Who is the Comforter?

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The following statements as to whom the Comforter is will be helpful in teaching others Ellen White’s correct view on the Godhead. When one understands that the Comforter the Holy Ghost of Christ’s pre-Incarnation Holy Spirit ONLY Being, before being combined with humanity forever, he/she will understand the Godhead properly. This is the only way there can be three distinct persons and yet the Comforter is Christ. Those with spiritual discernment beyond being able to cite abominations of the church will understand this issue, for all other renditions are antichrist and sweep away the entire Christian economy by destroying what occurred in the heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement Incarnation. Such persons hold a view that leads to the same results as the SDA church and Rome view. But they don’t have the spiritual discernment to see this serious fact of truth.

July 16, 1892: The Saviour is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be. {8MR 49.3}

“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.

In the gift of the Spirit [HIS LIFE--THE SOUL OF HIS LIFE], Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow....

The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....

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.” E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.

“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. He can inspire with confidence, with hope in God; and confidence in God always results in creating confidence in one another.” [Review and Herald, August 26, 1890].

“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ's name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality. We may have the Holy Spirit if we ask for it and make it [a] habit to turn to and trust in God rather than in any finite human agent who may make mistakes.” {20MR 324.2}

It is not essential for you to know and be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of truth, which the Father shall send in My name." "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" [John 14:16, 17]. This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter. Again Jesus says, "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" [John 16:12, 13]. {14MR 179.2}

“Our German and Danish and Swedish brethren have no good reason for not being able to act in harmony in the publishing work. Those who believe the truth should remember that they are God's little children, that they are under His training. 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--is to bring unity into their ranks.” {9T 189.3}

“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, that He and His people may be one in God. Our way and will must be in submission to God's will, knowing that it is holy, just, and good. . . .” {2MR 36.3}

"What saith our Saviour? "I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you." "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him" When trials overshadow the soul, remember the words of Christ, remember that He is an unseen presence in the person of the Holy Spirit, and He will be the peace and comfort given you, manifesting to you that He is with you, the Sun of Righteousness, chasing away your darkness. "If a man love me," Christ said, "he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" Be of good cheer light will come, and your soul will rejoice greatly in the Lord".-Letter 124, 1897. Sons and Daughters of God, p.185.

“The work of the holy Spirit is immeasurably great. It is from this source that power and efficiency come to the worker for God; and the holy Spirit is the comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul. He who looks to Christ in simple, childlike faith, is made a partaker of the divine nature through the agency of the holy Spirit. When led by the Spirit of God, the Christian may know that he is made complete in him who is the head of all things. As Christ was glorified on the day of Pentecost, so will he again be glorified in the closing work of the gospel, when he shall prepare a people to stand the final test, in the closing conflict of the great controversy.” {RH, November 29, 1892 par. 3}

“And Jesus said He would give us the Comforter. What is the Comforter? It is the Holy Spirit of God. What is the Holy Spirit? It is the representative of Jesus Christ, it is our Advocate that stands by our side and places our petitions before the Father all fragrant with His merits. There He accepts the petition of the humblest saint. He doesn't ask you how much money you have, or how heavy you are loaded with property, but the very humblest saint that brings his petition to God, and [his] thank offering is made fragrant with the riches of His grace, and the Father accepts it as your offering, and the blessing comes to you, grace for grace.” {RC 285.4}

The Bible on Our Advocate:

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

The word advocate in the above verse means:

Transliteration:

parakletos {par-ak'-lay-tos}

Word Origin:

a root word

TDNT:

5:800,782

Part of Speech:

noun masculine

Usage in the KJV:

comforter 4, advocate 1

Total: 5

Definition:

1. summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid

A. one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate

B. one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor

a. of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins

C. in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant

a. of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

TDNT - Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TWOT - Theological Word Book of the Old Testament

The Bible says there is ONE MEDIATOR:

1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Gal 3:20 Now a mediator is not [a mediator] of one, but God is one.

The definition of mediator in 1 Timothy 2:5 (above) is:

Number 3316

Transliteration:

mesites {mes-ee'-tace}

Word Origin:

from 3319

TDNT:

4:598,585

Part of Speech:

noun masculine

Usage in the KJV:

mediator 6

Total: 6

Definition:

1. one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant

2. a medium of communication, arbitrator

TDNT - Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TWOT - Theological Word Book of the Old Testament

Jesus was the Testator of the Everlasting Covenant that demanded the death of the Testator. Only the Testator could die for any breach in His Covenant. He ratified the Testator Covenant by dying to something eternally for while the Testator lives there is no ratification.

Definition of ratify:

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source

Main Entry: rat·i·fy
Pronunciation: 'ra-t&-"fI
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -fied; -fy·ing
: to make valid or effective; especially : to adopt or affirm (as the prior act or contract of an agent) by express or implied consent with the effect of original authorization <unable to rescind the contract because he ratified it by accepting the benefits> —compare REFORM —rat·i·fi·ca·tion /"ra-t&-f&-'kA-sh&n/ noun —rat·i·fi·er /'ra-t&-"fI-&r/ noun

Death of the Testator:

Hbr 9:16 For where a testament [is], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Hbr 9:17 For a testament [is] of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Bible Definition of Testator as used in the above verses:

Number 1303

Transliteration:

diatithemai {dee-at-ith'-em-ahee}

Word Origin:

middle voice from 1223 and 5087

TDNT:

2:104,157

Part of Speech:

verb

Usage in the KJV:

make 3, testator 2, appoint 2

Total: 7

Definition:

1. to arrange, dispose of, one's own affairs

A. of something that belongs to one

2. to dispose of by will, make a testament

3. to make a covenant, enter into a covenant, with one

TDNT - Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TWOT - Theological Word Book of the Old Testament

The Comforter is the Holy Ghost:

“It is not essential for you to know and be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of truth, which the Father shall send in My name." "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" [John 14:16, 17]. This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter. Again Jesus says, "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" [John 16:12, 13]. {14MR 179.2}

Note: Ellen White is not saying it is not essential to know WHO the Holy Spirit is. She says WHO He is. She is saying it is not essential for us to know and be able to define just WHAT the Holy Spirit is. But even in regard to WHAT the Holy Spirit is, she says the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit ONLY existence of Christ before His Incarnation, before He was combined with humanity forever. There is no mention of the Holy Ghost until Matthew in the New Testament.

“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. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G. White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.

Those who teach that nothing of the Godhead was separated from the personality of Christ’s humanity and/or that Christ had His Holy Spirit powers of omnipresence, omnipotence, and/or omniscience while on earth, are simply teaching in contraversion to the Holy Spirit gift to the church via Ellen G. White and the Bible.

“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 Christian fellowship will exist among them. There will be seen in their lives the fruit that always appears as the result of obedience to the truth.” {RH, January 27, 1903 par. 13}

—rwb