Our Seventh Day Adventist pioneers testify:
“The Scriptures declare that Christ is “the only begotten son of God.” He is begotten, not created” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 21).
“He was born of the Holy Ghost. In other words, Jesus Christ was born again. He came from heaven, God’s first-born, to the earth, and was
born again. But all in Christ’s work goes by opposites for us: He, the sinless one, was made to be sin in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He, the living One, the Prince and Author of life, died that we might live. He whose goings forth have been from the days of eternity, the first-born of God, was born again in order that we might be born again” (A. T. Jones,Christian Perfection, paragraph 53). (This is also found in Lessons on Faith, p. 154.)
“He who was born in the form of God took the form of man” (A. T. Jones, The General Conference Bulletin, 1895, p. 449).
“Christ is the only literal Son of God. “The only begotten of the Father.” John 1:14. He is God because he is the Son of God; not by virtue of His resurrection. If Christ is the only begotten of the Father, then we cannot be begotten of the Father in a literal sense. It can only be in a secondary sense of the word” (John Matteson, The Review & Herald, October 12, 1869).
“The Scriptures nowhere speak of Christ as a created being, but on the contrary plainly state that he was begotten of the Father.” (Uriah Smith, Daniel and Revelation, p. 430)
“God alone is without beginning. At the earliest epoch when a beginning could be, – a period so remote that to finite minds it is essentially eternity, – appeared the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. This uncreated Word was the Being, who, in the fulness of time, was made flesh, and dwelt among us. His beginning was not like that of any other being in the universe. It is set forth in the mysterious expressions, “his [God’s] only begotten Son” (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9), “the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14), and, “I proceeded forth and came from God.” John 8:42” (Uriah Smith, Looking Unto Jesus, p. 10).
“The rainbow in the clouds is but a symbol of the rainbow which has encircled the throne from eternity. Back in the ages, which finite mind cannot fathom, the Father and Son were alone in the universe. Christ was the first begotten of the Father, and to Him Jehovah made known the divine plan of Creation” (Stephen Haskell, Story of the Seer of Patmos, pp. 93, 94).
“Christ was the firstborn in heaven; He was likewise the firstborn of God upon earth, and heir to the Father’s throne. Christ, the firstborn, though the Son of God, was clothed in humanity, and was made perfect through suffering” (Stephen Haskell, Story of the Seer of Patmos p. 98).
“The S. D. Adventists hold the divinity of Christ so nearly with the Trinitarians that we apprehend no trial here” (James White, TheReview & Herald, October 12, 1876).
“But if I am asked what I think of Jesus Christ, my reply is, I believe all that the Scriptures say of him. If the testimony represents him as being in glory with the Father before the world was, I believe it. If it is said that he was in the beginning with God, that he was God, that all things were made by him and for him, and that without him was not anything made that was made, I believe it. If the Scriptures say he is the Son of God, I believe it. If it is declared that the Father sent his Son into the world, I believe he had a Son to send. … Children inherit the name of their father. The Son of God “hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than” the angels” (R. F. Cottrell, The Review & Herald, June 1 1869, emphasis in the original).
“As to when He was begotten, it is not for us to inquire, nor could our minds grasp it if we were told. The prophet Micah tells us all that we can
know about it in these words, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, margin. There was a time when Christ proceeded forth and came from God, from the bosom of the Father (John 8:42; 1:18), but that time was so far back in the days of eternity that to finite comprehension it is practically without beginning” (E. J. Waggoner—Christ and His Righteousness, pp. 21, 22).
“In arguing the perfect equality of the Father and the Son, and the fact that Christ is in very nature God, we do not design to be understood as teaching that the Father was not before the Son. It should not be necessary to guard this point, lest some should think that the Son existed as soon as the Father; yet some go to that extreme, which adds nothing to the dignity of Christ, but rather detracts from the honor due him, since many throw the whole thing away rather than accept a theory so obviously out of harmony with the language of Scripture, that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. He was begotten, not created. He is of the substance of the Father, so that in his very nature he is God; and since this is so “it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.” Col. 1:19 … While both are of the same nature, the Father is first in point of time. He is also greater in that he had no beginning, while Christ’s personality had a beginning” (E. J. Waggoner, The Signs of the Times, April 8, 1889).
