The Heavenly Trio-The Historical Insights

The Holy Spirit: 3rd Person of the GODHEAD?

Heavenly-Trio, Threefold Name, Three Highest Powers in the universe, Eternal Heavenly Dignitaries,

Three Great Powers of Heaven

Introduction:

Many researches had been done to discredit the office of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead. Let’s see how this truth had been established by our prophetess, EGWhite – in her writings before she died.

She left us a lot of evidence to weigh the burden of truth in our own hands not relying on the arm of flesh and discredit the present truth which is crying in the city – the Meat in Due Season, Purification of the Church.

Prayer Thought:

Strength for Christ's sake. Inspiration declares, "What was the strength of those who in the past have suffered persecution for Christ’s sake? It was union with God (FATHER), union with the Holy Spirit, union with Christ. Reproach and persecution have separated many from earthly friends, but never from the love of Christ. Never is the tempest-tried soul more dearly loved by his Saviour than when he is suffering reproach for the truth’s sake. “I will love him,” Christ said, “and will manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21.

When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the bar of earthly tribunals, Christ stands by his side. When he is confined within prison walls, Christ manifests Himself to him and cheers his heart with His love. When he suffers death for Christ’s sake, the Saviour says to him, They may kill the body, but they cannot hurt the soul. “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” John 16:33; Isaiah 41:10. AA 85.1

Note: Union with God (the Father), Union with the Holy Spirit, Union with Christ! 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}

{April, 1891}

Jesus must be formed within, the hope of glory, before you can rightly represent him to the world in words and works. In every little matter of life, in your deportment, in your forbearance, patience, long-suffering, you make known to others whether or not you are abiding in the living Vine. Jesus must be revealed in our everyday life, by the practice of the virtues that he revealed in his life. {ST, April 13, 1891 par. 2} The Son of God compared the operations of the Holy Spirit to the wind, which "bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth." Again, we read in the Sacred Record that the world's Redeemer rejoiced in spirit, and said, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes." {PH100 82.1}

Before He left them, Christ gave His followers a positive promise that after His ascension He would send them the Holy Spirit. "Go ye therefore," He said, "and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father [a personal God] and of the Son [a personal Saviour], and of the Holy Ghost [sent from heaven to represent Christ]: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" [Matthew 28:19, 20]. {12MR 260.2}{July, 1890}

The repenting prodigal is taken into fellowship with God, and he becomes one with Christ, as Christ is one with the Father. The obedient children of God recognize the law as a divine law, the sacrifice on Calvary as a divine sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit as their divine sanctifier. All the claims of the law are met in Jesus. In him we have a perfect foundation for our faith. The Son of God did not die that man might always remain a transgressor; for Christ is not a minister of sin. He died that by that act man might no longer remain a rebel against God's law. He died to point men to the way of faith and obedience, that they might see to the end of that which is abolished. When sinners have a view of the plan of salvation, there is no more disposition to cavil concerning the law; for the way of truth and light is open to their understanding. They see that "whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law." In the light of the law the sinner is convicted as was Paul. {ST, July 14, 1890 par. 3}

{April, 1891}

{October, 1892}

The office of the Holy Spirit is to control all our spiritual exercises. The Father has given His Son for us that through the Son the Holy Spirit might come to us, and lead us unto the Father. Through divine agency, we have the spirit of intercession, whereby we may plead with God, as a man pleadeth with his friend.--Signs of the Times, Oct. 3, 1892. {YRP 351.5}

{February, 1896}

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}

{1897, 1946}

The Power of God in the Third Person.--The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.--Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 10, p. 37. (1897) {Ev 617.2}{1899, 1946}

Personality of the Holy Spirit.--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.) {Ev 616.5} 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. . . . {Ev 616.6}

{October, 1900}

The Holy Spirit will descend, and take up his abode in the heart of the sincere suppliant as he comes to the footstool of mercy. We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, believing that God hears and answers prayer. We have a great High Priest, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. His promise to the children of men is, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." His dwelling-place is in every locality where men are seeking with honest hearts to do his work. "The glory which thou gavest me I have given them," Christ prayed; "that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." {RH, October 16, 1900 par. 3}

{1901}

By their baptismal vows they are solemnly pledged to do nothing which will bring an evil report upon the Christian name. Before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the professing Christian pledges himself to discourage pride, covetousness, unbelief. And as the true Christian seeks to fulfill this pledge, he grows in self-distrust. Constantly he places more dependence upon God. His reverence and love for the Saviour continually increase, and he is a living witness for his Master. He realizes what it means to be a child of God. He has a realizing sense that the cleansing blood of Christ secures for him pardon and elevation of character. In spirituality he grows like the lofty cedar. Daily he holds communion with God, and he has a treasure- house of knowledge from which to draw. He is mighty in the knowledge of the Scriptures. His fellowship is with the Father and the Son, and he knows more and still more of the divine will. He is filled with a constantly increasing love for God and for his fellowmen.--Letter 46, 1901. {MM 127.3}

{1901}

The Eternal Dignitaries of the Trinity.--The eternal heavenly dignitaries--God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit--arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, . . . would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin.--Manuscript 145, 1901. {Ev 616.4}

{April, 1901}

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order to fully carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? {AUCR, April 1, 1901 par. 10}

{June, 1901)

Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfillment 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. {ST, June 19, 1901 par. 4}

{June, 1901}

When you accept Christ, you are in one sense cut away from the world. You are dead to its ambitions, dead to its greed for advantage over your brethren and neighbors. God says, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." This is the pledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; made to you if you will keep your baptismal vow, and touch not the unclean thing. You are to turn aside from all that would pervert the pure, sacred principles of truth. You are to enter into no intrigue. Sharp practise with believers or unbelievers, is an offense in God's sight. It is a sin which places those who commit it in connection with the author of all sin. {ST, June 19, 1901 par. 6}

{July, 1903}

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more. When He gave Christ, He gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting in the plan for man's uplifting. Here is love -- the contemplation of which should fill the soul with inexpressible gratitude! {Needs, July 4, 1903 par. 28}

{December, 1901}

Before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the professing Christian pledges himself to overcome pride, covetousness, unbelief. And as he seeks to fulfill this pledge, he grows in self-distrust, placing entire dependence on God. He realizes what it means to be a child of God. He knows that the cleansing blood of Christ secures for him pardon and peace. In spirituality he grows like the lofty cedar. Daily he holds communion with God, and he is mighty in the knowledge of the Scriptures. His fellowship is with the Father and the Son, and he learns more and still more of the divine will. Filled with a constantly increasing love for God and his fellow-men, he bears a powerful testimony for the Master. Mrs. E. G. White. {ST, December 18, 1901 par. 10}

{January, 1902}

Christ came to this world and stood before men with the hoarded love of eternity. The whole ocean of divine love was flowing forth from its great center. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were working in behalf of man. Every power in the heavenly universe was put into an activity to carry forward the plan of redemption. The cross of Calvary was erected, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The Just suffered for the unjust, that He might become the justifier of all who believe in Him. He took human nature upon himself, that He might be a partaker with us in all our temptations. He clothed His divinity with humanity, that by enduring the agony of the cross, He might make His soul an offering for sin. {RH, January 7, 1902 par. 7}

{February, 1903}

The Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His representative. Through it He infuses spiritual life into the soul, quickening its energies for good, cleansing it from moral defilement, and giving it a fitness for His kingdom. Jesus has large blessings to bestow, rich gifts to distribute among men. He is the wonderful counselor, infinite in wisdom and strength; and if we will acknowledge the power of His Spirit, and submit to be molded by it, we shall stand complete in Him. What a thought is this! In Christ "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." Never will the human heart know happiness until it is submitted to be molded by the Spirit of God. The Spirit conforms the renewed soul to the model, Jesus Christ. Through the influence of the Spirit, enmity against God is changed into faith and love, and pride into humility. The soul perceives the beauty of truth, and Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break out in rapturous song, and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude. . . . {MYP 55.3}

The warfare between good and evil has not grown less fierce than it was in the days of the Saviour. The path to heaven is no smoother now than it was then. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our spiritual progress must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed, if it causes us to offend. Are we willing to renounce our own wisdom, and to receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child? Are we willing to part with our self-righteousness? Are we willing to sacrifice the approbation of men? The prize of eternal life is of infinite value. Are we willing to welcome the Holy Spirit's aid, and co-operate with it, putting forth efforts and making sacrifices proportionate to the value of the object to be obtained?--Review and Herald, Feb. 10, 1903. {MYP 56.1}

{May, 1903}

Thus Christ has promised to guide, comfort, and sustain his people. He declares, "I will be with you in your work of persuading men and woman to be my disciples." The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have pledged themselves to aid you in your unselfish efforts to turn men from unrighteousness to righteousness, from darkness to the light of truth. {RH, May 5, 1903 par. 2}

{1903, 1923}

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more. With Christ He gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting in the plan for man's uplifting. Here is love--the contemplation of which should fill the soul with inexpressible gratitude! Oh, what love, what matchless love! The contemplation of this love will cleanse the soul from all selfishness. It will lead the disciple to deny self, take up the cross, and follow the Redeemer. {CH 222.2}

{January, 1904}

As a Christian submits to the solemn rite of baptism, the three highest powers in the universe,--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,--place their approval on his act, pledging themselves to exert their power in his behalf as he strives to honor God. He is buried in the likeness of Christ's death, and is raised in the likeness of His resurrection. He went down into the grave, but He rose from the dead, proclaiming over the rent sepulcher, "I am the resurrection and the life."--Letter 53, 1904, p. 6. (To Brother Prescott, January 26, 1904.) {6MR 26.3}

{February, 1904}

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}

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}

{1904}

The rite of baptism is administered in the name of the Father, and of Son, and of the Holy Ghost. These three great powers of heaven pledge themselves to be the efficiency of all who submit to this ordinance, and who faithfully keep the vow they then make. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him; rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." It is here that the great danger comes in. A worldly spirit and worldly practices have taken the place that Christ should have in the life. "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. . . . 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." {6MR 27.1}

{1905}

We are to be consecrated channels, through which the heavenly life is to flow to others. The Holy Spirit is to animate and pervade the whole church, purifying and cementing hearts. Those who have been buried with Christ in baptism are to rise to newness of life, giving a living representation of the life of Christ. The commission has been given to us. Upon us is laid a sacred charge. Go then, Christ says to them. Makedisciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. "And, lo," he declares, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." You are dedicated to the work of making known the gospel of salvation. Heaven's perfection is to be your power. As God's followers, by converted lives, make known the power of his grace. A clear distinction is drawn between "him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."--Ms 78, 1905, pp. 3-5. ("A Message to Believers," undated.)

{May, 1905}

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 man who gives himself unreservedly to God, heart and soul and mind and strength. "If a man love Me," Christ says, "He will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." The power that comes with Christ's abiding presence is at the command of His believing ones. The man who makes God his trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall. {ST, May 10, 1905 par. 8}

{August, 1905}

As a Christian submits to the solemn rite of baptism, the three highest powers in the universe,--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,--place their approval on his act, pledging themselves to exert their power in his behalf as he strives to honor God. He is buried in the likeness of Christ's death, and is raised in the likeness of His resurrection. The Saviour went down into the grave, but He rose from the dead, proclaiming over the rent sepulcher, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." {ST, August 16, 1905 par. 1}

{November, 1905}

The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-- those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ. . . . {SpTB07 63.2} {Ev. 615.1}

{1905, 1967}

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26. {HP 336.1}

The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized and these powers will cooperate with the obedient. {HP 336.2} Those who have been privileged to hear the truth, and have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to receive the Holy Scriptures as the voice of God, have no excuse for becoming dwarfs in the religious life. By exercising the ability which God has given, they areto be daily learning and daily receiving spiritual fervor and power. . . . {HP 336.3}

The Holy Spirit, Christ's representative, arms the weakest with might to press forward to victory. . . . The work that some are able to do may appear to be restricted by circumstances; but wherever it is, if performed with faith and diligence, it will be felt to the uttermost parts of the earth. {HP 339.5}

{1905, 1946)

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}

{1906}

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. {Ev 617.1}

{July, 1907}

The three powers of the Godhead have pledged their might to carry out the purpose that God had in mind when he gave to the world the unspeakable gift of his Son. Every act of self-denial, every earnest surrender to God, is an element in God's design for the increase of the piety and zeal and earnest faith of his people. The Holy Spirit unites with the powers of grace that God has provided to turn souls to Christ.

