In our time in history,
every type of error is being foisted on our people. At the same time
that men are teaching a false view of the human nature of Christ, other
men are presenting false concepts about the divine nature of Christ —
and the existence of the Holy Spirit!
Down through the centuries,
the most controverted Biblical facts have been those which directly
affect our salvation, facts such as these:
Christ is fully equal to the
Father in every way. He has existed from all eternity. He became fully
man, like us. He was fully tempted, but never sinned. He really died on
the cross. He ministers for us in the Sanctuary above. It required His
life, death, and heavenly mediation to provide an atonement for us.
There is a coming judgment, and we must now obey God, by the enabling
grace of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the
Godhead. The Holy Spirit is working to bring us to repentance. There is
a real devil and actual demons. The Bible accurately instructs us in the
way of salvation. Sincere prayer is heard and answered by Heaven.
Satan wants to eradicate
from our minds any or all of the above great truths.
Two crucial facts in the
working out of the great plan of redemption — is the truth that Christ
is fully God and has existed from all eternity, and the truth that the
Holy Spirit is a distinct Personage, and the Third Person of the
Godhead.
It is vital that you have a
personal understanding of these truths, for they affect you salvation.
— SECTION TWO —
THE
THREE PERSONS
OF THE GODHEAD
The Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit are three distinct, divine Personages. Yet they work
in such perfect unity that their objectives and activities are as one.
The following passages will
provide you with a view of the interworking of these three distinct
Persons:
THE GODHEAD IN THE BIBLE
1—Several times in the
Old Testament, God speaks of Himself as "Us." Note Genesis 1:26,
where the ones who do the creating of man are plural. Created beings do
not create, so the "Us" can only refer to the Godhead. Also see
Genesis 11:7.
2—Elohim is one
of the Old Testament words for "God." This Hebrew word is a
plural ("Gods," not "God"). Jewish scholars have never
been able to explain this fact.
3—The Angel of Jehovah is
mentioned several times in the Old Testament. This Angel is not only
identified with the Father, but is also distinguished from Him. Thus, we
find here a reference to two persons of the Godhead (Gen 16:7-13;18:1-21;
19:1-28; Mal 3:1).
4—In a similar manner,
the Word, or Wisdom, is personified, indicating a divine duality (Ps 33:4,
6; Prov 8:12-31).
5—Still elsewhere, God is
the speaker, and He mentions both the Messiah and the Spirit or, the
Messiah is the speaker who mentions both God and the Spirit (Isa 48:16;
61:1).
6—In the New Testament we
find a clearer revelation of the Godhead. In the Old Testament, the
Redeemer and Saviour is Jehovah (Job 19:25; Ps 78:35; 106:21; Isa 41:14;
43:3, 11, 14; 47:4; 49:7, 26; 60:16). In the New Testament, this
individual is clearly Jesus (Matt 1:21; Lk 1:76-79; 2:17; Jn 4:42; Gal
3:13; 4:5; Titus 2:13-14).
7—In the Old Testament,
it is Jehovah that dwells among Israel and in the hearts of those that
fear Him (Ps 135:21; Isa 8:18; 57:15; Eze 43:7-9; Joel 3:17-21; Zech
2:10-11). In the New Testament, it is the Holy Spirit that dwells among
God’s people (Rom 8:9; 11:1 Cor 3:17; Gal 4:6; Eph 2:22; James 4:5;
57:15; Eze 43:7-9; Joel 3:17-21; Zech 2:10-11). In the New Testament, it
is the Holy Spirit that dwells among God’s people (Eph 2:22; James 4:5).
[We are not here defining whom all the "Jehovah" passages refer
to.]
8—The New Testament
represents God as sending His Son into the world (Jn 3:16; Gal 4:4; Heb
1:6; 1 Jn 4:9).
9—In the New Testament,
both the Father and the Son send the Spirit (Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Gal
4:6).
10—The Father speaks to
the Son (Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22).
11—The Son communes with
the Father (Matt 11:25-26; 26:39; Jn 11:41; 12:27-28).
12—The Holy Spirit
intercedes for believers, and through them prays to God (Rom 8:26).
13—The Father speaks from
heaven at the baptism of the Son, and the Holy Spirit descends in the form
of a dove (Matt 3:16-17).
14—In the Great
Commission, Jesus mentions the three Persons (Matt 28:19-20).
15—In addition, the Three
are named alongside of each other in these passages (1 Cor 12:4-6; 1 Peter
1:2).
16—We find "I,"
"Thou," and "He" in several passages which indicate
separate Persons, yet interpersonal relations between them (Matt 3:16;
14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15).
17—In 1 John 5:7, in the
King James Version, the Three are also mentioned. But there are those who
question the validity of this passage (whether or not it really is
genuine). Yet, as we are observing elsewhere in this present study, the
great truth of the triune Godhead stands sure, regardless of the validity
of 1 John 5:7.
THE
GODHEAD
IN THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY
The following quotations
speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
"The Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit" are "the Godhead," "the three Persons of
the Godhead," "the three powers of the Godhead," "the
three highest powers in heaven" or "in the universe,"
"the eternal Godhead," "the three holy dignitaries of
heaven," "the three living Persons of the heavenly Trio,"
"the three holiest Beings in heaven," "the three great
Worthies in heaven."
Here now are these
statements:
"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."—5 Review, 341.
"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?"—Counsels on Health, 222.
"The three powers of the
Godhead, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, are pledged to be their
strength and their efficiency in their new life in Christ Jesus."—Australian
Union Conference Record, October 7, 1907.
"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, 51 (Evangelism, 617).
"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 (Evangelism, 616).
"The work of salvation
is not a small matter, but so vast that the highest authorities are taken
hold of by the expressed faith of the human agent. The eternal Godhead—the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost—is involved in the action
required to make assurance to the human agent."—Upward Look,
148.
"The Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit, the three holy dignitaries of heaven, have declared
that they will strengthen men to overcome the powers of darkness. All the
facilities of heaven are pledged to those who by their baptismal vows have
entered into a covenant with God."—5 Bible Commentary, 1110 (Manuscript 92,1901).
"The Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, powers infinite and omniscient, receive those who truly enter into
covenant relation with God. They are present at every baptism, to
receive the candidates who have renounced the world and have received
Christ into the soul temple. These candidates have entered into the family
of God, and their names are inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life."—6
Bible Commentary, 1075 (Manuscript 27,
1900).
"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 God, the Father, Christ, and
the Holy Spirit—the three dignitaries and powers of heaven—pledge
themselves that every facility shall be given to us if we carry out our
baptismal vows to "come out from among them, and be . . separate . .
and touch not the unclean thing."— 6 Bible Commentary, 1075
(Manuscript
85, 1901).
"Our sanctification is
the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit . . Have you
been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ Jesus? Then cooperate with the three great powers
of heaven who are working in your behalf."—7 Bible
Commentary, 908; Signs, June 19, 1091 (Manuscript 11, 1901).
"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."—6 Bible Commentary,
1074.
"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."—Series A, no. 10, 37
(Evangelism, 617).
"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."—10
Manuscript Releases, 63 (Letter 8, February 6, 1896; Series A, No. 10, 25;
Testimonies to Ministers, 392,)
"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, 63 (Evangelism,
615).
" ‘If a man love Me.
He will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and
make Our abode with him."—Fundamentals of Christian Education,
125 (Manuscript Releases, 19, 153.
"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."—In Heavenly Places, 176 (4 Signs, 512; Southern
Watchman, February 23, 1904 ).
"The Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost supply the power that makes him victorious in every
conflict with the prince of darkness."—6 Manuscript Releases,
167 (Letter 200, December 15, 1902).
"They pledge
themselves to devote their lives to God’s service; and the three great powers in heaven, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, pledge Themselves to
cooperate with them, to work in and through them."—6 Manuscript
Releases, 166 (Manuscript 118, October 6, 1902).
"The three highest powers
in the universe are pledged to labor with those who will seek to save
the lost."—5 Review, 533, col. 2.
"In the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, man is laid in his watery grave,
buried with Christ in baptism, and raised from the water to live the new
life of loyalty to God The
three great powers in heaven are witnesses; they are invisible but
present."—Manuscript 57, 1900 (6 Bible Commentary, 1074).
"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."—Manuscript 57, 1900 (6 Bible Commentary, 1074).
"At our baptism we
pledged ourselves to break all connection with Satan and his agencies, and
to put heart and mind and soul into the work of extending the kingdom of
God. All heaven is working for this object. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are pledged to cooperate with
sanctified human instrumentalities. If we are true to our vow, there
is opened to us a door of communication with heaven—a door that no human
hand or satanic agency can close."—Review May 17, 1906 (6 Bible Commentary, 1075.
"On that occasion
[baptism] we pledge ourselves, in the presence of the three great heavenly Powers,
to come out from the world and be separate."—6 Manuscript
Release 167 (Manuscript 130, October 27, 1902).
"When you took these
vows, you pledged yourself, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
that you would live unto God, and you have no right to break this pledge.