“The Father was greater than the Son in that he was first. The Son was equal with the Father in that he had received all things from the Father” (James White, The Review & Herald, January 4, 1881).
“And as to the Son of God, he would be excluded also, for he had God for his Father, and did, some point at the eternity of the past, have beginning of days. So that if we use Paul’s language in an absolute sense, it would be impossible to find but one being in theuniverse, and that is God the Father, who is without father, or mother, or descent, or beginning of days, or end of life” (J. N. Andrews,The Review & Herald, September 7, 1869).
“The angels, therefore, are created beings, necessarily of a lower order than their Creator. Christ is the only being begotten of the Father” (James Edson White [Son of Ellen White], Past Present and Future, p. 52).
“The dedication of the first-born had its origin in the earliest times. God had promised to give the First-born of heaven to
save the sinner.” {The Desire of Ages, p. 51}
“Angels of God looked with amazement upon Christ, who took upon Himself the form of man and humbly united His divinity with humanity in order that He might minister to fallen man. It is a marvel among the heavenly angels. God has told us that He did do it, and we are to accept the Word of God just as it reads. And although we may try to reason in regard to our Creator, how long He has had existence, where evil first entered into our world, and all these things, we may reason about them until we fall down faint and exhausted with the research when there is yet an infinity beyond.” {E. G. White, S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 7, p. 919} 1888
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by him as his right. This was no robbery of God. “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,” he declares, “before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth.”” {E. G. White, Review and Herald, April 5, 1906 par. 7}
“In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history” (Ellen White Life Sketches, p. 196).
“The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work forthe last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath, of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure” (Ellen WhiteSpecial Testimonies, Series B, no. 2, p. 54).
The Holy Spirit is not the third person of the Godhead the Holy Spirit is the spirit of Christ ~
Hi Joanne, it depends what you mean by the term “Godhead”. The bible uses the term only 3 times. Take a look at the following if you have some time:
http://thethirdangelsmessage.com/is-there-a-difference-between-the-%E2%80%9Cgodhead%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Cthe-trinity%E2%80%9D-and-ellen-white%E2%80%99s-use-of-the-terms
“Christ is to be known by the blessed name of Comforter.” {Ms7-1902 (January 26, 1902) par. 10} – EGW
“WE WANT THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.” {Lt66-1894 (April 10, 1894) par. 18} – EGW *(see full quote below)
““If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children keep yourselves from idols.” The Lord is soon to come. We want that complete and perfect understanding which the Lord alone can give. It is not safe to catch the spirit from another. WE WANT THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST. If we commune with God, we shall have strength and grace and efficiency.” {Lt66-1894 (April 10, 1894) par. 18} – EGW
(Ellen White warns, “The Father and the Son ALONE are to be exalted.” {The Youth’s Instructor, July 7, 1898 par.2})
“We adore God for His wonderous love in giving us Jesus the Comforter” SD 124
“The Saviour is our Comforter” 8 MR 49
“There is no Comforter like Christ” RH OCT 26, 1897
“He (Christ) is the comforter” RH JAN 27, 1903
“The Saviour is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be.” 19 MR 293
Answer; The Holy Spirit is certainly a living person. It is the person of Christ, His very life with His church. Jesus lives inside consecrated commandment keeping bodies. It is Jesus INVISIBLE, walking UNSEEN beside us and INSIDE us, helping us to be SIN-FREE!
While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth. He is withdrawn from the eye of sense, but His parting promise is fulfilled, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matt. 28:20. While He delegates His power to inferior ministers, His energizing presence is still with His church. {DA 166.2}
This is why Jesus could promise;
I will come to you.
I will never leave you nor forsake you.
I am with you always even unto the end of the world.
Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them.
Please tell me is Jesus with you now in the body (physically), or is He with you by His Holy Spirit (Words/character John 6:63 my WORDS are Spirit=mind=let this MIND be in you that was also in Christ Jesus)?
If you still want to make the Holy Spirit (mind of Christ = the presence and power of God sent to us through His Son) someone else, then someone else is with you not Jesus?
