Story of Redemption, p. 48, par. 1). “Since the divine law is
as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for
its transgression. None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of
the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven. Christ would take upon
Himself the guilt and shame of sin—sin so offensive to a holy God that it
must separate the Father and His Son.” (PP, p. 63, par. 2).
As One who had been equal with
God, Christ could take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin—He could stand
as man’s substitute—but in so
doing Christ would suffer the consequences
of sin and should be “separated”
from the Father. How? And for how long?
If
Christ must suffer the full and final penalty for sin—which is the second
death (eternal and permanent separation from God) then He would have to be “separated” from the Father eternally. How could Christ be
separated from the Father eternally? The answer lies in the incarnation and the full affects of the incarnation. In the Beginning Christ had
been brought forth from the Father for the purpose of mediation (communication) between a Perfect and All-Consuming God
and the creatures with which He wished to commune. At His birth Christ had
laid aside His royal robe—laid down His own divinity—and became a man. He relinquished the use of His own divine Spirit on His own behalf.
In effect, He separated Himself
from it (it did not reside in
Him). At His death, this separation between His brought forth, Divine Human “Self” and His Divine Spirit “Self” became permanent. Christ was to be “through
eternal ages on with the race he has redeemed—the Son of man.” (SC, p. 14,
par. 3). Christ would never
again enjoy the intimate Oneness
that he had enjoyed with the Father in the beginning when He was “with God
and was God.”
Why
would the Father allow such a thing? How could He part with His Son? “Nothing
less than the infinite sacrifice made by Christ in behalf of fallen man could
express the Father’s love to lost humanity.” (ibid. par. 2). “For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn.
3:15).
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And
why would Christ consent to such humiliation and undergo such condescension?
Why would He be willing to leave His Father’s side in order to rescue us? Why
would Christ be willing to part with His Divine Spirit and eternally become a
man? “Christ took upon Himself humanity, and laid down His life a
sacrifice, that man, by becoming a partaker of the divine nature, might have
eternal life.” (Selected Messages, Bk. 3, p. 141, par. 1). “Christ was
treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was
condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified
by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which
was ours, that we might receive the life that was His.” (DA, p. 25, par. 2).
Christ
came in order to demonstrate how
man can overcome through faith in
God—through a total submission to
God’s Will. Christ also came in order to demonstrate
what “MAN” can become through
being a partaker of the divine nature!
“The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty.” (SDA
Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1129). Christ had “laid aside
His divinity” and would demonstrate to us what being a partaker of the divine
nature could actually do in us. In
partaking of His Father’s divine nature, Christ, as a man, would actually unite
divinity with humanity and would incorporate humanity into the Godhead!
Christ
had to take on our nature and
depend totally upon His Father in order to do this. Christ also had to give up His divine nature in order to
give it to (or share it with) us
so that we too could be united with God in a way that would actually qualify us to be called “Sons (and Daughters) of God” and
share His Throne. “Divinity had
united with humanity for the purpose of uniting humanity with divinity, that
through Christ man might become a partaker of the divine nature” (RH, July 7,
1896, par. 5. Christ came, not only to restore man to his original glory but
to elevate man to a state exceeding his original design.
“. . . Christ gave up His life for the human
race. This sacrifice was offered for the purpose of restoring man to his
original perfection; yea, more. It was offered to give him an entire
transformation of character, making him more than a conqueror. Those who in
the strength of Christ overcome the great enemy of God and man,
will occupy a position in the heavenly courts above angels who have never
fallen.” (General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1899, par. 2). This is a tremendous thing! This is a tremendous Honor! “This
is the mystery of godliness. That
Christ should take human nature, and by a life of humiliation elevate
man in a scale of moral worth with God; that He should carry His adopted
nature
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to the throne of God, and there present His children to the Father,
to have conferred upon them an honour exceeding
that conferred upon angels,--this is the marvel of the heavenly universe, the
mystery into which angels desire to look. This is love that melts the
sinner’s heart.” (Australasian Union Conference Record, June 6, 1900, par.
15). Yet we talk of it as though it were a mere novelty. Our appreciation of it is
sadly lacking in most circles and our understanding of how this was accomplished is even more disturbing. Christ gave everything for us in order to make
this possible—and we sit around like little school children praying for the
latter rain and having no clue as
to what it is, and what it has cost the “Son of God” to provide it for us.
Christ literally
died to “self.” He died to the “self” that once existed with God and as God”
in order to save you and me. He became “one” with us (and one of us) in order that we might become one with God. Christ not only gave Himself for us, He gave Himself to
us! The "Son of Man” now at the Father’s Throne, would be forever dependent upon His Father’s
Spirit for divine power. His own
divine Spirit He has given to us, that we may become partakers of the divine nature. “The
glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one,
just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in
unity, so that the world may know that You sent me, and loved them, even as
You have loved Me.” John 17:22, 23.
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Chapter 8 Summary
1. Christ
created this earth and man using the power of His own divine Spirit in
accordance with (and to the glory of) the Will of the Father.
2. When
man sinned, Christ embarked on His mission to redeem man. This required
Christ to enter into a different sort
of ministry than He had performed prior
to man’s fall. Christ now became the promised Messiah.
3. At
the time that He was needed most, Christ incarnated Himself (through His Holy Spirit) into the womb of Mary and
thereby into the human race.
4. This
“incarnation” had already begun at
the time Christ was brought forth from His Father (and His Spirit
nature). His incarnation was now
“completed” as He took on our human nature.
5. Christ
did, in fact, take on human nature—He became human. “Christ did not make
believe to take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality
possess human nature.” (RH, April 5, 1906, par. 4).
6. Christ
took all the steps that we must take in conversion, repentance, baptism,
obedience, and resisting the evil one. Christ did this through a complete surrender to His Father’s Will and
through complete dependence upon His Father for wisdom and strength to resist
and overcome the tempter. Christ did
not use His own power (His own
divine Spirit) to do this—Christ partook
of His Father’s Spirit and
relied upon His Father in order to do all that He did.
7. In
doing this (depending solely upon His Father), He gave us a living demonstration (example) of
what we are to do by depending solely upon Him and His Spirit for
the wisdom and strength to overcome sin and the devil.
8. Christ
alone is the medium through which
we may approach God the Father. All
of the Father’s blessings flow through
Christ, and our
communication with the Father can only be done through Christ. “The only way to God is Christ.” (SC, p. 21, par.
1).
9. Christ’s
humanity suffered the full and
final penalty for our transgression which is the second death—eternal
separation from God. In Christ’s case this meant that He would never
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again
be “One” with, and equal to, the Father in
the way that He had been prior
to the creation and the fall of man. Christ would be forever united with the human race. He would forever retain His human nature.
10. In permanently taking on human nature,
Christ forever separated from His divine Spirit nature. This Spirit nature
separated from His divine Spirit nature. This Spirit nature is what the Bible
refers to as the Holy Spirit. Christ partook of His Father’s Spirit
nature—not His own. His own Spirit He sacrificed for us, in order that we
might become partakers of the divine nature (His) and thus, be “One” with God
11. Proof that the “Holy Spirit” is in fact
“Christ’s Spirit” and why Christ sacrificed His Spirit for us is the subject
of the following chapters.
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Chapter 9
__________________
The Holy Spirit
Difficult and
Revealing Bible Texts
“They
have one God and one Saviour; and one
Spirit—the Spirit of Christ” (9T p. 289)
“Now
the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is; there is
Liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17)
I
wish
that it were possible to devote this entire
chapter to the beautiful aspects
of Christ’s Spirit and what it means to us. However, in writing a book of
this sort one is inescapably faced with the necessity of examining some of
the technical issues, difficult Bible
texts, and the inevitable objections
bound to be raised in response to the position set forth her. I know that
this sometimes makes for dryer reading but it is necessary before we can move
on to the kind of things that will stir your soul. So I would like to start
with these issues and conclude with the more glorious implications of all of
this. We will begin by looking at some of the difficult Bible texts used by
some to support the idea that the Holy Spirit is not Christ’s Spirit but an unrelated third person of the Godhead
(the traditional Trinitarian
viewpoint). Then we will take a look at the names of the Holy Spirit and the character attributes that inseparably
link Him to Christ. We will also look at some of the Spirit of Prophecy
quotes that have muddled the waters of our understanding of the nature
of the Holy Spirit and which many
people use as proof positive
inspired quotes to prove that the traditional doctrine of the Trinity
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is
the correct one. Finally we will examine both the Bible and the SOP quotes
that offer us a true understanding
of exactly who the Holy Spirit is,
and the beautiful implications of understanding this truth.
First, let me say that it is impossible for a believer in, or a student of, the
Scriptures to conclude that the Holy Spirit is not God! His titles,
His work, His relationship with God and His relationship to us, all prove His existence as “God.” I
do not argue this point. The Holy
Spirit is indeed a “Divine
Being”—He is God. This fact, however, has caused many to erroneously conclude that the Holy Spirit has existed as a third, individual (or independent),
member of the Godhead from all eternity. This is simply not the case. Let me explain.
Just because the Bible identifies the Holy Spirit as being God
does not mean that He must have existed as a third person of the Godhead from all
eternity. The Bible states that “God is Spirit and since it refers to the
“holy Spirit” we could conclude that since the Holy
Spirit is God that He has existed as a separate
individual (third) member of the Godhead with the Father and Christ from
all eternity. However, this type of reasoning is flawed for several reasons. We have already seen that it was the Father and the Son who created all things and who were involved in the councils
of heaven, the plan of Salvation, and who are the only ones associated with the Throne of God. It would also be incorrect to assume that just because
two things are true (fact) and are related to a single subject (or person) that they are directly correlated and must exhibit
all the characteristics of that subject/person (i.e. personal history and existence)! Too many of us have approached the subject of the
Holy Spirit with this type [of] faulty
reasoning and have used it, ultimately, to supp[ort
our preconceived opinions—or the teachings with which we were indoctrinated.
Let me illustrate why this type of reasoning can lead us to a wrong conclusion.
I went to work yesterday—Yesterday I got sick. Does this mean
that since I went to work
yesterday that this is the reason
I got sick? Absolutely not! I may have picked up a virus days ago (over the
weekend) and only came down sick yesterday. The fact that I went to work
yesterday had nothing to do with
my getting sick. It would be totally fallacious to conclude that my going to
work yesterday was responsible for
my getting sick yesterday just because both things happened to me yesterday.
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Students of the Scriptures sometimes employ this same kind of
fallacious reasoning. For example: We know that God (Father) is “Spirit” and
we know that the Holy Spirit is God. Does that mean that the Holy Spirit is
the Father? Some believe He is. Their reasoning incorporates the reasoning
that God (the Father) is “Spirit” and that He is “Holy” coupled with the fact
that the Holy Spirit is God—
and
they conclude that God the Father IS the
Holy Spirit. This is correct in a
sense—we can certainly refer to the Father as a “Holy Spirit”—but
referring to the Father as The “Holy
Spirit” would not be true to Biblical revelation or its teaching
regarding “The Holy Spirit” as a being which is separate (or individual) from the Father. Just because the Bible
says that the Father is “Spirit” and it also speaks of the “Holy Spirit” as
being God, does not mean that the Holy Spirit is the Father God.
The same kind of fallacious reasoning is employed by many of
us in concluding that the Holy Spirit,
since He is God—and since God has
existed from all eternity—must
have existed as the third individual member of the Godhead from all eternity.
This is simply not the case and it is wrong
for us to make such a conclusion. God has indeed changed. Christ, who was “with God and was God,” was brought forth from the Father as a
divine being who was different
from the divine being that existed with the Father prior to the creation of
intelligent, free-moral, beings. Even the brought forth Christ underwent further change when He incarnated Himself into the human family
and took on the nature (form, intellect and character) of man. This change created a very real change in the nature of the Godhead. The Father and the Son no longer share the
intimate ONENESS THAT THEY ONCE DID WHEN Christ Existed, singularly, as the same type
of being (substance, attributes, and form) as the Father. In accomplishing
the incarnation (beginning with Christ being “brought forth” from the Father)
Christ could not maintain all the
attributes that once made Him truly
and singularly (individually) God.
Difficult
Bible Texts:
John
3:12, 13: “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how
shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended
up to
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Heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven.” (KJV emphasis added).
Some translations of the Bible, such as the New American
Standard Version (NASB), do not include the last four words of verse 13:
“which is in heaven.” They note it
in a marginal reference but do not include it in the body of the text. Many
other translations—The King James Version, the Revised Version, the
International Standard Version, the American Standard Version, Young’s
Analytical Translation, Webster’s, the Analytical-Literal Translation,
etc.—all include these words.
I do not know exactly why the NASB does not include the last
part of this passage. I realize that they are using what they consider to be
the oldest and the best manuscripts available and that
some of these do not include these words. I do wonder though, if the
translator’s may have chosen not to include these words (which are found in
other reputable manuscripts) because they appear to make no sense at
all! Whatever may be the reason, these words are
included in the majority of Bibles
and are worth our attention and study.
Jesus is speaking here, and He (the Son of Man/God) is
addressing Nicodemus as one standing in his midst—in his immediate presence.
These were not words spoken through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—as
were many of the other words written by the disciples. Nicodemus related his
encounter with Jesus to the Apostle John who recorded this account in his
gospel (see DA p. 177, par. 2). Jesus revealed to Nicodemus his need to be
“born again” “by an agency as unseen as the wind” (DA p. 172)—that is, “the
Spirit.” In other words, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit
and his need to be re-born from above. Christ was trying to get Nicodemus to discern
“heavenly things.” HE was trying to get him to go beyond his earthly wisdom and understanding and
to focus on that which is from above, that is, on those truths which are spiritual and which are spiritually discerned. Christ had
used “earthly” things to illustrate the spiritual things He was relating and
while Nicodemus seemed eager to
understand that which he was being taught, he stubbornly refused to do so.
Christ told Him: “if I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how
will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (Jn. 3:12). Then Christ
threw him a real “bone” to chew on. This difficult bon (truth) is found in
the
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Very next words spoken by Jesus. It is the apparently contradictory statement
found in verse 13: “no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”
It is not difficult to understand the first part of this statement—that the One who came down from
heaven and who has ascended up to heaven is the “Son of Man”—Jesus Christ,
the Messiah. But the second part
of this verse leaves most of us scratching our heads—“which [who] is in heaven.” How could the man speaking these words to Nicodemus, and who was physically present with him at that
moment, say that He is also in
heaven?! The tense that is
used in the word translated as “which is” (in heaven) is the first person singular present indicative—this
means that the word “is” is indicative
of the state of the person
speaking, at that moment—it indicates where the person speaking “is” right then. Jesus was saying, in effect, “although I am standing
here speaking to you right now”—“I am in heaven.” That will blow a
few brain cells! Especially if you understand that the Son of God, now
incarnate as “The Son of man” (Jesus Christ), was not “Omnipresent.”
“Cumbered with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally.”
(Manuscript 1084, p. 7—MR vol. 14, p. 23, par. 3)].
How then, could Christ be present and speaking with Nicodemus here on this earth and be in heaven?
If you have followed the premise of this book so far, you can
understand perfectly
“how” this could be the case. Christ, in His brought forth/incarnate form,
was here speaking to Nicodemus—while Christ, in His Holy Spirit form, was in heaven. Interestingly, the roles would
be reversed following His death, resurrection and ascension—The Son of Man
would be performing His work in Heaven while His Holy Spirit would be
actively working here on earth. This is why Christ later told His disciples: “.
. . ‘It is expedient for you that I go away.’ No one could then have any
preference because of his location or personal contact with Christ. The
Saviour would be accessible to all alike, spiritually, and in this sense he
would be nearer to us all than if he had not ascended on high.” (RH, December
5, 1912, par. 6).
1
John 5:6-8: “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ;
not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the
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Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water,
and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (KJV).
In the King James Version verse 7 reads: “For there are three
that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one.” In almost every
other reputable translation these words are not included. Unlike John 3:13 above; these words are not omitted because of the use of
different documents or because
they don’t make sense. The words are omitted because the simply don’t belong there! They are not found in the original text. They were added from a corrupted text (more accurately, they became the corrupted text of this
passage of the King James Version).
This verse made its way into the KJV primarily because Erasmus (a 16th century
Theologian, Catholic Priest and humanist), who hurriedly published his
translation of the New Testament in 1516, surcame
to the pressure of the Catholic Church to include the words in verse 7 from
the Latin Vulgate. Erasmus agreed to do so if a Greek manuscript could be
found that contained these words—miraculously
just such a manuscript was produced (by the Catholic Church) AND Erasmus
included this verse in the 1522 revision of his original work. The manuscript
he worked from, however, was one included in what is known as the “Textus Recepticus” (meaning:
“received” or “agreed upon” Text). This “Textus recepticus” contains many errors primarily because it was
a typed text that incorporated several scribal notes in the original text. 1
John 5:7 of the KJV is an example of one of those “scribal notes” that made
it into the Bible. Interestingly, Erasmus was “encouraged” to add this text primarily in an effort by the
Catholic Church to support and maintain the doctrine of the Trinity.
However it made its way into the King James Version, the text
itself can be shown to be out of context (not belonging) here. I should say
that I really don’t have any quarrel with the “truth” of the text—we
certainly find the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit bearing record in
heaven—but the insertion of this text into the text of 1 John 5:6-8 is
completely out of place and does not belong there—and unfortunately, it gives
a completely different flavor to these verses if it is retained. It tends to
make you think that John is talking about the “Godhead” when he is not.
Reputable
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scholars
would not think to use this text
to argue the Trinitarian position. Only those who are ignorant of its insertion, or, those who stubbornly deny that the King James Version could be in any way
“corrupt,” or, those who are desperate
to hold on to any text that would support their belief in the Trinity
would ever think to use this text as a “Proof
Text.”
For these reasons I have to agree with the translators of the
NASB (and other versions) which omit
this verse in 1 John 5 and translate verses 6-8 in this way (I will include
verse 5 for clarity): “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One who came by water and blood,
Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.
It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there
are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three
are in agreement.”
The verses take on a totally different flavor without the inserted
text! One can readily see that you
simply cannot insert the “Father” into these verses—they are
simply not talking about Him. The verses do speak of “Three that testify: the Spirit
and the water and the blood,” so let’s see what we can
learn about these “three.”
In verse 5 John makes it clear that the “one who overcomes the world” is the one “who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” His subject here in these verses is the person of Jesus Christ—the Son of God. Let’s look further. John includes the
“water and the blood” as two of the three that “testify.” But he clearly states that both the water and the blood refer to
one person—Jesus Christ (see vs.
6). This indicates that there are not
three separate individuals testifying. At best we could only conclude
two—Jesus (the water and the blood) and the Spirit. So what is John telling
us?
Given that the subject matter
of these verses is the person of
Jesus Christ—and given that two of
those that “testify” indisputably refer to Jesus Christ (see vs. 6)—one must wonder why we would assume that
the third witness (the other one
testifying) here is someone, anyone, other than Jesus Christ! It makes
absolutely no sense to conclude
such a thing, and if we would simply read on in 1 John 5 we will find that
“the Spirit” is none other than Christ Jesus—our Lord.
In verse 7 we read: “and it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the Truth.” Jesus emphatically
declared: “I am . . . the
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Truth” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus’ own words must be the precedent upon which the Apostle
John’s words are based and are to
be understood. John certainly understood this and so must we. When John says
that, “the Spirit is the Truth” he
cannot be contradicting the words of Jesus. So, if “The Spirit is the Truth”
and Jesus “is the Truth” then the Spirit must be Christ’s Spirit. John must
be stating that the “Spirit and “Jesus” are ONE of the same person, and if we continue reading in 1 John 5 we
find that John says exactly that.
John explains that the “three” witnesses “agree in one” (vs. 8). The word translated as
“agree” (KJV) or as “in agreement” (NASB) LITERALLY MEANS: “are.” The WORD
translated as “one” is exactly that: it is the word for the numerical value
of 1 (one) or “only.” So the International Standard Version correctly
translates the verse: “the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three
are one.” John already explained to us in verse 5 that the “water” and the
“blood” refer to the person of
Jesus. Here in verse 8 he is telling us that the “Spirit is “ONE” with the water and the
blood—that the “Spirit” is an integral
component of the person of
Jesus Christ.
John launched his discourse with the words: “And who is the one who overcomes the
world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (vs. 5). John
summarizes his discourse with the same emphasis: “The one who believes in the
Son of God has the witness in himself . . . And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is
in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have life” (1 John 5:10-12) How is it that we have this “witness”
within ourselves? The incarnated
Christ certainly cannot literally be “in” us—but His Spirit most assuredly
can! And “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the
children of God.” (Romans 8:16).
The three witnesses
are this: the water is
representative of (witnesses to) the incarnation
of Christ into the human race. The blood
is representative of (witnesses to) the death
(sacrifice) of Christ on our behalf by which He made possible both the Forgiveness of our sins and our Justification (returning us to a
right standing) before God, and the Spirit
is representative of (witnesses to) His ongoing work on our behalf in
which He ‘transforms” us (Sanctifies
us) into His image by the indwelling of His
Spirit. “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His
Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who
were under the law, that we might receive the
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Adoption as sons, Because you are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are
no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”
(Galatians 4:4-7).
1 John 5:6-8 does not
give us any proof of an eternally existing “Triune” Godhead. On the contrary,
it confirms an original Godhead consisting of Jesus Christ and the Father,
who, embarked on a mission to save
a lost race through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Instead of speaking of the
Godhead itself (or of the Trinity, we see that John is speaking of the person of Jesus Christ when referring
to the “three that bear witness” and John has shown us that the Holy Spirit
is indeed Christ’s Spirit—not a separate member of the Godhead apart from Christ. The Holy Spirit
is: “. . . Christ in you, the hop of glory.” (Colossians 1:27. See
also 1 Peter. 3:15)..
