reddogs
Active Member
Another revelation of the Bible that teaches us more about the nature of God or how He exists is the truth regarding the trinity of the Godhead. The Bible teaches us that God not only exists as a personal Spirit being, but that He does so in Holy Trinity. This is a doctrine beyond the scope of man’s finite mind. If biblical evidence supports it, we can know it is true. Comprehending it is another matter. John Wesley said,“Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God.” God’s Word tells us that we should expect His revelation, the revelation of an infinite, omniscient, all-wise Creator, to contain an infinite depth that corresponds to His infinite mind. In the book of Isaiah, God tells us about this and says:
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
This is study on the Godhead from the SDA standpoint and stated views. 'While the Seventh-day Adventist Church today espouses the doctrine of the Trinity..the evidence from a study of Adventist history indicates that from the earliest years of our church to the 1890s a whole stream of writers took an Arian or semi-Arian position. The view of Christ presented in those years by Adventist authors was that there was a time when Christ did not exist, that His divinity is a delegated divinity, and that therefore He is inferior to the Father. In regard to the Holy Spirit, their position was that He was not the third member of the Godhead but the power of God.
During the early decades of our church Ellen White made statements which could be interpreted as anti-Trinitarian. She at times referred to the Holy Spirit as “it,” and in the context of her description of the fall of Satan, she wrote, A special light beamed in his [Satan’s] countenance, and shone around him brighter and more beautiful than around the other angels; yet Jesus, God’s dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the angels were created. Satan was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved on Christ alone.(Testimonies to the Church, 1:124; 1888 Material, 1249; Pamphlet 154, 4; Youth Instructor, 8-1-1895.)
The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that he might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon his Son.... The Father then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ, his Son, should be equal with himself; so that wherever was the presence of his Son, it was his own presence.... His Son would carry out His will and His purposes, but would do nothing of himself alone.(Spirit of Prophecy, 1:17, 18)
This seems to imply that after the angels were created, they did not know or recognize that Christ was equal with the Father and it took a special “heavenly council” to inform them of this.
Now lets go over some of the definition and terms:
1. Arianism
A teaching which arose in the fourth century AD in Alexandria. Named after its most prominent representative Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria. It denied that Jesus Christ was of the same substance (Gk. homoousios) as the Father and reduced the Son to the rank of a creature, though pre-existent before the world. Arianism was condemned at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325).
2. Semi-Arianism
Semi-Arians attempted a compromise between the orthodox and Arian position on the nature of Christ. They rejected the Arian view that Christ was created and had a different nature from God (anomoios - dissimilar), but neither did they accept the Nicene Creed which stated that Christ was “of one substance (homoousios) with the Father.” Semi-Arians taught that Christ was similar (homoios) to the Father, or of like substance (homoiousios), but still subordinate.
3. Trinitarianism
Trinitarianism is the orthodox belief that there is but one living and true God. Nevertheless this one God is a unity of three persons, who are of one substance, power and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
4. Anti-Trinitarians
Anti-Trinitarians are people who oppose the doctrine of the Trinity for various reasons. They may
be Arians, semi-Arians, or hold other views that deny the Trinity.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
This is study on the Godhead from the SDA standpoint and stated views. 'While the Seventh-day Adventist Church today espouses the doctrine of the Trinity..the evidence from a study of Adventist history indicates that from the earliest years of our church to the 1890s a whole stream of writers took an Arian or semi-Arian position. The view of Christ presented in those years by Adventist authors was that there was a time when Christ did not exist, that His divinity is a delegated divinity, and that therefore He is inferior to the Father. In regard to the Holy Spirit, their position was that He was not the third member of the Godhead but the power of God.
During the early decades of our church Ellen White made statements which could be interpreted as anti-Trinitarian. She at times referred to the Holy Spirit as “it,” and in the context of her description of the fall of Satan, she wrote, A special light beamed in his [Satan’s] countenance, and shone around him brighter and more beautiful than around the other angels; yet Jesus, God’s dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the angels were created. Satan was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved on Christ alone.(Testimonies to the Church, 1:124; 1888 Material, 1249; Pamphlet 154, 4; Youth Instructor, 8-1-1895.)
The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that he might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon his Son.... The Father then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ, his Son, should be equal with himself; so that wherever was the presence of his Son, it was his own presence.... His Son would carry out His will and His purposes, but would do nothing of himself alone.(Spirit of Prophecy, 1:17, 18)
This seems to imply that after the angels were created, they did not know or recognize that Christ was equal with the Father and it took a special “heavenly council” to inform them of this.
Now lets go over some of the definition and terms:
1. Arianism
A teaching which arose in the fourth century AD in Alexandria. Named after its most prominent representative Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria. It denied that Jesus Christ was of the same substance (Gk. homoousios) as the Father and reduced the Son to the rank of a creature, though pre-existent before the world. Arianism was condemned at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325).
2. Semi-Arianism
Semi-Arians attempted a compromise between the orthodox and Arian position on the nature of Christ. They rejected the Arian view that Christ was created and had a different nature from God (anomoios - dissimilar), but neither did they accept the Nicene Creed which stated that Christ was “of one substance (homoousios) with the Father.” Semi-Arians taught that Christ was similar (homoios) to the Father, or of like substance (homoiousios), but still subordinate.
3. Trinitarianism
Trinitarianism is the orthodox belief that there is but one living and true God. Nevertheless this one God is a unity of three persons, who are of one substance, power and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
4. Anti-Trinitarians
Anti-Trinitarians are people who oppose the doctrine of the Trinity for various reasons. They may
be Arians, semi-Arians, or hold other views that deny the Trinity.
Last edited: