Meeting the Heresy

of only

One Person to the Godhead

 

"The darkness rolled away from the Saviour and from the Cross. Christ bowed His head and died. In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a redeemer." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.

 

Click to go to our Home Page


 

 

 



Foreword: There is a study on my Website that was contributed by Russell Unterschultz. https://omega77.tripod.com/holyspiritbreathoflife.htm

There is much beauty in that study because it gives so many statements on the Holy Spirit and His function. But the ultimate conclusions Mr. Unterschultz’s arrives at totally annihilates the two persons to the Godhead other than God the Father.

 

In their zeal to distance themselves from the trinity doctrine, some go overboard by obfuscating the reality of the heavenly trio and the Holy Spirit third person who is that person. Such individuals directly contradict many statements by Ellen White regarding a third person and the heavenly trio.

 

Note: Aug. 20, 2010: Mr. Unterschultz has notified me that he believes only the Father can be referred to as the Godhead. So keep this in mind as you read this document. When I first wrote this rebuttal to Mr. Unterschultz, I perceived that he believed that the Father and the Son constituted the Godhead.

 

As abominable as the trinity doctrine is, such persons ironically arrive at the same abominable result which sweeps away the entire Christian economy by denying the Incarnation Sanctuary/Atonement sacrifice that met the prescribed limit as a sacrifice before the cross. Whatever occurred on earth by way of Atonement sacrifice, occurred first in the heavenly Sanctuary.

 

It is all as difficult to convince the proponents of two persons to the Godhead, of the truth, as it is to convince those who believe Jesus is not God, that He is God in the highest sense as Ellen White states. It is the one eternal Spirit common to all three persons of the Godhead that constitutes them as one God. End foreword.

 

 

Dear brother Russell,

 

You stated: “As mentioned previously, the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy do not use this terminology, “ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT.” Check for yourself.”

 

I submit the following Bible verse:

 

“Hbr 9:14 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?”

 

By the words “the eternal spirit,” I conclude there is one eternal spirit.

 

There is some muddying of the issues in your responses as regards a third person to the Godhead. This is the key to your great error. In this respect, you do not consider all the many Spirit of Prophecy statements and interpret so that nothing contradicts.

 

Thus, we need to determine whether or not there are indeed THREE DISTINCT PERSONS to the Godhead per Ellen White's statements. If the Holy Spirit is merely (ONLY) the Spirit of the Father and the Son, why would Ellen White refer to Him as a Third distinct person? If the statement you deal with in your post below was the only reference by Ellen White to a third person, you might have an edge to your presentation, but that is not the case. Consider the following statements regarding a third person. Consider that if the Holy Spirit is merely the Spirit of the Father and the Son (Christ), then it should not be a third person with a PERSONality. It should merely be their Spirit.

 

The third person plays the highest role in the sacrifice that met the prescribed limit of the Everlasting Covenant, the Testators death, and not for just three days and nights in a tomb. This is the momentous truth of the Godhead that most miss in their quest to divorce any thought of three persons from the Godhead because of the despised Trinity Doctrine. And I despise that doctrine as well. It also, denies the Testators sacrifice that met the prescribed limits of the Testators Everlasting Covenant, by teaching that the Holy Spirit always existed as a third person, negating the Incarnation divestment of the Son’s Holy Spirit from His human personality, which gave rise to the third person as a separate and distinct person at that time—though the Son’s Holy Spirit did indeed exist as and of Himself from eternity up to the point of the Incarnation.

 

“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) {Ev 617.2}

 

"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. Another spirit must be met; for the essence of evil was working in all ways, and the submission of man to this satanic captivity was amazing.--Letter 8, 1896, p. 1 (To "My Brethren in America," February 6, 1896.) White Estate Washington, D. C. June 10, 1980 {10MR 63.3}

 

“Christ determined that when He ascended from this earth He would bestow a gift on those who had believed on Him and those who should believe on Him. What gift could He bestow rich enough to signalize and grace His ascension to the mediatorial throne? It must be worthy of His greatness and His royalty. 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, converting, enlightening, sanctifying, would be His donation.” {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 2}

 

The divine Spirit is the life that WAS HIS before the Incarnation. That divine Spirit became a third person at the Incarnation when Christ divested the personality of His Holy Spirit Divine person from His humanity.

 

Divested Statements

 

The following statement is key to an understanding of the third person and why and when that person came into being. This is the truth of how the true Godhead differs from the trinity doctrine.

 

"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 [Christ] 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.

 

The trinity doctrine does not consider the sacrifice involved at this Incarnation act of the Son divesting His Holy Spirit prior BEING, from the personality of His humanity—so that His Holy Spirit THEN became a third PERSONality independent from Christ’s humanity. Were this not true, we would have four persons to the Godhead, to wit:

 

1.    God the Father and His One Eternal Holy Spirit essence (substance).

2.    God the Son and His One Eternal Holy Spirit essence (substance).

3.    God the Holy Spirit and His One Eternal Holy Spirit essence (substance). IF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A THIRD PERSON AS ELLEN WHITE SAYS HE IS.

4.    God as Jesus as combined with humanity forever.

 

"The apostle would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. . . . He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for awhile relinquished. . . . He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will." E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7a, p. 446.

 

“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. Another spirit must be met, for the essence of evil was working in all ways, and the submission of man to this satanic captivity was amazing. {UL 51.3}

 

From the inception of my study of the Godhead, I have seen the close connection between Christ and His Spirit. But to harmonize the third person statements, I see His Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost, the Ghost of the life that WAS HIS:

 

"He (Christ) suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which WAS His." Desire of Ages, p. 25 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53, 54, Titus 3:5, 6.

 

So I would ask you Russell: What life WAS HIS (PAST TENSE)? Was it the Holy Spirit Divine Nature that He possessed before His Incarnation? Was it that soul of His life, the PERSONality of that Holy Spirit ONLY--BEING, that He divested from the personality of His humanity--thus making two PERSONS, two different personalities? Did His eternal death to being that DIVINE ONLY BEING, play any role in Atoning for the wages of the sin of man? Are you bypassing a sacrifice without which, you sweep away the entire Christian economy? More on that further down.

 

"The darkness rolled away from the Saviour and from the Cross. Christ bowed His head and died. In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a redeemer." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.

 

I believe the above and below statements present a dimension to the study of the Godhead that you do not comprehend. I believe it has been your mission to distinguish your interpretation from the Trinity to such a great length that you have wanted to discard the THIRD PERSON altogether and make the Holy Spirit NOT A PERSON, but rather the Spirit of the Father and Son ONLY, FULLY EXEMPTING A THIRD PERSON. This is where it begins to require spiritual discernment because of the such close connection between the third person, the KINSHIP of the third person, to the life and soul of Christ, which is expressed in the following statement. How does the Holy Spirit become a third person and still be the soul of Christ's life. That is part of the mystery element to the Godhead, but nevertheless, there is a good answer to this relative to THE LIFE THAT WAS (PAST TENSE) His. I don't think you ever thought of that element and thus you are prone to defend your ideas which do not embrace this deeper dimension which surely involved the ultimate eternal sacrifice which met the terms of the Everlasting Covenant made by the Testator, Christ. More on this further down.

 

As regards the close affinity between Christ and His Holy Spirit, it can get no closer than the following statement defines, yet, Ellen White refers to it as a THIRD PERSON in many different statements. I recognize the affinity between Christ and the Holy Spirit in the full context of the statement you explained, but that statement is superseded by the below statement because it says the Holy Spirit is the very soul of Christ's life, yet she taught three different persons.

 

"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, 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.

 

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

 

"Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church. {AG 194.2}

 

"In the first chapter of Second Peter is presented the progressive work in the Christian life. The whole chapter is a lesson of deep importance. If man, in acquiring the Christian graces, works on the plan of addition, God has pledged Himself to work in his behalf upon the plan of multiplication. "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." The work is laid out before every soul that has acknowledged his faith in Jesus Christ by baptism, and has become a receiver of the pledge from the three persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (MS 57, 1900).

 

    8 (John 15:26, 27). A Gift Unexcelled.--Christ determined that when He ascended from this earth, He would bestow a gift on those who had believed on Him, and those who should believe on Him. What gift could He bestow rich enough to signalize and grace His ascension to the mediatorial throne? It must be worthy of His greatness and His royalty. 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. . . . {6BC 1052.5}

 

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Christ is not here referring to his doctrine, but to his person, the divinity of his character. {E. G. White, Review and Herald, April 5, 1906 par. 12}

 

The divinity of His character is the life that WAS HIS when He was in that form ONLY.

