ELLEN G. WHITE AND THE TRINITY Pangasinan Lecture.pptx

biblical views

1. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 “Ellen White and the Trinity” Jerry Moon, Ph. D. Chairman, Church History Department Andrews University Theological Seminary “The Da Vinci Cracks and More than a Prophet–Part 2” Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Retired Professor of Theology and Church History Andrews University

2. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 When men arise, claiming to have a message from God, but instead of warring against principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, they form a hollow square, and turn the weapons of warfare against the church militant, be afraid of them. They do not bear the divine credentials. God has not given them any such burden of labor. They would tear down that which God would restore by the Laodicean message.[TM 22, 23]

3. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 At the core of the debate is the question whether Ellen White’s position on the Trinity ever changed. Some assume that she never changed, that either she always believed in the Trinity or never believed in the Trinity. There is ample evidence, however, that Ellen White’s beliefs did change on a number of other issues, so it is entirely plausible that she grew in her understanding of the Godhead as well.

4. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 When she declared in 1849, “We know we have the truth,” she was referring to the beliefs that Sabbatarian Adventists held in distinction from other Christian groups. She did not mean that there was no more truth to be discovered or that Adventists would never need to change any of their views. “We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn,” she wrote in 1892. “God and heaven alone are infallible.

5. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.” 11

6. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 1. For instance, after her first vision in December 1844, she continued to observe Sunday as the Sabbath for almost two more years. She had not yet learned about the seventh-day Sabbath. Reckoning of the Sabbath p19

7. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 2. A second example of a changed view was the discovery in 1855 of the “time to commence the Sabbath.” For nine years after they accepted the seventh-day Sabbath, the Whites and most of the Sabbatarian Adventists observed the Sabbath from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Not until J. N. Andrews in 1855 demonstrated from Scripture that the biblical Sabbath begins at sunset, did Ellen White very reluctantly acknowledge that for nine years Adventists had been ignorant of the biblical time to begin the Sabbath. Reckoning of the Sabbath p19

8. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 3. A third example is what Adventists have historically called health reform. Until 1863, most of them, including James and Ellen White, were heavy meat eaters, even slaughtering their own hogs. Not until after basic denominational organization had been achieved, was the attention of the movement called to a broader platform of health principles, including complete abstinence from eating pork products and the strong recom- mendation of vegetarianism. 16 Health Reform

9. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 In view of these and other areas of conceptual development, it is not particularly surprising that Ellen White should show both development and change in her view of the Godhead. Her writings about the Godhead show a clear progression, not primarily from anti- to pro-trinitarianism, but from relative ambiguity to greater specificity.

10. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 Some of her early statements are capable of various interpretations, but her later statements, 1898-1905, are explicit to the point of being dogmatic. Her change of view appears clearly to have been a matter of growth and progression, rather than re- versal, because unlike her husband and others of her associates, she never directly attacked the view of the Trinity that she would later support.

11. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 The conceptual key that unlocks the enigma of Ellen White’s developmental process regarding the Trinity is the discovery that her writings describe at least two distinct varieties of trinitarian belief. One of these views she consistently opposed throughout her adult ministry, and the other she eventually endorsed. The trinitarian concept that she opposed was one that “spiritualized” the members of the Godhead as distant, impersonal, mystical, and ultimately unreal. VARIETIES OF TRINITARIANISM

12. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 The concept that she favored portrayed God as personal, literal, and tangible. She did not initially recognize His trinitarian nature, but when she did, she would describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as real individuals, emphasizing Their “threeness” (individuality) as willing, thinking, feeling, and relational persons, and explaining Their oneness in terms of nature, character, purpose, and love, but not of person. The basis of these differentiations will become clearer as we examine the historical context and process of her developing thought. p20 VARIETIES OF TRINITARIANISM

13. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 Three pieces of evidence are particularly significant for reconstruct- ing the historical context of Ellen White’s earliest references to the Godhead: the role of “spiritualizers” in post-disappointment Millerism; the polemics of James and Ellen White against those spiritualizers; and a contemporary Methodist creed that the Whites (and other early Adventists) repeatedly cited in support of their rejection of traditional trinitarianism. The Development of Ellen White’s Understanding of the Godhead

14. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 In the post-disappointment period of 1845, many former Millerites “spiritualized” the second coming, by interpreting the biblical prophecies of Christ’s return as having a spiritual, not literal meaning. 17 Hence the spiritualizers could believe that Jesus did come on October 22, 1844, not literally, but “spiritually.” The Development of Ellen White’s Understanding of the Godhead

15. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 For this reason both James and Ellen White came early to the con- viction that they must oppose this spiritualizing as rank heresy. Ellen’s polemics against this doctrine and its resulting behaviors are well known. 21 James also wrote repeatedly in the post-Millerite Day-Star against these spiritualizing tendencies. 22 The Development of Ellen White’s Understanding of the Godhead

16. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 One of James’s polemics against the spiritualizers included a remark about the Trinity that implied a similarity of belief between the spiritualizers and the trinitarians. 23 Apparently some of the “spiritualizers” were supporting their error by reference to what James called “the old unscriptural trinitarian creed.” James charged that both the “spiritualizers” and the traditional trinitarians away the existence of the Father and the Son, as two distinct, litteral, tangible persons.” The Development of Ellen White’s Understanding of the Godhead

17. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 In maintaining that the Father and the Son are “real,” “literal” per- sons, the Whites certainly didn’t doubt that “God is spirit” (John 4:24), 25 but they insisted that as Spirit, God is still Someone real, tangible, and literal; not unreal, ephemeral, or imaginary. They felt that the terms used for Trinity in the creeds and definitions they knew of, made God seem so abstract, theoretical, and impersonal, that He was no longer perceived as a real, caring, loving Being. Thus the attempt to make Him “spiritual” rather than literal, actually “spiritualized Him away,” that is, destroyed the true concept of who He is and what He is like. The Development of Ellen White’s Understanding of the Godhead

18. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 Brick by conceptual brick, … she was slowly but surely dismantling the substructure of the anti- trinitarian view, and building a trinitarian view. In another clear break with the prevailing semi-Arian consensus, she declared in 1878 that Christ was the “eternal Son.” Ellen White did not understand his eternal Sonship to imply derivation from the Father. Sonship in His preexistence denoted that He was of the same nature as the Father, in unity and close relationship with the Father, but it did not imply that Christ had a beginning. Building a Triniterian View

19. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 For in taking human flesh Christ became the Son of God “in a new sense.” From the perspective of His humanity, He for the first time had a “beginning,” and also, as a human, He began a new relationship of dependence on the Father. Building a Triniterian View “From all eternity Christ was united with the Father, and when He took upon Himself human nature, He was still one with God.” Page 34

20. EVIDENCES FOR CHANGE ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 150 In 1890, she followed up her 1888 affirmation of Christ’s unity with the Father (in nature, character, and purpose) …. “The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both.” Retrospectively, this phrase harmonizes perfectly with her later statements (especially Desire of Ages, 530) that Christ is “self-existent” and that His Deity is not “derived” from the Father. Christ’s Eternal Self-existence

21. MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

22. “We [Adventists] need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a Person *AS God is a person is walking through these grounds...He hears every word we utter, and knows every thought of every mind” -E.G. White- Manuscript Release, Vol. 7, pg. 299 (from an 1899 speech at Avondale College ) MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

23. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ's name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality. -E.G. White- Manuscript Release, Vol. 20, pg. 324 MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

24. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ's name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality. -E.G. White- Manuscript Release, Vol. 20, pg. 324 The Holy Spirit... is as much a person as God is a person” -E.G. White, Manuscript 66, 1899;Avondale College speech in Australia MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

25. “The office of the Holy Spirit is distinctly specified in the words of Christ: ‘when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin...In describing to His disciples the office of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with joy... sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third *PERSON of the Godhead ...” - E.G. White , Review and Herald, Nov. 19, 1908. MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

26. “You are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. You are raised up out of the water to live henceforth in newness of life--to live a new life. You are born unto God, and you stand under the sanction and the power of THE THREE HOLIEST *BEINGS IN HEAVEN , who are able to keep you from falling... MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

27. When I feel oppressed, and hardly know how to relate myself toward the work that God has given me to do, I just * CALL UPON THE THREE GREAT WORTHIES , and say; You know I cannot do this work in my own strength... And this is the prayer that every one of us may offer. . . ” E.G. White, Manuscript Release , Vol.7, pgs. 267, 268 (Ms 95, 1906, pp. 8-12, 14-17; "Lesson from Romans 15," October 20, 1906.) MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

28. the Spirit, being God [BUT AS THE THIRD PERSON OF THREE] , knoweth the mind of God ; therefore every prayer of ours for the sick, or for other needs, the will of God is regarded." -E.G. White , Signs of the Times, Oct. 3, 1892 MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

29. ETERNAL OMNISCIENT OMNIPRESENT OMNIPOTENT MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN

30. Hebreo 9: 14 Gaano pa kaya ang dugo ni Cristo, na sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu na walang hanggan ay inihandog ang kaniyang sarili na walang dungis sa Dios, ay maglilinis ng inyong budhi sa mga gawang patay upang magsipaglingkod sa Dios na buhay? MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN ETERNAL

31. 1 Corinto 2:10 Nguni't ang mga ito ay ipinahayag sa atin ng Dios sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu; sapagka't nasisiyasat ng Espiritu ang lahat ng mga bagay, oo, ang malalalim na mga bagay ng Dios. MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN OMNISCIENT

32. Awit 139: 7-9 Saan ako paroroon na mula sa iyong Espiritu? O saan ako tatakas na mula sa iyong harapan? 8 Kung sumampa ako sa langit, nandiyan ka: kung gawin ko ang aking higaan sa Sheol, narito, ikaw ay nandoon. MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN OMNIPRESENT

33. Awit 139: 7-10 Kung aking kunin ang mga pakpak ng umaga, at tumahan sa mga pinakadulong bahagi ng dagat; 10. Doon ma'y papatnubayan ako ng iyong kamay, at ang iyong kanang kamay ay hahawak sa akin. MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN OMNIPRESENT

34. Lucas 1: 35 At sumagot ang anghel, at sinabi sa kaniya, Bababa sa iyo ang Espiritu Santo, at lililiman ka ng kapangyarihan ng Kataastaasan: kaya naman ang banal na bagay na ipanganganak ay tatawaging Anak ng Dios. MRS WHITE BECAME A TYPE OF TRINITARIAN OMNIPOTENT

35. Holy Spirit in the Bible Gawa 28: 25-27 At nang sila'y hindi mangagkaisa, ay nangagsialis pagkasabi ni Pablo ng isang salita, Mabuti ang pagkasalita ng Espiritu Santo sa pamamagitan ng propeta Isaias sa inyong mga magulang,

36. Holy Spirit in the Bible Gawa 28: 25-27 Na sinasabi, Pumaroon ka sa bayang ito, at sabihin mo, Sa pakikinig ay inyong mapapakinggan, at sa anomang paraa'y hindi ninyo mapaguunawa; At sa pagtingin ay inyong makikita, at sa anomang paraa'y hindi ninyo mamamalas:

37. Holy Spirit in the Bible Gawa 28: 25-27 27 Sapagka't kumapal ang puso ng bayang ito, At mahirap na makarinig ang kanilang mga tainga, At kanilang ipinikit ang kanilang mga mata; Baka sila'y mangakakita ng kanilang mga mata, At mangakarinig ng kanilang mga tainga, At mangakaunawa ng kanilang puso, At muling mangagbalik-loob, At sila'y aking pagalingin.

38. Holy Spirit in the Bible Isaias 6: 5 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ko, Sa aba ko! sapagka't ako'y napahamak; sapagka't ako'y lalaking may maruming mga labi, at ako'y tumatahan sa gitna ng bayan na may maruming mga labi: sapagka't nakita ng aking mga mata ang Hari, ang Panginoon ng mga hukbo.

39. Holy Spirit in the Bible Isaias 6: 9 At sinabi niya, Ikaw ay yumaon, at saysayin mo sa bayang ito, inyong naririnig nga, nguni't hindi ninyo nauunawa; at nakikita nga ninyo, nguni't hindi ninyo namamalas.

40. Holy Spirit in the Bible Gawa 28: 26 Na sinasabi, Pumaroon ka sa bayang ito, at sabihin mo, Sa pakikinig ay inyong mapapakinggan, at sa anomang paraa'y hindi ninyo mapaguunawa; At sa pagtingin ay inyong makikita, at sa anomang paraa'y hindi ninyo mamamalas: Isaias 6: 9 At sinabi niya, Ikaw ay yumaon, at saysayin mo sa bayang ito, inyong naririnig nga, nguni't hindi ninyo nauunawa; at nakikita nga ninyo, nguni't hindi ninyo namamalas.

41. Holy Spirit in the Bible Isaias 6: 10 Patabain mo ang puso ng bayang ito, at iyong pabigatin ang kanilang mga pakinig, at iyong ipikit ang kanilang mga mata; baka sila'y mangakakita ng kanilang mga mata; at mangakarinig ng kanilang mga pakinig, at mangakaunawa ng kanilang puso, at mangagbalik loob, at magsigaling. Gawa 28:27 Sapagka't kumapal ang puso ng bayang ito, At mahirap na makarinig ang kanilang mga tainga, At kanilang ipinikit ang kanilang mga mata; Baka sila'y mangakakita ng kanilang mga mata, At mangakarinig ng kanilang mga tainga, At mangakaunawa ng kanilang puso, At muling mangagbalik-loob, At sila'y aking pagalingin.

42. Holy Spirit in the Bible I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” ( John 16:7 )

43. Holy Spirit in the Bible Juan 14:17 Sa makatuwid baga'y ang Espiritu ng katotohanan: na hindi matatanggap ng sanglibutan; sapagka't hindi nito siya nakikita, ni nakikilala man siya: siya'y nakikilala ninyo; sapagka't siya'y tumatahan sa inyo, at sasa inyo.

44. Holy Spirit in the Bible Juan 14:18 Hindi ko kayo iiwang magisa: ako'y paririto sa inyo. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ's name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality. -E.G. White- Manuscript Release, Vol. 20, pg. 324 The Holy Spirit... is as much a person as God is a person” -E.G. White, Manuscript 66, 1899;Avondale College speech in Australia

45. Holy Spirit in the Bible Juan 16:13 Gayon ma'y kung siya, ang Espiritu ng katotohanan ay dumating, ay papatnubayan niya kayo sa buong katotohanan: sapagka't hindi siya magsasalita ng mula sa kaniyang sarili; kundi ang anomang bagay na kaniyang marinig, ang mga ito ang kaniyang sasalitain: at kaniyang ipahahayag sa inyo ang mga bagay na magsisidating.

46. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE The Christian doctrine of the Trinity ( Latin : Trinitas , lit.   'triad', from Greek τριάς -trias and τριάδα, (triada) from Latin : trinus "threefold") [2] holds that God is one God , but three coeternal consubstantial persons [3

47. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE The Christian doctrine of the Trinity ( Latin : Trinitas , lit.   'triad', from Greek τριάς -trias and τριάδα, (triada) from Latin : trinus "threefold") [2] holds that God is one God , but three coeternal consubstantial persons [3

48. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Genesis 1: 2 At ang lupa ay walang anyo at walang laman; at ang kadiliman ay sumasa ibabaw ng kalaliman; at ang Espiritu ng Dios ay sumasa ibabaw ng tubig. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE HOLY SPIRIT

49. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Juan 1:1 At Nang pasimula siya ang Verbo, at ang Verbo ay sumasa Dios, at ang Verbo ay Dios. 2 Ito rin nang pasimula'y sumasa Dios. 3 Ang lahat ng mga bagay ay ginawa sa pamamagitan niya; at alin man sa lahat ng ginawa ay hindi ginawa kung wala siya. JESUS

50. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Isaias 48:12 Inyong dinggin ako, Oh Jacob, at Israel na tinawag ko: Ako nga; ako ang una, ako rin ang huli. Ama Anak at Espiritu Santo sa Lumang Tipan

51. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Apocalipsis 1:17 At nang siya'y aking makita, ay nasubasob akong waring patay sa kaniyang paanan. At ipinatong niya sa akin ang kaniyang kanang kamay, na sinasabi, Huwag kang matakot; ako'y ang una at ang huli, Ama Anak at Espiritu Santo sa Lumang Tipan

52. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Apocalipsis 1:18 At ang Nabubuhay; at ako'y namatay, at narito, ako'y nabubuhay magpakailan man, at nasa akin ang mga susi ng kamatayan at ng Hades . Ama Anak at Espiritu Santo sa Lumang Tipan

53. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Isaias 48:13. Oo, ang aking kamay ay siyang naglagay ng patibayan ng lupa, at ang aking kanan ay siyang nagladlad ng langit: pagka ako'y tumatawag sa kanila, sila'y nagsisitayong magkakasama. Ama Anak at Espiritu Santo sa Lumang Tipan

54. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Isaias 48:16 Kayo'y magsilapit sa akin, inyong dinggin ito; mula sa pasimula ay hindi ako nagsalita ng lihim; mula nang panahon na nangyari ito, nandoon nga ako: at ngayo'y sinugo ako ng Panginoong Dios, at nang kaniyang Espiritu. Ama Anak at Espiritu Santo sa Lumang Tipan

55. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Mateo 28:19 At Dahil dito magsiyaon nga kayo, at gawin ninyong mga alagad ang lahat ng mga bansa, na sila'y inyong bautismuhan sa pangalan ng Ama at ng Anak at ng Espiritu Santo: Ama Anak at Espiritu Santo sa Bagong Tipan

56. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Juan 17:11 At wala na ako sa sanglibutan, at ang mga ito ay nasa sanglibutan, at ako'y paririyan sa iyo. Amang Banal, ingatan mo sila sa iyong pangalan yaong mga ibinigay mo sa akin, upang sila'y maging isa, na gaya naman natin. TRIO-UNITY

57. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Juan 17:21 Upang silang lahat ay maging isa; na gaya mo, Ama, sa akin, at ako'y sa iyo, na sila nama'y suma atin: upang ang sanglibutan ay sumampalataya na ako'y sinugo mo. TRIO-UNITY

58. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Juan 17:22 At ang kaluwalhatiang sa aki'y ibinigay mo ay ibinigay ko sa kanila; upang sila'y maging isa, na gaya naman natin na iisa; TRIO-UNITY

59. TRINITY IN THE BIBLE Juan 17:22 At ang kaluwalhatiang sa aki'y ibinigay mo ay ibinigay ko sa kanila; upang sila'y maging isa, na gaya naman natin na iisa; TRIO-UNITY

60. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM Review and Herald , January 27, 1903, paragraph 9 "The salvation of human beings is a vast enterprise, that calls into action *every attribute of the divine nature [the Godhead] . The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have pledged themselves to make God's children more than conquerors through Him that loved them ."

61. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM “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 [all three called “who”] are working in your behalf. Doing this you will reveal to the world the principles of righteousness... God says , [notice after this whom she means says this] "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . .

62. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM In order to deal righteously with the world, as members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King, Christians must feel their need of a power, which comes only from the [three] heavenly agencies that have pledged themselves to work in man's behalf. After we have formed a union with the great THREEFOLD POWER [singular; collective], we shall regard our duty toward the members of God's family with a sacred awe.” -E.G. White, Signs of the Times , June 19, 1901

63. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM “Before the disciples shall compass the threshold, there is to be the imprint of the sacred name, baptizing the believers in the name of the Threefold Powers in the Heavenly world [a real place] . The work of salvation is not a small matter, but so vast that the Highest Authorities are taken hold of ...* The Eternal Godhead - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost - IS [not ‘ARE’, but “IS”] involved...” - E.G. White , Manuscript 45, May 14, 1904 - “That They All May Be One”

64. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM “THIS IN NO WAY REFLECTS ARIANISM, SEMI-ARIANISM, OR UNITARIANISM, BUT BASIC TRINITARIANISM. This becomes even more evident as we shall see the number of times she used certain expressions…. her not using the term “trinity” is no foolproof argument against the fact that she came to believe in certain aspects of Trinitarianism (not all).

65. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM The Nicene Creed, and the Apostles Creed, for instance, two renowned documents expressing trinitarianism, do not have the word “trinity” documented there, and yet are prime Trinitarian documents. The Apostles Creed does not even mention the words “three persons”, or express them as one Godhead, and yet is considered an expression of Trinitarianism simply because it implies a belief in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead, and that is what Trinitarianism was always known to be, no matter the variations in explanation about the mode of the unity the persons in the Godhead.

66. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM

67. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM "The Father, Son and Holy Spirit" — appears 97 times “The threefold name" — appears 7 times "Three highest powers in the heavenly universe" found 12 times ; 4. "Eternal heavenly dignitaries”—- used 3 times “Godhead" an overwhelming majority of usages— found 255 times , “Heavenly trio" — only used one time “Three dignitaries of heaven"— used only one time : “Three living persons" — used only one time “Three great powers" — used 41 times

68. ANSWERING THE BEST ANTI-TRINTARIAN ARGUMENTS IN ADVENTISM!! Seventh-day Adventists [ not just myself] believe [now] in ... the Divine * TRINITY. This Trinity consists of the Eternal Father... the Lord Jesus Christ... [and] the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead‖ F. M. Wilcox (chief editor), * Review and Herald , October 9, 1913 F. M. Wilcox

69. ANSWERING THE BEST ANTI-TRINTARIAN ARGUMENTS IN ADVENTISM!! “...the Godhead, or Trinity , consists of the Eternal Father, a personal, spiritual Being, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite in wisdom and love; the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, through whom all things were created and through whom the salvation of the redeemed hosts will be accomplished; the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, the great regenerating power in the work of redemption... F. M. Wilcox

70. ANSWERING THE BEST ANTI-TRINTARIAN ARGUMENTS IN ADVENTISM!! “…We [Adventists] recognize the divine Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each possessing a distinct and separate personality, but one in nature and in purpose, so welded together in this infinite union that the apostle James speaks of them as "one God." James 2:19. This divine unity is similar to the unity existing between Christ and the believer, and between the different believers in their fellowship in Christ Jesus...” - F.M. Wilcox, Christ is Very God, Review and Herald F. M. Wilcox

71. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM Letter 1, 1904 ( In Heavenly Places , p 176)— "Keep yourselves where the three great powers of heaven the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit —can be your efficiency." 6BC 1074— " The three great powers of heaven are witnesses ; they are invisible but present.”

72. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM “A Trinity is three persons. To recognize [admit to] a trinity [the true type] , the distinction between the Father and Son must be preserved.” -J.H. Waggoner, 1884, The Atonement, pgs.

73. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM “Seventh-day Adventists [not just myself] believe [now] in ... the Divine *TRINITY . This Trinity consists of the Eternal Father... the Lord Jesus Christ... [and] the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead” F. M. Wilcox (editor of Review and Herald), * Review and Herald, October 9, 1913

74. A SURVEY OF MRS. WHITE’S TRINITARIAN TYPE TEACHING IN ADVENTISM E.G. White, Great Controversy, 1911, pg.583 The foregoing is plain for all to see. If trinitarianism broke the first commandment (as declared by some), and was such an error, then Mrs. White would have no choice but refer to it directly . Did she see it as such, or spoke directly against it? NO! The fact is, she never, ever wrote one single line, directly opposed to Trinitarianism, and even after her Church started to publish it openly through its main publishing houses. This fact, coupled with the similarity between her post-1892 expressions and trinitarianism speaks large volumes. And this writer says, Amen!!