The help of the
three great Powers is placed at your disposal."—5 Review,
143 (Receiving Christ, 178).
"Baptized into the threefold
name . . at the very entrance of their Christian life . . the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, powers infinite and omniscient, receive those who
truly enter into covenant relation with God. They are present at
every baptism."—6 Bible Commentary, 1075.
"Those who submit to
the solemn rite of baptism pledge themselves to devote their lives to God’s
service; and the
three great powers of heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
pledge
themselves to cooperate with them, to work in and through them."—4
Signs, 282 (March 11, 1903).
"The three great powers
of heaven pledged Themselves to cooperate with you in your
efforts to live the new life in Christ."—5 Review, 142
"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 this act, pledging Themselves
to exert Their power in his behalf as he strives to honor
God."—6 Manuscript Release, 26 (Letter 53, January 26, 1904; 4
Signs, 399, August 16, 1905).
"The presence of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three highest powers in the universe
and those in whose name the believer is baptized, is pledged to be with
every striving soul."—Pacific Union Recorder, September 2, 1908.
"The rite of baptism
is administered in the name of the Father, and of the 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."—6 Manuscript Release, 27 (Manuscript
78, 1905).
"When you went down
into the water and were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
these three great powers of heaven pledged Themselves to give you
power and grace to resist every temptation to dishonor God."—19
Manuscript Releases, 235.
"When you gave
yourself to Christ, you made a pledge in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,—the
three great personal dignitaries of heaven."—7 Bible
Commentary, 959 (Sons and Daughters of God, 351).
"No requirement is
laid upon man that Christ has not obeyed. We can overcome as He overcame,
if we will avail ourselves of the help of the three great powers of heaven,
who are waiting to answer the demand made upon Them by God’s
people for power to defeat satanic agencies."—Notebook Leaflets,
124.
"Let us not forget our
baptismal vow. In the presence of the three highest powers of the
heaven,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,—we have pledged
ourselves to do the will of Him who, over the rent sepulcher of Joseph,
declared, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ "—5 Review,
45.
"There is to be the
imprint of the . . threefold powers in the heavenly world . . The three great and
glorious heavenly characters are present on the occasion of baptism. All the human
capabilities are to be henceforth consecrated powers to do service for God in representing
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost upon whom they depend. All
heaven is represented by these three in covenant relation with the
new life."—6 Manuscript Releases, 389.
"I am instructed to
say, The sentiments of those who are searching for advanced scientific
ideas are not to be trusted. Such representations as the following are
made: ‘The Father is as the light invisible; the Son is as the light
embodied; the Spirit is the light shed abroad.’ ‘The Father is like
the dew, invisible vapor; the Son is like the dew gathered in beauteous
form; the Spirit is like the dew fallen to the seat of life.’ Another
representation: ‘The Father is like the invisible vapor; the Son is like
the leaden cloud; the Spirit is rain fallen and working in refreshing
power.’
"All these
spiritualistic representations are simply nothingness. They are imperfect,
untrue. They weaken and diminish the Majesty which no earthly likeness can
be compared to. God cannot be compared with the things His hands have
made. These are mere earthly things, suffering under the curse of God
because of the sins of man. 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.
"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.
"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."—Evangelism, 614-615.
"God is a spirit; yet He
is a personal being, for man was made in His image . . 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."—Education, 132.
The following statements
were transcribed as Ellen White spoke them in sermons.
"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."—Sermons and
Talks, Vol. 1, 367.
"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."—6 Manuscript Releases, 29 (Sermon given March 10,
1908).
"Those who have been
baptized can claim the help of the three great Worthies in heaven,—the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."—Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1,
366.
"When I feel
oppressed, and hardy know how to relate myself toward the work that God
has given me to do, I just call upon the three great Worthies."—7
Manuscript Releases, 267-268; Manuscript Release 307, 2, 4 (Sermon given
October 20, 1906).
"In whose name are we
baptized? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost—the three highest powers in the heavenly courts."—Manuscript
Release 135, 4 (Camp meeting sermon given June 27, 1907).
"We are baptized in
the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these three great, infinite powers
are unitedly pledged to work in our behalf if we cooperate with
them."—1901 General Conference Bulletin, 36-37 (Lift Him Up,
109).
"At our baptism we
pledged ourselves to Him [Jesus], and received the ordinance in the name
of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. These three great powers of heaven
pledged Themselves to work in our behalf, not only to begin, but to finish
our faith."—1901 General Conference Bulletin, 215 (talk given
April 14, 1901).
CONTINUE-
DO NOT DISCARD THE BIBLE - SOP
GODHEAD TOC