 

The DIVINE SPIRIT, the life that WAS HIS—the personality that WAS HIS before He divested that DIVINE ONLY SPIRIT from His human personality at His Incarnation—FOREVER. This was a forever death to the life that WAS His. In other words, prior to the Incarnation, He was DIVINE ONLY in BEING. After that, for eternity, He would be combined with humanity. This was a huge sacrifice. This sacrifice alone—which constituted an eternal death to that life that WAS HIS, paid the wages of sin which is eternal death. Three days in a tomb did not meet that payment for the wages of sin. The Testators Covenant demanded death of the Testator, and not for just three days and nights. It must be a form of death that lasted for eternity. The trinity doctrine totally annuls this sacrifice of all sacrifices, the highest good, crowning gift heaven could bestow, by saying that the Holy Spirit existed as a third person for eternity. That is not true. And that believe denies the Sanctuary/Atonement in the heavenly Sanctuary Incarnation prior to the earthly death of Christ on the Cross.

 

Any version of the Godhead, such as the one that eliminates the third person of the Godhead, achieves the same denial of this heavenly Sanctuary Incarnation sacrifice that met the prescribed limit of a sacrifice—eternal death to something—in this case the past life that WAS HIS. Thus the Sanctuary/Atonement is rendered GONE, non-existent. This was what Kellogg’s theory in the Living Temple amounted to. It said that the Holy Spirit was in everything. Thus, the Holy Spirit has to exist from eternity as a third person. That is the same reason the trinity doctrine is the greatest blasphemy because its eliminates the Incarnation sacrifice at which time the Holy Spirit became a third persons by being divested from the personality of Christ’s humanity. In both man-made theories, the Sanctuary/Atonement Incarnation sacrifice is GONE. That is what occurred in the Alpha of heresies. That is what has occurred in the Omega of heresies. One person saw this implication in the Alpha. One person has seen this implication in the Omega. And it takes spiritual discernment to see it. Not all will see it because spiritual things are spiritually discerned. This is as deep as man is permitted to now reach as regards the Godhead. We will study that theme for eternity. This is what your errant conclusion results in brothers Russell and Yuergen. Without the third person resulting from the Incarnation sacrifice, there has been no satisfactory ETERNAL ATONEMENT which is demanded by the Testator’s Covenant—“death of the Testator.” More on this further down under the heading: The Testator Covenant that met the Prescribed Limit of a sacrifice

 

Sanctuary Gone Atonement Gone -- "In a representation which passed before me, I saw a certain work being done by medical missionary workers. Our ministering brethren were looking on, watching what was being done, but they did not seem to understand. The foundation of our faith, which was established by so much prayer, such earnest searching of the Scriptures, was being taken down, pillar by pillar. Our faith was to have nothing to rest upon--the sanctuary was gone, the atonement was gone." E.G. White, The Upward Look, 152.

 

III. Three Persons in the Godhead

 

     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. {7ABC 441.9}

 

     The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption.--Counsels on Health, p. 222. {7ABC 442.1}

 

     “He will impart His Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His reviving, and there shall not be room enough to receive it. Nothing but the baptism of the Holy Spirit can bring up the church to its right position, and prepare the people of God for the fast approaching conflict.--Letter 15, 1889. {4MR 329.4}

 

     “Evil has been accumulating for centuries and could only be resisted by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead. . . . Another spirit must be met; for the essence of evil was working in all ways, and the submission of man to this satanic captivity was amazing.--Letter 8, 1896. {4MR 329.5}

 

“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 fulness 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}

 

     “Those who proclaim the third angel's message must put on the whole armor of God, that they may stand boldly at their post, in the face of detraction and falsehood, fighting the good fight of faith, resisting the enemy with the word, "It is written." 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 takes God as his trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall.”--The Southern Watchman, Feb. 23, 1904, p. 122. {7ABC 442.2}

 

“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 fulness of divine power. Another spirit must be met; for the essence of evil was working in all ways, and the submission of man to this Satanic captivity was amazing.” {1888 1493.2}

 

“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) {Ev 617.2}

 

In Co-operation With the Three Highest Powers.-- We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, --and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.--Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 51. (1905) {Ev 617.3}

 

“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. The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power.” {FLB 52.6}

 

     Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfilment of the covenant that God has made with those who bind themselves up with Him, to stand with Him, with His Son, and with His Spirit in holy fellowship. Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven who are working in your behalf. Doing this you will reveal to the world the principles of righteousness.--The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901. {7ABC 442.3}

 

     The eternal heavenly dignitaries--God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit--arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, . . . would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin.--Evangelism, p. 616. {7ABC 442.4}

 

     We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven, --the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,--and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.-- Ibid., p. 617. {7ABC 442.5}

 

     Those who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their Christian life declare publicly that they have forsaken the service of Satan and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly king.--Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 91. {7ABC 442.6}

 

The Testator Covenant that met the prescribed limit of a sacrifice

 

One of the most curious statements in all the Spirit of Prophecy to the neophyte is the following:

 

“In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a redeemer.” E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.

 

·       What is the prescribed limit of sacrifice per the Everlasting Covenant?

·       How did the Incarnation meet that prescribed limit as a sacrifice but not as a redemption from Sin?

 

The prescribed limit of sacrifice per the Testator’s Covenant is death of the Testator, and this does not mean death for three days and three nights. That is not man’s penalty for sin. The wages of unrepented sin is eternal death. Any atonement for our sins must include some form of eternal death on the part of the Testator (Christ).

 

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.

 

If Christ did not die to something FOREVER, if the Testator lives, the atonement sacrifice is of no strength at all.

 

·       Who was the Testator? It was the Holy Spirit Divine Nature of the Son of God.

·       The Son divested His humanity from His Holy Spirit ONLY nature at His Incarnation FOREVER. That was the first death.

·       The Holy Ghost (Spirit) of the Son descended upon Him at His baptism. He could have chosen to take back that DIVINE ONLY existence and it would have been eternal loss for man. But just before He died on the cross, He commended that Spirit to the Father to disseminate it to man as the highest good, crowning gift heaven could bestow for overcoming sin and regeneration back into the image of God. From that moment on, Christ could not return back to the DIVINE ONLY existence ever again. This was the second death when He bowed His head and died to that possibility forever.

·       Without this sacrifice which met the prescribed limit of the Testators Covenant, Christ’s death on the cross would have been of no avail. There would have been no redemption from sin, because there would have been no cure for sin, because the cure for sin was that gift of His Holy Spirit Divine nature, in the form of the third person of the Godhead. Only by this all sacrificial gift could man overcome and thus be redeemed from sin. Without that cure, sin would go on forever. The redemption factor was when Christ relinquished that past life of being Divine ONLY, by commending that Holy Spirit life back to the Father, and bowing His head and dying on the cross—the second and final death that fulfilled the Testator’s Covenant of forever death to the life that WAS His. 

·       Any theory that does away with the third person and does not teach the truth as to how and why the third person accrues/accrued, is blasphemy of the highest order and is as antichrist as any heresy can get.

·       There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ’s former BEING—the life that WAS His. That extreme affinity is cause for confusion amongst many.

·       This issue is most serious and of eternal consequence. It is a shaking issue. It is a landmark, pillar doctrine for Ellen White said the personality of Christ and God are pillar doctrines. All truth, everything we believe revolves around a true conception of the Godhead and the human nature of Christ.

   

The atonement is thus directly related to the Godhead issue. The trinity doctrine obfuscates the Incarnation Sanctuary/Atonement sacrifice by discounting the sacrifice of Christ in emptying Himself of His Divine Nature in order to give it to us for regeneration. Ellen White said without that sacrifice, the cross would have been to no avail, and the trinity doctrine obviates that sacrifice by saying that it NEVER TOOK PLACE because the Holy Spirit always existed as a third person. That is blasphemy against the "greatest good and crowning sacrifice" gift that heaven could bestow. The personality of God and Christ is thus involved in the omega apostasy involving the Godhead vis a vis the Trinity Doctrine.

 

"The spiritualistic theories regarding the personality of God [the Godhead], followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They estimate as nothing the light that Christ came from heaven to give John to give to His people. They teach that the scenes just before us are not of sufficient importance to be given special attention. They make of no effect the truth of heavenly origin, and rob the people of God of their past experience, giving them instead a false science." E.G. White, 1SM, p. 204.

 

"Those who seek to remove the old landmarks are not holding fast they are not remembering how they have received and heard. Those who try to bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary or concerning the personality of God or of Christ, are working as blind men. They are seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor." {MR760 9.5}

 

Sanctuary Gone Atonement Gone -- "In a representation which passed before me, I saw a certain work being done by medical missionary workers. Our ministering brethren were looking on, watching what was being done, but they did not seem to understand. The foundation of our faith, which was established by so much prayer, such earnest searching of the Scriptures, was being taken down, pillar by pillar. Our faith was to have nothing to rest upon--the sanctuary was gone, the atonement was gone." E.G. White, The Upward Look, 152.