Matthew
28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.”
This is, by far,
the most difficult Biblical Text
to deal with if you don’t agree with the traditional
doctrine of the Trinity. It is perhaps the only real Biblical text containing the Trinitarian formula per se. This text has bothered me for a very
long time—since before I came to
the belief I now hold regarding the Godhead and the Holy Spirit. Here is the
reason it bothered me so.
In Matthew 28:19 (if we accept these words to be the words of
Christ) we find a direct command
from Jesus for His disciples to go and baptize in the “name, of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit.” First of all, we have
to wrestle with the fact that the text instructs them to baptize in the “name” (Singular) of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Now I understand that Jesus said that He and the Father are
“one,” but if you want to show that these three are separate individuals then you would want to use the Plural (“names”) instead of the
singular. More troubling than that though is the fact that this is a direct command. Surely the disciples
realized the importance of obeying
their Lord and Savior! Surely they would follow His instructions to the
letter—especially if Christ had been as specific about the procedure as He
appears to be
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in
this verse. WHY is it then that we have absolutely NO examples of the
disciples obeying Christ by
following this direct instruction on how to baptize? You can search the
entire New Testament through and never find an example of the disciples baptizing
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. What you will find
are examples in which they always,
and only, baptized in the name of JESUS. Why is that? Doesn’t that
bother you?
In the book of Acts we find examples
of the disciples “making disciples” of other men and baptizing them into the
Lord Jesus Christ. In each of the examples recorded we find them baptizing in
the name of “Jesus.”
Act
2:38 “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and
each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts
8:16 “For He [Holy Spirit] had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts
10:48 “And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.”
Acts
19:5 “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus.”
Were the disciples careless
about following our Lord’s instructions? Or did they understand perfectly
what Jesus had told them to do? Isn’t it more plausible (likely) that the
disciples were obedient to Jesus and followed His instructions? And if this
is the case, isn’t it probable
that those instructions were not
stated as we find them recorded in Matthew 28:19?
Now I don’t want to sound like some naysayer who, whenever I
come to a “difficult” text, immediately says that it “doesn’t belong there”
or that it is “corrupt” and inserted by someone other than the actual author
of the text. However, we need to be honest
in our approach to God’s Word and not be afraid to critically examine it—comparing Scripture with Scripture—to
insure that it maintains its integrity and continuity. Unfortunately, most of
us do not want to critically
examine these things and prefer to read into a text our own preconceived opinions and beliefs. We
don’t want to “THINK” about or “QUESTION” ANYTHING. And WE take great pride in suggesting that by accepting whatever we read in the
Bible as being inspired by God
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That we are being more faithful
to God than someone who critically examines and questions the statements
found there (this is especially true in regards to difficult texts such as
the one at hand). In fact, we are often predisposed to attack anyone who questions something we have believed for so
long and who challenges us to look at our cherished beliefs in a different manner. I am quite certain that
many will attack me for espousing the position I have set forth in this book.
But that does not mean that these things are not true. Throughout history, many have been ridiculed (and even killed) for challenging a
long-held belief—only to be proven correct
as the Spirit of the Lord has brought Truth after Truth back into its proper
light and understanding. Wasn’t Martin Luther severely chastised for
preaching Righteousness by Faith? Haven’t Seventh-day Adventists been
ridiculed for their preaching the Sabbath? Could we be in danger of rejecting further “light” simply
because we are unwilling to let go of a long-held belief? Could we be in
danger of rejecting “new light” simply because we have become too lazy to honestly and critically
study God’s Word for ourselves—preferring instead to be spoon fed by the men
we consider “leaders” and “scholars?” I simply cannot afford to do this—and
neither can you. Mrs. White has told us that this can be a very risky thing
to do:
“Every soul must look to God with contrition and humility, that He may guide and lead and bless. We must
not trust to others to search the Scriptures for us. Some of our leading
brethren have frequently taken their position on the wrong side; and if God
would send a message and wait for these older brethren to open the way for
its advancement, it would never reach the people.” (GW 1918, p. 303).
“I have been shown that ministers and people are tempted more
and more to trust in finite man for wisdom, and to make flesh their arm . . .
. I entreat of you to search the Scriptures as you have never yet searched
them, that you may know the way and will of God. O that every soul might be
impressed with this message, and put away the wrong.” (Special Testimonies,
Series B, No. 10 (1909); found in Testimonies
to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 480, 481).
“Investigation of every point that has been received as truth
will repay the searcher. He will find precious gems. And in closely
investigating
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every
jot and tittle which we think is established truth, in comparing Scripture
with Scripture, we may discover errors in our interpretation of Scripture.
Christ would have the searcher of his word sink the shaft deeper into the
mines of truth. If the search is properly conducted, jewels of inestimable
value will be found. The word of God is the mine of the unsearchable riches
of Christ.” (RH, July 12, 1898, par. 15).
“There is no excuse for any one in taking the position that
there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of
Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been
held as truth for many years by our people, is not a
proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and
truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close
investigation.” (RH, December 20, 1892, par. 1).
“We cannot hold that a position once taken, an idea once
advocated, is not, under any circumstances, to be relinquished. There is but
One Who is infallible—He Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Those who
allow prejudice to bar the mind against the reception of truth cannot receive
the divine enlightenment.” (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p.
105, par. 2, 3).
“When God’s people are at east, and satisfied with their
present enlightenment, we may be sure that he will not favour
them. It is His will that they should be every moving forward, to receive the
increased and ever increasing light that is shining for them. The present
attitude of the church is not pleasing to God. There has come in a
self-confidence that has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and
greater light.” (5T pp. 708, 709. See Appendix “D” for additional New Light
quotes from the Spirit of Prophecy (these are real eye-openers)!
Matthew 28:19 is indeed a very suspect text. One of the reasons this is the case is that there
is a very large gap of time from the time Matthew wrote his Gospel and the earliest Greek manuscripts we have
containing the words found in Matthew 28:19—almost three hundred years exist
between the two. Unfortunately, the
“Church” during this time period was also slipping quickly into darkness. The
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Catholic Church developed much of their theology during this
time and was doggedly zealous in its enforcement
of these doctrines. If you dared to challenge them, you were labeled a heretic and could face shunning,
censure, and even death. To have only manuscripts dating to this time
(the 3rd and 4th centuries—during which the Catholic
Church was firmly establishing
itself and its belief as the authority
of the Scriptures), is a very real
and a very big problem. This face alone
should immediately call for some caution
in our acceptance of ‘every word’
contained in these documents. It would be nice if we had older, more reliable
manuscripts to work from. Unfortunately, as F.C. Conybeare
informs us: “In the only codices which would be even likely to preserve an
older reading, namely the Sinaitic Syriac and the oldest Latin Manuscript, the pages are gone which contained the end of Matthew.”[35] In Shem-Tub’s Hebrew Matthew” which uses Hebrew texts pre-dating the Greek texts which we
have,[36] there is a very
different ending to Matthew 28:19 which reads: “You go and teach them to
carry out all the things that I have commanded you forever.”[37] Eusebius, in at least
18 citations of Matthew 28:19, always wrote it this
way: “Go ye and make disciples of all nations in my name, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I commanded you.”[38] This reading would
certainly be more in line with the Bible’s “in Christ” motif.
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You do not have to go to the ancient manuscripts in order to
deduce that the text, as it reads in most Bibles, does not fit the Bible’s Theology. Nor do you have to agree
with my position concerning the Godhead to recognize that this text does not
really fit into the bible’s teaching about baptism. Please note that I am not
suggesting that Christ didn’t give
the great commission, only that the words that He used are unlikely to be
those found in most of the translations we have of Matthew 28:19. If Christ
gave the commission to go and “baptize” then it would only make sense that
His words would be in harmony with the rest of the Bible’s teachings
regarding baptism.
The Bible clearly states that we are baptized into Jesus Christ (not into the
Father or the Holy Spirit):
Rom.
6:3, 4 “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized
into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been
buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of
life.”
Gal.
3:26, 27 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
Acts
22:16 “And now why tarriest thou? Arise,
and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
(KJV). “What ARE YOU waiting for now? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins
washed away as you call on his name.” (ISV).
Acts
10:48 “And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ.”
You will never find
any deviation from this except as it is recorded in Matthew
28:19! Why is that? If Jesus actually said the disciples should be baptizing
in the name of “the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit” then why don’t we
find this being done? This is a very serious
question and it demands a serious
and straightforward answer.
Jesus could not
have commanded the disciples to baptize people in the name of [into] the Holy
Spirit for if we are baptized into
the Holy Spirit what need would there be to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Jesus could not have told His disciples
to baptize people into the Holy Spirit simply because this is not a
baptism that the disciples
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were
to perform.[39]
We are told that Jesus is the one
who will baptize us with the Holy
Spirit—that this is the baptism of
Jesus. John the Baptist said: “I
baptized you with water, He [Christ] will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8 cf. Mat. 3:11 & Lk.
3:16). “ . . .This [Jesus] is the One who baptizes
in [with] the Holy Spirit.” (Jn. 1:33). Since this is obviously a separate baptism—a baptism in which
we are immersed [baptized] with the Holy Spirit—a baptism that
Christ is to perform—then Jesus could not have told the disciples to baptize
people into the name of the Holy Spirit.
Once we understand who Jesus is and how He has provided us with Salvation, we are to be
baptized into Him. He will then baptize us with His Holy Spirit. Christ’s Holy Spirit
is the gift we receive when we accept Him and are
baptized into Him. In Galatians
3:27 we read: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ.” To be “clothed with
Christ” is to be baptized “with
the Holy Spirit.” We “put on” Christ through the reception of His Spirit in
our mind and heart. “He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” 1
John 4:13 makes all of this perfectly
clear: “By this we know that we abide I Him and He in us, because He has
given us of His Spirit.”
So the prescribed order is to learn of Christ, be baptized into
Christ, and then to receive
Christ’s Spirit. “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of
you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38).
While there are some exceptions to this order (see Acts 10:47), the normally
prescribed order is repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy
Spirit—and there is a reason for
this order.
Jesus said to “go and teach”
or “make disciples” of all
nations. Teach them what? Make them disciples of whom? We are to teach men of Christ in whose name
is the “forgiveness of sins.” (See Lk. 24:47; Acts
2:38 & 10:43)—for “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no
other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be
saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6). We must
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be taught (learn)
that we are in a lost condition
and that there is only one hope
for us-the person of Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us
that we might not die but have eternal life. We must be persuaded to place our faith
I the Son of God and we must learn to depend upon Him for the power to overcome and to
live a new life in the power of His Spirit. We must repent (die to “self”) and make a
public proclamation of that repentance and of our acceptance of Jesus Christ
as our Savior, Lord, and God. That public proclamation is made through the
ordinance of baptism—in which is
symbolized our acceptance of Christ and His
sacrifice, our death to self, and
our resurrection to a new life in Christ—a life powered by the Spirit of
Christ! Paul stated it very clearly: “I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I
now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20).
Baptism is an absolute imperative
for all those who are mentally and physically capable of making such a public proclamation for to deny it is to deny Christ and to have no part in Him. To neglect
such a proclamation is to neglect (or deny) the eternal price paid by Christ
for our Salvation, and “how will we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation?” (Heb. 2:3). To refuse baptism is really a “public proclamation”
in itself—that we do not accept
Christ’s death on our behalf and that we do not accept Him as our Lord and
Savior. Refusing to repent (die to
self) and be baptized (being
buried with Christ and resurrected to a new life in Christ) is to remain “in the flesh” or in our “sin.” And the Bible tells us that to do this is
to remain dead in sin: “For the
mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit [Christ] is
life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for
it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do
so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in
the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
(Romans 8:6-10).
The Bible is very clear about the fact that Salvation is
through Jesus Christ alone. No one
need be confused about this: “For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:15). This is the whole theme of the Bible. Period.
Once we understand this, we are to show our acceptance of Him by being baptized into Him. This is why I believe
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that
Jesus did not instruct His
disciples to baptize new disciples into the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit. He instructed them to baptize men into HIS name—the only “name under heaven
that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
We need to be baptized into the name of Jesus and not into
the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit: because when
we are baptized into the threefold
name we are being baptized into a misconception.
We are being baptized into a false
belief about God, about Jesus Christ, about the Holy Spirit, and about the
Plan of Salvation. What I am saying is not sacrilege. Nor is it heresy. I am
not diminishing the value or the
persons of the Father or the holy Spirit in any way. Nor am I suggesting that the Father and the Holy Spirit
do not play an important part in our salvation. I am simply saying that doing what the Lord has commanded and in the way that that God has ordained is what we, as Christians, ought to be doing. When
we are baptized into the threefold
name (even ignorantly) we are
being baptized into the traditions of
men and not of God. Jesus
said: “BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF
MEN.” (Mark 7:7 & Matthew 15:9). I don’t want my worship, or my service
to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to be “in vain” – do you?
I believe that one
of the reasons we have received so
little of the Holy Spirit is
because we have never truly been baptized
into Jesus Christ. That is to say, that we have not had a clear conception of who He is or what He has done in order to
make Salvation available to us. Or, as Mrs. White puts it, “because we are so
far behind our privileges.” (RH, October 8, 1889, par. 2). I am not
suggesting that there is some kind of magic
in the manner of our baptism.[40] I am suggesting that
the manner of our baptism is what
shows our understanding
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of,
and our commitment to, God’s Will and our willingness to demonstrate
that understanding and commitment in the way that He has prescribed. Until we
intelligently understand the will
of God in the person of Jesus Christ we will never be prepared to fully partake of His Spirit.
John
14:16-18: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
that He may be with you forever; that
is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not
see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be
in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
This is another favorite text of those who espouse the
traditional view of the Trinity. In this text there are several words that
they seize upon in order to deny
that the Holy Spirit is actually Christ’s
Spirit. Those words are: “another” (which they claim must indicate that it is not
Christ); “He” and “Him”” (which they claim identifies a person other than Christ); and, of course,
“Spirit” (which they claim identifies
a person who is another person, apart from Christ).
These arguments simply don’t hold water, and we will examine this in detail
in a moment—dissecting this passage using textual criticism, Greek meanings
and usages, the Apostle’s understanding of the Holy
Spirit, and the extra-Biblical inspired
writings of E.G. White. But let me say right now that the meaning of what Christ was saying is
contained right within the text itself. Christ says that the disciples
already know Him (the
“Helper/Comforter”) because He abides (is
abiding) “with” them (Christ is the one abiding with them at this point). Then He says that He “will be” in them (yet future but soon to come to pass—Christ,
after He ascends to Heaven following His crucifixion, would abide in His
disciples through His Spirit), In verse 18, Christ explains that this other
“comforter” is really Himself—He would not leave them comfortless, He would “come” to them. It really isn’t that hard to understand is it? We are the ones that have muddled
this up! When we get done examining all this I believe that you are going to
be hard pressed to conclude that the Holy Spirit is not Christ’s Spirit! So if you want to hold on to your “cherished” traditional understanding
of the Godhead and the Holy Spirit, STOP RIGHT HERE! Otherwise, leave your cherished
positions at the door; humbly knock, and let the Spirit of our Lord speak to
your heart.
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“Who” did the Apostles
understand this “other Helper,” this “Spirit of Truth,” to be? I am quite
confident that the disciples did not
understand who this “Spirit” was, at
the time that Jesus spoke these words, for in another place John tells us
“But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to
receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not get
glorified” (Jn. 7:39). Jesus had also told the disciples that there were many
things which He did and was yet to do that they did not understand at the time He said or did them:
“What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter” (John
13:7). Ellen tells us: “The words of Christ were not always comprehended by the
disciples; and even when they were understood in a measure, the comprehension
of them did not measure their full significance. In order to understand the
sayings of our Lord, we should carefully and prayerfully contemplate the
words of truth, not merely to reach that comprehension of them which the
people of an earlier age might have had, but to reach a deeper significance;
for if our minds are illuminated by the Spirit of God, more and more of the
force and meaning attached to them by the Saviour himself will come to our
hearts.” (ST, April 6, 1891; par. 5). The disciples, however,
did not remain ignorant as to the
identity of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles and the early Church understood that the Holy Spirit was
indeed Christ’s Spirit and not a completely separate being of
the Godhead (as the Apostate Church teaches and from which the Traditional and Orthodox
understanding of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity has come).
It is extremely interesting that when Jesus was right in the middle of His discourse
on the Holy Spirit (in Jn. 16 & 17) Jesus stopped and said; “I have many more things to say to you, but you
cannot hear them now.” (Jn. 16:12). What were those “many more things?” Ellen
White tells us quite clearly: “What was it that Jesus withheld because they
could not comprehend it?—It was the more spiritual, glorious truths
concerning the plan of redemption.” (RH, October 14, 1890, par. 4).
Obviously, the truth about the Holy Spirit is part of the “more spiritual,
glorious truths concerning the plan of redemption,” for she goes on to tell
us that: “Only the Holy Spirit could enable them to appreciate the
significance of the plan of redemption.” ((ibid). She also tells us that this
is a truth that must be “searched for” through the inspired testimony of the
disciples. It is not something that will be understood by those who are given
to a “casual” understanding of the truths of God’s Word. “The lessons of
Christ, coming to the world through the inspired testimony of the disciples,
have a significance and value far beyond that which the casual reader of the
Scriptures gives them . . . . He spoke of the truths of the Bible as a
treasure hid in a field . . . .
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He represents the gens of truth, not as lying directly upon
the surface, but as buried deep in the ground; as hidden treasures that must
be searched for. We must dig for the precious jewels of truth, as a man would
dig in a mine.” (ibid).
So let’s “dig” into the disciples’ testimony and see if we
can’t come to a knowledge of the truth concerning
the Holy Spirit. As I said before, the disciples came to understand clearly
that the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Christ.”
Paul
understood this:
Paul wrote a very emphatic statement about Jesus Christ (which
is in complete harmony with the rest of the Bible) in 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 where
he writes: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all . . .” Yet if we
turn to the book of Romans we find Paul stating that there is someone else
making intercession for us: “In the same way the Spirit also helps our
weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself
intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26). So which
way is it Paul? Is there only one
mediator (“intercessor”) between God and men, or are there two? The simple truth is that there
is only One, and Paul understood this perfectly.
Excepting the Apostle John, Paul most fully understood and
explained that “the Spirit” who intercedes for us is “Christ’s Spirit.” We
only have an “intercessor” or “mediator” in Christ Jesus if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and our Substitute—and if we have become His children. And
Paul explains that if we have become His children that Christ’s Spirit actively acts in our behalf: “Because you are
son, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba!
Father!” (Gal. 4:6). Paul understood the workings of Christ’s Spirit on His
behalf and he had complete confidence in this: “For I know that this will
turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provisions of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ, (Phil. 1:19). Paul understood that the person of Jesus Christ, in both
His humanity and in His Spirit, are active in the process of our
sanctification: “how much more will the blood of Christ [His humanity], who
through the eternal Spirit [His Spirit self]
offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works
to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the mediator of the new
covenant . . .” (Heb. 9:14, 15).
As the mediator of
this “new covenant,” and during the New Testament era (following Christ’s
death and resurrection), Christ
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Had promised to put His
Spirit inside us, enabling us to obey Him and walk in His commandments:
“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and
you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” (Eze.
36:27). Paul understood all this! And Paul understood the importance—the
necessity of the indwelling of Christ through His Spirit in our lives if we are to
be victorious over our fleshly natures: “However, you are not in the flesh
but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Rom. 8:9).
This is also why Paul exhorts us to: “Keep examining yourselves to see
whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, do not you, that Jesus Christ lives in you? Could it be that you
are failing the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5 [ISV]).
Peter
understood this:
Peter also understood that the Holy Spirit was Christ’s
Spirit. Peter tells us: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of
Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever
made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from
God.” (2 Peter. 1:20, 21). Peter makes it very plain that no prophecy contained in God’s Word
was spoken without the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Who is that
Holy Spirit? Peter tells us: “As to this salvation, the prophets who
prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and
inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within
them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories
to follow.” (1 Pet. 1:10, 11). In other words the prophets who prophesied and predicted the sufferings of Christ and the
glories to follow, did so through the inspiration of “the Spirit of Christ” which was “within them.” Peter understood that the “Holy Spirit” is the “Spirit of Christ,” and not
some “other” person apart from Christ.
John understood this:
John had an intimate understanding of the person of Jesus Christ and of His Holy Spirit that surpassed that of many of his
contemporaries. John wrote more comprehensively on this subject than any of
the other Apostles. Because John recognized the importance of Christ’s words
concerning His Holy Spirit, he recorded the teachings of Christ on this subject in greater detail than did any of the other
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Apostles. John realized the significance of the sacrifice Christ has made in order to give us
“His Spirit.” And this is probably the reason Jesus chose John as the one through whom He spoke
most intimately regarding the Holy Spirit and why John would be the one
through whom Christ would give the “Revelation.” It is also the reason why
John ascribes the personal pronoun
of “He” and “Him” to the Holy Spirit. John knew that the Holy Spirit is a person, and that the person
of the Holy Spirit is “part and parcel” of the person of Jesus Christ. Here is the reason why we know that John understood the Holy Spirit to be part of
the person of Jesus Christ.
Technically the Greek noun “pneuma,”
translated as “Spirit,” is neuter—meaning
that it does not have a gender (masculine or feminine)
ascribed to it. Technically, the
pronoun used with a noun, must always agree with the noun to which it refers.[41] Hence, the noun “Spirit”
ought always take
a neuter pronoun such as “it.” Consequently, any discussion about the “Spirit” ought (technically) be done without the use
of the personal pronoun of “He” or “Him.” But John knew that the “Spirit” is not just an impersonal “power” (i.e.
“the power of the flame” Isa. 47:14), and that the Holy Spirit is inseparably linked to the person of
Christ and should rightfully be
addressed as “He.” John is the only writer who consistently uses the masculine pronoun “He” when he speaks of
the Holy Spirit precisely for this reasons.