75. THE APOSTOLIC TRINITY! (HER VIEWS, AND THOSE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS COMPARED) By Derrick Gillespie Trinity Noun [ trinite , fr. OF trinite , fr. LL trinitat-, trinitas state of being threefold, fr. L trinus threefold] 1. the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead according to Christian dogma 2. a group of three closely related persons or things BrittanicaANTITRINITARIAN FOLDER

76. THE APOSTOLIC TRINITY! (HER VIEWS, AND THOSE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS COMPARED) By Derrick Gillespie WHO IS TO BE WORSHIPPED OR SERVED BY CHRISTIANS? 100 A.D. “Wherefore also the Lord, when He sent forth the apostles to make disciples of all nations, commanded them to ‘baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,’ not unto one [one person, as in Sabellian ‘modalism’] having three names, nor into three [persons] who became incarnate, but into three [persons] possessed of *EQUAL HONOR”. - Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians , Chapter 2

77. THE APOSTOLIC TRINITY! (HER VIEWS, AND THOSE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS COMPARED) By Derrick Gillespie WHO IS TO BE WORSHIPPED OR SERVED BY CHRISTIANS? 150 A.D. “Both Him [the Father] , and the Son... AND the prophetic Spirit, we worship and adore” - Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 17 I praise you [the Father] for all things, I bless you, I glorify you, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, with whom, to you AND the Holy Spirit be glory both now, and to all coming ages. Amen!” –Polycarp of Smyrna, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Chapter 14

78. THE APOSTOLIC TRINITY! (HER VIEWS, AND THOSE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS COMPARED) By Derrick Gillespie WHO IS TO BE WORSHIPPED OR SERVED BY CHRISTIANS? “When we have accepted Christ, and in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, have pledged ourselves to *SERVE [worship and obey] God the Father, Christ, and [thirdly] , the Holy Spirit, the Three Dignitaries and Powers of Heaven pledge Themselves that every facility will be given us if we carry out our... vows” - E.G. White, Manuscript 85, 1901

79. THE APOSTOLIC TRINITY! (HER VIEWS, AND THOSE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS COMPARED) By Derrick Gillespie 180 A.D. “The THREE days [separate entities] , which were before the luminaries [the fourth day Creation of sun, moon, etc.] , are types [symbols] of the *Trinity [‘triavdo’- Greek] , of God [the Father] , and His Word [Jesus] , and His Wisdom [Spirit] . And the fourth [day] is the type [symbol] of man, who needs light...” - Theophilus of Antioch, Chapter 15, Of the Fourth Day, To Autolycus, 2:15

80. THE APOSTOLIC TRINITY! (HER VIEWS, AND THOSE OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS COMPARED) By Derrick Gillespie 190 A.D. “I understand nothing else than the Holy *TRINITY [‘triavdo’] to be meant; for the third is the Holy Spirit, and the Son is the second, by whom all things were made according to the will of the Father [the first Person] ”. -Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 5, Chapter 14

81. By Derrick Gillespie … the enemy gladly leads to what appears to be a more rational, though not less erroneous idea ± that there is no trinity , and that Christ is merely a created being. But God¶s great plan is clear and logical. There is a trinity, and in it there are three personalities «We have the Father described in Dan. 7:9, 10«a personality surely«In Rev. 1:13-18 we have the Son described. He is also a personality« The Holy Spirit is spoken of throughout Scripture as a personality. These divine persons are associated in the work of God«But this union is not one in which individuality is lost«There is indeed a divine trio, but the Christ of that Trinity is not a created being as the angels- He was the 3only begotten ́ of the Father « ́ - Robert Hare, Union Conference Record, July 19, 1909 DID SDA PIONEERS USE THE WORD TRINITY

82. DID SDA PIONEERS USE THE WORD TRINITY By Derrick Gillespie We [Adventists] understand the Trinity , as applied to the Godhead, to consist of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ... These supreme Beings we cannot comprehend or measure«There is certainly nothing incongruous in the idea of the Spirit being a personal representative, hence saying that the Spirit' is the representative of the Father and Son does not deny his personality... He [the Spirit] occupies in our minds an exalted place with Deity «as a supreme Being ́ Bible Echo & Signs of the Times (Australia), Vol. 7, April 1, 1892, p112