 

Chap. 186 - The Office of the Spirit

 

     When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8. {AG 194.1}

 

     The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, 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 men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church. {AG 194.2}

 

     While we yield ourselves as instruments for the Holy Spirit's working, the grace of God works in us to deny old inclinations, to overcome powerful propensities, and to form new habits. {AG 194.3}

 

     The Spirit of God, received into the soul, quickens 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 fulfill the requirements of God. The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to one of strength and steadfastness. . . . {AG 194.4}

 

     It is the Spirit that causes to shine into darkened minds the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness; that makes men's hearts burn within them with an awakened realization of the truths of eternity; that presents before the mind the great standard of righteousness, and convinces of sin; that inspires faith in Him who alone can save from sin; that works to transform character by withdrawing the affections of men from those things which are temporal and perishable, and fixing them upon the eternal inheritance. The Spirit recreates, refines, and sanctifies human beings, fitting them to become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. {AG 194.5}

 

Chap. 37 - Holy Spirit, Faithful Guide

 

     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. John 16:7, 8. {UL 51.1}

 

     Christ knew that this announcement [the coming of the Comforter] was a wonderful truth. He was nearing the close of His ministry upon this earth, and was standing in view of the cross, with a full realization of the load of guilt that must be placed upon Him as the Sin-bearer. Yet His greatest anxiety was for His disciples. He was seeking to find solace for them, and He told them, "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" (John 16:7). {UL 51.2}

 

     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. Another spirit must be met, for the essence of evil was working in all ways, and the submission of man to this satanic captivity was amazing. {UL 51.3}

 

     Today, as in Christ's day, Satan rules the minds of many. O that his terrible, fearful work could be discerned and resisted. Selfishness has perverted principles, selfishness has confused the senses and clouded the judgment. It seems so strange that notwithstanding all the light that is shining from God's blessed Word, there should be such strange ideas held, such a departure from the spirit and practice of the truth. . . . {UL 51.4}

 

     Sins which have from time to time been pointed out are lying at the door of many, sins which the Lord regards as of no light character. If men would only give up their spirit of resistance to the Holy Spirit, the spirit which has long been leavening their religious experience, God's Spirit would address itself to their hearts. It would convince of sin. What a work! But the Holy Spirit has been insulted and light has been rejected. . . . {UL 51.5}

 

     It is not the will of God that any shall perish, but that all shall have everlasting life. O could I be assured that . . . my brethren would feel a sense of what pure principles mean to them and to all with whom they are associated, my heart would leap with joy. . . . {UL 51.6}

 

     Every soul that will accept Jesus as his personal Saviour will pant for the privilege of serving God, and will eagerly seize the opportunity to signalize his gratitude by devoting his abilities to God's service.--Letter 8, Feb. 6, 1896, to "My Brethren in America." {UL 51.7}

 

December 1, 1898 The Outpouring of the Spirit.

 

     During the Jewish economy, the influence of God's Spirit had been seen in a marked manner, but not in full. For ages prayers had been offered for the fulfilment of God's promise to impart His Spirit, and not one of these earnest supplications had been forgotten. {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 1}

 

     Christ determined that when He ascended from this earth He would bestow a gift on those who had believed on Him and those who should believe on Him. What gift could He bestow rich enough to signalize and grace His ascension to the mediatorial throne? It must be worthy of His greatness and His royalty. 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, converting, enlightening, sanctifying, would be His donation. {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 2}

 

     Standing near His trial, condemnation, and crucifixion, Christ said: "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." "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, whom the world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 3}

 

     This is a wonderful announcement. Christ longed to be in a position where He could accomplish the most important work by few and simple means. The plan of redemption is comprehensive; but its parts are few, and each part depends on the other, while all work together with the utmost simplicity and in entire harmony. Christ is represented by the Holy Spirit; and when this Spirit is appreciated, when those controlled by the Spirit communicate to others the energy with which they are imbued, an invisible chord is touched which electrifies the whole. Would that we could all understand how boundless are the divine resources! {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 4}

 

     But the time had now come. The Spirit had been waiting for the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. For ten days the disciples offered their petitions for the outpouring of the Spirit, and Christ in heaven added His intercession. This was the occasion of His ascension and inauguration, a jubilee in heaven. He had ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and He now claimed the gift of the Spirit, that He might pour it out upon His disciples. {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 5}

 

     The Spirit was given as Christ had promised, and like a rushing mighty wind it fell upon those assembled, filling the whole house. It came with a fulness and power, as if for ages it had been restrained, but was now being poured forth upon the church, to be communicated to the world. {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 6}

 

     What followed this outpouring?--Thousands were converted in a day. In Christ's day many heard the Gospel, but they did not become sufficiently interested to search for the pearl of great price. But on the day of Pentecost three thousand were converted by the preaching of the Gospel. A wonderful communication was made that day between heaven and earth. Those who witnessed this scene had recently witnessed in the same city the crucifixion of the world's Redeemer. But how little those who beheld Him hanging on the cross understood what His death meant! How few realized that "God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!" {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 7}

 

     On the day of Pentecost, Christ's witnesses proclaimed the truth, telling men the wonderful news of salvation through Christ. And as a flaming two-edged sword the truth flashed conviction into human hearts. Men were brought under Christ's control. The glad tidings were carried to the uttermost bounds of the inhabited world. The church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. The altar of the cross, which sanctifies the gift, was rebuilt. Believers were reconverted. Sinners united with Christians in seeking the pearl of great price. The prophecy was fulfilled, the weak "shall be as David," and David "as the angel of the Lord." Every Christian saw in his brother the divine similitude of benevolence and love. One interest prevailed. One object swallowed up all others. Every pulse beat in healthy concert. The only ambition of the believers was to see who could reveal most perfectly the likeness of Christ's character, who could do the most for the enlargement of His kingdom. "The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul." The Spirit of Christ animated the whole congregation; for they had found the pearl of great price. Mrs. E. G. White. {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 8}

 

 

MR No. 240 - The Holy Spirit

 

     We are living in the dispensation of the Spirit; we hold in our hands the promise of His Spirit, and ministers may be qualified to give the trumpet a certain sound, to arouse the sleeping people and set them at work for themselves and for others out of the fold.--Letter 15, 1889. {4MR 329.1}

     The Holy Spirit is to be presented in every discourse. What wonderful statements Christ has made concerning His representative to the world! This is the theme of encouragement to be kept before the people. In comprehending the office of the Holy Spirit, we shall bring all blessings to ourselves. He will make us complete in Christ.--Ms 8, 1898. {4MR 329.2}

     The promised outpouring of God's life-giving Spirit has been and is still the great hope of God's people. It is the hope and glory of Zion. In this time of spiritual declension God's ministry is to stand in dignity, efficiency, and power.--Ms. 14, 1901. {4MR 329.3}

     He will impart His Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His reviving, and there shall not be room enough to receive it. Nothing but the baptism of the Holy Spirit can bring up the church to its right position, and prepare the people of God for the fast approaching conflict.--Letter 15, 1889. {4MR 329.4}

     Evil has been accumulating for centuries and could only be resisted by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead. . . .

 

 

                                    -330-

 

Another spirit must be met; for the essence of evil was working in all ways, and the submission of man to this satanic captivity was amazing.--Letter 8, 1896. {4MR 329.5}

     A message will soon be given by God's appointment that will swell into a loud cry. . . . We are standing upon the borders of the greatest event in the world's history, and Satan must not have power over the people of God, causing them to sleep on. The papacy will appear in its power. . . . The time of trouble is near, and we are to awake to a realization of this.--Letter 54, 1906. {4MR 330.1}

     All human effort combined is weakness without the deep moving of the Spirit of God. . . . Without His help the deep learning and restless energy of a Paul, the eloquence and talent of an Apollos, will fall infinitely short of convicting and bringing one soul to repentance. . . . While man can do nothing without God, the Lord would do nothing without the human channel.--Letter 85, 1898. {4MR 330.2}

     Unless the human agent inclines his heart to do God's will, and takes up God's service, the light will shine in vain. A thousandfold more light and conviction would accomplish nothing. God knows he has had sufficient evidence already.--Letter 135, 1898. {4MR 330.3}

     The only power that can quicken the heart into activity is the power which will give life to the dead--the Holy Spirit of God. . . . Hang your

 

 

                                    -331-

 

helpless soul upon your Mediator. In and through Him, and Him alone, you can come to God. . . . The Holy Spirit is your hope.--Letter 124, 1901. {4MR 330.4}

     We do not want more of God any more urgently than He wants all there is of us to be consecrated to His service.--Undated Ms 73. {4MR 331.1}

     The more we discover our real need, our real poverty, the more we desire the gift of the Holy Spirit. . . . It is because we do not see our need, do not realize our poverty, that we do not pour forth earnest entreaties, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith for the bestowal of the blessing.--Ms 3, 1892. {4MR 331.2}

     The Spirit is constantly showing to the soul glimpses of the things of God. . . . The Spirit's energy is working in the heart and leading the inclinations of the will to Jesus by living faith and complete dependence on Divine power to will and to do of His good pleasure. The Spirit taketh the things of God, just as fast as the soul resolves, and acts in accordance with the light revealed.--Letter 135, 1898. {4MR 331.3}

     Of what avail would it have been to us that the only begotten Son of God had humbled Himself, endured the temptations of the wily foe and wrestled with him during His entire life on earth, and died the just for the unjust . . . if the Spirit had not been given as a constant, working, regenerating agent to make effectual in our cases what had been wrought out by the world's Redeemer.--Ms 1, 1892.

 

 

                                    -332- {4MR 331.4}

     When the Holy Spirit is allowed to do His work on human hearts, self will be crucified.--Letter 270, 1907. {4MR 332.1}

     Subjection to the Word of God means the restoration of one's self. Let Christ work by His Holy Spirit, and awaken you as from the dead.--Letter 8, 1896. {4MR 332.2}

     Receiving the Spirit of Christ, every one of His followers will fulfil a divinely appointed mission not merely to be an influence among influences, but to be a special influence for God in every sense of the term.--Ms 130, 1902. {4MR 332.3}

     If received and appreciated, the Holy Spirit will make us holy, Christlike.--Letter 178, 1907. {4MR 332.4}

     The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. . . . Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.--Ms 41, 1896. {4MR 332.5}

     The purification through the Spirit must take place in their minds and hearts. Unless this divine principle is brought into the life and practice, there can be no such fruit borne as unfeigned, fervent love for one another. --Ms 63, 1900.

 

 

                                    -333- {4MR 332.6}

     We cannot render to God supreme love and honor if we do not recognize the Holy Spirit.--Ms 59, 1900. {4MR 333.1}

     He who yields himself to the control of His Spirit lays hold of Christ with the living grasp of an earnest, definite faith, an intensity of love that nothing can quench.--Letter 10, 1899. {4MR 333.2}

     "He shall not speak of Himself," He said, "He shall glorify Me." As Christ came to glorify the Father by the revelation of His infinite love, so the Spirit came to glorify Christ.--Letter 213, 1903. {4MR 333.3}

     James and John thought that for the asking they could have the highest place in the kingdom of God. . . . They did not realize that before they could share Christ's glory, they must wear His yoke.--Letter 22, 1902. {4MR 333.4}

     The reason why the Holy Spirit does not work among us . . . is the unbelief in God and the lack of confidence in one another. This was the work of the power of darkness to lead us to suspect our brethren and stand apart as criticizers.--Letter 7, 1899. {4MR 333.5}

     As a people we need to seek most earnestly for the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.--Letter 200, 1902. {4MR 333.6}

     If we obtain the victory we must be earnest ourselves and plead with God

 

                                    -334-

 

for His Holy Spirit. We must talk and pray in faith that we may have the precious anointment of the Holy Spirit.--Letter 230, 1899. {4MR 333.7}

     To those who in faith claimed this promise it was speedily fulfilled. . . . As the disciples made humble supplication to God, their differences were swept away. They became of one mind. Then the way was prepared for the Holy Spirit to enter the cleansed, consecrated soul temples. Every heart was filled with the Spirit.--Ms 21, 1900. {4MR 334.1}

     We are too easily satisfied with limited, special, far-between blessings. We are to lay hold of God by faith and labor to bring souls to Christ. We are too dull in our doctrinal discourses upon the truth as it is in Jesus. . . . Come in consecration to holier ground, and still holier. . . . Let the truth take hold of the spiritual part of our own nature, and then the current of divine power will be communicated to those whom we address.--Letter 230, 1899. {4MR 334.2}

     The Holy Spirit invites all genuine prayer. I have learned to know that, in all my intercessions, the Spirit intercedes for me and for all saints whose intercessions are according to the will of God, we shall pray in conformity to His revealed will, and in submission to His will which we know not. . . . 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

 

 

                                    -335-

 

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. {4MR 334.3}

     The Lord Jesus has placed Himself under obligation never to disappoint a true seeker for the Holy Spirit's guidance.--Letter 68, 1900. {4MR 335.1}

     Those who beg at midnight for loaves to feed the hungry souls, will be successful. The law of God is that as we receive we are to impart. . . . In the name of the Lord I entreat you, ask and receive the Holy Spirit. Press to the side of Christ. But this Spirit can only be received by those who are consecrated, who will deny self, lifting the cross and following the Lord.--Letter 10, 1899. {4MR 335.2}

     Pray, Oh, pray most earnestly, "Put Thy Spirit, Lord, Thy Holy Spirit, within my heart, that I may be sincere in keeping my baptismal vow."--Ms 130, 1902. {4MR 335.3}

     Seasons of prayer should be held for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.--Letter 292, 1907. {4MR 335.4}

     Could there be a convocation of all the churches on earth, the object of their united cry should be for the Holy Spirit. When we have that, Christ our sufficiency is ever present, we shall have every want supplied. We shall have the mind of Christ.-- Letter 114, 1894.  {4MR 335.5}

 

                                    -336-

 

     God will not do for man that which He requires man shall do for himself through his own earnest willing cooperation. . . . He cannot of himself move one step toward Christ without the Spirit of God draws him, and this drawing is ever, and will continue until man grieves the Holy Ghost by his persistent refusal.--Letter 135, 1898. {4MR 336.1}

     Time and time again the Lord has longed to communicate His Spirit in rich measure, but there was no place for Him to rest. He was not recognized or valued. The blindness of mind, the hardness of hearts interpreted Him as something of which they should be afraid. Some hidden evil lurks in the heart to hinder the manifestation of the power of God, and His Spirit cannot descend.--Letter 43, 1890. {4MR 336.2}

     Before giving us the baptism of the Holy Spirit, our heavenly Father will try us, to see if we can live without dishonoring Him. . . . Do not think that you can have great spiritual blessings without complying with the conditions God Himself has laid down.--Letter 22, 1902. {4MR 336.3}

     When God's people will believe, when they will turn their attention to that which is true, and living, and real, the Holy Spirit, in strong heavenly currents, will be poured upon the church.--Ms 21, 1900. {4MR 336.4}

     Arouse from your deathlike slumbers. . . . Come into right connection with Him by yielding to the creating power of the Holy Spirit. Then will be seen in the church the unity that is of value in God's sight.--Ms 64, 1898.

 

 

                                    -337- {4MR 336.5}

     Fields of labor were opened to be worked, and all found wherever they went in Christ's name, His representative in the Holy Spirit opened the hearts and doors for the disciples. All were of one mind and all felt that their resources must be taxed to the uttermost of their ability. A work was before them to preach Christ and Him crucified through the whole world.--Ms 130, 1901. {4MR 337.1}

     The religion of Christ means much more than forgiveness of sins. It means taking away ours, and filling the vacuum with the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God.--Ms 2, 1899. {4MR 337.2}

 

“His Spirit will be communicated to human instrumentalities, giving them light before which moral darkness must flee away.”--Letter 43, 1890. {4MR 337.3}

 

“God's message to each of us is, My son, give Me thine heart.". . . Then open the heart to the Divine Spirit and you will appreciate the value of the human soul. . . .” {4MR 337.4}

 

“The power of the Holy Spirit is drawing to God all who will be drawn. He is convincing men that the commandments of God are a life and death question with them.”--Ms 44, 1900. {4MR 337.5}

 

“Unless we can feel brotherly love for those around us, the Holy Spirit cannot work upon our hearts and minds.”--Letter 68, 1896.

 

                                    -338- {4MR 337.6}

     The soul who yields his heart to be worked by the Holy Spirit will be a living channel of light in the inculcation of the precepts and truth of the Word of God, winning others to obedience of the commandments of God.--Ms. 166, 1897. {4MR 338.1}

 

     The question is sometimes asked, "Why, if we have the truth, do we not see a greater manifestation of the Spirit of God?" God cannot reveal Himself till those who profess to be Christians are doers of His word in their private lives, till there is oneness with Christ, a sanctification of body, soul, and spirit. Then they will be fit temples for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.--Letter 139, 1898. {4MR 338.2}

 

     I would that we had the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and this we must have before we can reveal perfection of life and character. I would that each member of the church would open the heart to Jesus, saying, "Come, heavenly Guest, abide with me."--Letter 139, 1898. {4MR 338.3}

 

 

     Those who are imbued with His Spirit will have an intense love for everyone for whom He has died, and will work earnestly to bring into the heavenly garner a harvest of souls. Filled with His Spirit, men and women will be animated with the same desire to save sinners that animated Christ in His lifework as a missionary sent of God.--Ms 130, 1902.

 

The most difficult aspect of the Godhead for some to understand is how there can be three persons when the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ. Russell is totally correct that the Holy Spirit is Christ. The Holy Spirit is also the Father. But Christ emptied Himself of that form of God FOR A TIME. The glories of that form of God He for awhile relinquished. What?! Would he not relinquish such forever because He is combined with humanity forever?! And what does relinquishing the glories for awhile mean?

 

All of these points should be made very clear in any dealing with the Godhead, or folk will not understand what you are trying to present.

 

glo·ry   (glôr'ē, glōr'ē)  http://sp.ask.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif 
n.   pl.
glo·ries

Great honor, praise, or distinction accorded by common consent; renown.

Something conferring honor or renown.

A highly praiseworthy asset: Your wit is your crowning glory.

Adoration, praise, and thanksgiving offered in worship.

Majestic beauty and splendor; resplendence: The sun set in a blaze of glory.

The splendor and bliss of heaven; perfect happiness.

A height of achievement, enjoyment, or prosperity: ancient Rome in its greatest glory.

A halo, nimbus, or aureole. Also called gloriole.

intr.v.   glo·ried, glo·ry·ing, glo·ries
To rejoice triumphantly; exult: a sports team that gloried in its hard-won victory.

[Middle English
glorie, from Old French, from Latin glōria.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

 

Definition of the use of glory to the Lord in Luke 2:9

 

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 

Number 1391

Transliteration:

doxa {dox'-ah}

Word Origin:

from the base of 1380

TDNT:

2:233,178

Part of Speech:

noun feminine

Usage in the KJV:

glory 145, glorious 10, honour 6, praise 4, dignity 2, worship 1

Total: 168

Definition:

opinion, judgment, view

opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone

in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory

splendour, brightness

of the moon, sun, stars

magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace

majesty

a thing belonging to God

the kingly majesty which belongs to Him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.

 

So Christ gets back His former honer and praise—not His former attributes that will be cumbered by His humanity FOREVER. Those attributes operate through His Holy Spirit.

 

Here is how Christ gets back that form of God to a degree. He gets it back when He gives His former life Holy Spirit to His bride, the 144,000, and they become the body of Christ, with Him as the head. That is WHEN and HOW Jesus gets back the glories He for awhile relinquished. But it is not a direct return to that former life of DIVINE ONLY BEING with all the divine attributes. Why? Because Christ is still combined with humanity forever. Will He get back all the attributes of the Holy Spirit through His bride? Will she have those attributes? I don't think so. Why? Because Jesus had to die to something FOREVER to fulfill the Testator's Everlasting Covenant. But these are some of the issues we will be studying for eternity because Ellen White said that the Godhead will be the study of eternity. We don't begin to understand and have answers for all the questions that arise vis a vis the Godhead. Some may think they do, but they don't.

 

"The apostle would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. . . . He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for awhile relinquished. . . . He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will." E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7a, p. 446.

 

The following statement is key to understanding when and how and why the third person came into being:

 

"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.

 

·         At the Incarnation Christ's humanity cumbered his former life of Divine ONLY Holy Spirit BEING.

·         Up until the Incarnation, there were only two persons to the Godhead, the Father and the Son with each possessing the ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT--or Holy Spirit.

·         At the Incarnation, because Christ's humanity would cumber the attributes of His former Holy Spirit Divine ONLY Being, His Holy Spirit divested Himself of the PERSONality of Christ's humanity and AT THAT TIME became independent thereof of Jesus in His forever combined state with humanity.

·         Since Christ's humanity cumbered the attributes of His Holy Spirit, such as omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, He emptied Himself of those attributes. What a sacrifice! It can only be deduced that He emptied Himself of those attributes FOREVER, because His humanity is combined with His divinity forever.

·         The mystery part is how Jesus can be fully Divine and fully human while having divested Himself of those attributes.

·         The life that WAS HIS, His Holy Spirit DIVINE ONLY LIFE, He sacrificed forever. He gives that life to us in the form of His Divine Nature, 2 Peter 1:4, as a cure for sin and that we might be regenerated back into the image of God.

If there was only one "third person" statement like the one from Evangelism that Russell says was changed, that would be one thing. But there are quite a few and it would be very difficult to dismiss all those statements as having been altered by editors. And if that type of alteration has occurred, then we might as well dispense with the Spirit of Prophecy, because anyone could believe and/or discard any part of it they did not agree with by concluding that it had been altered. God would not give us the gift of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of unity TILL HE COMES, if that gift was to be perverted and made unreliable by the leaders changing what Ellen White wrote, and especially on such important an issue as the Godhead which is pivotal to everything we believe that is truth.

 

The weight of evidence formula demads that we consider EVERY WORD of evidence and interpret so that nothing contradicts. Even though Russell's methodology might appear to be in-depth and thorough, it does not consider many of the statements regarding a third person and the heavenly trio. This is a serious violation of the weight of evidence formula.

 

Weight of Evidence Formula: "1 wor. Every d must have its proper bearing on the subject presented in the Bible 2. All Scripture is necessary, and may be understood by diligent application and study 3. Nothing revealed in Scripture can or will be hid from those who ask in faith, not wavering 4. To understand doctrine, bring all the scriptures together on the subject you wish to know, then let every word have its proper influence and if you can form your theory without a contradiction, you cannot be in error 5. Scripture must be its own expositor, [interpreter] since it is a rule of itself. If I depend on a teacher to expound to me, and he should guess at its meaning, or desire to have it so on account of his sectarian creed, or to be thought wise, then his guessing, desire, creed, or wisdom is my rule, and not the Bible." E.G. White, Second Advent Review and Herald, 11-25-84, pr. 24.

 

The numerous THIRD PERSON and HEAVENLY TRIO statements by Ellen White, constitute a contradiction to Russell's theory on the Godhead.

 

The implications of omitting those statements are serious and of eternal consequence. The implications involve the highest good, crowning sacrifice made for man as part of the Everlasting Covenant, the Testator's Covenant.

 

Ron

 

 

All blessings,

 

—rwb

 

Added Items:

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Ron Beaulieu

To: AdventistHotIssues@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 5:53 AM

Subject: Holy Spirit INDEPENDENT of Christ in His Humanity

 

 

Russell wrote:

 

"Okay. From the publication: “Putting the Pieces Together” by Restitution Ministries we read the following concerning: “the Holy Spirit is as much a person as God is a person.”

 

We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.--Manuscript 66, 1899. (From a talk to the students at the Avondale School.){Evangelism, p. 616}

 

Short Answer: This statement is talking about the Lord Jesus (when it is read in its original context). The statement appearing in Evangelism is edited to suit the bias of the compilers. There are many who interpret that which I write in the light of their own preconceived opinions. You know what this means. A division in understanding and diverse opinions is the sure result.{E. G. White, Selected Messages Book 3, p. 79}

 

Detailed Answer: This is a classic example of misquotation. We were warned very plainly not to do this with the Spirit of Prophecy. There are some, who upon accepting erroneous theories, strive to establish them by collecting from my writings statements of truth, which they use, separated from their proper connection and perverted by association with error. Thus seeds of heresy, springing up and growing rapidly into strong plants, are surrounded by many precious plants of truth, and in this way a mighty effort is made to vindicate the genuineness of the spurious plants.{E. G. White, This Day With God, p. 126} Now let us look at that statement in its full context (which is hidden from the reader of Evangelism).

 

“The Lord says this because He knows it is for our good. He would build a wall around us, to keep us from transgression, so that His blessing and love may be bestowed on us in rich measure. This is the reason we have established a school here. The Lord instructed us that this was the place in which we should locate, and we have had every reason to think that we are in the right place. We have been brought together as a school, and we need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds, unseen by human eyes; that the Lord God is our Keeper and Helper. He hears every word we utter and knows every thought of the mind.{E. G. White, Sermons and Talks Volume Two, pp. 136, 137} {Also appearing in Manuscript Releases Vol. 7, p. 299}

 

As can be plainly seen, the statement appearing in Evangelism was doctored (altered) by the editors to suit their own thinking. In 1946 the editors and compilers of Evangelism (compiled by LeRoy E. Froom and friends) selected a number of E. G. White statements on the Godhead (about 6-8) which seemed to imply that she was teaching the trinity doctrine. Remember, the book Evangelism by Ellen White is a compilation with subheadings she did not supply. They are supplied by Froom and friends, such as the use of the word ‘Trinity’. She never used the word in all her writings. It was LeRoy Froom who supplied the word trinity in the subheadings of the book Evangelism, as well as the carefully "selected" (and edited) quotes by Ellen White on the Godhead.

 

Yet the prophet has not failed to warn us of such attempts either. There will be those once united with us in the faith who will search for new, strange doctrines, for something odd and sensational to present to the people. They will bring in all conceivable fallacies, and will present them as coming from Mrs. White, that they may beguile souls.{E. G. White, Selected Messages Book 1, p. 41}

 

Who has a right to meddle with the words of the inspired Messenger? Why should the editors of Evangelism feel a need to place a full stop where the prophet places a comma and continues her explanation? Why should they thus cut up this sentence? Anyone reading the whole paragraph should know the answer.