We are to labor as Christ labored for the salvation of dying souls. And as we work, our hearts are to be encouraged by the thought that every soul converted through our efforts will become another instrumentality in the work of recovering the lost. Guided by the same Spirit that led someone to work for him, he will take up the work and labor in the spirit of the Master. {RH, July 18, 1907 par. 3}

{October, 1907}

Those who have by baptism given to God a pledge of their faith in Christ, and their death to the old life of sin, have entered into covenant relation with God. The three powers of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are pledged to be their strength and their efficiency in their new life in Christ Jesus. {AUCR, October 7, 1907 par. 9}

{March, 1908}

"Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit." We are ordained unto God to bear fruit. Was this not our experience when we were led down into the water and baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? What did that mean?--It meant that the three great powers in heaven were pledged to keep us so long as we remain one with Christ, united to the vine.--Ms 37, 1908, p. 6. ("Abiding in Christ," Sermon, March 10, 1908.) {6MR 29.1}

{November, 1908}

In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating 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 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 on His church.--Review and Herald, Nov. 19, 1908. {YRP 13.3} {RH, November 19, 1908 par. 5}

Of the Spirit, Jesus said, "He shall glorify me." The Saviour came to glorify the Father by the demonstration of his love; so the Spirit was to glorify Christ by revealing his grace to the world. The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of his people. {RH, November 19, 1908 par. 6}

"When he [the Spirit of truth] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." The preaching of the Word will be of no avail without the continual presence and aid of the Holy Spirit. This is the only effectual teacher of divine truth. Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit, will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. One might be able to present the letter of the Word of God, he might be familiar with all its commands and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets home the truth, no souls will fall on the Rock and be broken. No amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light without the cooperation of the Spirit of God. The sowing of the gospel seed will not be a success unless the seed is quickened into life by the dew of heaven. Before one book of the New Testament was written, before one gospel sermon had been preached after Christ's ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the praying apostles. Then the testimony of their enemies was, "Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine." {RH, November 19, 1908 par. 7}

{December, 1908}

The presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three highest powers in the universe, is pledged to be with every striving soul. They will impart grace and strength to all who will watch unto prayer, to all who will purify the soul by obedience to the truth. And they will make the believer instrumental in leading other souls to accept Christ by faith. {SW, December 15, 1908 par. 3}

{December, 1909}

Baptism is a most solemn ceremony. When men and women, truly converted, are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, these three representatives of heavenly authority behold the scene, and accept the vows made by human agents to walk henceforth in newness of life. In taking the baptismal vows, you have united with the highest powers in the heavenly courts, to live a life patterned after the life of Christ. I praise the Lord with my whole soul that you have taken this step. [Romans 6:3, 4, quoted.] {6MR 29.3} … Letter 174, 1909, pp. 1, 2. (To Sister Rambaugh, December 21, 1909.) {6MR 29.4}

It is the wisdom of God and the power of God, and it works with all power in the receptive heart. Oh, what might we not reach if we would conform our wills to the will of God! Oh, it is the power of God we need,my dear brother and sister, wherever we are. The mass of frivolity that cumbers the church makes it weak and inefficient. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are seeking and longing for channels through which to communicate the divine principles of truth to the world. {20MR 308.4}

{May, 1910}

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. They are to resist the enemy with the word, "It is written." They are to keep themselves where the three great powers of heaven -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- can be their efficiency. These powers work with the one who gives himself unreservedly to God. The strength of heaven is at the command of God's believing ones. The man who makes God his trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall. {ST, May 10, 1910 par. 11}

{May, 1912}

It is the glory of the gospel that it is founded on the principles of restoring in the fallen race the divine image.

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out his plan, it was decided that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, should give himself an offering for sin. And in giving Christ, God gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting for the work of man's uplifting.

What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that he could have done more. {RH, May 2, 1912 par. 3}

LIKE THE EARLY CHRISTIANS, WE NEED TO PRAY DAILY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT.—Those who at Pentecost were endued with power from on high, were not thereby freed from further temptation and trial. As they witnessed for truth and righteousness they were repeatedly assailed by the enemy of all truth, who sought to rob them of their Christian experience. They were compelled to strive with all their God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. Daily they prayed for fresh supplies of grace, that they might reach higher and still higher toward perfection. Under the Holy Spirit’s working even the weakest, by exercising faith in God, learned to improve their entrusted powers and to become sanctified, refined, and ennobled. As in humility they submitted to the molding influence of the Holy Spirit, they received of the fullness of the Godhead and were fashioned in the likeness of the divine. {Pr 159.4}

The Father cannot be described by the things of earth. The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight. {SpTB07 62.3}

The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be "the express image of His person." "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Here is shown the personality of the Father. {SpTB07 63.1}

Christ has made baptism the sign of entrance to His spiritual kingdom. He has made this a positive condition with which all must comply who wish to be acknowledged as under the authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Before man can find a home in the church, before passing the threshold of God'sspiritual kingdom, he is to receive the impress of the divine name, "The Lord our Righteousness." Jeremiah 23:6.... 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. They have obeyed the command:

"Come out from among them, and be ye separate, ... and touch not the unclean thing." And to them is fulfilled the promise: "I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters." 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18. {FLB 145.4}

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}

The Holy Spirit is an effective helper in restoring the image of God in the human soul. {FLB 52.7}

{1967}

{1973}

It is the glory of the gospel that it is founded upon the principle of restoring in the fallen race the divine image by a constant manifestation of benevolence. This work began in the heavenly courts. . . . 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. {AG 190.2}

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 cooperate 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}

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}

A Mystery not Clearly Revealed

In a letter from Brother Chapman, Ellen White was asked about his special view concerning the Holy Spirit. He believed that the Holy Ghost was not a person or a personality of the Godhead “but the angel Gabriel.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 175. In rejecting this view, she makes clear that the nature of the Holy Spirit is not fully revealed to us.

“Some are ever seeking to be original, to bring out something new and startling. . . .

“Your ideas of the two subjects you mention do not harmonize with the light which God has given me. The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery not clearly revealed, and you will never be able to explain it to others because the Lord has not revealed it to you. You may gather together scriptures and put your construction upon them, but the application is not correct. The expositions by which you sustain your position are not sound. You may lead some to accept your explanations, but you do them no good, nor are they, through accepting your views, enabled to do others good.

“It is not essential for you to know and be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost . . . . [John 14:16, 17 quoted.]” Ibid., 178, 179. [Emphasis supplied.]

Ellen White points out that the nature of the Holy Spirit is a side issue and puts it into nice words that someone who believes the Holy Spirit is not a person who would serve the work of God more if he or she kept silent. She goes on: “There are many mysteries which I do not seek to understand or to explain; they are too high for me, and too high for you. On some of these points, silence is golden.” Ibid., 179. (See Deuteronomy 29:29.)

This thought is repeated in The Acts of the Apostles, 52: “The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these views will not strengthen the church. Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is golden.” [Emphasis supplied.]

People who think they have the burden to proclaim that the third person of the Godhead is a papal error should heed the closing words of Sister White to Brother Chapman: “Now, my brother, it is truth that we want and must have, but do not introduce error as new truth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 180.

Quotations Altered?

Now, take a closer look at some quotes referring to the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead. Often is said that the quotes in the book Evangelism are a fake. This book was first published several years after Ellen White’s death, so it is said that these quotations were added without her approval. Look at the first one:

“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905)” Evangelism, 615. [Emphasis supplied.]