More
Textual Criticism concerning the “Helper” of John 14:16-18 and “His” identity
as Jesus Christ:
The word “another” is translated from the Greek word “αλλος”
which means: “Another, numerically
but of the same kind in contrast
to héteros
(G2087), another qualitatively, other,
different one.”[42] In other words, this “other Helper” is “another” numerically, but qualitatively He is of the same
kind (character/nature) as Christ.
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Or, to put it another way, the “helper” that the Father would
send would not be a different one than Christ.
While Jesus is the
one who spoke the words recorded
in John 14:16-18; it was John who chose which Greek words to use when
he recorded them. The prudence of John in choosing this particular Greek word
to describe what Christ had said, evidentially
demonstrates an understanding of
what Christ really meant that,
unfortunately, has eluded most of us.
Jesus tells us in John 14:26 that this “helper” would be sent
by the Father “in My name.” “But
the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” Those words, “in My name,” are extremely
significant. “It is through the name of Jesus that every favor is received.”
(MB, p. 133, par. 1). Anything
that is truly done “in His name,” is intrinsically
linked to Him. Something done
in His name is to be accepted as being done by Him. Note these texts:
Mat
18:5 "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives
Me.”
Mat.
18:20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I
am there in their midst.”
Mar
9:37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me;
and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
Mar
9:39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who
will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil
of Me.
Luk 9:48
and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and
whoever receives Me receives Him who sent me.”
Mar
16:17, 18 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My
name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will
pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them;
they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Jn.
14:13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.
Jn 14:14
“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
Jn.
15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you
that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that
whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”
Jn 1624
“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive,
so that your joy may be made full.”
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Jn.
16:26, 27 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you
that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself
loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from
the Father.
Jn. 16:23 “In that day you will not question Me about
anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in
My name, He will give it to you.” He (the Father) will give it to you because you are “in Christ” and your petition is considered as Christ’s petition (so long as it is
in harmony with the will of God).
Someone sent in “His name” is to be accepted as His representative. But, in the case of
the “Holy Spirit” it reflects a much deeper meaning than that. The Holy
Spirit is much more than Christ’s
“representative”—He is Christ Himself, in “Spirit” form. Mrs. White tells us
that the words of Christ, especially those recorded by John in the 16th
and 17th chapters of his Gospel, carry a significance for us that we have not realized—a significance that our enemy (Satan) understands
much more clearly than we do and is not willing to have us grasp.
“The salvation of human beings is a vast enterprise,
that calls into action every attribute of the divine nature . . . .
The Lord is gracious and long-suffering, not willing that any should perish.
He has provided power to enable us to be overcomers. How full of comfort and
love are the words of Christ to his disciples just before his trial and
crucifixion. He was about to leave them, but he did not want them to think
that they were to be left helpless orphans. “I go my way to him that sent
me,” he said, “and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto
you. Sorrow hath filled your heart. 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. And when he is
come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I
go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of
this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide
you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He
shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
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Then comes the wonderful prayer recorded in the seventeenth
chapter of John,--a prayer that means much more to us than we realize. Let us
receive it into the treasure-house of the soul, and make it the daily lesson
of our lives:--
“As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent
them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I
for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have
given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in
me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast given me; be with me where I am; that they may
behold my glory which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not
known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent
me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the
love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Satan understands this prayer better than do the members of
churches and the heads of families. He does not want the people of god to
understand it, lest they should see the advantage God has bestowed on them,
and know the day of their visitation. He would keep them in discord and
strife over little misunderstandings and little differences which, dwelt
upon, grow into variance and hatred. He knows that if he can keep them thus,
they will present before the world a showing exactly the opposite of that
which God desires them to present.
I urge our people to cease their criticism and evil speaking,
and go to God in earnest prayer, asking him to help them to help the erring.
Let them link up with one another and with Christ. Let them study the
seventeenth of John, and learn how to pray and how to live the prayer of
Christ. He is the Comforter. He will abide in their hearts, making their joy
full. His words will be to them as the bread of life, and in the strength
thus gained they will be enabled to develop characters that will be an honor
to God . . . . Perfect oneness,--a union as close as the union existing
between the Father and the Son,--this is what will give success to the
efforts of God’s workers . . . . It is this union that convinces the
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World that God has indeed sent his Son to save sinners. Christ
gives to his true disciples the glory of his character, that his prayer may
be answered. Through the impartation of his Spirit, he appears in their
lives.” (RH, January 27, 1903, par. 9-13, 15.
The Apostle John realized that Jesus Christ is the only One “sent” by the Father (for our Salvation)—notice how many times
John records this fact: (Jn. 3:34; 4:34; 5:23,24,30,36,37,38;
6:29,38,38,44,49; 13:20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 17:3,8,18,21,23,25; 20:21&
1Jn 4:9,10,14). The other Apostles realized this also, as did the early
Church, but John really seems to have “honed” in on this fact (and for an
important reason). Matthew records this fact only once (Mat. 10:40) as does
Mark (Mk. 9:37). Luke records it only five times (Lk.
4:18,43; 9:48; 10:16 and Acts 3:26). Paul refers to
Jesus being “sent” twice (Gal. 4:4,6). John records
this fact at least 43 times! John
seems to have recognized a significance in Jesus’ words regarding His being “sent.”
Thirty-nine (39) out of those 43 John is recording the words of Jesus (Jesus was obviously stressing
this point over and over again in order to get it through our heads that He is the only One “sent” by the Father for the Salvation of mankind—there
is Salvation in none other.
John realized that when Christ said that the Father would send “another Helper” He was not
referring to someone other than Himself (Christ). We know this from our
earlier study of 1 John 5:6-8 where John showed us that the water and the blood and the spirit
were all references to Christ.
There is no contradiction
indicated in these statements when applied to the premises of this book. But
so that we are absolutely clear on this let’s review a few facts.
Regarding the Holy Spirit, we have absolutely no evidence that He existed as a separate individual member of the
Godhead (apart from Christ) prior to the Creation.[43] In fact, we have a
great deal of evidence that there were not three members of the Original
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Godhead. We cannot simply ignore
this fact. And I don’t believe that we can simply explain it away as
something that has not been revealed to us— “ . .
.for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that
will not be known.” (Mat. 10:26). There are simply too many quotes (Bible and
SOP) which indicate that there are actually only two persons of the original Godhead, and that these two created and implemented the plan
of Salvation. This plan required a tremendous
sacrifice on the part of both the
Father and the Son. Established before
the creation of the world, this plan required a separation of the Son from the Father, which resulted in, or
created, three members of the Godhead. Explaining the “when” and “how” and,
especially the “why” of the Holy
Spirit becoming the third member of the Godhead has been
the whole purpose of this book.
And understanding
of Christ’ sacrifice is vital for our Salvation. And an
understanding of “What” Christ has actually don is absolutely crucial for
those of us “upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Cor. 10:11).
Understanding that He has actually given
His Holy Spirit to us in order
that we may truly be victorious over sin and the devil and in order that we
may actually become partakers of His Divine Nature is critical for those who would receive
the Latter Rain. We’ll see why this is so crucial in chapter 11.
Before we look at the “Helper” of John 14:16 under the other
descriptive titles He is referred to (e.g. “the Spirit of Truth” and “The
Comforter”), we should probably look at some of the SOP quotes that are used
by those who believe that the Holy Spirit is someone other than Christ. That
way, when we have finished examining these seemingly definitive quotes on the nature of the Holy Spirit, we
can move on to the most beautiful
truths concerning the Holy Spirit.
Ellen
White and the “Third” person of the Godhead:
Ellen White recorded several quotes
that indicate that the Holy Spirit is a person,
that He has a personality, and
that He is the Third member of the
Godhead. Many people use these quotes to prove
that the Holy Spirit must be
someone other than Christ. Here is
a listing of the most pertinent quotes used by those who insist that the Holy Spirit is not Christ:
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“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, who would come with no modified energy, but in the
fullness of divine power.” (Testimonies
to Ministers, p. 392).
“Keep yourselves where the three great powers of heaven—the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—can be your efficiency. These powers
work with the one who gives himself unreservedly to God. The strength of
heaven is at the command of God’s believing ones. The man who makes God his
trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall.” (In Heavenly Places, p. 176).
“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio, in the
name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these
powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts
to live the new life in Christ.” (Evangelism, p. 615).
“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a
person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds. 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. ‘For what man knoweth the things of a man, save
the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man,
but the Spirit of God.” (Evangelism, pp. 616, 617).
“We have been brought together as a school, and we need to
realize that the Holy Spirit, who is a as much a person as God is a person,
is walking through these grounds, that the Lord God is our keeper, and
helper. He hears every word we utter and knows every thought of the mind.”
(Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, p. 299).
“The Holy Spirit is a person; for He beareth witness with our
spirits that we are the children of God . . . At such times we believe and
are sure that we are the children of God . . . ‘We have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in God, and
God in him.’” (Manuscript Releases, vo. 20, pp. 68, 69).
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“For ages prayers had been offered for the fulfillment of God’s
promise to impart His Spirit, He determined to give His representative, the
third person of the Godhead. This gift could not be excelled. He would give
all gifts in one, and therefore the divine Spirit, that converting,
enlightening, and sanctifying power, would be His donation . . . . It came
with a fullness and power, as if for ages it had been restrained but was now
being poured forth upon the church . . . .” (My Life Today, p. 36).
“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit . . . is as much a
person as God is a person . . . . The Holy Spirit is a free, working,
independent agency . . . . The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that
He [Jesus] could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people.
The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the
sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail . . . . 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. The Holy Spirit is an effective helper in restoring the image of God
in the human soul.” (The Faith I Live by, p. 52).
I
have absolutely no quarrels with
these statements. In fact, I agree with them wholeheartedly! There are,
however, a few mistakes that are
often made by Adventists when it comes to Ellen White’s writings. First, we
have assumed that she understood everything
there is to know about the subjects she was inspired to write about. This is
simply not the case. We readily
admit that the Bible writers didn’t always understand everything they were
inspired to record. Daniel certainly didn’t understand everything he recorded: “As for me, I heard but could
not understand.” (Dan. 12:8). Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and even the Apostle
John certainly did not understand
everything they recorded. Peter, speaking in Acts 2:16-18, told those
gathered in Jerusalem that what they were witnessing on the day of Pentecost
was the fulfillment of the
prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 regarding the outpouring of God’s “Spirit.” But we
know that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was only
a partial fulfillment (the Early Rain) of what Christ intends to
do in the “last days” when He will pour out His Spirit in Full measure (the Latter Rain). Peter did not understand all that was involved concerning the outpouring of the
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Holy Spirit. Why then do we insist that it was any different
for Ellen White? She certainly admitted that she was not “all-knowing” and
that there were many things yet to
be revealed. In fact, when it came to the subject of the Holy Spirit, she
made it clear that “the nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery not clearly
revealed” and she clearly stated: “There are many mysteries which I do not
seek to understand or to explain, they are too high for me . . .” (MS #1107
[MR vol. 14, p. 179]. This statement is made in direct reference to the Holy
Spirit).
The second error many of us have made is one of neglect. We
have neglected to compile all of
her writings on a particular subject before we have drawn our conclusions about what God was
revealing through her. When people do this with the Bible we become very alarmed. Yet we often do this with Ellen’s
writings. Why?
Third, we forget that the revelation of “Truth” is progressive and that some truths will
only be brought into the “light” when God
deems the time to be right. Ellen White was human and made human errors even during the many years that she
received special revelations from the Lord. “In the vision given me June 12,
1868, I was shown the danger of the people of God in looking to Brother and
Sister White, and thinking that they must come to them with their burdens,
and seek counsel of them. This ought not so to be. They are invited by their
compassionate, loving Saviour, to come unto Him, when weary and heavy laden,
and He will relieve them . . . Brother and Sister White are striving for
purity of life, striving to bring forth fruit unto holiness; yet they are
only erring mortals . . . We utterly refuse to be conscience for you” (2T, p.
118 (119), par. 3). If you will read the 1st volume of the
Testimonies, you will see that Ellen rather severely rebuked a man and a
woman who had rediscovered the truth about “unclean” meats: “If God requires
His people to abstain from swine’s flesh, He will convict them on the matter
. . . If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine’s flesh, God will
discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty.”
(p. 207) This statement was written on October 21, 1858; five years before the great health reform vision
of 1863. Yet it was written during a time when Ellen was receiving other important instruction from the Lord and was
under His “inspiration.”
This illustrates the fact that just because a prophet makes a
statement at one moment it either may not be directly from God or it may
indicate that God had not yet purposed that a particular truth be brought to
the forefront. In either case, the prophets understanding of the subject would not be entirely correct. “The
disciples themselves yet cherished a regard for the ceremonial law, and were
too willing to make concessions,
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Hoping by so doing to gain the confidence of their countrymen,
remove their prejudice, and win them to faith in Christ as the world’s
Redeemer . . . . Though some of these men wrote under the inspiration of the
Spirit of God, yet when not under its direct influence they sometimes erred.
It will be remembered that on one occasion Paul withstood Peter to the face
because he was acting a double part.” (Sketches
from the Life of Paul, p. 213, par. 2). This really should not bother us at all. Indeed, I find it
comforting to realize that God uses erring
human beings to shed forth His Truth—it gives me confidence and hope that
He can use someone as erring as myself in His great work When the time is
right, God will reveal His truths.
We also often ignore the fact that inspired writers often
recorded more than they themselves were aware,
concerning the things they wrote about. Sister White tells us: “Mysteries
into which angel desire to look, which prophets and kings and righteous men
desired to understand, the remnant church will carry in messages from God to
the world. The prophets prophesied of these things, and they longed to understand
that which they foretold, but to them this privilege was not given.” (6T, p.
19, par. 4). Mrs. White understood this principle. The Biblical prophets
understood this. Why don’t we?
So let’s look at more than just a few of Ellen’s statements regarding the Holy Spirit before we
draw our conclusions about His
nature. I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised at how much God actually revealed about the
nature of the Holy Spirit through Ellen—even though she felt that it had not been “clearly revealed” and was “too high”
for her.
The
Holy Spirit IS Christ (is “Christ’s Spirit”):
We can use the Bible alone to show that the “Spirit” is Christ’s Spirit. In Proverbs 8 we see
that it is “Wisdom” that was “brought forth.” We know that this refers to
Christ and can refer to no one else. So “Wisdom” is Christ. Then we find references to the “Spirit of Wisdom” (see
Isa. 11:2; Acts 6:3 and Eph. 1:17). If “Wisdom” is Christ, then the “Spirit
of Wisdom” must be the “Spirit of
Christ.” This same truth is expressed in the Holy Spirit’s title of the
“Spirit of Truth.” Christ said: “I am . . . the Truth.” So if Christ is the
Truth, then the “Spirit of Truth” must be the “Spirit of Christ.”
In John 14:16-17, Jesus referred to the other “Helper” as “the
Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him
or know
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Him, but [Christ told his disciples] you know Him because He
abides with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17). If you believe the Spirit
of Prophecy (and I hope you do), there can be no doubt that this other “Helper”—the “Spirit of Truth”—is, in fact, Jesus Christ (Christ’s Holy
Spirit). “Christ was the spirit of truth. The world will not listen to His
pleadings. They would not accept Him as their guide. They could not discern
unseen things; spiritual things were unknown to them. But His disciples see
in Him the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And they shall have His abiding
presence. They shall have an experimental knowledge of the only true God and
of Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. To them He says: You
will no more say, I cannot comprehend. No
longer shall you see through a glass darkly; you shall comprehend with all
saints what is the length and depth and breadth and
height of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. He who has begun a
good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. The honor of
God, the honor of Jesus Christ, is involved in the perfection of your
character. Your work is to co-operate with Christ, that you may be complete
in Him. In being united to Him by faith, believing and receiving Him, you
become a part of Himself. Your character is His glory revealed in you. And
when you shall appear in His presence, you will find the benediction awaiting
you, ’Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a
few things: I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy
of the Lord.” (Southern Watchman,
October 25, 1898, par. 2).
“There are many things that we ought to be able to understand,
that we do not comprehend because we are so far behind our privileges. Christ
said to his disciples,” I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
bear them now.” This is our condition. Would they not have been able to understand
what he had to say to them, if they had been doers of his word—if they had
improved point after point of the truth which he had presented to them? But
although they could not then understand, he told them that he would send the
Comforter, who would lead them into all truth. We should be in a position
where we can comprehend the teaching, leading, and working of the Spirit of
Christ. We must not measure God or his truth by our finite understanding, or
by our preconceived opinions . . . . Is Christ abiding in your hearts by
faith? Is his Spirit in you? If it is, there will be such a yearning in your
soul for the salvation of those for whom Christ has died, that self will sink
into insignificance, and Christ alone will be exalted. Brethren and sisters,
there is great need at this time of humbling ourselves before God, that the Holy Spirit may come upon us.” (RH, October
8, 1889, par. 2).
Jesus not only described the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of
truth,” but also as the “Comforter”
(“Helper” and “Comforter” are used
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Synonymously and come from the same Greek word): “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.” (Jn. 14:26 KJV. See also: Jn 15:26 & 16:7. Jesus is our comforter: “I, even I,
am He who comforts you.” (Isa 51:12). The Spirit of Prophecy leaves us no
doubt as to the identity of the “Comforter.”
“As by faith we look to Jesus, our faith pierces the shadow,
and we adore God for His wondrous love in giving Jesus the Comforter.” (MS
#1405 [MR, vol. 19, pp. 297, 298]).
“The Saviour is our comforter. This I have proved Him to be.”
(MS #548 [MR, vol. 8, p. 49])
“Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and that the Comforter is the Holy Ghost, “The
Spirit of truth, which the Father will send in my name . . . . This refers to
the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter.” (MS #1107
[MR, vol. 14, p. 179]).
“Let them be thankful to God for His manifold mercies and be
kind to one another. They have one God and one Saviour, and one Spirit—the
Spirit of Christ . . .” (9T p. 189, par. 3).
“The reason why the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die, is that the enemy has brought influences of a
discouraging nature to bear upon trembling souls. He has sought to shut Jesus
from their view as the Comforter, as one who reproves, who warns, who
admonishes them, saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Christ has all
power in heaven and in earth, and he can strengthen the wavering, and set
right the erring.” (RH, August 26, 1890, par. 10).
“Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all His disciples, and give
them the inspiration of His sanctifying Spirit, and transfuse the vital
influence from Himself to His people . . . . they
must act with His Spirit, that it may be no more they that live, but Christ
that liveth in them. Jesus is seeking to impress upon them the thought that
in giving His Holy Spirit He is giving to them the glory which the Father
hath given Him, that He and His people may be one in
God.” (MS #99 [MR, vol. 2, pp. 36, 37]).
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“Let them study the seventeenth of John, and learn how to pray
and how to live the prayer of Christ. He is the Comforter.” (RHY, January 27,
1903, par. 13).
Jesus said that He would not leave us “comfortless” and said”
“I will come to you.” (John 14:18). Jesus also said “where two or three have
gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Mat. 18:20). He
assured us; “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Mat.
28:20 KJV). How is Jesus to “come”
to us? How is He “in our midst?” How can He
be with us “to the end of the
world?” He tells us how in John 14:16
where He says that the “comforter/helper” would “abide with you forever.”
Jesus, in His humanity cannot be in all places at all times—He cannot “abide”
with everyone, everywhere, “forever.” “Cumbered with humanity Christ could
not be in every place personally, therefore it was altogether for their
advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father and send the Holy
Spirit to be His successor on earth.” (MS #1084 [MR, vol. 14, p. 23]). “The
Son of God, now at the Father’s right hand, still pleads as man’s
intercessor, He still retains His human nature, is still the Saviour of
mankind.” (ST, July 15, 1908, par. 7). In the person of His “Holy Spirit” form, Christ could be in all places
at all times and “abide with us forever.” “While Jesus, our Intercessor,
pleads for us in heaven, the Holy Spirit works in us, to will and do of His
good pleasure.” (MS #99 [MR, vol. 2, p. 37]). “Christ declared that after his
ascension, he would send to his church, as his crowing gift, the Comforter,
who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of
his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With
his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away
sin. In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man the highest good that
heaven could bestow.” (RH, May 19, 1904, par. 1, 2).
When Christ said “I will not leave you comfortless, I will
come to you,” it is readily apparent that He was speaking of Himself as the “Comforter,” the
Spirit of Truth that will “abide with you forever.” Jesus was speaking of His Spirit—“the soul of his life” which He has given to us. “John calls upon the world to ‘Behold what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of
God.’ It is a love that passeth knowledge. In the fullness of the sacrifice
nothing was withheld. Jesus gave himself.” (The Paulson Collection, p. 339,
par. 3).
The inspired Apostles understood
and taught that the Holy
Spirit is Christ’s Spirit: “Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit
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of
the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17)—And that, “if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Rom. 8:9). They
taught that it is only through our
acceptance of Christ (expressed in
our baptism) THAT His Spirit IS
GIVEN to us: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). The Bible states that
Christ is “He who comforts you.” (Isa. 51:12). And Ellen White has clearly demonstrated that the “Comforter”—the Spirit of Truth—the
Holy Spirit, is none other than Christ: “Christ was the spirit of truth”
[Southern Watchman, October 25, 1898, par. 2). “He is the Comforter.” (RH, January
27, 1903, par. 13). She even tells us that the Holy Spirit is “the soul of
His life.” (RH, May 19, 190-4, par. 1) which has been given to us that we may become a “partaker of [His] divine
nature.” (Ibid. par. 3). This really ought to be argument enough to establish
this fact—but apparently it isn’t, for we continue to deny this Truth! So, let’s dig a little deeper.
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Chapter 9 Summary
1. Christ
taught that the Holy Spirit is, in fact, His
Spirit—but because the disciples hadn’t even understood fully that He was
indeed the Messiah—He had to teach this truth in ways that were somewhat
obscure and abstract. Concerning the Holy Spirit He told them “I have many
more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (Jn. 16:12). Christ would tell them later, but He
would have to do so through the person of His Holy Spirit—after He had
ascended into heaven.
2. The
Disciples learned and taught the truth that the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Christ” ( Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19) and they did this quite clearly.
Their understanding of the full
significance of this truth may have been limited, but they knew and they experienced this truth when Christ baptized them with His Holy
Spirit.
3. Unfortunately
for us, some of the texts recorded in the Bible have been corrupted over time
and have introduced fallacious views of the Holy Spirit. These views have
been propagated largely by the Catholic Church and have been accepted by the
majority of Protestants as well (SDA’s included).
4. Satan
does not want the people of God to understand the truth about the Holy Spirit
because he knows that if we understood it clearly and appropriated Christ’s
Spirit fully, that his power over us would be broken and his end would come.
5.
Satan has been successful in
encouraging us to make limited use
of Mrs. White’s writings concerning the identity of the Holy Spirit and has
gotten many of us to use only a few
of her statements—sadly, mostly the one’s which seem to support the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. When we
compile all of her writings on this subject and couple them with what the
Apostles taught, we find that they are in agreement and that they clearly
reveal that the Holy Spirit is Christ’s Spirit and not someone other than
Christ.
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Chapter
10
________________________
The Holy
Spirit
The
Mystery Explained
There are many things that we ought to be able to understand,
that we do not comprehend because we are so far behind our privileges. Christ
said to his disciples, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
bear them now.” This is our condition . . . . We should be in a position
where we can comprehend the teaching, leading, and working of the Spirit of
Christ. We must not measure God or his truth by our finite understanding, or
by our preconceived opinion.” (RH, October 8, 1889, par. 2).
Have you ever wondered “why,”
in all of Ellen White’s writings, she never
uses the term “Trinity” when speaking about the Godhead? I believe that this
is a most meaningful omission.
Ellen was certainly familiar with the term. She had come out of a church that
believed in and taught this doctrine. Why, then, does she not use the term
trinity when speaking of the Godhead? If the traditional “Orthodox” position
of the Trinity is correct then why
not use the word that has come to be the accepted term in describing this
position? Ellen uses phrases that do describe three beings comprising the Godhead such as “heavenly trio” or
“three divine dignitaries,” but she never
uses the term Trinity—Why? Why
didn’t God inspire her to use this term
to describe the Godhead if it truthfully
describes the doctrine of the Godhead and the members comprising it?
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I can only conclude
that God did not intend that the traditional doctrine of the Trinity—as
taught and accepted by most within the Christian world (and perhaps especially important, His remnant church)—should be understood
by His people in the way that we
have been content to understand
and teach it. I believe that God intended, and still intends, that His people would come to know the
“Truth” about the Godhead and the Great
price that has been paid by both the Father and the Son in order to redeem us
and make us partakers of the Divine nature. I believe that god especially
intends that we shall know the Truth about the Holy Spirit and the work that
He is to accomplish in those in whom He is going to fully reproduce Christ’s character before the Great and Dreadful
day of the Lord.
I believe that God
intends that we shall understand that Christ’s incarnation and death involved
not only the giving of His human
life, but also the giving of His divine
life (His Spirit) for the Salvation of His children. Christ sacrificed the fullness of His being in order to redeem the human
race. This sacrifice meant “parting” with, or “laying aside,” His inherent powers of divinity—that is,
He could no longer singularly
possess all of His divinity in His person. His person
underwent a change and effectively
created a third person of the
Godhead. Now, these two
“individuals” of the Godhead comprise the totality of Christ. They exist as His divine humanity (which has been incorporated
into the Godhead) and His divine Spirit
(which is that part of Himself that encompasses His
divine power and has always
existed with the Father).
“Jesus
has done everything for you; he withheld not even himself.” (ST, November 20,
1884, par. 20). Christ has paid the
penalty for our transgression and in His humanity Christ pleads His own
merits on our behalf before the Father. But that is simply not enough to
bring about our transformation
into His likeness:
“Christ must be in us a living working power.” (MS #39, 1896 [7BC p. 921,
par. 5]). He can only transform
us into His image by abiding in us
through the indwelling of His Holy
Spirit. It is His “Spirit” that confirms and makes effectual what Christ, in
His humanity, has done for us. His Spirit is responsible for the completion
of the Plan of Redemption. “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
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divine power to overcome all
hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress his own
character upon the church.” (RH, May 19, 1904, par. 3). Christ’s divinity and His humanity
combined constitute the perfect sacrifice that He has made in order
to make us “One” with God.
Some of you are
probably mindful of the statements made by Ellen White that: “He [Christ] did not
part with His divinity.” (RH, June 15, 1905. [SDA BC, 7a, p. 444, par. 6]). We must address this issue
very seriously, and I hope that I can do so here. I do not wish in any way to leave the impression that
Jesus Christ “gave up” His divinity and that He is no longer God. If Christ
is not divine, then He could not be our Savior—and this position would be
completely unbiblical. I am acutely aware of the warnings that the prophet of God has given regarding our
treatment of “the humanity of Christ.” And I believe that she had good reason
for giving this advice. “Avoid every question in relation to the humanity of
Christ which is liable to be misunderstood.” Truth lies close to the track of
presumption. In treating upon the humanity of Christ, you need to guard
strenuously every assertion, lest your words be taken to mean more than they
imply, and thus you lose or dim the clear perceptions of His humanity as
combined with divinity. His birth was a miracle of God . . . . Never, in any
way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or
inclination to, corruption rested upon Christ or that He in any way yielded
to corruption . . . . let every human being be
warned from the ground of making Christ altogether human, such an one as
ourselves; for it cannot be.” (SDA BC, vol. 5, pp. 1128, 1129). So the
warning is given so that we do not speak of Christ in such a way as to leave
the impression that Christ was a
sinner—such an one as ourselves.
We are, however, encouraged to study the
incarnation and to “dig deep for hidden
truth:” “As
the worker studies the life of Christ, and the character of His mission is
dwelt upon, each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting
than has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the
incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will
employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last” (Gospel
Workers, p. 251, [SDA BC, vol. 7a, p. 444, par. 1]). “We should come to this
study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of
the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher
who digs deep for hidden truth.” (The Youth’s Instructor, Oct. 13, 1898. (SDA
BC vol. 7a; p. 443, par. 1).
But we are to be ever mindful that in so doing we do not make Christ out to
be “altogether human,” a sinner
such as we are, and thereby lose
our Savior.
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While Christ was not
“altogether human” (such a one as ourselves), the “truth” lies uncomfortably
close to this. Christ did in fact become a man: “Christ did not make
believe to take human nature; He did verily take it.” (RH, April 5, 1906,
par. 4). And: “In taking our nature,
the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be
broken. Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.” John 3:16. He
gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him
to the fallen race. To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave
His only-begotten Son to become one of the human families, forever to retain
His human nature. This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word.” “Unto
us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon
His shoulder.” God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has
carried the same into the highest heaven.” (DA, p. 25, par. 3). Indeed, Christ so fully
partook of our human nature (became a “man”) that even He was, for a time,
put on probation. “As a free agent, He
[Christ] was placed on probation, with liberty to yield to Satan’s
temptations and work at cross-purposes with God.”) The Youth’s Instructor,
October 26, 1899). “For a period of time Christ was on probation . . . .Had He failed in His test and trial . . . the world would
have been lost.” (ST, May 10, 1899, par. 6). Had Christ “Sinned” He would have been personally liable to face our fate:
“Could Satan in the least particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised
the Saviour’s head . . . Had the head of Christ been touched, the hope of the
human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as
it came upon Adam.” (SDA BC, vol. 5, p. 1131). Yet Christ did not sin. “We should have no
misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of
the human nature of Christ.”
(Ibid).
Many people do not
accept the fact that Christ could, and did, in fact become a human being. We
don’t like to consider such a prospect. We think that if we accept this fact
that we are making Christ nothing more than “one of us.” We think that
acknowledging this truth would somehow lessen
the Glory of the person of Jesus Christ. Nothing could be further from the
truth! Christ demonstrated the
nature of God perfectly—in His humanity. As “One” who was
once fully God, Christ condescended to become a man and to pass over the
ground that we must tread. “Although He existed in the form of God, did not
regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but [Literally] emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant . . . being made in the likeness
of men.” (Phil. 2:6, 7). Through complete dependence and surrender to His
heavenly Father He never broke from God and
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never sinned. In His perfect humanity He took on our sin and paid the penalty for our
transgression. And in His humanity
He pleads before the Throne of God His
merits on our behalf. By acknowledging the humanity of Christ we do not make Christ one like “us”—we
acknowledge that Christ has made
it possible for us to be “One like
“Him.” Rather than being uncomfortable with Christ’s humanity,
we should be in “awe” of it, and embrace it.
The condescension on the part of
Christ—in becoming “man”—involved
an inestimable cost to Christ and to His Father. The person of Christ would never
again enjoy the “Oneness” with His Father that He once enjoyed. The “man” Jesus Christ would no longer be equal with the Father but would
instead be subjected to Him. It is
only in this light that we can understand the statement of the prophet: “The
man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty.” (MS #140 [SDA BC, vol. 5, p.
1129]). The man Jesus Christ would forever
be our example in dependence and trust
in God. Christ has united Himself with us in such an intimate and real way that, “He is not ashamed to
call us brethren.” (Heb. 2:11). Through His sacrifice, Christ has not only
restored us to a proper standing with God; but has made it possible for us to
partake of His divine nature in
such a real and intimate way that we are to be “joint heirs” with Him, living and reigning with
Him—sharing His throne, His Kingdom, His divine nature!
Traditionally,
Christianity has taken one of three options in explaining Christ’s
nature—none of which fully reveals the truth. They are:
1. Christ was fully human and thus a created bring
(Arianism).
2. Christ was fully divine and not one of us
(Catholicism).
3. Christ was fully human and fully divine in the same person
(the view of most Protestants, including Seventh-day Adventists).
But here is the
problem: If we make Christ “altogether
human, such an one as ourselves” we leave
ourselves without a Savior. “ . . . the life of an
angel could not pay the debt.” (Early Writings, p. 150). “In all the universe
there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its
[the Law’s] claims . . . . only one equal with God
could make atonement for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem
fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with
Heaven.” (PP, p. 63, par. 2).
If we make Christ fully divine (of divine nature alone), we leave ourselves
without hope—for we do not possess
this divine nature within ourselves. “The humanity of the Son
of God is everything
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to us. It is the golden chain
that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ
to God. This is to be our study. Christ was a real man.” (The Youth’s
Instructor, Oct. 13, 1898 [SDA BC vol. 7a, p. 443, par. 1]). “Christ did not
make believe to take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality
possess human nature.” (RH, April 5, 1906, par. 4). Even if we combine the two concepts and make
Jesus fully human but maintaining His own
divine power in His human form, we are still left with a Savior who is unlike ourselves, and who could not
be “tempted in all things, as we are.” (Hebrews 4:15). “If we had to bear
anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would
represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was “in
all points tempted like as we are.’ Heb 4:15. He
endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own
behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation,
and overcame in the strength given Him from God.” (DA p. 24, par. 2). “Our
Saviour relied upon His heavenly Father for wisdom and strength to resist and
overcome the tempter. The Spirit of His Heavenly Father animated and
regulated His life.” (The Youth’s Instructor, February, 1, 1873). The “Truth”
about Christ’s humanity and His divinity, and how they are combined, must lie beyond any of these positions.
In the person of Jesus Christ (“God with us”) we are faced
with a divine “dichotomy” and a “paradox” of enormous proportions! The
solution to understanding this paradox is in understanding that Christ’s
divinity and His humanity were combined on two levels. We are told that in order to understand the mystery
of the incarnation we must understand “the dual character of His
[Christ’s] nature.” (DA p. 507, par. 1). When Christ was incarnated He implanted His brought forth self into the womb of Mary-thus combining divinity with humanity and retaining His divine character.
“In
His human nature He maintained the purity of His divine character.” (The
Youth’s Instructor, June 2, 1898 [SDA BC, vol. 7a; p. 454, par. 4]). As part of this retained divine nature, He never had
the propensity to sin—only the
possibility of choosing to sin. “ . . . our Saviour
took humanity, will all its liabilities. He took the nature of man, with the
possibility of yielding to temptation.” (DA, p. 117, par. 2). “He could have
sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment was there in Him an evil
propensity.” (Letter #8, 1895. [SDA BC, vol. 5, p. 1128]). Christ was of
“divine” origin when He was
incarnated and this He could in no
way deny, give up, or “part” with. He was the Son of God.
However, in
accomplishing the incarnation, Christ could not retain all the attributes of His divinity. It simply was not
possible.
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These attributes
included the attributes of His “Omnipresence,” “Omniscience,” and
“Omnipotence.” Christ could not simply “clothe” or “veil” these powerful
divine attributes as if they were things He stuck in His pockets to be kept
out of our sight. For example: Had Christ been “omniscient” in His humanity
but simply concealing it, He could not
have said that He did not know the hour or the day of His second coming
without being dishonest. It is
also quite clear that Christ, in His humanity, was not Omnipresent and could
only be “present” with those in His immediate physical proximity (and this remains the case for the person of Christ now in heaven).
Had Christ been
Omnipotent in His humanity (and simply hiding it) He would have been “lying”
when He claimed that He could do “nothing” of Himself and that it was His
Father” abiding in Me who does His works.” (See Jn. 5:19 & Jn. 14:10).
So whatever Ellen
White meant when she said that Christ “clothed His divinity with humanity”
(7T, p. 221, par. 2) she could not
have meant that He retained these
attributes of His divinity within the person
of His humanity for in His humanity He “was not the Lord God Almighty.”
Still, these divine attributes require “personality”
and embodiment in a person. Can
you imagine Omnipresence void of a personal being (wouldn’t that be nonsensical and meaningless)?—Omniscience
without the mind of a personal being?—Omnipotence
without the constraint of the personality, intelligence and character, of an
actual being? The idea is ludicrous. We are faced with the fact that these
attributes of Christ’s divinity could
not be brought with Him into
His incarnated state, and also with the fact that these attributes of His
divinity could not “die” with
Christ—for Divinity cannot “die”—and must exist as a
individual, part from the man
Jesus Christ. “When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died.
Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible.” (Letter #280,
1904 [SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1113]). The man Jesus Christ, in His
Humanity, died. The divine Spirit
of Christ (His own divine Spirit
nature) did not die. As I pointed
out earlier, it would require an impossible stretch of the imagination to
believe that Christ’s divine Spirit nature would go on living without some sort of personality and intelligence! If His divinity (Spirit) went on living without
some kind of personality it would be nothing more than a mindless power and this would deny the testimony of the
Scriptures: “He who
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Searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,
because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans
8:27).
What we are left with is the reality that Christ yielded up
His divine attributes as part of His sacrifice for mankind. The person
through whom these attributes would be maintained could not be the person of
Jesus Christ in His “brought forth” or “incarnated” form (His humanity). And this is where we find
the “Holy Spirit” coming into play. Through the Holy Spirit ( a fitting title
for the divine attributes of Christ, His
divine attributes would ever remain alive
and would be used to impart Christ’s life and righteousness to all those who
accept Him as their Savior. “The
influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not now
see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one
place as another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ.
Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit,
--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” (Bible Echo,
June 17, 1901, par. 6).
Christ “yielded up”
His Spirit as a gift to us. Christ
had been “brought forth” from the Father prior to the creation and had separated from His Spirit (fully
divine form) at the time in order to “mediate” between the Father and all
free-moral beings. Christ effectively became
two beings at this time. Christ
still maintained command of His
Spirit and would use His Spirit
power to create the earth and mankind (See PP, p. 36, par. 2). But when He
became fully incarnated as a human
being, Christ’s incarnated self
was completely separated from His Spirit self. He would no longer exercise
His own divine power. Incarnated into His human nature, He would be completely dependent upon the Father for His power. In His incarnated human form, Christ was totally dependent upon His Father’s Spirit: “our
Saviour relied upon His heavenly Father for wisdom and strength to resist and
overcome the tempter. The Spirit of His Heavenly Father animated and
regulated His life. He was sinless.” (The Youth’s Instructor, February 1,
1873). Christ—in His humanity—had
literally “emptied Himself” (Phil. 2:7) of His own divine power. When Christ died on the Cross this separation became irreversibly final. When He declared:
“It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30), Christ was not only speaking of His human sacrifice on our behalf; He was
also speaking of His spiritual sacrifice—He
“gave up His Spirit.” (Jn. 19:30). Luke 23:46 states that Christ said: “Father,
INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT
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147
MY SPIRIT.” Ellen says that, “Christ commended His
spirit into the hands of His Father.” (2T, p. 211, par. 1). To “commit” or “commend” something to another
means: to “entrust, or give in charge for care” – “To consign (for
preservation).”[44]
When Christ commended His Spirit
to the care of His Father, He was parting with His own divine Spirit form forever with the intent that it
would be given to us—to dwell in us—to enable us to be partakers of the (His) divine nature. It was the only
way that Christ could accomplish the reproduction of His character in us.
Our trying to imitate His
character can never accomplish this. Only through His Spirit, abiding in us, can we be made partakers of the divine
nature and have His character reproduced in
us. Consider what a sacrifice
He has made that we may be called the Sons and Daughters of God!!
Christ maintained His “divinity” in character and origin in His human form, and He maintained His “divinity” in power and Godlikeness in His “Holy Spirit “ form.
These would, of necessity, exist in the form of two persons (the man
and the Spirit) but they both are of the same being, Jesus Christ. In this sense, Jesus has not “parted” with His divinity in either case! But His divinity has
certainly changed. Taken as a whole, these two forms of His being constitute the blending of
humanity with divinity, but not quite in the way that we normally teach it.
Christ did “part” with His
divine Spirit when He became man, but He did not part with His divine character, origin, or birthright. Christ
in His divine humanity,
had taken upon Himself the “Sin” of the entire world and He suffered the separation that sin makes
between man and God. “Christ
suffered upon the cross. He bore the sins of the whole world upon Him. He was
separated from His Father and great bloody sweat came from His brow and
moistened the sod of Gethsemane” (Northern Illinois Recorder, August 17, 19098,
par. 14). Christ suffered “the second death, which is the full and final
penalty for the transgressor of the law of God.” (1T, p. 533, par. 1). And that “second death” is “the opposite of
everlasting life” (SOP vol. 4, p. 364, par. 2). In other words, Christ would never again exist eternally as God (that is, with His Own divinity residing within Himself). Christ would forever be a partaker of His Father’s Spirit (divinity), but He
would not retain
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His own
divine Spirit. Christ’s human nature
would forever exist separate from His divine Spirit nature Christ was
actually giving up the true Oneness
He had enjoyed with the Father in the beginning when He had been “with God”
and when He had been truly and
fully “God.” Christ would never again experience the same existence He had once had with the
Father. He would be forever human. Christ had suffered as a man, as a man He would die, as a man
He would be resurrected, as a man
He intercedes for us in the courts of heaven, as a man He will return to this earth, and as a man He will exist with us throughout eternity (see 1 Cor.
15:24-28).
In His humanity, Christ became
dependent upon His Father for the divine power to
overcome Sin and to redeem the human race. He partook of His Father’s divine nature just as we must partake of His divine nature, which He has shed for us. He became God in His Humanity
by partaking of His Father’s divine nature (Spirit). This is the only way that He could provide us
with a perfect example of what we must do to become partakers of the
divine nature, without doing (or using) something that we are incapable of
doing. “He
overcame in human nature, relying upon God for power.” (The Youth’s
Instructor, April 25, 1901[SDA BC, vol. 7a, p. 447, par. 2]). “In His
humanity He was a partaker of the divine nature. In His incarnation He gained
in a new sense the title of the Son of God.” (ST, August 2, 1905. [SDA BC 7a,
p. 449, par. 3]). Christ came as a
“man” to show us what we, as men, can do through dependence upon divine power.
“Christ’s
overcoming and obedience is that of a true human being . . . When we give to
His human nature a power that it is not possible for man to have in his
conflicts with Satan, we destroy the completeness of His humanity . . . The
obedience of Christ to His Father was the same obedience that is required of
man. Man cannot overcome Satan’s temptations without divine power to combine
with his instrumentality. So with Jesus Christ, He could lay hold of divine
power [not His own but His Father’s] . . . The Lord Jesus came to our world,
not to reveal what a God could do, but what a man could do, through faith in
God’s power to help in every emergency. Man is, through faith, to be a
partaker in the divine nature, and to overcome every temptation wherewith he
is beset. . . Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, could only keep the commandments
of God in the same way that humanity can keep them.” (MS #1, 1892 [SDA BC,
vol. 7, p. 929]).
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Through complete dependence
upon His heavenly Father, Christ has walked the same ground that we must walk
and has given us an example of how
we may overcome through His power
and be partakers of His divine
nature and Spirit.
We are told that when Christ’s
“Humanity
died: [His] divinity did not die.” (Youth’s Instructor, August 4, 1898, par.
1). That “divinity” is what became what we refer to as the “third
person of the Godhead”—the Holy Spirit. Christ would retain His human nature throughout eternity and His Spirit, He
“yielded up” to His Father to be given
to us that we might become
partakers of Christ’s divine nature and
literally become the “sons of God.” “Because you are sons, God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians
4:6).
Through His Spirit (which He
has given for us) Christ imparts
to us His character, His righteousness, and makes it
possible for us to be a partaker of His
divine nature (next chapter). These two
aspects of His nature—human and Spirit—comprise the whole of which, makes
possible our reconciliation to God. In taking our human nature and in
partaking of the Father’s divine nature Christ has shown us how humanity is to be united with God. In separating
from His Spirit and in giving it to us He has actually enabled us to be united with God. By becoming human God has laid
hold of the human race and united with it. By giving us His Spirit, Christ
has empowered us to lay hold of
God and to become like Him. “Christ was the representative of humanity. He had
laid aside his glory, stepped down from his throne, clothed his divinity with
humanity, that with his human arm He might encircle the race, and with his
divine arm reach the throne of the Infinite. He took upon Him the nature of
man, and was tempted in all points like as we are. As a man He supplicated at
the throne of God, beseeching his Father to accept his prayer in behalf of
humanity; and to his earnest petition the heavens were opened. Never before
had angels listened to such a prayer, and the glory of the Majesty of heaven
shone upon Him, and words of love and approval assured Him of the acceptance
of his petition as man’s representative. God accepted the fallen race through
the merits of Christ.” (Periodicals: The Messenger, December 15, 1892, par.
2). “We can come off victorious; for through Christ we can be partakers of
the divine nature, having “escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust.” . . . When we had nothing to recommend us to God, Christ gave
his life for us. With his long human arm he encircles the race, while with
his divine arm he grasps the throne of the infinite. Thus finite man is
united with the infinite God. The world, divorced from God by sin, has
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been restored to favor by the sacrifice of his Son.
With his own body the Saviour has bridged the gulf that sin has made.”
(General Conference Bulletins, April 8, 1901, par. 13. This explains the
necessity for, ad the essence of, the “dual nature”
of Christ’s character and nature, or form.
It is my belief that when
Ellen White (and the Bible for that matter) make a distinction between the person
of Jesus and the person of the
Holy Spirit, that they are doing so in the understanding that the incarnated Jesus (who retains His human form before the
throne of God in Heaven) and the His
Holy Spirit (which retains His
“Spirit” form both in heaven and upon this earth) now exist as two individual
entities. How else are we to comprehend the words of Jesus in John 1:3? “This
is eternal life, that they may know You, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Is Jesus saying that He isn’t
truly GOD? The answer is “Yes” and
the answer is “No.” Jesus was truly
and fully God—“in the beginning.”
But when He was “brought forth” prior to the Creation, that existence began
to change in a very real and substantive way. The Father has never changed in form, substance or character. Jesus did change. Jesus was “brought
forth”—He was incarnated—and in so doing He became both a human and a Spirit.
It was not possible for Jesus to
accomplish the incarnation and
retain all of His “divine”
attributes (His Omnipresence, Omnipotence, and His Omniscience). His humanity would posses
none of these attributes (Just as our humanity does not possess them).
His divinity (or Spirit nature)
would continue to possess these divine attributes—but would exist apart from the person of Christ’s
humanity and would therefore not be the fullness
of Christ by itself.[45]
These two parts make up the
complete person of Jesus
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Christ, but neither of them alone is truly God in the fullest and truest sense. Christ has a “human” personality and a divine “Spiritual” personality. These two exist as separate individuals, but together comprise the totality of the person of Jesus Christ. Neither of these individuals alone posses
the totality of Christ’s Oneness as God. Only the Father maintains His true and original existence as God. And I believe that this [is] what Jesus meant when He said: “This is eternal life,
that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have
sent.”
We may speak of Jesus as a person and speak of the Holy Spirit as a person, but we must never separate the two from Christ—for it
can never be so. Christ sacrificed
Himself—body and Spirit in order to redeem us. The person of Jesus Christ must be understood in this light. It is He
who has provided His Spirit “as a regenerating agency,” a “reconciling
influence and a power that takes away sin.” (RH, May 19, 1904, par. 3)—and He
has done so at an “enormous” and “eternal” cost to Himself. “Christ was
treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as HE deserves . . . He
suffered the death which as ours, that we might receive the life which was
His. ‘With His stripes we are healed.” (DA, p. 25, par. 2).
I understand that this is a difficult thing to be understood—that Christ (God Himself) would
sacrifice Himself so completely that He would become human (forever to retain that nature and forever
subservient to His Father), and in so doing would also sacrifice His divine Spirit nature on our behalf in order that we
might become One with Him—accepted of the Father—brothers and sisters of
Christ. It is beyond human reasoning and beyond the heart of man. But it is
in this mystery that we find our
hope and our salvation.
For those of you who still
have trouble accepting that the Holy Spirit is Christ’s literal Spirit and that Christ effectively became two persons (human and Spirit)
in order to save us; please consider these words of inspiration:
“The
Holy Spirit is Himself [Christ] 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.” (MS #1084 [MR, vol.
14, p. 23, par. 3]).
“He might have helped His human nature to withstand the
inroads of disease by pouring from His divine nature vitality and undecaying vigor
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to
the human. But He humbled Himself to man’s nature . . . God became man!” (RH,
Sept. 4, 1900. [SDA BC 7a, p. 452, par. 4]).[46]
“The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ I the
soul. We do not now see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just
as near us in one place as another. It works in and through every one who
receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the
fruits of the Spirit,--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith.” (Bible Echo, June 17, 1901, par. 3).
“A healthy Christian is one who has Christ formed within, the
hope of glory . . . . He who has sound faith finds that Christ is the life of
the soul, that he is in him as a well of water springing up unto everlasting
life, and he delights to conform every power of the
soul to the obedience of his Lord. The Holy Spirit with its vivifying
influence ever keeps such a soul in the love of God.” (RH, December 11, 1894,
par. 2).
“Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all his disciples, and give
them the inspiration of his sanctifying spirit, and transfuse the vital
influence from himself to his people . . . Christ is to live in his human
agents, and work through their faculties, and act through their capabilities.
Their will must be submitted to his will, they must
act with his spirit, that it may be no more they that live, but Christ that
liveth in them. Jesus is seeking to impress upon them the thought that in
giving his Holy Spirit he is giving to them the glory which the Father has
given him, that he and his people may be one in
God.” (ST, October 3, 1892, par. 4).
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“Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of
His own Life.” (DA, p. 827, par. 3).
“The Holy Spirit is the breath of life in the soul. The
impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. It imbues
the receiver with the attributes of Christ.” (DA, p. 805, par. 3).
“They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit—the Spirit
of Christ—is to bring unity into their ranks.” (9T, p. 189, par. 3).
“Christ has made every provision for us to be strong. He has
given us His Holy Spirit, whose office is to bring to our remembrance all the
promises that Christ has made, that we may have peace and a sweet sense of
forgiveness. If we will be keep our eyes fixed on the Saviour and trust in
His power, we shall be filled with a sense of security; for the righteousness
of Christ will become our righteousness.” (My Life Today, p. 45, par. 5).
In Christ, through Christ, Christ in us! Christ
has made it possible for God to be “over all and
through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:6). May we never forget that: “The great
gift of salvation has been placed within our reach at an infinite cost to the
Father and the Son. To neglect salvation, is to
neglect the knowledge of the Father and of the Son whom God hath sent in
order that man might become a partaker of the divine nature, and thus, with
Christ, an heir of all things.” (RH, March 10, 1891, par. 2).
I would encourage you to read
what I consider to be Ellen White’s single-most
revealing essay on “The Spirit” of Christ, which may be found in Appendix “E”
of this book. It is a very precious message for our time and summarizes much
of what I have tried to expound in this book. Namely, that Christ became a man in order to Justify us—He “became a life giving
Spirit.” (1 Cor. 15:45) in order to Sanctify
us. The nature of His sacrifice is far beyond what we have traditionally
acknowledged and the implications of this sacrifice have been ignored and
unrealized by His people. Because we have failed to understand the fullness
of Christ’ sacrifice (physical and Spiritual)
we have failed to fully comprehend the significance and magnitude of the
truth that Christ has literally given His
Spirit to us in order that we may actually become . . . .
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Chapter 10 Summary
1. God
is not pleased that we have become “satisfied” with our present enlightenment
and that we are “so far behind our privileges.” (RH, October 8, 1889, par.
2). He is not pleased that we have been measuring Him “or His truth by our
finite understanding, or by our preconceived opinions.” (Ibid).
2. God
would have us understand the fullness of Christ’s sacrifice for us—including
the sacrifice of His “Spirit” (“the life of His own life.” [DA p. 8, 827,
par. 3]).
3. Christ
truly became human, and in His humanity He lived a life of perfect obedience
to the Father. Through complete surrender to His Father and through complete
dependence upon His Father for divine strength, Christ partook of His
Father’s divine nature (“In His humanity He was a partaker of the divine
nature.” [ST, August 2, 1905]). Christ has given us a perfect example of how
we are to depend upon Him and how we are to be partakers of His divine
nature—His Spirit.
4. Christ
became human and united His humanity with the divine nature of His Father. By
so doing, He not only left us an example of what we may become by partaking
of His divine nature, He has actually grafted humanity into the Godhead.
5. The
Holy Spirit is “His own Spirit, the life of His own life.” “He has given us
His Holy Spirit” and “if we will but keep our eyes fixed on the Saviour and
trust in His power . . . The righteousness of Christ will become our
righteousness.” (My Life Today, p. 45, par. 5).
6. “The
great gift of salvation has been placed within our reach at an infinite cost
to the Father and the Son.” (RH, March 10, 1891, par. 2)—and “at an
inconceivable cost to the Son of God.” (ST, January 6, 1887, par. 3).
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Chapter
11
_________________
Partakers of the Divine Nature
“Grace and
Peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life
and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own
glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and
magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Pet.
1:2-4).
“Oh, that those
who have so little spiritual life would realize that eternal life can be
granted only to those who become partakers of the divine nature . . .” (9T,
p. 188).
“Through the Spirit
the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature.” (RH, May 19, 1904,
par. 3).
Both the Bible and the
Spirit of Prophecy make it very clear that the Holy Spirit is in fact Christ’s Spirit and not some abstruse, obscure,
non-descript third person of the Godhead. However, proving that the Holy
Spirit is Jesus’ Spirit is meaningless
if we don’t understand the significance
of Christ’s sacrifice in the giving of His Spirit. Why would Christ sacrifice His Spirit? For what purpose did He make this sacrifice? “Without the Spirit of
God, a knowledge of His word is of no avail. They
theory of truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or
sanctify the heart. One may be familiar with the commands and promises of the
Bible; but unless the Spirit of God sets the
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truth home, the character
will not be transformed. Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will
not be able to distinguish truth from error, and they will fall under the
masterful temptations of Satan.” (Christ’s Object Lessons,
p. 408, par. 3).
Most Christians have at least some understanding
of the necessity of Christ’s death on the Cross. They realize that Christ
came to pay the penalty for sin on
our behalf and that His death has made it possible for us to be reconciled to
God and restored to a right standing with Him. Most Christians believe that
Christ’s death has granted us eternal life. But his is not the truth.
Christ’s death has made it possible for us to gain eternal life,
but His death has not insured our attaining it. Christ “died” for all men (1
Jn. 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Pet. 3:18)—yet “all men” are not going to be saved! There are going to be many people who believe
that they are “Christians” who shall never enter into His Kingdom (See Mat.
7:21-23). Many of these people will have believed (even accepted) that Christ
died for their sins but will remain unchanged
by the fact—they will refuse to be transformed
into His likeness and He will declare to them: “I never knew you, depart from
Me.” (Ibid). Sadly, there will be many Seventh-day Adventists in this group
(see Rev. 3:14-17).
The truth is that “Justification” is simply not enough. It would be enough if you
were to die immediately after your acceptance of Christ’s substitutionary death
on your behalf (like the thief on the cross) but this is never going to be
enough for those who continue living or who will be alive at His Second
coming. There has to be something more in the life of the believer than justification. Christ said that we
must be “born again.” He taught that there must be a new life created within us transforming
us into His image: “There
must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before man can be
changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can
quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to
holiness.” (ST, May 28, 1902, par. 3).
We must “grow
in the grace . . . . until we all attain to the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man
[‘Perfect man’ KJV], to the measure of the stature which belongs to the
fullness of Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18; Eph. 4:13). This process of growth—having Christ formed within us—is
called Sanctification, and is an
absolute necessity for our
receiving Eternal Life. Both
justification (the forgiveness of sins) and sanctification (the removal of sin) are essential in the
life of the believer. Justification was accomplished at the Cross, when
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Christ took on our sins and paid the penalty for
our transgression. This work of Christ is “laid to our account” through the
simple act of accepting Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf—without any work of our own being involved.
Sanctification, however, is not the work of a
moment—it is the work of a lifetime. It is still Christ’s work, but it is accomplished in the life of the believer
throughout their lifetime. It is the ongoing
process of Christ’s work in our minds and in our hearts that transforms us into His image and
enables us to live a life of obedience and victory. This work of Christ
(sanctification) is imparted to us
(not just laid to our account)—that is, it is implanted in us in a way that
is both very real and very powerful. The words of inspiration
have summarized this truth beautifully: “The righteousness by which we are
justified is imputed. The righteousness by which we are sanctified is
imparted. The first is our title to heaven; the second is our fitness for
heaven.” (RH, June 4, 1895, par. 7). Both are the Lord’s doing: “both our title to heaven [justification] and our
fitness for it [Sanctification] are found in the righteousness of Christ.”
(DA, p. 300, par. 1).
HOW
the Lord accomplishes both of these things is explained
through the mystery of the incarnation—through
our Lord’s sacrifice in literally giving
His Life for us. In taking our humanity and dying in our place, He has
accomplished the first (Justification). In sacrificing His Spirit for us, He accomplishes the second
(Sanctification).
Christ came in order that we might have “eternal
life,” (Jn. 3:16, 36) but “eternal life can be granted only to those who
become partakers of the divine nature.” (9T, p. 188). This
was Christ’s ultimate purpose in
sacrificing both body and soul (Spirit) for us (“This Comforter is the Holy
Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his
church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a
reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin. In the gift of the
Spirit, Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow.” (RH, May
19, 1904; par. 1.)). “Christ expects that men will become partakers of His
divine nature while in this world.” (5T, p. 731, par. 1). We know that it is “Through the Spirit [that] the
believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature.” (RH, May 19, 1904, par. 3) and so, if Christ expects us to partake of His divine nature and partaking of
His divine nature is accomplished through the “Spirit,” we can be reasonably
sure that the “Spirit” that implants Christ’s divine nature in us is, in
fact, Christ’s Spirit.
“Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own Life.”
(DA, p. 827, par. 3). “The Holy Spirit is the breath of life in the soul. The
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impartation of the Spirit is the
impartation of the life of Christ. It imbues the receiver with the attributes
of Christ.” (DA, p. 805, par. 3).
Now maybe it is just me, but
doesn’t it seem just a little bit ludicrous to think that some other member
of the Godhead (someone other than
Christ) would be responsible for imparting the “attributes of Christ” in us?
Christ is not dead! Both His
humanity and His divinity are very much alive. Why would anyone other than Christ be needed to impart Christ’s nature, Christ’s attributes, Christ’s character, Christ’s
victory, Christ’s power, or Christ’s life in us? Why would someone,
anyone, other than Christ be needed to make His sacrifice efficacious? Christ
promised that He would “come”
to us—that He would not leave us “comfortless”—that He would be here “in our
midst”—that He would be “with” us “always, even unto the end
of the world.” (Jn. 14:18; Mat. 18:20 cf. Joel 2:27; Mat. 28:20 [KJV]). How
could anyone but Christ make His presence a reality for us?
If our eternal destiny hinges
on our being partakers of the divine nature, then we need to understand clearly what it means to be “partakers of
His divine nature!” (5T, p. 731, par. 1). Does being a partaker of His
divine nature mean that we will simply become “good” people? Does it mean
that we are only to become “nice,” honest, loving, trustworthy people? No! It
means much more than that!
Certainly we will be all of these things because God is all of these things.
But God is much more than just a nice, loving person—and we are to become like Christ in ways that go far beyond being honest, or trustworthy, or even loving
and nice.
When Christ was here on this
earth, He was very nearly stoned to death for claiming to be God You can read
about this in John 10:24-38. The Jews were very angry with Jesus because He claimed to be “One” with the Father (vs. 30) and “The Jews picked up
stones again to stone Him.” (vs. 31). Christ asked them for which good work they were stoning Him
(vs. 32), and they replied: “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy;
and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (vs. 33). Jesus’ response to them is
not only interesting; it is also
full of meaning and truth (a truth that we have been reticent to believe).
Jesus said: “Has it not been written in your Law, “’I SAID, YOU ARE GODS.”
(VS. 34).
Christ’s mission to redeem man
involves much more than simply “forgiving” us our sins. Christ’s
purpose in sacrificing Himself
goes far beyond that. Christ sacrificed Himself not only to restore
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man to his original image, but to “recreate”
man in His image. Christ intends
to elevate man to a state above
that of even the most glorious angels in heaven! “ . . . Christ gave u His life for the human race. This sacrifice was offered
for the purpose of restoring man to his original perfection; yea, more. It
was offered to give him an entire transformation of character, making him
more than a conqueror. Those who in the strength of Christ overcome the great
enemy of God and man, will occupy a position in the
heavenly courts above angels who have never fallen.” (General Conference
Bulletin, April 1, 1899, par. 2). “That Christ should take human nature, and
by a life of humiliation elevate man in the scale of moral worth with God;
that he should carry His adopted nature to the throne of God, and there
present His children to the Father, to have conferred upon them an honour exceeding that conferred upon the angels—this is
the marvel of the heavenly universe, the mystery into which angels desire to
look. This is love that melts the sinner’s heart.” (Australasian Union
Conference Record, June 6, 1900, par. 15). So what stately position and honor could be conferred upon
man that would make them above
angels who have never sinned? Christ intends that we shall literally become “sons of God” (not merely one of His
creations—Rom. 8:14, 19; 9:26; Gal. 3:26, 4:6; Mat. 5:9; Lk.
20:36). He designs that we shall “be a counterpart of God.” (Healthful
Living, p. 10, par. 2). The Father intends that we shall be “joint—heirs with
Christ.” (Rom. 8:17)—reigning with
Christ (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:6) and sitting with Him upon His Throne! (Rev. 3:21).
Christ intends to so fully
recreate Himself in His people that they will be elevated to a status equal to His own—the incarnated
Christ. This is not my idea—it is
the position set forth in the Scriptures. Paul said: “If ye be Christ’s,
then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29
KJV). Remember, however,
that Paul also made it clear that “the promises” were made to Abraham’s “seed”—not “as in many, but in
one”—Christ Jesus (See Gal. 3:16). By becoming a “partaker of the divine
nature”—by allowing Christ to recreate and reproduce Himself in us—we become part of that “seed” (which is Christ Jesus) to whom the promises were given, and thus we
become “heirs according to the promise.” According to the Word of God, by
partaking of the divine nature, we are to attain “the measure of the
stature of fullness of Christ”—and through Christ, “a perfect man.” (Eph.
4:13 KJV). This will be the
experience of the remnant people of God.
I know that there are those
who will read into this statement more
than is intended and so, I will qualify it with this explanation:
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We shall ever be indebted to Christ
for making a way possible for us to be forgiven and for the power to be like Him. There will never come a time when this will not
be so and in this way Christ shall forever be supreme. Still, the fact remains that Christ will have a
“remnant” who will so totally be partakers of His nature that they will
literally be like Him. They will be included in the councils of God and will
be responsible with Christ for
carrying out the Father’s Will and for executing His commands. This group
will be, in the eyes of the Angels, the redeemed, and the unfallen
worlds—rulers with Christ
throughout the universe. We shall not be
“God”—we will never be independently
divine—but we will so fully
partake of Christ’s divine nature that we shall be like Him—a perfect
blending of the human and the divine. “In
Christ” we shall participate in all the privileges that are His—including
being able to “see God” face to face! (Rev. 21:22-24).[47]
The prophet says that: “God
has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same
into the highest heaven.” (DA, p. 25, par. 3). She does not say that God has
adopted the human race—like we
might “adopt” a child into our family. She says, “God has adopted human
nature in the person of His Son.” That means that “GOD” has taken the form of human nature in the person of Jesus
Christ. God became “man” in Jesus
Christ, and as a result, through the impartation of Christ’s divine nature,
man may become a member of the Godhead.
In Matthew 22:2-14 we find a marriage ceremony described that is
about to take place. Commenting on this marriage in the book Christ’s Object Lessons, Ellen White
states: “By
the marriage is represented the union
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of humanity with
divinity.” (COL, p. 307, par. 1). This describes Christ’s
union of His humanity with
divinity, which He has now made it possible for us to experience through our
marriage to Him—through our
partaking of His divine nature. “Divinity and humanity
were united in Christ, that he might reveal to us God’s purpose, and bring
man into close communion with himself. This union will enable us to overcome
the enemy; for through faith in Christ we shall have divine power.” (RH,
December, 6, 1892, par. 2.
The marriage analogy is really
a very good one for describing what our place and function will be when we
are married to Christ through partaking of His divine nature. We can look
back to the Garden of Eden for a deeper understanding of how this marriage is
supposed to work. When Christ married Adam and Eve, it was His intent that
Eve (Adam’s wife) would be in every way Adam’s equal. Adam was her husband, and as such commanded final
responsibility and authority over the family, but Eve was his equal in
fulfilling the purposes and the “Will” of God for the human family. So it is
with us when we are married to Christ. He
is our husband and holds final responsibility and authority over us, and
yet—we are His bride, His wife, His equal—a partner with Him in the administration of all of His creations. We are responsible
to our husband, but we have also been given
responsibility for His family, and share
in the duty and honor of that privilege. What honor is this! If that doesn’t thrill your heart then some is desperately wrong!