 

Let us now examine the statement carefully in its full context. Mrs. White is not talking of more than one individual, for she is using the singular pronoun “he” all through. If she were talking of more than one she would have used “they” rather than “he”. Therefore, she is talking only of one person; “The Lord”. It is “The Lord” who is our keeper, not someone else. The Lord is the one who hears every word. It is the Lord who is “unseen by human eyes”. And even though He is there by His Holy Spirit yet He is as much a real person as if He were here physically! This is the meaning of that statement. His personal presence is His person, which is as much a person as He is a person."

 

Ron responds: Yes, indeed, the Holy Spirit is as much a person as God is a person, and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost life of Chirst, the Son of God, prior to His Incarnation. That PERSONality was divested from Christ's humanity to become an independent person of Him in His humanity. It was this divestation the resulted in a third person. Otherwise, Christ's humanity would be part and parcel of the Holy Spirit AND THA IS NOT SO. The Holy Spirit is INDEPENDENT of the PERSONality of humanity as the following statements attests. So the Holy Spirit is as much a person as is God and Christ, and INDEPENDENT THEREOF.

 

"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.

 

Eternal Sacrifice Divine Soul

 

"The apostle would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. . . . He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for awhile relinquished. . . . He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will." E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7a, p. 446.

 

Ron 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Ron Beaulieu

To: AdventistHotIssues@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 6:15 AM

Subject: The Life that WAS His

 

 

Death that was ours -- life that was His                                    

 

"He (Christ) suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which WAS His." Desire of Ages, p. 25 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53, 54, Titus 3:5, 6.

 

What life WAS HIS (Past Tense)? The life that WAS HIS is His Holy Spirit Divine Nature that was divested from His humanity and became independent thereof at His Incarnation. But it is still referred to as Christ--even the soul of His life. This makes it a bit confounding to some.

 

"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.

 

One Eternal Spirit

 

It is the one eternal Spirit, THE ETERNAL SPIRIT, that makes the persons of the Godhead ONE GOD. They all have that ONE SAME ESSENCE, SUBSTANCE that constitutes. God is a spirit says Scripture.

 

Hbr 9:14 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? 

 

Jhn 4:24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

 

“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)

 

“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26.

 

"He (Christ) suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which WAS His." Desire of Ages, p. 25 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53, 54, Titus 3:5, 6.

 

"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, 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.

 

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

 

W.J. Johnson

 

“On the cross, He died the eternal death of the sinner, from which there can be no hope of a resurrection; that we might receive the eternal life-in-Himself, which had been His. This eternal life was the entity of the Holy Ghost. A ghost is the image – the living spirit – of one who has died. At death, it returned to God who gave it. Christ was the eternal Son of God by virtue of the eternal Spirit of life which the Father had shared with His Only-begotten Son from eternity past. [cf John 5:26]. But He volunteered to die the eternal death of the sinner.

 

Note: How did Christ die the eternal death of the sinner? He FOREVER died to His past life of DIVINITY ONLY, and bequeathed that past life of DIVINE NATURE to us for overcoming and regeneration back into the image of God. End note.

 

 

And after presenting His disciples with His final profound lesson at the last Passover supper, explaining how He must die the eternal death of the sinner, and relinquish His eternal body and blood for them to eat and drink to obtain the eternal life which had been His, He went to Gethsamane and surrendered His life into the custody of His Father; and thus could die the eternal death of sinful humanity on the cross.” J. Wilfred Johnson, Panorama of Truth, Vol. 1, p. 210.

 

The Time When 144,000 Collectively Receive the Holy Ghost

 

“After His resurrection, He ascended to intercede in the most holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary for the Father to send His Spirit of eternal life – now called the Holy Ghost – to each one for whom He interceded. When the 144,000 saints obtain perfect obedience, they will collectively receive the fullness of the Holy Ghost of the former Christ who had died the second death of the sinner from which there is no hope of a resurrection. Repentant sinners live eternally by receiving the eternal life Spirit of Christ – the Holy Ghost – as a permanent gift.” J.W. Johnson, Panorama of Truth, Vol. 1, p. 210.

 

“Christ declared that after his ascension, He would send to His church, the Comforter, who ws to take His place. This Comforter is the Holy Ghost – the soul of His life . . .” E.G. White, Review and Herald, May 19th, 1904.

 

Ron

 

 

 

 

Mr. Unterschultz’s responses:

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Russell Unterschultz

To: AdventistHotIssues@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 12:33 AM

Subject: Re: [AdventistHotIssues] Diversions to the Facts of the Issue

 




Hello Ron: As you posted a few e-mails, I will have to take up your responses one by one. This may take some time to do so. I will reprint your comments in blue, mine will be in black.

 

Russell,

 

I repeat my early statement to you in the post below. It was your "short answer" that I disagreed with:

 

"Short Answer: The heavenly "trio" are: God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and their Holy Spirit (not a trio of gods!). There is one God, and one Lord and one Spirit (the Spirit of Christ), not a trio of co-equal divine beings (see Romans 8:9-11)."

 

Ron responds: I believe you directly contradict Ellen White wherein she said that the Holy Spirit is as much a person as God is a person. Please deal with this fact before going on to other things which might be diversionary to this fact.

 

Okay. From the publication: “Putting the Pieces Together” by Restitution Ministries we read the following concerning: “the Holy Spirit is as much a person as God is a person.”

 

We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.--Manuscript 66, 1899. (From a talk to the students at the Avondale School.){Evangelism, p. 616}

 

Short Answer: This statement is talking about the Lord Jesus (when it is read in its original context). The statement appearing in Evangelism is edited to suit the bias of the compilers. There are many who interpret that which I write in the light of their own preconceived opinions. You know what this means. A division in understanding and diverse opinions is the sure result.{E. G. White, Selected Messages Book 3, p. 79}

 

Detailed Answer: This is a classic example of misquotation. We were warned very plainly not to do this with the Spirit of Prophecy. There are some, who upon accepting erroneous theories, strive to establish them by collecting from my writings statements of truth, which they use, separated from their proper connection and perverted by association with error. Thus seeds of heresy, springing up and growing rapidly into strong plants, are surrounded by many precious plants of truth, and in this way a mighty effort is made to vindicate the genuineness of the spurious plants.{E. G. White, This Day With God, p. 126} Now let us look at that statement in its full context (which is hidden from the reader of Evangelism).

 

“The Lord says this because He knows it is for our good. He would build a wall around us, to keep us from transgression, so that His blessing and love may be bestowed on us in rich measure. This is the reason we have established a school here. The Lord instructed us that this was the place in which we should locate, and we have had every reason to think that we are in the right place. We have been brought together as a school, and we need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds, unseen by human eyes; that the Lord God is our Keeper and Helper. He hears every word we utter and knows every thought of the mind.{E. G. White, Sermons and Talks Volume Two, pp. 136, 137} {Also appearing in Manuscript Releases Vol. 7, p. 299}

 

As can be plainly seen, the statement appearing in Evangelism was doctored (altered) by the editors to suit their own thinking. In 1946 the editors and compilers of Evangelism (compiled by LeRoy E. Froom and friends) selected a number of E. G. White statements on the Godhead (about 6-8) which seemed to imply that she was teaching the trinity doctrine. Remember, the book Evangelism by Ellen White is a compilation with subheadings she did not supply. They are supplied by Froom and friends, such as the use of the word ‘Trinity’. She never used the word in all her writings. It was LeRoy Froom who supplied the word trinity in the subheadings of the book Evangelism, as well as the carefully "selected" (and edited) quotes by Ellen White on the Godhead.

 

Yet the prophet has not failed to warn us of such attempts either. There will be those once united with us in the faith who will search for new, strange doctrines, for something odd and sensational to present to the people. They will bring in all conceivable fallacies, and will present them as coming from Mrs. White, that they may beguile souls.{E. G. White, Selected Messages Book 1, p. 41}

 

Who has a right to meddle with the words of the inspired Messenger? Why should the editors of Evangelism feel a need to place a full stop where the prophet places a comma and continues her explanation? Why should they thus cut up this sentence? Anyone reading the whole paragraph should know the answer.

 

Let us now examine the statement carefully in its full context. Mrs. White is not talking of more than one individual, for she is using the singular pronoun “he” all through. If she were talking of more than one she would have used “they” rather than “he”. Therefore, she is talking only of one person; “The Lord”. It is “The Lord” who is our keeper, not someone else. The Lord is the one who hears every word. It is the Lord who is “unseen by human eyes”. And even though He is there by His Holy Spirit yet He is as much a real person as if He were here physically! This is the meaning of that statement. His personal presence is His person, which is as much a person as He is a person.

 

Now let us compare the Spirit of Prophecy (the key) here a little and there a little: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Christ is not here referring to his doctrine, but to his person, the divinity of his character.{E. G. White, Review and Herald, April 5, 1906 par. 12}

 

How plain! When Christ speaks of the Spirit He is referring “to his person” (not to a different person other than Himself). This is why it is as much a person as God is a person, for it is His very own person!