Look at who inspiration says is the true comforter;
“The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ.” DA 80
“Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life.” MH 159
If you disbelieve the SOP, how do you answer Jn 20:22
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
The Word of God here gives us a practical illustration of the impartation of the Spirit; which is the life of Christ, it is His very own breath.
It is a part of Him, Jesus, not someone else. Even young children get this.
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
He died in His natural body; He was raised in His spiritual body becoming a life-giving Spirit. 1Cor 15:44,45
The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one.” 8T, p. 269.
John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.
“The Saviour is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be.” 8MR p. 49 July 16, 1892
“As by faith we look to Jesus, our faith pierces the shadow, and we adore God for His wondrous love in giving Jesus the Comforter.” 19MR No. 1405 Preston, Melbourne, July 26, 1892 p. 297;Sons and Daughters of God p.124
“There is no comforter like Christ, so tender and so true. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. His Spirit speaks to the heart.” Review and Herald Oct 26, 1897
“He is coming to us by His Holy Spirit today. Let us recognize Him now; then we shall recognize Him when He comes in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” Review and Herald, April 30, 1901
“While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth.” Desire of Ages p. 166
He gives them His Holy Spirit, the manifestation of His presence and favor.” Testimonies Vol 9, p. 230 1909
“Before the disciples could fulfill their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them.” Desire of Ages p. 805
“Jesus is waiting to breathe upon all his disciples, and give them the inspiration of his sanctifying spirit, and transfuse the vital influence from himself to his people… Christ is to live in his human agents.” Signs of the Times Oct 3, 1892
“The Holy Spirit, which proceeds from the only begotten Son of God, binds the human agent, body, soul, and spirit, to the perfect, divine-human nature of Christ.” Review & Herald April 5, 1906
” ‘The words that I speak are spirit and life’ John 6:63. Christ is not here referring to His doctrine, but to His person, the divinity of His character.” 1 Selected Messages p. 249
Romans 8:9 speaks of the Father and Son as sharing the same Spirit referred to as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ.
“It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.” Desire of Ages, page 388
He died in His natural body; He was raised in His spiritual body becoming a life-giving Spirit. 1Cor 15:44-45“They are two in individuality, yet one in spirit”. Youth’s Instructor Dec 16, 1897
“What saith our Saviour? ‘I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.’ ‘He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him and will manifest myself to him’ When trials overshadow the soul, remember the words of Christ, remember that He is an unseen presence in the person of the Holy Spirit, and He will be the peace and comfort given you, manifesting to you that He is with you, the Sun of Righteousness, chasing away your darkness. ‘If a man love me,’ Christ said, ‘he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him’” Letter 124, 1897 (Daughters of God p.185), John 14:16, 18, 23 Review and Herald Sept 23, 1902
“In giving us His Spirit, God gives us Himself, making Himself a fountain of divine influences, to give health and life to the world.” Testimonies vol. 7, p. 273
“That He [the Father] would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Ephesians 4:14-17
“God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts.” Galatians 4:6
“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:19
“The reasons why the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die is that the enemy has brought influences of a discouraging nature to bear upon trembling souls. He has sought to shut Jesus from their view as the Comforter” Review and Herald, August 26, 1890
“Let them study the seventeenth of John, and learn how to pray and how to live the prayer of Christ. He is the Comforter. He will abide in their hearts, making their joy full.” E.G. White, Review and Herald, January 27, 1903
“It is the ‘Son of man’ who shares the throne of the universe. It is the ‘Son of man’ whose name shall be called, ‘Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ Isa. 9:6. The I AM is the Daysman between God and humanity, laying His hand upon both. […]” (The Desire of Ages, page 21 paragraph 2, page 22 paragraphs 1-4, page 24 paragraph 3, and page 25 paragraph 3.)
The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one.” 8T, p. 269.
John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated BOTH (notice: two beings not three) me and my Father.
More here: https://sites.google.com/site/theendtimewarning/jesus-born-of-god-not-created
Indeed, Christ is called the Comforter, but He is also called the Everlasting Father ! Now, according to the above interpretation, should we conclude that God the Father is Jesus ? He is also called the I AM, the God who spoke to the prophets of old, the God who could be seen by some , ( remember The Father can’t be seen ) , and this God did not introduce Himself to the Jews as the Son of God , but by YAHWEH, which means the One who sustains Himself ,without beginning or end. Why is that ,? And while Jesus could inherit everything from His Father, He could NEVER inherit the -NO BEGINNING status-, and thus He could never apply the name YAHWEH to Himself if He has a beginning , for that would be robbery.
Amen
Jesus inherited his Father’s name
http://thethirdangelsmessage.com/firstborn_begotten_pioneers.php
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… {DA 671.2}
I am pretty sure that someone is going to latch unto “Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil…” as a proof that the HL is no longer “the Third Person of the Godhead” as stated in DA 671.2 and thus make SOP contradict it self.
You’re misunderstanding whet she meant by person. Study more you’ll come to truth.
This Spirit IS the third person JoAnn, IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE HOLY SPIRIT PROPERLY. You need to get this, and stop stating it wrongly. You are contradicting the Servant of the Lord. I know what you mean, but you’re stating it wrongly! Blessings.
There was not three only two the father and son planning the foundation of this world.
Amen…. God and His Son. 🙂
So who has disagreed with that Jo-Ann?
The word “begotten of the Father” if want gets people in trouble. We must examine is the expression “only-begotten.” It is the Greek word “monogeneis.”This is not simply “begotten,” for that expression can be applied to all
believers, those who have been begotten or born again by the Spirit.
This is a unique expression for a unique person, the only-begotten Son
of God. The expression appears in John 1:14, 4:18,
3:16, and 3:18. It would literally mean the “only generated one.” This
is the key expression for the doctrine of “the eternal generation of the
Son,” meaning, he always was the only begotten Son. The expression does
not refer to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, because he is the Son
from eternity past.
Perhaps the language can be better understood if
contrasted with synonyms. Take the verbs “make,” “create,” and “beget.”
The verb “make” is general; one can make dinner, clothes, a house, or
any other product. The “create” can have the same objects, but usually
elevates the act to an art: one creates a masterpiece, or a work of art,
or a symphony. While these creations bear the imprint of the creator,
they do not share his nature. But “beget” is different. You can only
beget a child that has the same nature as you have–a son or a daughter.
There is nothing else you can beget (unless you were speaking very
figuratively). Your son or your daughter will inherit his or her nature
from you–genes, personality–all of it. You can use “make” or “create”
for producing a child; but when you use “beget” it only means you
produce a child that has your nature.
Now follow this carefully. If Jesus is said to be
the begotten Son of God (using the figure from human language to make
the point), then Jesus has the same nature as the Father. If Jesus has
the same nature as God the Father, then Jesus is divine and eternal as
well. If he is eternally God, then there was never a time he was
literally begotten–which is why we know the language is figurative to
describe his nature, and not his beginning. To call Jesus “the only
begotten Son” means that he is fully divine and eternal. He is God the
Son.
This is why the creed says that Jesus was “begotten, not made.” Why? Because he is of one substance with the Father.
One more point. The word “begotten” has “only” (mono-)
prefixed to it. There is only one. This means that Jesus has a unique
relationship with the Father–they two along with the Holy Spirit make
up the Godhead. You and I, if we are believers, have been born into the
family of God–we are said to be begotten of God. But we are not
“only-begotten.” That refers to Jesus’ divine nature. We were adopted by
grace and given the divine nature by the Spirit so that we may be
called the children of God. But Jesus–he is very God of very God. He is
the only-begotten Son of God (that is the part of the creed that reads
“of very God”), which means that he is God (that is the part that reads
“very God”).
One more thing to consider is that the scriptures are written to us humans, in human language, to reveal only what pertain to our salvation. So the expression of the “only-begotten of the Father” is also an indication that only this Jesus, the One that was born of Mary, a virgin woman, was the fulfillment of the promise, the promise “son of salvation” the one that would be born of a woman, promise to adan and eve, being human and divine.
We need to remember that the name Jesus was very popular, same with the word Messiah. John is also alluding that there is no other such name in which one can be save. Jesus warned us that there will be many “christ” in the world, can you be for certain that you are following the right “christ” or “christ message”
John is thinking beyond the people of his time and also speaking to us so he says: this is the “only-begotten” the only that came from the Father, there is no other one in which we can put our truth.
The phrase “only begotten Son” occurs in John 3:16,
which reads in the King James Version as, “For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The phrase “only
begotten” translates the Greek word monogenes. This word is variously translated into English as “only,” “one and only,” and “only begotten.”
It’s this last phrase (“only begotten” used in the KJV, NASB and the
NKJV) that causes problems. False teachers have latched onto this phrase
to try to prove their false teaching that Jesus Christ isn’t God; i.e.,
that Jesus isn’t equal in essence to God as the Second Person of the
Trinity. They see the word “begotten” and say that Jesus is a created
being because only someone who had a beginning in time can be
“begotten.” What this fails to note is that “begotten” is an English
translation of a Greek word. As such, we have to look at the original
meaning of the Greek word, not transfer English meanings into the text.
So what does monogenes mean? According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BAGD, 3rd Edition), monogenes
has two primary definitions. The first definition is “pertaining to
being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship.” This is
its meaning in Hebrews 11:17
when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham’s “only begotten son” (KJV).
Abraham had more than one son, but Isaac was the only son he had by
Sarah and the only son of the covenant. Therefore, it is the uniqueness
of Isaac among the other sons that allows for the use of monogenes in that context.
The second definition is “pertaining to being the only one of its kind
or class, unique in kind.” This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16 (see also John 1:14, 18; 3:18; 1 John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31), and he uses monogenes
to highlight Jesus as uniquely God’s Son—sharing the same divine nature
as God—as opposed to believers who are God’s sons and daughters by
adoption (Ephesians 1:5). Jesus is God’s “one and only” Son.
The bottom line is that terms such as “Father” and “Son,” descriptive of
God and Jesus, are human terms that help us understand the relationship
between the different Persons of the Trinity. If you can understand the
relationship between a human father and a human son, then you can
understand, in part, the relationship between the First and Second
Persons of the Trinity. The analogy breaks down if you try to take it
too far and teach, as some Christian cults (such as the Jehovah’s
Witnesses), that Jesus was literally “begotten” as in “produced” or
“created” by God the Father.
the word “Christ” refers to a union of divinity and humanity. John makes this distinction by using too word to explain it. The “word” became “flesh” in other words the divine took the form of men to dwell among men.
Christ was created the Word always existed with the Father.
Another way of looking at it is that from the beginning before anything was form, the Godhead (Father,Son and Holy Spirit) instituted a a redemption plan, so when sin would enter into the universe, specifically into the word, there was a plan that would take effect.
Paul mentions something interesting in Hebrews 10:5 : Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me;
Paul is quoting Jesus, he saying that the body of Christ, the is the sacrificial lamb-human body prepare from eternity for the plan of salvation, so in this context, Christ is the first born of creating, but it was “Word” that took this form of men (Christ) to die for our sins that we may be born again of God and be giving the Spirit of God and we now can become one with the Father.
Angels that were loyal and true sought to reconcile this mighty, rebellious angel to the will of his Creator. They justified the act of God in conferring honor upon Christ, and with forcible reasoning sought to convince Lucifer that no less honor was his now than before the Father had proclaimed the honor which He had conferred upon His Son. They clearly set forth that Christ was the Son of God, existing with Him before the angels were created; and that He had ever stood at the right hand of God, and His mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned; and that He had given no commands but what it was joy for the heavenly host to execute. They urged that Christ’s receiving special honor from the Father, in the presence of the angels, did not detract from the honor that Lucifer had heretofore received. The angels wept. They anxiously sought to move him to renounce his wicked design and yield submission to their Creator; for all had heretofore been peace and harmony, and what could occasion this dissenting, rebellious voice? – {SR 15.2}
Notice that the loyal angels tol Lucifer “that He [Jesus] had ever stood at the right hand of God, and His mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned”
This means the there was newer a time when Jesus and His Father did’t exist togetther and even prior to the creation of our world Jesus had authority meaning that it was just now given to Him by the Father but rather it was a reausurance bacause God knew that rebelion was rising in the heart of Licifer.
Since we are MADE in the IMAGE of God, did you exist as long as your own human Father existed brother?
In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as his personal Saviour. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3. This is the open fountain of life for the world (The Signs of the Times, February 13, 1912). – {5BC 1130.3}