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Seventh-day Adventists Present-day Trinitarian History

Modern-day SDAs believe either in a Triune or Tri-theistic God

Since 1980, when the 27 Fundamental Beliefs document was voted on by the SDA General Conference, non-trinitarianism has officially been shunned. Today, any traditional (i.e. historical or pioneer) non-trinitarian believer will either be asked to remain silent or leave the church. There have been many cases of members being disfellowshipped for voicing this traditional view. There were originally 27 beliefs established in 1980 and a 28th was added in 2005. See: 2020 edition of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs.

If you are a modern-day trinitarian SDA, this is what you believe: “There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons.” It is noteworthy that, even given this simple definition, SDAs are not uniformly settled on what it means. You will find trinitarian SDAs who either believe in a triune God or a tri-theistic God.

  • Triune God. The Triune belief is much like the Roman Catholic belief where God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit equals One God. It is saying: 1 + 1 + 1 = One. SDA theologians largely subscribe to this view of God. The three beings are One in "substance" (homouisos).
  • Tri-theistic God. Tri-theism is the more commonly accepted understanding by the SDA community which says God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three co-equal and co-eternal Gods who are One in "purpose" but not in "substance" (homouisos). What does co-equal mean? They are separate and distinct one from another, but all three possessing Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. Here is what else you must believe as a contemporary Seventh-day Adventist: Since they are co-eternal, not one came before the other and likewise, not one came after the other.
  • God the Son is not begotten and God the Father is not Jesus' true Father. Also, you can only believe that Jesus was begotten in Bethlehem and therefore that Mary was impregnated by the third role playing God—God the Holy Spirit—who would then actually be the true father of the human Jesus.
  • Father-Son relationship is a metaphor. You must reject that there is a true Father-Son relationship. Why? Because that would reject the co-eternal belief if you were to believe otherwise. Co-eternal means the three are equal in age. Therefore you must believe they are only role playing and the relationship is purely a metaphor. As expressed by Angel Manuel Rodriguez, "...the father-son image cannot be literally applied to the divine Father-Son relationship within the Godhead. The Son is not the natural, literal Son of the Father ... The term 'Son' is used metaphorically when applied to the Godhead." —Angel Manuel Rodriguez, A Question of Sonship, SDA Biblical Research Institute.

Present-day SDA theologians and their conflicting views

  • Modern-day SDA theologians largely subscribe to a Triune God versus a Tri-theist God. See Trinity in Adventism under the heading, "Statements by Seventh-day Adventist theologians further affirms what the SDA Trinity doctrine really teach."
  • The Trinity was explained one year after it was voted as an official doctrine of the church (which was in 1980; initially composed of 27 fundamental beliefs). It states, "While no single scriptural passage states formally the doctrine of the Trinity, it is assumed as a fact by Bible writers... Only by faith can we accept the existence of the Trinity (p. 4)." See RH 1981-07-30.
  • Matthew 28:19 is the strongest clue to SDA theologians. “Probably the strongest clues to such a divine triunity occur in the famous gospel commission that Jesus gave the church in its baptismal formula: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matt. 28:19).” — The Trinity, by Jerry Moon, Woodrow Whidden, & John W. Reese, published by R & H 2002, p.32. (Chapter entitled “The Strongest Biblical Evidence for the Trinity”) [See the counter view here: Matthew 28:18-20 - The Great Commission.]
  • "The role of the trinity in a doctrine of God always raises questions. One reason is that the word itself does not appear in the Bible, nor is there any clear statement of the idea. But the Bible does set the stage for its formulation, and the concept represents a development of biblical claims and concepts. So even though the doctrine of the trinity is not part of what the Bible itself says about God, it is part of what the church must say to safeguard the biblical view of God." —Richard Rice, The Reign of God, An Introduction to Christian Theology from a Seventh-day Adventist Perspective’, page 89, 1985.

Variant beliefs within trinitarians in the SDA community

The following is a heading outline of the article: What is the Doctrine of Trinity? Part 2-Variants Among Seventh-day Adventist Trinitarians. For Part 1 see: What is the Doctrine of the Trinity? PART1.