But with that honor comes great responsibility—“From everyone who
has been given much, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48). The husband, and the family,
can never be dishonored. Our love
and allegiance must always be to our husband—Christ Jesus. Any infidelity, and whoring after our own selfish desires, will never be tolerated. Our loving submission and obedience
to Him, “with
whom there is no variation or shifting shadow,” (James 1:17) will ever be the evidence that we have been partakers
of His divine nature and that we honor Him as our husband, Lord, and Father
of all. Christ intends that we shall be so fully partakers of His divine
nature that we shall be in every way what He has become—we shall be “Gods” (John 10:34). He has made it
possible for us to be grafted into the
Godhead!
Many of you may be “gasping” at this point—thinking that
I have completely overstepped my bounds—that I am being
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“presumptuous”—that
this is unthinkable! We don’t like
to talk of such things—but why? This is a marvelous truth! Hard to
comprehend, to be sure, but it is truth nonetheless I am acutely aware that:
“Truth lies close to the track of presumption.” (Letter 8, 1895 [SDA BC, vol.
5, p. 1128]), but does that mean that we should not approach the truth? Remember that it is “the Truth” that lies close to the track
of presumption, and we must dare to know the truth even though there is some danger involved—for “the truth
will make you free.” (John 8:32). We do not need to fear the truth—we need to fear presumption and
error—but let’s not get so fearful of presumption that we fear to approach
the truth! Could we become so afraid of error that we will not
embrace the truth when it I staring us in the face? And if we do not embrace the truth, does our enemy
not overcome us? We must embrace the truth and leave off the
error. We must let the truth empower
us, and leave the error for the Son’s of
perdition—for those who would rather be damned
than come to the light. We are to
be grafted into the Godhead and we are
to partake fully of the divine nature—with all that that entails.
“Though he presented
infinite truth, he left many things unsaid that he might have said, because
even his disciples were not able to comprehend them . . . Jesus was the Life
giver, the Teacher sent of God to provide salvation for a lost world, and to
save men in spite of all Satan’s temptations and lying deceptions. He himself
was the gospel. In his teachings he clearly presented the great plan devised
for the redemption of the race. Divinity had united with humanity for the purpose
of uniting humanity with divinity, that through
Christ man might become a partaker of the divine nature.” (RH, July 7, 1896,
par. 5.
Let me illustrate another way,
and leave you with a balanced and
“inspired” view of this truth. We
are told “Error draws its life from the truth of God.” (RH, October 22, 1895,
par. 3). When the Devil told Eve that she would be like God—there was truth in that statement. The devil
was saying the same thing that Jesus is saying. The problem is that the Devil
blended this truth with error and
deception. While he was telling the truth when he said “you will be like
God.” (Gen. 3:5), he was suggesting that the way Eve was to become like God was through disobedience—through separation
from God!! What a Lie! What
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a preposterous idea! “You will
become like God by separating from Him, by not trusting Him; ignore what He says and trust in yourself.”
Hogwash! This was never the way
God intended to accomplish this!
Our minds, our thoughts, and
our actions are to be brought into subjection
to the mind of Christ. When this becomes a reality for us, Christ will subject all things to us—in Him. Paul
made it clear that the one to whom all things are “subjected” is beholding (or in subjection themselves) to the One who has put all things in
subjection to him (see 1 Cor. 15:27). This was true for Christ, and it is
true for us. Therefore, there will never
come a time when we will not be
beholding to, and in subjection to
Christ! The “equality” that we are to have with Christ is derived
from Christ, and this will always be
the case, so there can be no talk of our being
Christ (or God) inherent in and of
ourselves. The fact that God has
made provision for us to be partakers
of His divine nature does not mean that we are God. It means that God intends to share His “being” with us—a reality that leaves us forever beholding to Him. We can only
“partake” of that which already exists
and of that which is offered to
us. So while we are to be partakers of His divine nature and thereby raised to the status of Christ, and therefore “Gods”—we
shall never be Christ and we shall
never be God. Rather, it will be
“Christ in us” that will be our
only boast to honor.
The Devil knew that God intended man
to become a partaker of His divine nature in such a way as to elevate man
above all God’s other created beings. This is why he hates man so much, and why he has sought to
prevent this from happening. When the Devil came to Eve in the garden, he did
not try to deny the truth that man was to become “like God,” be he did try to prevent man from realizing this honor by introducing a false way for them to achieve this. He deceived man, caused his fall,
and brought upon him the curse of death (everlasting destruction).
When Satan realized that
Christ was to offer Himself in man’s place and would continue to make man a
partaker of the divine nature, he was furious and he set out to prevent
Christ from accomplishing His mission. He has continually sought to get man to depend upon himself and upon his
own works to gain his acceptance with God whatever favors that acceptance
might bring. And he has continued to propagate the rules of his own
government—“self” exaltation. The
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same lie he used for Eve, he has used for God’s remnant people,
only in a different form. And, sadly, he has been very successful with it. He
has caused many of us to reject the idea that we are literally to be
“partakers” of Christ’s nature by getting us to view His Word and His
promises through the eyes of our own
wisdom. He has told us that we shall be a partaker of the divine nature—we
shall be like Christ (which is true),
but he has suggested that the way
we are to do this is through our own
efforts, through our own strength,
through our own obedience—that is,
through our own works!
Tragically, many of us have
swallowed this lie hook-line-and sinker. The truth is that we can only receive the righteousness of Christ
and be partakers of His Holy Spirit by coming into close communion with Him,
day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. Our relationship with Him is what qualifies us to be a partaker of His divine nature—not our
attempts at behavior modification. Our very motives must be changed and brought into alignment with those of
Christ. As we come to have an intimate
relationship with Him, He abides in
us through His Spirit and sin is driven out. “In all who submit to
His power the Spirit of God will consume sin.” (DA, p. 107, par. 4). “So long
as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us.” (DA, p.
123). Behaviors, then,
become the fruit of our relationship with Him—not the other way around.
We can only be prepared and qualified to receive power and glory
through a complete surrender to
the Will of God in which “self” is lost and our focus is solely upon the person of Christ. Our mind, our thoughts and our will, must be brought into
the subjection of Christ. There can be no thread of self-will or
self-interest left in us. And the only
thing that can enable us to “lose self” and qualify us to partake of the glory and the power of God is the
“righteousness of Christ.” His righteousness alone will enable us to wield the glory and the power that God
wishes to grant us. Only Christ’s righteousness can insure that we will
forever and always use the gift of God’s power for the sole benefit of others. Only Christ’s righteousness
can keep “self” in check and enable us to use the power of God to His glory.
So, exactly how are we to appropriate the gift of Christ’s righteousness?
Must we work hard at achieving it?
Are we to try to reproduce it through our own efforts? Have we only to imitate
it? BEWARE THE DEVIL!
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“The
Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a
transformation of nature.” (DA, p. 172).
“There
are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to
obey His law, to form a right character, and secure salvation. Their hearts
are not moved by any deep sense of the love of Christ, but they seek to
perform the duties of the Christian life as that which God requires of them
in order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing. When Christ dwells
in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His love, with the joy of
communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of
Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action . .
. A profession of Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality,
and heavy drudgery.” (SC, p. 44, par. 2).
“He
who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the Law, is
attempting an impossibility . . . It is the grace of Christ alone, through
faith that can make us holy . . . Obedience is not a mere outward compliance,
but the service of love . . . the service and allegiance of love—is the true
sign of discipleship . . . It is faith, and faith only that makes us
partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience. We do
not earn our salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of
God, to be received by faith . . . obedience is the fruit of faith.” (SC, p.
60, 61).
“It
is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we
are sunken. Our hears are evil, and we cannot change them . . . Education,
culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper
sphere, but there they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness
of behavior, but they cannot change the heart, they cannot purify the springs
of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above,
before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His
grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to
God, to holiness.” (SC, p. 18).
“ . . . the one who depends upon
his own wisdom and power is separating himself from God. Instead of working
in unison with Christ, he is fulfilling the purpose of the enemy of God and
man.” (DA, p. 209).
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166
“Some who come to God
by repentance and confession do not accept the forgiveness he has promised.
They do not see that Jesus is an ever-present Saviour; and they are not
prepared to commit the keeping of their souls to him, relying upon him to
perfect the work of grace begun in their hearts. They lose sight of the fact
that Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. While
some think they are committing themselves to God, there is a great deal of
self-dependence. There are conscientious souls that trust partly to God, and
partly to themselves. The do not look to god to be kept by his power, but
depend upon watchfulness and the performance of certain duties for acceptance
with him. There are no victories in this kind of faith. Such persons toil to o purpose; their souls are in continual bondage, and
they find no rest until their burdens are laid at the feet of Jesus.” (RH,
June 17, 1884; par. 1, 2 [1SM, p. 353, par. 3]).
“The effort to earn
salvation by one’s own works inevitably leads men to pile up human exactions
as a barrier against sin. For, seeing that they fail to keep the law, they
will devise rules and regulations of their own to force themselves to obey.
All this turns the mind from God to self.” (MB, p. 123).
So what does all this mean?
Does it mean that we have nothing to do but sit around and wait for Christ to
give us the victory, impart His
grace and righteousness to us, and pour out His Spirit upon us? No! We have a
work to do; we have a battle to
fight. Sitting around hoping and waiting for Christ to pour out His Spirit
upon us and make us partakers of His divine nature is an insult to Christ and to His sacrifice on our behalf. We have the
hardest work we could ever be called upon to perform. “For our struggle is
not against a human opponent, but against rulers, against authorities,
against cosmic powers in the darkness around us, against evil spiritual
forces in the heavenly realm.” Eph. 6:12, International Standard Version). Our battle is not a physical battle but a spiritual one, and this is the
hardest of all battles to fight. Sometimes I wish it were a physical battle, I think that that would be easier for me.
But our battle is against a Spiritual foe—a foe of great cunning, deception
and power—and we require divine
help if we are ever going to hope
to come out victorious. Our battle
lies in connecting to, and staying
connected to, the source of our help!
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Now call me naïve, or week, or
anything else you want, but I find it extremely
difficult to surrender fully
to Christ. I have found it very difficult to maintain a meaningful spiritual relationship with a God that I
cannot “see.” I have found it a real struggle
to listen to Christ—to discern His voice—and, by faith, to do the things He has
told me to do. I have found it hard to discipline
myself to spend the kind of time with Him that allows me to know for sure that He is walking with
me through my life’s struggles. I have found it difficult to consistently remain in an attitude
where, in every situation, I am asking my Lord: “What wilt thou have
me to do?” (Acts 9:6 KJV).
How about you?
How much time do you spend with Jesus each day? How often do you talk with
Him, and how hard do you try to really
listen to what He is saying to you? Can you say that you are completely surrendered to Christ? Or
do you find yourself trying to wage the war on your own? How much of you does the Lord really have? What do you find occupying most of
your thoughts? Where do you find yourself spending most of your time? What is
your highest priority? What gives
you your greatest joy? Is it
Christ? Or is it something else?
This is no game we are playing
here. This is Life or Death—Eternal Life or Eternal Death! If we are ever going to hope to be partakers of
Christ’s divine nature, we had better get serious about the battle! We had better get to the point where we
“Know” Christ and not just about Christ. We had better get to
the point where we are “so
sensitive to Holy influences, that the slightest whisper of Jesus will move
our souls, till He is in us, and we in Him, living by the faith of God.” (ST,
March 23, 1888. [3SM, p. 355]). If we are ever going to get out of this mess of a world that
we are in, we had better get serious
about our relationship with the
only person who can get us out of here alive—our Lord, our Savior, our
God—Jesus Christ. We don’t have to be Bible scholars, but we had better know
what Christ has told us in the past—and what He is telling us today. We need His righteousness. We need
His Holy Spirit. We need to become
partakers of His divine nature!
“The work of
overcoming is not a joyless work; no, indeed. It means communication with
heaven. You can go to God in prayer, you can ask, and receive; you can
believe, hanging your helpless soul on Christ. It means that humanity can
work the will and ways of God. Humanity and divinity are combined for this very
purpose.” (General Conference Bulletin, May 17, 1909, par. 21).
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“In Christ, God has
provided means for subduing every evil trait and resisting every temptation,
however strong. But many feel that they lack faith, and therefore they remain
away from Christ. Let these souls, in their helpless unworthiness,
cast themselves upon the mercy of their compassionate Saviour. Look not to
self, but to Christ. He who healed the sick and cast out demons when He
walked among men is still the same mighty Redeemer. Then grasp His promises
as leaves from the tree of Life: ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise
cast out.” John 6:37. As you come to Him, believe that He accepts you,
because He has promised, You can never perish while you do this—never.” (MH,
p. 65, 66).
“Jesus is waiting to
breathe upon all His disciples, and give them the inspiration of His
sanctifying Spirit, and transfuse the vital influence from Himself to His
people . . . Their will must be submitted to His will, they must act with His
Spirit that it may be no more they that live, but Christ that liveth in them.
Jesus is seeking to impress upon them the thought that in giving His Holy
Spirit He is giving to them the glory which the Father hath given Him.”
(Letter 11b, 1892 [MR, Vol. 4, p. 334]).
Will you accept this honor and this privilege? Will you accept this challenge?
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Chapter 11 Summary
1.
We may become “partakers of the divine
nature.” (2 Pet. 1:4).
2.
We must become partakers of the divine
nature: “eternal life can be granted only to those who become partakers
of the divine nature . . .” (9T, p. 188).
3.
We become partakers of
the divine nature “Through the Holy Spirit.” (RH, May 19, 1904, par. 3).
4.
Christ has “Justified”
us in the eyes of God through His death on the Cross, where He paid the
penalty for our transgression. This “Justification” is imputed (put to our account) when we receive Christ as our Savior
through faith. However, Justification is not enough to insure believers will
attain eternal life. There has to be something more done for us and in us before we will be granted eternal
life. That “something” is Sanctification.
5.
Sanctification, the removal of sin from the life of the
believer, is accomplished by Christ through His Holy Spirit. Christ
sacrificed His “Spirit” (separated from it permanently) for us in order that
it might be given to us as a “divine power to overcome all hereditary and
cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon the church”—“With
His Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away
sin.” (RH, May 19, 1904).
6.
In Christ we have been provided the means by which we may obtain pardon and by which we may overcome the Tempter and be victorious. Christ intends that we shall become free from sin in our lives—that we
shall become perfect—by partaking
of His divine nature (His Spirit).
7.
Christ intends that we
will be more than victorious. He intends that we shall
be elevated to a status above that
of the angels who never fell. He intends to elevate us to a status equal with Himself.
8.
Through the incarnation, Christ became human. In His humanity He
partook of His Father’s divine nature and thus: God the Father “adopted human
nature in the person of His Son.” (DA, p. 25). By this action, Christ grafted humanity into the Godhead. By becoming “partakers of
His [Christ’s] divine
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nature” we are considered “Sons” of God and we too are
to be grafted into the Godhead.
9.
Our Work is to develop
such an intimate relationship with Christ that He will be enabled to
transform our characters into His own. All those who have this intimate
relationship with Christ will be enabled to fully partake of the power of His
Holy Spirit.
10.
Those who partake
fully of Christ’s divine nature (receive the Latter Rain) will “reign” and
rule with Christ.
11.
The choice is ours. We
are the ones who will decide our own destinies—either by accepting the
provision that Christ ahs made in order that we may
become partakers of His divine nature and be granted eternal life—or by
refusing to allow Him to perform this work in us and receive eternal death.
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Chapter 12
_________________
Implications
“The end is near. We have not a moment to lose.
Light is to shine forth from God’s people in clear, distinct rays, bringing
Jesus before the churches and before the world. God will give additional
light, and old truths will be recovered and replaced in the framework of
truth; and wherever the laborers go they will triumph. As Christ’s
ambassadors, they are to search the Scriptures to seek for the truths that
have been hidden beneath the rubbish of error, and every ray of light
received is to be communicated to others. One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up all others, Christ
our Righteousness. This is life eternal, “That they might know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” “Thus saith the Lord, Let
not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty mean glory in
his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth, glory I this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exerciseth
loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these
things I delight saith the Lord.” (The Paulson Collection of E.G. White
Letters, p. 342, par. 2).
It is my hope that you will finish this chapter
yourself—that you will go out and buy yourself a notebook or a journal and
that you will add addendum after addendum to this chapter, and to this book.
It is impossible for me to realize or cover all of the implications of the
truths about the Godhead, the plan of redemption, and the Holy Spirit in this
book (much less in this final chapter). I will list some of the most
important implications of this study, as I see them,
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but I encourage you to add your own to those covered
here. For you preachers and teachers out there, there is an inexhaustible
mine of information you can bring forth from all of this to the people of
your flock! God says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea
4:6). We must bring this vital knowledge to them. This
book will only “open the door”—it will be up to you to walk through it and
discover all that is on the other side! With that said, here are the most
pressing implications of all of this as I see it.
Therefore
I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy
against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the
Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy
Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to
come.” (Matt. 12:31-32).
If you were the Devil and your goal was to entice
me into “sin,” which sin would you be most interested in getting me to
commit—one that can be forgiven or
one that can’t be forgiven?
Wouldn’t you focus most of your efforts, and try the hardest, to get me to commit the sin that God will not forgive? Of course you would, and
so would the Devil. Satan has ever sought to get us to commit the Sin against
the Holy Spirit and he would like to keep us from understanding what that sin
is so that we will be more likely to commit it. So exactly what is the sin
against the Holy Spirit?
The specific
sin against the Holy Spirit, according to Jesus, is that of “Blasphemy.” What is blasphemy? The
Bible gives us only two definitions of blasphemy: (1) You commit blasphemy
when you speak against God, either
in an irreverent way or in a way
that denies the truth about God (speaking a lie about God). For example: anyone who denies that Jesus is the
Christ, is committing blasphemy—“Who is the liar but the one who denies that
Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father
and the Son.” (1 Jn. 2:22). (2) You commit blasphemy when you claim to be God—or if you claim that something
is God when it is not. That is what got Jesus into so much trouble with the
Jews—not that Jesus committed blasphemy,
but that they thought He did: “The
Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy;
and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (Jn. 10:33).
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Seventh-day Adventists have long taught that we commit
blasphemy (the sin against the Holy Spirit) when we refuse to be led of
God—when we refuse to yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit—effectively
placing ourselves above God
(making ourselves God)—and this is
an absolutely correct description of “blasphemy against the Spirit.” However,
we seem to be blind to the fact that there is another way that we can commit blasphemy against the Spirit,
which involves our denying the truth
about the Spirit (and therefore about God). “The
sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit does not lie in any sudden word or
deed; it is the firm determined resistance of truth and evidence.” (MS #30,
1890 [SDA BC, vol. 5, p. 1093]).
The Devil has been very successful in getting us to commit this blasphemy against the Spirit, and
we shall see why this cunning
deception is so fatal in a moment.
Perhaps you, like myself,
have been frustrated because you
never knew how you were to relate
to the Holy Spirit. I knew that I needed Him, but I never really knew who He was. I knew that all the
evidence indicates that the Holy Spirit is
God, but since the Bible never tells us to pray to Him, or to worship
Him, or includes Him in the councils of God or the Throne of God, I never
really understood how I was to relate to Him. The Bible and the Spirit of
Prophecy both make it abundantly clear that we are to worship the Father and
the Son. Jesus Himself said: “This is eternal life, that
they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
(Jn. 17:3). 1 John 2:22 (quoted earlier) says that one is the antichrist “who
denies the Father and the Son.” We find the Holy Spirit nowhere mentioned in
this regard. We only find the Holy Spirit described as the active agent of our acceptance and worship
of God. Yet the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as a person, and an extremely important
person at that. We know that we need
the Holy Spirit in order to overcome sin and to be fitted for heaven. We
are told that we must have the
“Early” and the Latter Rain” contained in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
but we have never really understood what
we were actually praying for! Instead, we have blundered along in a state
of confusion regarding the nature
of the Holy Spirit, His purpose and how we are to relate to Him—and this
confusion has suited the Devil just fine. In fact, he has seized upon this
confusion and ambiguity regarding
the nature of the Holy spirit and has used this to get us to unknowingly
commit the sin (blasphemy) against the Holy Spirit.
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The Devil really doesn’t care how he gets us to turn away from God and from His Truth, so long
as he can get us to do it. He knows that Christians
are not going to overtly
worship him (Satan), so he has invented all kinds of counterfeits—other things—to take
the place of Christ. He knows that if he can convince us to look to
someone other than Christ for our
hope and our salvation, that he has got us in his pocket and has secured our
fate. This is what he has done in propagating the orthodox teachings of the
Trinity doctrine. Through the doctrine of the Trinity, Satan has introduced someone other than Christ into the
plan of salvation of mankind. He has done this very cleverly and almost
imperceptibly—keeping his deception very
close to the truth so as not to have it discovered and readily discerned.
Here is how he has done this.
He would have us believe that the Holy spirit is,
and has always been, the third
member of the Godhead. He would have us accept the Holy Spirit as someone other than Christ. He knows that if
he can keep us believing that the Holy Spirit is someone other than Christ
that, in effect, he is successful in getting us to deny Christ, and to deny the most important part of His sacrifice
for us. He knows that if he can keep us believing that the Holy Spirit is someone
other than Christ, that he can
prevent the outpouring of Christ’s Holy
Spirit and thus delay (or prevent) his doom. It is really a very masterful
deception! Through our belief in the traditional Trinity doctrine he actually
has gotten us to believe that we are rendering faithful service and obedience
to God when, in fact, we are doing the very opposite—we are going after
“other Gods.” He has gotten us to worship a lie. Satan knows that we must
worship God “in Truth” (Jn. 4:23,
24) and he is exalting in the fact that he has gotten us to pray both to and for a figment of our imaginations (that which is not Truth). He has gotten us to create another God in the person of the Holy
Spirit when, in reality, the Holy Spirit is not another but is
Christ Jesus. It is my firm belief that Jesus is speaking to us today, and is
saying: “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will
make my words known to you.” (Prov. 1:23. See also: Joel 2:28, 29; Isa.
44:1-6; Acts 2:17-21).
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Consider how far
our belief in the Trinity doctrine has taken us:
George Knight, a professor and
prominent SDA theologian makes this startling confession in Ministry
Magazine, October 1993—“Most
of the founders of Seventh-day Adventism would
not be able to join the church today if they had to subscribe to the
denomination’s fundamental beliefs. More specifically, most would not be able to agree to belief number 2 which deals with
the doctrine of the Trinity.” [Emphasis mine].
William Johnson, Editor of the
Adventist
Review, wrote in the January 6, 1994 issue that—“Adventist beliefs
have changed over the years. Most
startling is the teaching regarding Jesus Christ. Many of the pioneers,
including James White, J. N. Andrews, Uriah Smith and J. H. Waggoner, held to
an Arian or semi-Arian view. That is, that the Son
at some point in time, before the creation of our world, was generated by the
Father. The Trinitarian understanding
of God, now part of our fundamental beliefs, was not generally held by early Adventists. Even today, a few do
not subscribe to it.” [used by permission—Emphasis
mine].
The pioneers of Adventism believed that Jesus was
“brought forth” from the Father—and while their understanding of this may
have been imperfect, God never
directed Ellen White to rebuke them for believing this. In fact, Jesus
Himself stressed that this belief is important and necessary, and pronounced
the blessing of the Father’s love upon those who believe this truth: “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not
say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father
Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came
forth from the Father.” (Jn. 16:26, 27). “I proceeded forth and have come
from God.” (Jn. 8:42). Our pioneers may not
have understood the full implications of this belief but they were on the
right track and God never rebuked them for it. How would you like to be a
pastor of one of our churches today and be forced to deny baptism and membership to people
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Like James White, J. N. Andrews, Uriah Smith, J.
H. Waggoner and others because they did not believe in the orthodox Trinitarian understanding of
God? Sound preposterous? It happens.
There are basically three reasons, as I see it,
that inhibit our ability to secure the outpouring of
the Holy spirit in full measure. They are:
1. We do not recognize and/or acknowledge that the
Holy Spirit is Christ’s Spirit—that
it is His divine nature, which He sacrificed on our behalf in order
that we might become partakers of the divine nature, overcome the sin which
so easily besets us, and become like
Him.
2.
We are not fully surrendered to Christ and are
therefore unfit to receive His
divine Spirit. There is tremendous power in the Holy Spirit and unless we are
completely surrendered to
Christ—willing to do His will—that
power would destroy us and others.
3.
We are not asking Christ for His Holy Spirit! We are currently asking for something that is
not His or His to give.
Any one—or
any combination of these—inhibits God’s ability to give us the Holy Spirit
and has prevented us from
receiving Christ’s Holy Spirit in the power and the fullness of the Latter
Rain.
When our attitudes and beliefs towards God are out
of kilter, we severely limit God’s
ability to communicate effectively with us. God will not force our wills. He will not compel us to understand or believe Him. We must choose to do this. When our approach
and attitude toward God is in error, or when we are not living up to the
light we already have, He cannot give us additional light, understanding or
power. It is our attitude toward
God that determines how much of His grace he is able to impart to us. We must
come to the point where we are humble, teachable and desiring of the things
He wishes to impart to us (even if it means giving up some cherished belief).
“When God’s people are at
ease, and satisfied with their present enlightenment, we may be sure that He
will not favour them. It is His will that they
should be ever moving forward, to receive the increased and ever increasing
light that is shining for them. The present attitude of the church is not
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pleasing to God. There has come in a self—confidence that
has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and greater light.” (5T, pp.
708, 709). God will have a people who seek a right relationship with Him and will allow Him to impart knowledge and power to us—but we must accept the light that He gives us in
order for this to happen.
Greater light concerning the sacrifice of Christ will be revealed and understood by God’s people before the
end comes. The truth about the Holy Spirit is an essential component of the sacrifice of Christ and the plan of
redemption—and it will be
understood as such. But it will only be revealed and realized by those who desire more light and more truth from
God—By those who are aware of their utter depravity and helplessness, and who
feel their enormous need for the righteousness of Christ-By those who are willing to be led, and molded, and
transformed by the truth as it is in
Jesus—cost be what it may.
Seventh-day Adventists have been given the
privilege and responsibility of proclaiming the last warning message to be
given to the world (the three angel’s messages). This message not only
includes the message that “the hour of His judgment has come” and a warning
about accepting the “mark of the Beast” (Rev. 14:7-9), it includes a warning
against accepting the “wine” (doctrines) of Babylon. These doctrines,
according to the Bible, are those of “confusion”
and are the teaching of men. Through our acceptance of the Orthodox doctrine
of the Trinity, handed down to us by the Catholic Church (the “Beast”), we
have inadvertently accepted the wine of Babylon and it has had a tremendously negative effect on our
ability to accurately proclaim the real
message contained in the three angel’s messages. Here is why:
“The theme of greatest importance is the third
angel’s message, embracing the messages of the first and second.” (Evangelism, p. 196, Letter 97,
1902). This means that the “third
angel’s message” includes the messages of the first and second angels and
that they all contain a “theme of greatest importance.” What is this “theme” of great importance? What is the real message of the third
angel? “Justification by faith
[Righteousness by faith, or the message of “Christ our Righteousness”] . . .
is the third angel’s message in verity” (RH, April 1, 1890, par. 8). “The time of test is
just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the
revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This
is the beginning
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of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the
whole earth.” (RH, November 22, 1892, par. 7). “The message of Christ’s
righteousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other to prepare
the way of the Lord. This sis the glory of God, which closes the work of the
third angel.” (6T, p. 19).
“Christ our Righteousness” is the last glorious message
that is to be proclaimed to our dying planet. Sounds simple enough doesn’t
it? We certainly teach this don’t we? Haven’t we stressed the importance of
being “born again,” of having “Christ formed within”—of being “in Christ” and
of having “Christ in us?” We have, but here is the catch: “How” is this accomplished? We have
been teaching that this is accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit (and
this is correct), BUT we teach that the Holy Spirit is someone other than
Christ. So, in effect, what we are teaching (through the orthodox view of the
Trinity) is that the “Spirit” that is responsible for enabling us to partake
of Christ’s divine nature and is
to reproduce Christ’s character in
us—effectively allowing Christ to
“abide in us” and making His sacrifice
effectual—is someone other than
Christ Himself! Does that make any sense to you at all? The fact is that this
teaching directly contradicts the plain teaching of the Scriptures and the
Spirit of Prophecy: for “there is salvation in no one else . . . there is no
other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be
saved.” (Acts 4:12).
“All power is given into His hands, that He may
dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own
righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God
commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is
to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of HIS
SPIRIT in large measure.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 92). Are we really so naïve as to believe that God
will bless our refusal to accept
the truth that the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Christ?” Can we really expect Christ to honor us with the outpouring of His Spirit while we are clinging to, and defending, a doctrine
that denies this and has come to
us straight out of the confusion of Babylon? This is the most serious of questions—especially at this moment in history.
There is a growing desire and movement within our
church right now for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That is a good thing.
But we must ask ourselves why we desire the “outpouring.” Could we be
coveting the glory and power of God as the disciples
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Once did—seeking position, authority and personal
honor? Could we be coveting a “feeling”
and an experience that will prove that we are accepted and
blessed of God? Such motives completely unfit
us for the honor of the calling in Christ Jesus and leave us completely
vulnerable to the deceptions of the Devil. Our desire for the outpouring of
the Spirit must be coupled with a
desire to understand the truth
about the Holy Spirit and all that it entails. Paul said that when we pray,
especially in regards to the Holy Spirit and its manifestation in our lives,
that we should pray with our “minds” and with our “understanding” also (See 1
Cor. 14:15)—not as one blindly asking for what we know not. As long as we
remain in confusion about the Holy
Spirit, we can be sure that the Devil will be glad to step in with a
counterfeit outpouring of the Spirit (his own spirit!) and will deceive many.
In fact, we are told that this is going to be the
case at the end of time. You can read about it in the book “Early Writings”
in the chapter entitled “End of the 2300 Days,” pages 54-56. Here you will
find a description of two very different groups of people. One group has understood clearly that Jesus’ work
was not completed at the
cross—that He still had the work of Sanctifying
a people for Himself and that he had an
investigative judgment to perform. These people understand clearly the work
that Christ has been doing (and how
He has been doing it) and have followed His movements through the heavenly
Sanctuary. These people understand that Christ is not only our substitute and
Savior, they will also understand that He is much more than that—they will
understand Him to be their Creator and “Father”
(both by his initial act of creation and
by his “re-creation” through the new birth experience). With this
understanding: “Those who rose up
with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest and pay, ‘My
Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Then Jesus would breathe on them the Holy Ghost.
In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.” (EW, p. 55).
The second group of people did not understand
Christ’s work of sanctification and judgment. They have not followed Him
through His work in the Heavenly Sanctuary and, while desiring the “holy Spirit,” are completely unprepared to receive
it. Because they do not understand Christ’s work, they are deceived into worshiping Satan and
receiving his counterfeit. Here is
how Ellen Describes
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this group of obviously sincere, yet deceived people:
“I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they
did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne,
trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and
pray, ‘Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy
influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and
peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive
God’s Children.” (Ibid. p. 56).
Truth matters!
Coveting the things of God is a good thing if it s done with understanding—if it is
done with the Spirit of Wisdom and
Truth! Satan has always wanted to
be the third member of the Godhead
and he is accomplishing this in the minds and experience of many people.
Following the great awakening of 1844 (the end of the 2300 days), there was a
revival that took place in many
denominations. Those who did not
understand and/or accept Christ’s
sacrifice and work for us began to be deceived by a host of manifestations of
the devil’s spirit. During this time there was the mysterious “knocking”
involving the Fox sisters, the “quaking” of the Quakers, the manifestation of
the false gift of tongues and many, many false doctrines introduced (Dispensationalism, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormonism,
Evolution, etc.). All of these things happened just following the true
spiritual enlightenment of Christ’s work in 1844. Isn’t it extremely likely
that even greater false manifestations will take place at the very close of
Christ’s work when His Spirit is
about to be poured out in full measure in fulfillment of His promise found in
Joel 2:28? What “Spirit” we will partake of will be decided in great measure
by what we understand and accept the Holy Spirit to be! Will we
understand and accept it to be Christ’s
Spirit, or will we fall prey to the devil’s counterfeit?
Christ denied Himself in ways we have only begun
to acknowledge and comprehend (much less appreciate).
Christ always sought to give glory to His Father. We must have the same
motive—to give glory to Christ. Christ sacrificed Himself in order to save us. Christ laid aside the power of His
own divine nature (Spirit) in order that we may overcome as He overcame and
be granted eternal life in Him. We are called to deny ourselves, and work as He did, for the good and salvation of
others. Christ has not left us alone
to accomplish this. He has given us His
Holy Spirit, and through this gift He has promised to impart His
own divine nature to us what we
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may be transformed into His image and do the works
of God. What a puny sacrifice
we are called to make—to give up our sin,
our selfish desires, to love our fellow man, and to be
co-workers with Christ! What a puny sacrifice
is ours, when compared to that of Christ’s! It takes my breath away! How must
we respond to the privilege that is ours through Christ’s sacrifice?
God will have a people who will honor His Son. He will have a people
who understand and appreciate the eternal sacrifice that
has been made in order to redeem them—a sacrifice that has come at an
“infinite cost to the Father and the Son.” (RH, March 10, 1891, par. 2) and
“at an inconceivable cost to the Son of God” (ST, January 6, 1887, par. 3).
God will have a people who will not deny
Christ or His Spirit, and who will
accept the provision that has been made in order that we may become partakers of His divine nature. That “provision” is
the Holy Spirit of Christ. “Christ expects that men will become partakers of
His divine nature while in this world.” (5T, p. 731, par. 1), and He has
given us “His own Spirit, the life of His own life.” (DA, p. 827, par. 3) in
order that we may actually do this. But He can never give us His Spirit until we acknowledge it as
such, and until we ask Him for it.
Too many of us are praying for something for which we have no knowledge. The time has come for
God’s Remnant people to reclaim this important truth—to place it firmly into
its proper place—giving Christ the honor, glory and respect He deserves by
acknowledging and accepting the wonderful sacrifice of His Spirit on our
behalf. When we do this, we enable God to accomplish His work in us. God will
have a people who not only “know the Truth” but who will be empowered and set free by it.
It is extremely interesting to me to notice what
was going on in the church when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened
the first time, and when it very nearly happened again in 1888. When the
early church gathered in the upper room, their focus was totally on Christ and what He had done—they recognized much more
fully the sacrifice that Christ had made—they now knew who He was and what He
had actually done—and they earnestly repented
and asked Christ to fill them with His grace and power. It was then that the Holy Spirit was poured
out in special measure. In 1888, our church’s focus began to center on Christ and Christ alone—people were repenting of their sins and were
seeking for
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Christ to fill them with His righteousness—asking for His
power to overcome sin and form a righteous character within them. The
Holy Spirit began to be poured out
once again, but then halted as we lost
our focus and became embroiled in a host of other issues. It is my sincere
belief that the “power” that is missing as we have attempted to recreate and
proclaim the 1888 message, is the truth about Christ’s Holy Spirit. Christ cannot impart His righteousness to
us until we understand that He is
the one doing it!
Until we regain our focus on Christ and His
righteousness—until we understand the sacrifice of Christ in giving His Spirit to us that we may become
partakers of His divine nature,
imparting His life and His righteousness to us—we will never
experience the Latter Rain which is to be poured out in full measure. Christ literally became one with us, in
order that we may literally become
one with Him. When we finally accept this truth, we will be enabled to become
“partakers” of His divine nature and become the Sons and Daughters of God as no other beings in history have had
the privilege.
Then, the same
words that were spoken by the Father to
Christ, will be spoken of us also: “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY
I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.” And again, “I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A
SON TO ME.” (Heb. 1:5). To which of the Angels
has God granted the privilege of partaking in the sufferings of Christ? To
which of the Angels has He granted the privilege of being called “Son?” To
which of the Angels has He promised to reign in His kingdom? Upon which of
the Angels has He promised to “pour out” His Spirit? Behold what manner of
Love the Father has given unto us—that we may actually partake of Christ’s
divine nature and be called the “Sons and Daughters of God!”
“Man’s salvation depends upon his receiving Christ
by faith. Those who will not receive Him lose eternal life because they
refused to avail themselves of the only means provided by the Father and the
Son for the salvation of the perishing world.” (MS #142 [SDA BC, vol. 7, p.
931]). The “Only means” that the
Father and the Son have provided—is the Spirit of Christ. By Christ, through
Christ, Christ in us—the hope of glory! This is to be the theme song of the
remnant people of God. “One interest will
prevail, one subject will swallow up every other,--Christ our righteousness.”
RH, December 23, 1890, par. 19).
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“Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all His
disciples, and give them the inspiration of His sanctifying Spirit, and
transfuse the vital influence from Himself to His people . . . Their will
must be submitted to His will, they must act with His Spirit that it may be
no more they that live, but Christ that liveth in them. Jesus is seeking to
impress upon them the thought that in giving His Holy Spirit He is giving to
them the glory which the Father hath given Him.” (Letter 11b, 1892 [MR, vol.
4, p. 334]).
It is time for the people of God to wake up! The
fullness of the incarnation of Christ is not yet complete. HE has yet to reproduce Himself in His people—He
has yet to incarnate His Spirit into you and I and
us into Himself. Will we let Him do this? “May
the Lord help us to die to self and be born again,
that Christ may live in us, a living, active principle, a power that will
keep us holy . . . God knows what you can be. He knows what divine grace can
do for you if you will be partakers of the divine nature.” (9T, p. 187, par.
4 & p. 188, par. 2).
Do You?
Page 184 (is a blank page).
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Appendix “A”
____________________
The “Oneness” Doctrine
& Jesus’ Divinity
The “Oneness” doctrine, boiled down, states that
there is only One true God and that He has manifested Himself in different
ways—through the “Father” figure, the “Son” figure, and the “holy Spirit”
figure. Proponents of this doctrine believe that all three of these “manifestations” are all the same being—manifested in different
forms at different times.
This doctrine is not only completely unbiblical, it is also dangerous and confusing. There are
MANY Scriptures that dispel this myth and it is not necessary to go into a total refutation of this theory here.
Suffice to say that the Scriptures teach that there is “God the Father” (Col.
1:3) and “God the Son” (Mark 1:1). And while Jesus made numerous statements
that He and the Father are “ONE,” He in no
way suggested that He and the Father were the
“SAME” person.
In John 17:3 we read Jesus’ words “This is eternal
life, that they may know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent.” Many have seized upon this statement as “proving” that there is only ONE true God (a God made up of only ONE person) and that Jesus is not a
separate, individual member of the Godhead. This is a terrible misuse of this
text. It ignores all the “us’s” and the “ours” used
to describe God’s creation of man (see Gen. 1:26). It presupposes that the
“Father) manifested as a man here on earth, and that the “Holy Spirit” is the
Father’s Spirit manifested after Christ ascended to heaven. There are insurmountable problems with this
view.
Page 186
First, it ignores the fact that the Bible teaches
that “God” (the Father) created this earth through the agency of His Son (Jn.
1:1-4; Heb. 1:1, 2; Col. 1:15-17). If I contact you through another person, I
may be the one communicating the message I wish to have conveyed but it is
someone else who is delivering it. The same is true in the creation; the
Father created this earth through someone else, His Son—Jesus Christ.
Second, it ignores the fact that Jesus is the
operative agent in (the God of) the Old Testament (see Chapter 7 of this
book). It is Christ who was speaking and acting here, not the Father, and
this was before God was supposedly manifested in the person of Christ. How
could Christ be the one operating throughout the Old Testament if He had not
been manifested as Christ?
Third, there are many instances where we find more
than one person manifested as “God” at the same time. We have instances where
there is a voice proclaiming Jesus to be His (God’s) Son (Mat. 3:17 & Mat.
17:5). Where did this voice come from? Was Jesus a ventriloquist? The Bible
clearly teaches that the “voice” came from heaven while the person of Jesus
Christ was clearly here on this earth. Also, Christ prayed to His Father.
What sense would that make if Jesus was the Father manifest as the Son? I
suppose one could argue that Jesus was only giving us an example of how we
are to pray, but that ignores the fact that Jesus petitioned His Father for
things such as His deliverance (Mat. 26:39). It also ignores the fact that
Christ Himself said that His Father was “greater than I” (Jn. 14:28) and that
He (Christ) could do nothing of Himself but only those things that the Father
directed and empowered Him to do. We also find that the Father has committed
all judgment to the Son. How does that compute if the Son and the Father are
the same being?
Finally, this doctrine effectively destroys Christ
as our “Savior” because if Christ was the Father (if there is only ONE divine
entity) then He could not actually pay the penalty for our sin—for the
penalty for sin is death. If Christ was the manifestation of the One and only
divine entity, then His death would have meant the end of God or, at best,
was only an elaborate theatrical display. If Jesus and the Father are the
same person then we would have to declare that they both “DIED” ON THE
CROSS—WHICH WOULD HAVE LEFT
Page 187
the universe subsisting by itself, with no God to
uphold the Laws of Nature or the universe or the lives of men. It simply
cannot be.
The “Oneness” doctrine may make sense to the minds
of some, but the student and believer of the Scriptures will immediately
recognize that it makes no sense at all—and that it denies the clear
teachings of the Bible and Christ Himself.
Page 188
Appendix “B”
_____________________
Identifying Marks of
the
Little Horn & the
Beast Powers
1.
Would come up from the
ten horns in Europe. [Dan. 7:8] (Huruli-in part of
Italy; Vandals-North Africa; Ostrogoths-Italian; Visogoths-Spanish; Suevi-Portuguese;
Lombards-in part of Italy; Alamanni-Germans;
Brigundians-Swiss; Franks-French; Anglo
Saxons-English).
2.
Would come up after
them. They were already established. [Dan. 7:24].
3.
Would uproot three
horns (kingdoms—the Huruli 493 AD, Vandals 534 AD,
and finally the defeat of the Ostrogoths in 538
AD). [Dan. 7:8, 24].
4.
Would be different
from other kingdoms (a “Religio-Political” Power:
it would receive worship and would exercise Civil political power). [Dan.
7:24 & Revelation 13:3, 4, 8].
5.
Would be the leading
power. [Dan. 7:20].
6.
“Dragon” would give
the Beast his “seat and authority.” [Rev. 13:2] Note: “Dragon” often refers
to Satan but it also refers to Political Rome—see
Rev. 12:4, 9; Ezekiel 22:2-4; and Mat. 2:13-16.
7.
Would sit on “seven
mountains.” [Rev. 17:9]. “It is within the city of Rome, called the city of
seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined.”
(The Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Neslon, 1976, s.v. “Rome”).
8.
Would speak great
words against God. [Dan. 7:25; Dan. 8:12, 24, 25; Rev. 13:1, 5, 6]. Please
note Bible definitions
Page 189
of “blasphemy” in Mark 2:7 & John 10:33 and see
section on “Blasphemous Quote.”
9.
Would make war on the
Saints and would be identified in the Scriptures as the power that would
persecute them for “a time, times, and a dividing of times (1260 years).
[Dan. 7:25 & Rev. 13:7; Rev. 12:13-17].
10.
Would think to change
God’s Law. [Dan. 7:25]. “The Pope can modify divine law.” (Prompta Bibliotheca, Papa, art. 2.). “The Pope has the
power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things,
even the precepts of Christ.” (Decretal De Translat, Episcap, Cap.).
11.
Would rule for 1260
years before receive a “deadly” wound that would “heal.” [Dan. 7:25; Rev.
