EGW - Holy Spirit

Ellen G. White on the Holy Spirit

They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit—the Spirit of Christ—is to bring unity into their ranks. { 9T 189.3, (1909)}

Ellen G. White wrote and believed that:

Jesus would manifest himself to us in a spiritual sense (in answer to the question in John 14:22).

The holy spirit is the Comforter and is also the spirit of Christ.

The holy spirit is both the Comforter and the spirit of truth which is also Christ manifest in the flesh.

The spirit comes from the Father and is given to us through the Son.

Christ alone: is the way to the Father, is in the express image of God, can change the heart.

The third person of the godhead is the spirit of Christ.

(1) Jesus manifests himself to us in a spiritual sense

John 14:22 (ESV): Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”

The disciples still failed to understand Christ’s words in their spiritual sense, and again He explained His meaning. By the Spirit, He said, He would manifest Himself to them. “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things.” { DA 670.1 (1898)} [Desire of Ages: Chapter 73—“Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”]

That Christ should manifest Himself to them, and yet be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the disciples. They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. They were thinking of the outward, visible manifestation. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ with them, and yet He be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation. { Southern Worker, September 13, 1898, par. 2 }

When he should ascend to the Father, then the Comforter which the Saviour promised to send would come. Jesus promised to manifest himself through the Holy Spirit to every individual who shall seek him and believe on him. { ST July 23, 1896, par. 2 }

The Lord encourages all who seek Him with the whole heart. He gives them His Holy Spirit, the manifestation of His presence and favor. But those who forsake God in order to save their lives will be forsaken by Him. In seeking to save their lives by yielding the truth, they will lose eternal life. { 9T 230.3}

Let us remember that the Word Christ has commanded us to preach to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples is confirmed by the Holy Spirit. This is God’s plan of work. Christ is the mighty power which confirms the Word, bringing men and women, through conversion to the truth, to an understanding faith, making them willing to do whatsoever He has commanded them. The human agent, the seen instrument, is to preach the Word, and the Lord Jesus, the unseen, agency, by His Holy Spirit is to make the Word efficacious and powerful.—Letter 105, 1900. { 2SM 18.3}

(2) Holy Spirit = Comforter = Spirit of Christ. It is unmistakable that EGW understood the Holy Spirit to be both the Comforter and the Spirit of Christ.

It is not essential for you to know and be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost, “the Spirit of truth, which the Father shall send in My name.” “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” [John 14:16, 17]. This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter. Again Jesus says, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth” [John 16:12, 13]. { 14MR 179.2, Written to Brother Chapman from Petoskey, Michigan, June 11, 1891.}

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, which is sent to all men to give them sufficiency, that through His grace we might be complete in Him. The Lord has provided that we should always be under the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit. We shall then discover that the law of God is holy, just, and good, and we would learn to delight in the law of God. We love the requirements of the law, and from our hearts render obedience to its requirements. { 14MR 84.3, Written January 2, 1894, from Melbourne, Australia, to Jacob Christiansen, captain of the mission ship Pitcairn.}

Let them be thankful to God for His manifold mercies and be kind to one another. They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit—the Spirit of Christ—is to bring unity into their ranks. { 9T 189.3, (1909)}

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ; it is His representative. Here is the divine agency that carries conviction to hearts. When the power of His Spirit is revealed through the servants of God, we behold divinity flashing through humanity. When accompanied by the Holy Spirit, the presentation of truth as it is in Jesus will be of more value than all the honor or glory of the world. { 13MR 313.3, Written September 13, 1895, from Granville, N.S.W., to a minister in Stanmore, Sydney, N.S.W.}

(3a) Holy Spirit = Comforter = Spirit of truth = Christ

The Holy Spirit is called both the Comforter and the Spirit of truth, because there is comfort and hope in the truth. { GW92 310.2 (1892)}