 

“Christ walks unseen through our streets. With messages of mercy He comes to our homes. With all who are seeking to minister in His name, He waits to co-operate. He is in the midst of us, to heal and to bless, if we will receive Him.{E. G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 107}

 

“Remember that Jesus is beside you wherever you go, noting your actions and listening to your words. Would you be ashamed to hear his voice speaking to you, and to know that he hears your conversation?” {E. G. White, The Youth’s Instructor, February 4, 1897 par. 3}

 

Who walks unseen in our streets? Who is it that listens to our words and hears our conversation? Why, it is Jesus who is beside us. But, how is He beside us?

 

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

 

“By the Spirit the Father and the Son will come and make their abode with you.{E. G. White, Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, January 15, 1893 par. 8}

 

Therefore, we rightly conclude that the Holy Spirit is the unseen personal presence of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the unseen person of Christ.

 

“The Lord Jesus standing by the side of the canvasser, walking with them, is the chief worker. If we recognize Christ as the One who is with us to prepare the way, the Holy Spirit by our side will make impressions in just the lines needed.{E. G. White, Colporteur Ministry, p. 107}

 

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans 8:9-11.

 

Obviously the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are of the ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. Jesus said He would raise up Himself.

 

A point to make here is that to the best of my searching, you will not find in the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy the term “ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT” as you so emphatically maintain. This must be then your own theological terminology. Why should I then trust your definition of these three words as you use them?

 

Jhn 2:19

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

 

 

Let us take a closer look at the following part of the text that you quoted from the book of Romans:

 

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

 

Question:

 

Who is he that raised up Jesus from the dead and who shall also quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit?

 

Answer:

 

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

 

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead; Galatians 1:1

 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: … Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], Ephesians 1:17,20

 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

 

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Acts 2:24

 

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.  Acts 2:31,32

 

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; Acts 3:15

 

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, Acts 4:10

 

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.  Acts 5:30

 

Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; Acts 10:40

 

But God raised him from the dead: Acts 13:30

 

God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, [now] no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.  Wherefore he saith also in another [psalm], Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  Acts 13:33-35

 

But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Acts 13:37

 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead.  Acts 17:30,31

 

As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were … But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;  Romans 4:17,24

 

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 1 Corinthians 6:14

 

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 1 Corinthians 15:15

 

Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. Colossians 2:12

 

For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10

 

Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 1 Peter 1:21

 

Ron, would you not agree from the weight of evidence presented here that it was God the Father who by his own Spirit raised up Christ from the dead?

 

 

Scripture says there is ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT.

 

As mentioned previously, the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy do not use this terminology, “ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT.” Check for yourself.

 

There are three personalities that posess that ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. They would of necessity be co-equal. They are not a trio of Gods because they all have the same ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT and that is what constitutes them as ONE GOD.  You tout the Son as being equal with the Father!

 

That would make TWO GODS BY YOUR REASONING AS REGARDS A TRIO. So if TWO, WHY NOT THREE?! That is not consistent and Yuergen make the same inconsistent observation.

 

·    God the Father--A separate and distinct person.

·    The Holy Spirit personality as divested from the personality of Christ at His Incarnation.

·    Jesus as combined with humanity forever, who is kept by the Holy Spirit of the Father.

·    How Christ is fully God and fully human while divested of the personality of His former Holy Spirit Divine Being, I don't know at this time. I believe it has to do with the fact that He, as the Holy Ghost, sired Himself into the womb of Mary. This is just a thought for consideration.

Christ begat Himself?? “I believe it has to do with the fact that He, as the Holy Ghost, sired Himself into the womb of Mary.”

Ron, please correct me if I am wrong, but I think that perhaps your understanding of the terminology: “ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT” is misleading you on the subject of the Godhead.

However, the words “eternal Spirit” are certainly used in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. The Spirit of Prophecy also uses the terminology “God, the eternal Spirit.”

Who exactly is “God, the eternal Spirit?” Let us see here a little and there a little from the Spirit of Prophecy:

God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image. As a personal being, God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father's glory, "and the express image of His person" (Hebrews 1:3), was on earth found in fashion as a man. {Ed 131.1} 

God the Father is a spirit; yet He is a personal being. This is plain enough.

The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. "The Lord's throne is in heaven" (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand. {Ed 132}

The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy beings, all waiting to do His will. Through these messengers He is in active communication with every part of His dominion. By His Spirit He is everywhere present. Through the agency of His Spirit and His angels He ministers to the children of men.  Above the distractions of the earth He sits enthroned; all things are open to His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His providence sees best. {MH 417.2} 

As a personal being, God the Father sits on His throne in heaven. Yet by His Spirit (and not by someone else) He is everywhere present. Let us now see further testimony that it is the Father Himself who is God, the eternal Spirit:

They are only the human instrumentalities, possessing no grace or loveliness of their own, and are powerful and efficacious only as God, the eternal Spirit, shall work upon human hearts. The treasure of the everlasting gospel is in earthen vessels. Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, and this is the extent of their ability: God only giveth the increase. There must be no dishonoring of God, no grieving of His Holy Spirit, by casting dishonor or reflection upon God, who selects His messengers to bear a message to the world, by refusing the message of God's words from the lips of any of His servants, by whom He may send it. Many souls rob themselves of great blessings, and Christ of glory which should redound to Him; because they do not take heed to this, there is confusion, and defection, and weakness. (Signed) Ellen G. White  {1888 1039.1} 

From the context of this last Spirit of Prophecy paragraph it is plain that it is God the Father who is God, the eternal Spirit; who as a personal being is also present everywhere by His Holy Spirit.

Ellen White said the Holy Spirit was as much a person as God:

 

“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds." -Manuscript 66, 1899 (Evangelism, 616).

 

If you disbelieve the above statement and think it was altered, it would help and save time and effort on the part of both of us if you divulge that belief now.

·    If the Holy Spirit is as much a person as God is a person, how would the Holy Spirit not be a co-equal divine being, WHEN ALL THREE PERSONS SHARE THE SAME ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT that constitutes them as ONE GOD?

“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.” -Manuscript 20, 1906 (Evangelism, 616-61 7).

 

I refer you please once again to the publication: “Putting the Pieces Together” by Restitution Ministries for a harmonization of this statement:

 

The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God. . . . 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}

 

Short Answer: The quoted verse (1 Corinthians 2:11) is the key to understanding the statement. According to Paul man and his spirit is comparable to God and His Spirit. Just as man’s spirit is not a different person to man, even so God’s Holy Spirit is not a different person to God. Just as man’s spirit is his very own person, even so God’s Spirit is His very own person.

 

Detailed Answer: When we use the Testimonies as the key, we will discover some very important basic principles.

 

The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. "The Lord's throne is in heaven" (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand.{E. G. White, Education, p. 132}

 

In giving us His Spirit, God gives us Himself, making Himself a fountain of divine influences, to give health and life to the world.{E. G. White, Testimonies Volume 7, p. 273}

 

If we keep the above principles in mind things will be much easier to understand. The Spirit has a personality because God has a personality. In giving us His Spirit, God is giving us Himself, not someone else. When God gives us Himself (in Spirit) it is not devoid of personality. It is not just some impersonal force or essence. No, it is very personal and intimate. It is God’s own person, having God’s very own personality. The same goes for the fact that the Spirit is a divine person. This is because God is a divine person. You see, God is a spirit, and yet a person.

 

God is a Spirit; yet He is a personal Being; for so He has revealed Himself:{E. G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 413}

 

The Holy Spirit is a person because God is a person, and the Holy Spirit is the person of God. It is also the person of Christ.

 

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Christ is not here referring to his doctrine, but to his person, the divinity of his character.{E. G. White, Review and Herald, April 5, 1906 par. 12}

 

This is why the Spirit has a personality and is a person.

 

Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.{E. G. White, Manuscript Releases Vol.14, p. 23}

 

Russell

 

Ron

 

 


From: Ron Beaulieu <rsbeauli@telusplanet.net>
To: AdventistHotIssues@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, August 17, 2010 6:21:42 AM
Subject: [AdventistHotIssues] Diversions to the Facts of the Issue

 

Russell,

 

I repeat my early statement to you in the post below. It was your "short answer" that I disagreed with:

 

"Short Answer: The heavenly "trio" are: God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and their Holy Spirit (not a trio of gods!). There is one God, and one Lord and one Spirit (the Spirit of Christ), not a trio of co-equal divine beings (see Romans 8:9-11)."

 

Ron responds: I believe you directly contradict Ellen White wherein she said that the Holy Spirit is as much a person as God is a person. Please deal with this fact before going on to other things which might be diversionary to this fact.

 

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans 8:9-11.

 

Obviously the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are of the ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. Jesus said He would raise up Himself.