12:6; Rev. 13:5]. Note: 3 ½ Times, 42 months, and 1260 days—ALL equal 1260
years. Look at Roman History and you will see some significant events taking
place in 538 AD and in 1798 AD. In 538 AD “Vigilius
. . . ascended the papal chair under the military protection of Belisarious.” (History of the Christian Church, vol. 3,
p. 327). This happened under a decree from Emperor Justinian, making the
bishop of Rome head over all churches, the definer of doctrine and the
corrector of heretics. “In 1798 AD he (General Berthier)
. . . made his entrance into Rome, ABOLISHED THE PAPAL GOVERNMENT and
established a secular one.” (Encyclopedia Americana, 1941 edition). 538
AD-1798 AD equals exactly 1260 years! Interestingly, the United States
(Lamblike beast) was officially recognized by France as an independent power
in 1798.
12.
Would receive a
“deadly wound” that would “heal.” [Rev. 13:3]. See above quote.
13.
Its “Dominion” would
be taken away and will be “utterly destroyed”—without hands (will be the work
of God—at His second coming). [Dan. 2:45; Dan. 7:25].
14.
This power is also
called “Mystery Babylon” the “Mother of Harlots” and is clothed in scarlet
and purple. The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the “Mother Church” and
has colors of scarlet and purple. It also claims that Peter himself referred
to Rome as “Babylon.” “Eusebius Pamphilius, writing
about 303, noted that ‘it is said that Peter’s first epistle . . . was
Page 190
Composed at Rome itself; and
that he himself indicates this, referring to the city figuratively as Babylon”
(Karl Keating, Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on “Romanism” by
“Bible Christians, “Kgnatius Press, 1988, p. 200).
[see 1 Pet. 5:13].
Page 191
Blasphemous Quote
“Give no belief to false words: because
there will first be a falling away from the faith, and the revelation of the
man of sin, the son of destruction, Who puts himself against all authority,
lifting himself up over all which is named God or is given worship; so that
he takes his seat in the Temple of God, putting himself forward as God.” 92 Thes. 2:3, 4). “And he shall speak great words against
the most High . . . and think to change times and laws.” (Dan. 7:25).
“The
pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God,
and the vicar of God . . . . The pope is of such lofty and supreme dignity that, properly speaking, he has not been
established in any rank of dignity, but rather has been placed upon the very summit of all ranks of dignities
. . . . The pope is called most holy
because he is rightfully presumed to be
such . . . . The pope alone is
deservedly called by the name ‘most holy’ because he alone is the vicar of Christ . . . . ‘He is likewise the divine
monarch and supreme emperor, and king of
kings.’ . . . . Hence the pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of
heaven and of earth and of the lower regions . . . . Moreover the superiority
and the power of the Roman Pontiff by no means pertain only to heavenly things,
to earthly things, and to things under the earth, but are even over angels, than whom he is greater .
. . . So that if it were possible that the angels
might err in the faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by
the pope . . . . For he is of so great dignity and power that he forms one and the same tribunal with
Christ . . . The pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the
faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having plenitude of power, to whom has
been instructed by the omnipotent of God direction not only of the earthly but
also of the heavenly kingdom . . . . The pope is of so great authority and
power that he can modify, explain, or
interpret even divine laws.”—Lucius Ferraris, Prompto
Bibliotheca, art. “Papa,” II, vol. 6, pp. 26-29.
Page 192
[Lucius
Ferraris was “an 18th century canonist of the Franciscan Order. He
was also professor, provincial of his order, and consultor
of the Holy Office. He is the author of the “Prompta
Bibliotheca canonica, juridical, moralis,
theological, neconon ascetica,
polemica, rubricistica, historica,” a veritable encyclopedia of religious
knowledge. A new edition was published at Rome in 1899 at the press of the
Propaganda in eight volumes, with a volume of supplements, edited by the
Jesuit, Bucceroni, containing several dissertations
and recent and important documents of the Holy See. This
supplement serves to keep up to date the work of Ferraris, which will
ever remain a precious mine of information . . .” First edition appeared in
1746, the Fourth edition dates to 1763, A. VAN HOVE contributing author).] THE
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA—AN INTERNATIONAL WORK OF REFERENCE ON THE CONSTITUTION,
DOCTRINE, DISCIPLINE, AND HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, EDITED BY: CHARLES G.
HERBERMANN, Ph.D., LL.D.; EDWARD A. PACE, Ph.D, D.D.;
CONDE B PALLEN, Ph.D., LL.D.; THOMAS J SHAHAN, D.D.; JOHN J. WYNNE, S.J.;
ASSISTED BY NUMEROUS COLLABORATORS: IN FIFTEEN VOLUMES.
Page 193
Appendix “C”
______________________
“Michael” the Archangel IS Christ
Some maintain that since
Michael is called an angel (Archangel), and since “angels are created beings, that Michael could not
possibly be Christ—for Christ was not created,
but has existed from eternity. And while it is true that Christ was not created
and has existed from eternity (John 1:1-3, 10, 14; 6:38; 17:5, 24; Col.
1:15-17; Micah 5:2), Christ obviously linked Himself with the angels. In Job
38:7 He calls the created angels “morning stars” and in Rev. 22:16 He calls
Himself the “morning star.” Could it be that the term “angel” could refer to
something other than the created beings of angels?
The word “angel” is used in the Scriptures in Two ways. One as a name (or Label) used to describe the created beings of angels (just as “human” is used as a name to
describe us). And second: As a descriptive
phrase used to describe their work
(function). The word “angel” means
“messenger” or “agent.” Thus, when the word angel is used to describe Jesus as
the “Archangel”—it is used in the sense of His work or function and NOT as a name
or label of a created being.
That Christ is often
referred to as an “angel” can be substantiated by a host of texts: Jesus is
called the “angel of the Lord,” (Ex. 3:2), “the angel of God,” (Ex. 14:19), the
“angel of His presence,” (Isa. 63:9), the “messenger
of the covenant,” (Mal. 3:1), “angel,” (Ex. 23:20), “Mine angel,” (Ex. 23:23),
and “His angel,” (Dan. 3:28).
The “angel of the Lord” who came to Gideon (Judges 6:11-22) is
called “Lord” in verse 14. In Judges 2:1 the “angel of the Lord” says “I will
Page 194
never break My covenant with you”—only the Lord can establish and maintain His
“covenant.” Manoah said that he had “seen God” (Judges
13:22) when the “angel of the Lord” appeared to him (Judges 12:3-21). The angel who came to Joshua (Zech. 3:1-10) causes sin to pass away and gives righteousness—only God can do these things. When
the angel appeared to Jacob (Hosea 12:4) Jacob said that he had “seen God face
to face” (Gen. 32:30). The “angel of His presence” (Isa. 63:9) “saved” and “redeemed”—which only God
can do. “Mine angel” (Ex. 23:23) could pardon
transgression—which only God can
do (Mk. 2:7). Obviously, the term of “angel” is used in the scriptures to refer
to more than the “created” beings of
angels—it is used to describe our Lord Jesus.
Christ is the commander and leader of the angelic host. In
Joshua 5:14, 15 He is called the “captain
of the host of the Lord.” Serving in this capacity does not in any way
detract from Christ’s deity or make
Him a created being. The fact that Joshua worshipped
Him is proof that the captain of
the host was the Lord and not one of the created angels, for
angels are not to be worshipped
(Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9) but, rather, worship Christ themselves (Heb.
1:6). A careful comparison of Scripture shows that the “prince of princes”
(Dan. 8:25), the “prince of the host” (Dan. 8:11), “Michael your prince” (Dan.
10:21, Michael “the great prince” (Dan. 12:1), and “Messiah the prince” (Dan. 9:25)—ALL refer to the same being—the
Lord Jesus Christ (see also Acts 3:14, 15; 5:30, 31; Rev. 1:5)! The being who
appeared to Daniel in Dan. 10:5, 6 is obviously
Christ, because the description of Him is the same as that of Christ found in
Rev. 1:13-15. This being is called “Michael” in Daniel 10:13, 21.
Jude 9 calls Michael “the archangel.” The fact that Christ is
indeed the supreme messenger for God the Father, and that He is the “captain”
and “prince of the host,” makes the descriptive title of “archangel” especially
appropriate and meaningful. In Jude 9 we find Michael (the archangel) disputing
with the devil over the body of Moses. The Devil, and only the Devil, had the right
and the authority to dispute with
Christ over the body of Moses because he had usurped the world when he caused the fall of Adam. The Devil
rightly became the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) and the “prince of this
world (John 12:31; 14:30) through this action. He, and
he alone could dispute with Christ
over the body of Moses. Likewise,
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Christ alone had the
right to dispute with the Devil over the body of Moses because He was man’s creator and is man’s redeemer. Christ has the ultimate
authority with which to contend with the Devil over the Salvation or Damnation
of anyone. No created angel has the power or authority to give or to decide life
or death. Christ alone has this authority and power.
In Jude 1:9 we see a battle being waged between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses. In this dispute Michael rebukes the devil—He did not enter into
controversy with the Devil with some
long, drawn out argument, but with His Authority
as God. “But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and
argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing
judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!’” There are some who say that if this
is the Lord disputing here, that He
would not say “The Lord rebuke you,”
but that He would simply say “I rebuke you.” These people would be wrong. In
Zechariah 3:1-6 we find another dispute between “the Angel of the Lord” and Satan, this time concerning Joshua. Here is
what is described about this encounter in verses one and two: “Then he showed
me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse
him. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke
you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke
you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
The simple Truth is that no
CREATED being, angel or otherwise, would have the Authority or the Right
to dispute with the Devil about anyone’s soul. Only one who has the authority
of God could do that. So anytime that we see Michael battling against Satan (as in Dan. 10:21 and Dan. 12:1) we
KNOW that it is Christ, not a created angel.
How do we know that for sure? How do we know that Michael the “archangel” is not
a created being and that He is indeed God?
The fact that “Michael” the archangel (first and foremost in
knowledge, power and authority, and leader of the heavenly host) and our Savior
Jesus Christ are one and the same, is clearly shown by the power and authority
(which is Christ’s alone) being
exhibited and manifested in the same event but under two different “titles.” The occasion is the Second Coming and the
event is the raising of the dead. Notice 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17: “For the Lord Himself
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will descent from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and
remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”[48]
Here the dead are raised by the “voice of the archangel” (Michael). In John
5:27-29 the apostle declared that it is the voice of Jesus that raises the dead. This makes perfect sense because ONLY THE LORD CAN RAISE THE DEAD. If it
is the voice of the archangel that raised the dead, and it is the voice of Jesus that raises the dead—then the voice
must be the voice of the same person,
the person of Jesus Christ. Only the Lord has the right and the authority
to dispute with the Devil, and only the Lord
can be Michael the Archangel.
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Appendix “D”
______________________
E.G. White—“New Light” Quotes
“There are mines of truth yet
to be discovered.” (5T 704).
“We have only the glimmerings of the rays of the light yet to come to us.” (RH,
June 3, 1890).
“There are old, yet new truths still to be added to the treasures of our knowledge.” (RH, February 25, 1897).
“Investigation of every point that has been received as truth
will repay the searcher: He will find precious gems. And in closely
investigating every jot and tittle which we think is established truth, in
comparing Scripture with Scripture, we
may discover errors in our interpretation of Scripture.” (RH,
July 12, 1898, par. 15).
“The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for
many years by our people is not
proof that our ideas are infallible.” (RH, December 20, 1892,
par. 1).
“We cannot hold that a position once taken, an idea once
advocated, is not, under any circumstances, to be relinquished. There is but
One Who is infallible—He Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 105, par. 2).
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“When God’s people are at ease, and satisfied with their present
enlightenment, we may be sure that He will not
favour them. It is His will that they should be ever moving forward, to receive the
increased and ever increasing light
that is shining for them.” (5T, pp. 708, 709).
“We have many lessons to
learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are
infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion,
will be disappointed.” (RH, July 26, 1892).
“Among the different denominations there seems to be a
determination developing to bind the consciences of their members. They are
building up barriers about their own sects, and forming a purpose to listen to
nothing outside of their own doctrines. They are restricting themselves from
hearing anything new, or any doctrine presented by any other people than those
who belong to their own church.” (ST, August 27, 1894).
“New Light will ever be
revealed on the word of God to him who is in living connection with the Sun
of righteousness . . . The diligent seeker for truth will find precious rays of
light yet to shine forth from the
Word of God . . . Many gems are yet
scattered that are to be gathered together to become the property of the
remnant people of God . . . Let no one
come to the conclusion that there is no more truth to be revealed . . .
There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more
truth to be revealed . . . We are not
safe when we take the position that we will not accept anything else than that
upon which we have settled as truth.” (Counsels on
Sabbath School Work, p. 34).
“We are to know more
than we do at the present time. We are to comprehend the deep
things of God. There are themes to be dwelt upon which are worthy of more than
a passing notice. Angels have desired to look into the truths which are
revealed to the people who are searching
God’s Word and with contrite hearts praying for wisdom, for greater lengths and
breadths and
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heights of that knowledge which
God alone can give . . . . as we near the closing
scenes of this earth’s history still
more wonderful representations will be made. We need to study the
Scriptures with humble, contrite hearts. Those who will devote their powers to
the study of God’s Word, and especially the prophecies referring to these last
days, will be rewarded by the discovery
of important truths.” (Ms 75,
1899, pp. 4, 5. [Untitled Manuscript, May 11, 1899]—may
be found as Manuscript release #54 in Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, pp.
195-196).
“In the Scriptures thousands
of gems of truth lie hidden from the surface seeker. The mine of truth is never exhausted. The more you search
the Scriptures with humble hearts, the greater will be your interest, and the
more you will feel like exclaiming with Paul: “O the depth of the riches both
of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His
ways past finding out!” Every day you should learn something new from the
Scriptures. Search them as for hid treasures, for they contain the words of
eternal life. Pray for wisdom and understanding to comprehend these holy
writings. If you would do this you would find new glories in the word of God;
you would feel that you had received new and precious light on subjects
connected with the truth, and the Scriptures would be constantly receiving a
new value in your estimation.” (5T, p. 266).
“Every soul must look to God with contrition and humility, that He may guide and lead and bless. We must not trust to others to search the
Scriptures for us. Some of our leading brethren have frequently taken their
position on the wrong side; and if God would send a message and wait for these
older brethren to open the way for its advancement, it would never reach the
people. These brethren will be found in this position until they become
partakers of the divine nature to a greater extent than ever they have been in
the past.” (GW, 1913, p. 303).
“We must not think, ‘Well, we have all the truth, we understand
the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge.’ The truth is
an advancing truth, and we must walk
in the increasing light.” (RH, March 25, 1890).
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“It is a fact that we have the truth, and we must hold with
tenacity to the positions that cannot be shaken; but we must not look with
suspicion upon any new light which God may send, and say, “Really, we cannot
see that we need any more light than the old truth which we have hitherto
received, and in which we are settle[ed]. While we
hold to this position, the testimony of the True Witness applies to our cases
its rebuke, “And knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked.” Those who feel rich and increased with goods and
in need of nothing, are in a condition of blindness as to their true condition before God, and they know it not.” RH,
August 7, 1894, par. 2.
“The Lord has made His people the repository of sacred truth.
Upon every individual who has had the light of Present truth devolves the duty
of developing that truth on a higher
scale than it has hitherto been done.” (MS #27, 1897).
“At no period of time has man learned all that can be learned of
the word of God. There are yet new views
of truth to be seen, and much to be understood of the character and
attributes of God,--his benevolence, his mercy, his long forbearance, his
example of perfect obedience. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full
of grace and truth.” This is a most valuable study, taxing the intellect, and
giving strength to the mental ability. After diligently searching the word,
hidden treasures are discovered, and the lover of truth breaks out in triumph.
Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: ‘God was manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory.’ ‘Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” (Special
Testimonies on Education, 1897, p. 147, par. 2).
“Whenever the people of God are growing in grace, they will be
constantly obtaining a clearer
understanding of His word. They will discern
new light and beauty in its sacred truths. This has been true in the
history of the church in all ages, and thus will
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continue to the end. But as real spiritual life declines, it has ever been the
tendency to cease to advance in the knowledge of the truth. Men rest satisfied with the
light already received from God’s word, and discourage any further investigation of the Scriptures. They
become conservative, and seek to avoid
discussion . . . When no new questions are started by investigation of the
Scriptures, when no difference of opinion arises which will set men to
searching the Bible for themselves, to make sure that they have the truth,
there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to tradition, and worship they know not what.” (5T, pp.
706-707).
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Appendix “E”
______________________
The Promise of the Spirit
May 19, 1904 The
Promise of the Spirit
Mrs.
E. G. White
“Christ declared that
after his ascension, he would send to his church, as his crowning gift, the
Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the
soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world.
With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes
away sin. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 1}
In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to
man the highest good that heaven could bestow. The Saviour looked on humanity,
and saw that it was under the power of the prince of darkness; but he saw also
that there was hope for human beings because there was power in the divine
nature successfully to contend with evil agencies. With glad assurance he said,
"Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be
cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
me." {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 2}
The Spirit was given as a regenerating
agency, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.
The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of
man 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 the church. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 3}
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Christ said of the Spirit, "He shall
glorify me." As Christ glorified the Father by the demonstration of his
love, so the Spirit was to glorify Christ by revealing to the world the riches
of his grace. The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor
of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of
his people. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 4}
At the cost of infinite sacrifice and
suffering, Christ has provided for us every essential to success in the
Christian warfare. The Holy Spirit brings power that enables man to overcome.
It is through the agency of the Spirit that the government of Satan is to be subdued.
It is the Spirit that convinces of sin, and, with the consent of the human
being, expels sin from the heart. The mind is then brought under a new
law,--the royal law of liberty. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 5}
The Spirit works in us by bringing to mind,
vividly and often, the precious truths of the plan of redemption. We should
forget these truths, and for us God's rich promises would lose their
efficiency, were it not for the Spirit, who takes of the things of God, and
shows them to us. Our hearts are warmed by the contemplation of Jesus and his
love, and we long to speak to others the comforting assurances that have been
brought to our minds. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 6}
It is the privilege of every son and
daughter of God to have the indwelling of the Spirit. If those who know the
truth would love and fear the Lord alway,
if they would abide in Christ, they would have moral and spiritual power. The
grace of Christ would be in them as a well of water, springing up unto
everlasting life, and would flow from them as streams of living water. {RH, May
19, 1904 par. 7}
The Spirit illumines our darkness, informs
our ignorance, and helps us in our manifold necessities. But the mind must be
constantly going out after God. If worldliness is allowed to come in, if we
have no desire to pray, no desire to commune with him who is the source of
strength and wisdom, the Spirit will not abide with us. Those who are
unbelieving do not receive the rich endowment of grace that would make them
wise unto salvation, patient, forbearing, quick to perceive and appreciate
heavenly ministrations, quick to discern Satan's devices, and strong to resist
sin. God can not do his mighty work for them because
of their unbelief. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 8}
Christ has promised the gift of the Spirit
to his church, and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples.
But like
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every other promise, it is given on conditions. There are many who
believe, and profess to claim the Lord's promise; they talk about Christ and
about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not surrender the soul
to be guided and controlled by the divine agencies. We cannot use the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit God works
in his people "to will and to do of his good pleasure." But
many will not submit to this. They want to manage themselves. This is why they
do not receive the heavenly gift. Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who
watch for his guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. {RH, May 19, 1904 par.
9}
Christ declared that the divine influence
was to be with his followers to the end. But the promise is not accepted and
believed by God's people; therefore its fulfillment is not seen. The promise of
the Spirit is a matter little thought of; and the result is only what might be
expected,--spiritual drought, spiritual weakness, spiritual declension and
death. Minor matters occupy the attention, and the divine power that is
necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring
all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in its infinite
plentitude. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 10}
Just so long as the church is satisfied
with small things will it fail of receiving the great things of God. Why do we not hunger and thirst after the gift of the
Spirit, since this is the means by which we are to receive power? Talk of it,
pray for it, preach concerning it. The Lord is more
willing to give the Holy Spirit to us than parents are to give good gifts to
their children. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 11}
If our workers realized the responsibility
resting upon them, would they enter the work without cherishing a deep sense of
its sacredness? Should we not see the deep movings of
the Spirit of God upon the men who present themselves for the ministry? For the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, every worker should be offering his prayer to God.
Companies should be gathered together to ask for special help, for heavenly
wisdom, that they may know how to devise and execute. Especially should men
pray that God will baptize his missionaries with the Holy Spirit.
{RH, May 19, 1904 par. 12}
There is no limit to the usefulness of one
who, putting aside self, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his
heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. If men will endure the
necessary discipline, without complaining or fainting by the way,
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God
will teach them hour by hour, and day by day. He longs to reveal his grace. If
his people will remove the obstructions, he will pour forth the waters of
salvation in abundant streams through human channels. If men in humble life
were encouraged to do all the good they could do, if restraining hands were not
laid upon them to repress the zeal, there would be one hundred workers for
Christ where now there is one. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 13}
God takes men as they are, and educates
them for his service, if they will yield themselves to him. The Spirit of God,
received into the soul, will quicken all its faculties. Under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, the mind that is devoted unreservedly to God develops
harmoniously, and is strengthened to comprehend and fulfil
the requirements of God. The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to one
of strength and steadfastness. Continual devotion establishes so close a
relation between Jesus and his disciples that the Christian becomes like him in
mind and character. Through a connection with Christ he will have clearer and broader
views. His discernment will be more penetrative, his judgment better balanced.
{RH, May 19, 1904 par. 14}
The presence of the Holy Spirit with God's
workers will give the presentation of truth a power that not all the honor or
glory of the world could give. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains
striving, wrestling souls in every emergency, amid the unfriendliness of
relatives, the hatred of the world, and the realization of their own
imperfections and mistakes. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 15}
A union of divine and human endeavor, a
close connection first, last, and ever, with God, the source of all
strength,--this is absolutely necessary in our work. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 16}