The Comforter is called “the Spirit of truth.” His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. It is through false theories and traditions that Satan gains his power over the mind. By directing men to false standards, he misshapes the character. Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the word of God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself. { DA 671.1, (1898)} [Desire of Ages: Chapter 73—“Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”]

To the poor and oppressed and downtrodden of earth, Christ says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, even the Spirit of truth, (which is Christ formed within the hope of glory,) whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless.” [John 14:15-18.] {13LtMs, Ms 24, 1898, par. 21}

How shall I bear impressively the commission Christ has given to His people—the privilege of being workers with the Spirit of all truth manifest in the flesh—the divine Son of God, clothed with humanity, a channel devised and prepared to be continually receiving and imparting the heavenly current? Himself the overflowing Fountain, He receives to communicate to all those who will accept the gift. {21LtMs, Ms 125, 1906, par.13}

Jesus comes to you as the Spirit of truth; study the mind of the Spirit, consult your Lord, follow His way. {2MR 337.1 (1892)}

(3b) Christ is the Comforter

“If you are looking to Jesus, and drawing from him knowledge and strength and grace, you can impart his consolation to others, because the Comforter is with you.” — (E.G. White, Review and Herald, December 17, 1914)

“Christ is our Guide and Comforter, who comforts us in all our tribulations.” — (E.G. White, 2SM 270.3)

“Christ is everything to those who receive Him. He is their Comforter, their safety, their healthfulness. Apart from Christ there is no light at all.” — (E.G. White, 21MR 372.1)

“Christ is to be known by the blessed name of Comforter. “The Comforter,” said Christ to His disciples, “which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. [John 14:26-27 quoted]” — (E.G. White, Ms7-1902, January 26, 1902)

“The Saviour is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be.” — (E.G. White, 8MR 49.3)

“This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter.” — (E.G. White, 14MR 179.2)

“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)

(4a) The spirit comes from the Father and given to us through the Son — Pentecost

The Father gave His Spirit without measure to His Son, and we also may partake of its fullness. Jesus says, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Luke 11:13. { GC 477.1 (1911 edition)}

In giving us His Spirit, God gives us Himself, making Himself a fountain of divine influences, to give health and life to the world. { 7T 273.1 (1902)}

Wherever you go, carry on the good work of searching the Scriptures, and the Lord Jesus will always be at your right hand to help you. He is a merciful high priest pleading in your behalf. He will send his representative, the Holy Spirit; for He says, “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.” By the Spirit the Father and the Son will come and make their abode with you. { BEcho January 15, 1893, par. 8 }

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” The Holy Spirit was not yet fully manifested; for Christ had not yet been glorified. The more abundant impartation of the Spirit did not take place till after Christ’s ascension. Not until this was received could the disciples fulfill the commission to preach the gospel to the world. But the Spirit was now given for a special purpose. Before the disciples could fulfill their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them. He was committing to them a most sacred trust, and He desired to impress them with the fact that without the Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished. { DA 805.2} [Desire of Ages: Chapter 84—“Peace Be Unto You”]

Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His Father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself, divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. {10LtMs, Lt 119, 1895, par. 18}

(4b) The Father imparts the life of Christ through the spirit

The Holy Spirit is the breath of spiritual life in the soul. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. It imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ. Only those who are thus taught of God, those who possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is manifested, are to stand as representative men, to minister in behalf of the church. { DA 805.3 } [Desire of Ages: Chapter 84—“Peace Be Unto You”]

All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and mental power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of His own spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind. The grace of God enlarges and multiplies their faculties, and every perfection of the divine nature comes to their assistance in the work of saving souls. Through co-operation with Christ they are complete in Him, and in their human weakness they are enabled to do the deeds of Omnipotence. { DA 827.3 } [Desire of Ages: Chapter 86—Go Teach All Nations]

And Pentecost brought them the presence of the Comforter, of whom Christ had said, He “shall be in you.” And He had further said, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” John 14:17; 16:7. Henceforth through the Spirit, Christ was to abide continually in the hearts of His children. Their union with Him was closer than when He was personally with them. The light, and love, and power of the indwelling Christ shone out through them, so that men, beholding, “marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13. { SC 74.1}

(5) Christ alone — only one parakletos (i.e. Comforter, Helper, Advocate)

It is only through Jesus, whom the Father gave for the life of the world, that the sinner may find access to God. Jesus alone is our Redeemer, our Advocate, and Mediator; in him is our only hope for pardon, peace, and righteousness. You must trust him, saying: { ST August 22, 1892, par. 5 }

Jesus alone could give security to God; for He was equal to God. He alone could be a mediator between God and man; for He possessed divinity and humanity. { The Review and Herald, April 3, 1894 }

Christ is to be known by the blessed name of Comforter. “The Comforter,” said Christ to His disciples, “which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [John 14:26, 27.] {17LtMs, Ms 7, 1902, par. 10}
Christ alone was able to represent the Deity. He who had been in the presence of the Father from the beginning, he who was the express image of the invisible God, was alone sufficient to accomplish this work. No verbal description could reveal God to the world. Through a life of purity, a life of perfect trust and submission to the will of God, a life of humiliation such as even the highest seraph in heaven would have shrunk from, God himself must be revealed to humanity. In order to do this, our Saviour clothed his divinity with humanity. He employed the human faculties, for only adopting these could he be comprehended by humanity. Only humanity could reach humanity. He lived out the character of God through the human body which God had prepared for him. He blessed the world by living out in human flesh the life of God, thus showing that he had the power to unite humanity to divinity. { RH June 25, 1895, par. 3 } Christ said: “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” {Ibid. par. 4}

Christ alone can make an effectual plea in our behalf. He is able to silence the accuser with arguments founded not upon our merits, but on His own. { 5T 471.1}

Through Christ alone can man now find access to God. And through Christ alone will the Lord hold communication with man. { Con 20.1 }

No sacrifice would be acceptable to God which was not salted or seasoned with divine fire, which represented the communication between God and man that was opened through Jesus Christ alone. The holy fire which was to be put upon the censer was kept burning perpetually. And while the people of God were without, earnestly praying, the incense kindled by the holy fire was to arise before God mingled with their prayers. This incense was an emblem of the mediation of Christ. { Con 80.2 }

Christ had not ceased to be God when He became man. Though He had humbled Himself to humanity, the Godhead was still His own. Christ alone could represent the Father to humanity, and this representation the disciples had been privileged to behold for over three years. { DA 663.5}

Christ emphatically impressed upon them the fact that they could see the Father by faith alone. God cannot be seen in external form by any human being. Christ alone can represent the Father to humanity. This representation the disciples had been privileged to behold for over three years. { HM July 1, 1897, Art. A, par. 4 }

Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of his creatures, it was Lucifer’s endeavor to win their service and homage to himself. And, coveting the honor which the infinite Father had bestowed upon his Son, this prince of angels aspired to power which it was the prerogative of Christ alone to wield. { GC88 494.1 }

Man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in character. Christ alone is “the express image” ( Hebrews 1:3) of the Father; but man was formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God and in perfect obedience to His will. { PP 45.2}

The power of Christ alone can work the transformation in heart and mind that all must experience who would partake with Him of the new life in the kingdom of heaven. “Except a man be born again,” the Saviour has said, “he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that can lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will lead to watchfulness. It will purify the heart and renew the mind, and give us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship. { 9T 156.1}

We are not polite to Christ. We do not recognize his presence. We do not realize that he is to be our honored guest, that we are encircled by his long human arm, while with his divine arm he grasps the throne of the Infinite. We forget that the threshold of heaven is flooded with the glory proceeding from the throne of God, that the light may fall directly on those who are seeking the help Christ alone can give. He said to the woman of Samaria, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.... Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” { GCB April 4, 1901, Art. A, par. 12 }

