What does the conference church say today?
“Adventist beliefs have changed over the years under the impact of ‘present truth’. Most startling is the teaching regarding Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord…… the Trinitarian understanding of God, now part of our fundamental beliefs, was not generally held by the early Adventists.” – Adventist Review, Jan 6, 1994. p.10.
“Most of the founders of Seventh-day Adventism would not be able to join the church today if they had to subscribe to the denomination’s Fundamental Beliefs. More specifically, most would not be able to agree to belief number 2, which deals with the doctrine of the trinity.” – Ministry, October 1993, p. 10.
What did they previously believe?
“You are mistaken in supposing that S. D. Adventists teach that Christ was ever created. They believe, on the contrary, that he was “begotten” of the Father, and that he can properly be called God and worshiped as such. They believe, also, that the worlds, and everything which is, was created by Christ in conjunction with the Father. They believe, however, that somewhere in the eternal ages of the past there was a point at which Christ came into existence. They think that it is necessary that God should have antedated Christ in his being, in order that Christ could have been begotten of him, and sustain to him the relation of son. They hold to the distinct personality of the Father and Son, rejecting as absurd that feature of Trinitarianism which insists that God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three persons, and yet but one person. S. D. Adventists hold that God and Christ are one in the sense that Christ prayed that his disciples might be one; i. e., one in spirit, purpose, and labor. See “Fundamental Principles of S. D. Adventists,” published at this Office.”(RH April 17, 1883)
What does the Spirit of Prophecy say?
“Those who seek to remove the old landmarks are not holding fast; they are not remembering how they have received and heard. Those who try to bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary orconcerning the personality of God or of Christ, are working as blind men. They are seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor.” {E. G. White, Manuscript Release No.760, p. 9} 1905
- Christ begotten in Eternity
- Ellen White on the Trinity
- James White on the Trinity
- JH Waggoner on the Trinity
- Joseph Bates on the Trinity
- Merrit Cornell on the Trinity
- AT Jones on the Trinity
- JM Stephenson on the Trinity
- Uriah Smith on the Trinity
- JN Andrews on the Trinity
- RF Cotrell on the Trinity
- DW Hull on the Trinity
- SN Haskell on the Trinity
- JN Loughborough on the Trinity
- EJ Waggoner on the Trinity
- 1939 JS Washburn letter on the Trinity
“The Scriptures clearly indicate the relation between God and Christ, and they bring to view as clearly the personality and individuality of each. [Hebrews 1:1-5 quoted.] God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has beengiven an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son.” (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, page 268)
“Many of our people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith has been laid. My husband, Elder Bates,
Father pierce, Elder [Hiram] Edson, and others who were keen, noble, and true, were among those who, after the passing of the time in 1844, searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I met with them, and we studied and prayed earnestly…. light was given that helped us to understand the scriptures in regard to Christ, His mission, and His priesthood. A line of truth extending from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others the instruction that the Lord had given me. . . What influence is it that would lead men at this stage of our history to work in an underhand, powerful way to tear down the foundation of our faith–the foundation that was laid at the beginning of our work by prayerful study of the Word and revelation? Upon this foundation we have been building for the past fifty years.(Selected Messages bk.1, p. 206-7 1904)
Also see this link which lists many of the writings of the Pioneers of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Also see…
“…in the formula for baptism, the name “Holy Ghost,” or “Holy Spirit” is associated with that of the Father and the Son. and if the name can be used thus, why could it not properly stand as a part of the same Trinity hymn of praise, “Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost”?
-Uriah Smith, Review and Herald, 1896, Vol. 43, pg. 685
“Gabriel was only an angel, upheld by the same power that sustained John, and he would not for one moment allow John to be deceived by thinking he was a part of the great Trinity of heaven and worthy of the worship of mankind.”
– S. N. Haskell, The Story of Daniel the Prophet, 1905 edition, pg. 132
In consequence of these misunderstandings, each of them Arians and Trinitarians at Nicea in 325AD wrote volumes, as if contending against adversaries: and although it was admitted on both sides that the Son of God has a distinct person and existence, and “all acknowledged that there is one God in a Trinity of persons, yet, from what cause I am unable to divine, they could not agree amoung themselves, and therefore were never at peace (quoted from Socrates)… There was no dispute about the fact of there being a Trinity; it is about the nature of the Trinity. Both parties believed in precisely the same Trinity, but they differed upon the precise relationship which the Son bears to the Father”
– A.T. Jones, The Two Republics, 1891, pg. 333
“God is one (person). Jesus Christ is one (i.e. another person). The Holy Spirit is one (the third person of three). And these three are one: there is no dissent nor division amoung them.”
– A.T. Jones, Review and Herald, January 10, 1899, pg. 24
“In the fourth and fifth centuries many absurd views were set forth respecting the Trinity-views that stood at variance with reason, logic, and Scripture.. but…the enemy (Satan) 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 “only begotten” of the Father…”
-Robert Hare, Australasian Union Conference Record, July 19, 1909
“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, Oct. 9, 1913
“… 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 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… 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…”
– F. M. Wilcox, Christ is very God, Review and Herald 1913