 

Jhn 2:19

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

 

Scripture says there is ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. There are three personalities that posess that ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. They would of necessity be co-equal. They are not a trio of Gods because they all have the same ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT and that is what constitutes them as ONE GOD. You tout the Son as being equal with the Father! That would make TWO GODS BY YOUR REASONING AS REGARDS A TRIO. So if TWO, WHY NOT THREE?! That is not consistent and Yuergen make the same inconsistent observation.

Ellen White said the Holy Spirit was as much a person as God:

 

“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds." -Manuscript 66, 1899 (Evangelism, 616).

 

If you disbelieve the above statement and think it was altered, it would help and save time and effort on the part of both of us if you divulge that belief now.

“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.” -Manuscript 20, 1906 (Evangelism, 616-61 7).

 

Ron

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Ron Beaulieu

To: AdventistHotIssues@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 6:50 PM

Subject: Re: [AdventistHotIssues] Re: i need your help

 

Hi Russell,

 

Right off the top, I do not believe that your following statement (below) accords with Ellen White and Scriptures. It is clear that the soul of the life of Christ is God and that is Ellen White's definition of the Holy Spirit. It is the ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT that makes them all ONE GOD, but she states unequivocally that there are three persons and that they are all God. The Holy Spirit is the former life of Christ (His Divine State of Being) before the Incarnation. That Holy Spirit Nature is DIVINE, 2 Peter, 1:4, and Mrs. White says that He is as much a person as God. I believe you make the huge mistake many make who hate the Trinity Doctrine. I hate it as well because it sweeps away the entire Christian economy. However, your error does as well because it denies that the highest good, crowning gift that heaven can bestow is a third person and God. The third person has to be God or the atonement would be GONE. Only one equal to God's law (Both Christ and the Father delivered the law at Sinai says Ellen White), could atone for any breach in that law. So for you to say the third person is not a THIRD PERSON AND GOD, sweeps away the Sanctuary Sacrifice, the Atonement and the entire Christian economy.

"Short Answer: The heavenly "trio" are: God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and their Holy Spirit (not a trio of gods!). There is one God, and one Lord and one Spirit (the Spirit of Christ), not a trio of co-equal divine beings (see Romans 8:9-11)."

Ron



Hello sister Lynn:

Thank you for your e-mail. It looks like there are three things which need to be addressed for you from your question:

(1) Firstly, I do not believe that Christ was a created being either. I believe that Christ was begotten of His Father. Many people today do not realize that the words “created “ and “begotten” mean two different things - proof of this difference to follow.

(2) I am not saying that Jesus created himself. Please re-read the sentence before the one underlined: “Christ is the only begotten Son of the Eternal Father.” Christ was begotten of His Father in eternity before they created all things – proof of this assertion to follow.

(3) “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.” Explanation of this statement by sister White will also be given.

The following quotes from the Spirit of Prophecy (harmonized with the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy) should answer the first two points in this letter. Please read it prayerfully and carefully [emphasis in quote is mine to make the truth plain]:

 

A complete offering has been made; for "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,"-- not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father's person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. ST, May 30, 1895

 

The first note to make after reading this passage is the difference between the words “created” and “begotten.” The angels are created beings and sister White affirms in this paragraph that Christ is not a son by creation. She says that Christ is a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory. It should be plain here that the words created and begotten mean two different things in reference to Christ.

 

With this thought in mind, now think on the last half of the statement from sister White:

 

… but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father's person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

 

The birth of Jesus Christ shown here must be a description of a divine birth, before his birth into humanity. How can we know this? Let us carefully compare this part of the statement with others of Christ's birth into humanity:

He was born in a stable ... cradled in a manger. Luke 2:7.

His divinity was veiled with humanity DA 23 ... and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:7.

His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object of attraction. DA 43

His greatness and majesty were hidden, That He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men. DA 23

He was born in a stable ... cradled in a manger. Luke 2:7.

 

His divinity was veiled with humanity DA 23 ... and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:7.

 

His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object of attraction. DA 43

 

His greatness and majesty were hidden, That He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men. DA 23

 

By being born of the seed of Abraham, Christ took fallen, sinful human flesh upon Himself. Therefore, the description of His birth into humanity as we just read could not, and in fact did not, include the words that He was “begotten in the express image of the Father's person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory ... and divine perfection.” These are descriptions showing two different events. One relates to His divine birth, and the other to His birth into humanity. And this is not an isolated statement from the Signs of the Times proclaiming Jesus’ divine birth. Consider the following:

The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from His bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind. RH, July 9, 1895

Note carefully the words: “The Eternal Father ... gave his only begotten Son, Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth...” show plainly that Christ was a begotten Son in the express image of the Father’s person BEFORE the Father sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind. Next, we read the following from The Desire of Ages:

The dedication of the first-born had its origin in the earliest times. God had promised to give the First-born of heaven to save the sinner. DA 51

Christ was the first-born of heaven. And:

God has sanctified childhood in that he gave his only begotten Son TO BECOME a child on earth. RH, December 17, 1889

Christ, the first-born of heaven, was a begotten Son to become a child on earth. In further confirmation of this fact we read the following:

While the Son of a human being, He became the Son of God in a NEW SENSE. Thus He stood in our world--the Son of God, yet allied by birth to the human race. 1SM 226

Thus, as Christ was begotten first in heaven and became God’s Son, He became the Son of God in a new sense when He became the Son of a human being. And after taking humanity upon Himself, just before He was to give His life a sacrifice for us, He said these words to His disciples:

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come [again] unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.  John 14:28

Note here the word “greater.” The Strong’s concordance definition of this word means larger in age or elder. This is certainly not the language of a co-eternal Divine Being, for Christ could never then say that His Father was elder than He.

Finally, regarding sister White’s statement that you quote in part: "In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived” I present to you the following harmonization of this quote from a booklet titled: “Putting the pieces Together” by Restitution Ministries:

Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection, and the life." In Christ is life, original,unborrowed, underived. "He that hath the Son hath life." The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life.--The Desire of Ages, p. 530 (1898)” {Evangelism, p. 616}

 

Short Answer: Christ was GIVEN the original, unborrowed, underived life of His Father. This is plainly what He said in John 5:26.

 

Detailed Answer: This statement is much misunderstood today. Once again, let us allow the Testimonies to be the interpreting key. Reading the statement in its full context will clarify the confusion.

 

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. "I lay it down of myself" (John 10: 18), He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). This is the open fountain of life for the world.” {E. G. White, The Signs of the Times, April 8, 1897} (Quoted in Selected Messages Book 1, pp. 296, 297}

 

From the context we plainly learn that original, unborrowed, underived life can be GIVEN. It will be given as a free gift to all those who believe. This is in harmony with the words of Christ when He said that God the Father gave Him that life (original, unborrowed, underived life):

 

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” John 5:26

 

We know that Christ is here talking about eternal life (original, unborrowed, underived life). To ascertain this fact all we need to do is ask ourselves the question: What kind of life does the Father have in Himself? It certainly cannot be mortal life. It can only be immortal life (1 Timothy 1:17) which is described as original, unborrowed, underived. This is the Son’s life by right of inheritance. He inherited that life of his Father by birth (for He is the only-begotten Son). Therefore, Christ is the only one who has this life as the Father. It is His Father’s life and Christ inherited it by virtue of being brought forth from Him. Christ received ALL things from the Father. Does that include life as well? Is it true that it is the Father’s life which flows

through His only begotten Son?

 

All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all.” {E. G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 21}

 

The Messenger of God says plainly: The Father’s life flows through the Son. The Father is “the great Source of all”. He is the source of life. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His life that we can receive through Christ. Christ has this very same life by right of inheritance. This life was GIVEN to Him by His Father!

 

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," Christ declares; "no one cometh unto the Father, but by me." Christ is invested with power to give life to all creatures.” {E. G. White, Review and Herald, April 5, 1906 par. 12}

 

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:2

 

Lynn, I pray to our Father in heaven that He will make these answers to your questions plain to your understanding,

Russell.

 

 

 


From: Lynn MacDonald <lynn2852@telus.net>
To: AdventistHotIssues@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, August 17, 2010 7:02:15 AM
Subject: Re: [AdventistHotIssues] Re: i need your help

 



Brother Russell,

 

I just wanted to ask you a question from your statement below. You said:(in blue)

Where in what I have written or produced on video have I ever said that Christ was not God? Christ is the only begotten Son of the Eternal Father. By virtue of His divine birth, He has the same divine nature as His Father, and therefore is God. He is our creator; of course He is God to us!

My question to you is how can Jesus be "born" as in a divine birth when Sister White says in Desire of Ages page 530, that "In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived."??? Are you saying Jesus created himself??--  I believe what Sister White says here, that He has always been. Not created!

 

Thank you kindly,

Lynn

 

 

http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97476590/grpId=23406963/grpspId=1705074621/msgId=13734/stime=1282113226