The grace of Christ alone could change the heart of stone to a heart of flesh, make it alive unto God, and transform the character, so that a degraded child of sin might become a child of God, an heir of heaven. Man had no power to justify the soul, to sanctify the heart. Moral disease could be healed only through the power of the great Physician. The highest gift of Heaven, even the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, was able to redeem the lost. { Messenger June 7, 1893, par. 1 }

Through Christ alone can man now find access to God. And through Christ alone will the Lord hold communication with man. { RH February 24, 1874, par. 30 }

We can have life through Christ alone; it is our privilege to seek him. { RH January 12, 1897, par. 17 }

(6) Holy Spirit = His representative = Third Person. Confusion may arise as to what EGW means by "the third person of the Godhead." Is the Holy Spirit a third person or is it the Spirit of Christ? The answer is simply that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and it is His representative. In effect, it is another manifestation of Christ. In the Old Testament, Christ came as Michael the archangel. In the New Testament, while on earth, Christ came as the Son of man, as Jesus born of a woman. At his ascension, Christ came as the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ; it is His representative. Here is the divine agency that carries conviction to hearts. When the power of His Spirit is revealed through the servants of God, we behold divinity flashing through humanity. When accompanied by the Holy Spirit, the presentation of truth as it is in Jesus will be of more value than all the honor or glory of the world. { 13MR 313.3, Written September 13, 1895, from Granville, N.S.W., to a minister in Stanmore, Sydney, N.S.W.}

EGW also said it in reverse order:

Christ determined that when he ascended from this earth, he would bestow a gift on those who had believed on him, and those who should believe on him. What gift could he bestow rich enough to signalize and grace his ascension to the mediatorial throne? It must be worthy of his greatness and his royalty. He determined to give his representative, the third person of the Godhead. This gift could not be excelled. He would give all gifts in one, and therefore the divine Spirit, that converting, enlightening and sanctifying power, would be his donation. {SW November 28, 1905, par. 2}

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.” Be of good cheer; light will come, and your soul will rejoice greatly in the Lord.—Letter 124, 1897. { DG 185.2}

Let them be thankful to God for His manifold mercies and be kind to one another. They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit—the Spirit of Christ—is to bring unity into their ranks. { 9T 189.3, (1909) }

While Jesus ministers in the true sanctuary above, he is by his Holy Spirit working through his earthly messengers. The word of the living preacher will often accomplish even more than the printed page. As the Lord’s servants go forth trusting in divine power, the Master of the vineyard will work through his chosen ministers, bestowing upon them his Spirit, and fulfilling to them the assurance, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” { RH April 7, 1910, par. 13 }

Other EGW quotes

[Three entities united in heaven: angels, Christ, and the Father] The heavenly angels, Christ and the Father are perfectly united. Those that will not create a second rebellion in heaven will be there. Those who have worked in harmony with the heavenly angels can join him in the heavenly courts. { NIRec August 17, 1909, par. 8 }

Although our Lord ascended from earth to heaven, the Holy Spirit was appointed as His representative among men. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless” [John 14:15-18]. { 14MR 23.2 } Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. ... {Ibid. par. 5}

When God gave Jesus to the world, he gave all heaven in one rich gift. God made it manifest to the world, to angels, seraphim and cherubim, that his gift could not be excelled; for in the gift of Christ all was given. { ST April 23, 1894, par. 1 }

“The Holy Spirit is Christ's representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high.” — (E.G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 669)

“The work of the holy Spirit is immeasurably great. It is from this source that power and efficiency come to the worker for God; and The holy Spirit is the comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul.” — (E.G. White, Review and Herald, November 29, 1892)

From "Willie" White (EGW's son)

The statements and the arguments of some of our ministers, in their effort to prove that the Holy Spirit is an individual as are God the Father and Christ, the eternal Son, have perplexed me, and sometimes they have made me sad. One popular teacher said "We may regard Him, as the fellow who is down here running things." --Letter, W. C. White to H. W. Carr, April 30, 1935