  1. Current SDA scholars do not agree as to whether the doctrine of the trinity is explicit in the Bible.
  2. Current SDA trinitarianism is not agreed as to how many Divine Beings there – 3 Beings or 1 Being?
  3. Is the SDA position in harmony with the Catholic position or not? Current SDA scholars hold one or the other positions.
  4. Are the roles of the Father and Son interchangeable or not?
  5. Does God the Father have a body or is He formless?
  6. Is the Father the head of the Godhead or not?
  7. Was the divinity of Jesus separable or inseparable from his humanity?
  8. What is the nature of the Spirit?
  9. Was Christ separable and thus capable of dying forever or inseparable and thus incapable of dying?

Non-trinitarian SDA beliefs

  • Non-trinitarian versus Trinitarian Adventists. "The Trinitarian understanding of God, now part of our [Seventh-day Adventists] fundamental beliefs, was not generally held by the early Adventists." —Adventist Review, Jan 6, 1994. p. 10.
  • Questions answered from a Binitarian point of view which help demystify certain Biblical passages. For example, when God created Adam and Eve in God's image, He created two beings and not three. Why is that?
  • How many spirits in the Godhead?. Is there one spirit or two spirits, or three or six?
  • RH February 24, 1874, par. 30: Through Christ alone can man now find access to God. And through Christ alone will the Lord hold communication with man.
  • What was the early Adventist position on Christ's pre-existence? Early Adventists were accused of being Arians. Arianism is the belief that Christ had a beginning. In that sense, early Adventists were Arian. Ellen G. White viewed as a Tritheist but not Trinitarian by a Protestant researcher.
  • Putting the Pieces Together. Seeming “difficult” Ellen G. White statements on the Doctrine of the Godhead harmonized. For example: The Holy Spirit being As Much A Person.
  • The Resurrection of Jesus. Did the Father raise Jesus from the dead, or was it the Son's own power?
  • The Personality of the Holy Spirit - Thomas Akens. Also on YouTube (Duration 1:27:10). Goes in depth on EGW statements regarding the holy spirit. It is evident where trinitarian supports misquote EGW through various literary tactics, such as inserting a period where one does not exist and giving partial quotes where the context clearly states something different.
  • Trinity in Adventism. Great summary of the issues and objections. Notes: Two dominant SDA views of the trinity: (1) Consubstantial trinity - The trinity is characterized as a single divine "Being," comprised of three "Persons," sharing one indivisible (undivided) substance. (2) Tritheistic trinity - The trinity is comprised of three distinct divine "persons" but they understand "persons" as individual Beings; who all have the same power, same nature, purpose, etc. Because they are in agreement in everything they do, they are said to be “one God,” not that all three make up a single Being.
  • Signs of the Times, January 30, 1879, par. 19, "...To Adam in his innocence was granted communion, direct, free, and happy, with his Maker. After his transgression, God would communicate to man only through Christ and angels."

Trinitarian SDA beliefs

  • The Trinity in Scripture. Published June, 1999 by Gerhard Pfandl, Biblical Research Institute. Published as a refutation to Fred Allaback, Bill Stringfellow, Rachel Cory-kuehl, and Allen Stump.
  • Seventh-day Adventists: A Brief Introduction to their Beliefs). (The original download is from here.) Quote: "A reading of the above statements will show that with respect to their doctrine of God Seventh-day Adventists are in harmony with the great creedal statements of Christendom, including the Apostles’ Creed, Nicea 325, and the additional definition of faith concerning the Holy Spirit as reached in Constatinople (381). However, such was not always the case" (George W Reid, 2000, p. 6).

Videos on the Nature of God

  • Ted Wilson Changing Gods (A New God in Adventism) - Nader Mansour. Published 11/27/2018. Duration 1:16:06. The president denies SDA pioneer history regarding the non-trinitarian position.
  • The Comforter, Christ's Representative with Daniel Mesa. Published 6/7/2017. Duration 1:07:22. Clear presentation, especially toward the end.
  • Ted Wilson Trinity Warning - Prove All Things. Duration 15:23. Clear presentation. Reviews Ted Wilson's declarations at the 2021 Annual Council Meeting, October 9, 2021 (see written transcript and/or the full 1:30:18 video presentation). Right off the bat (0:28) Ted Wilson declares, "We know from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy that there is absolutely a Godhead made up of three Persons united in One. Now, can I explain that? No, but I believe it by faith." He speaks of the trinity in absolute terms, then states that it is an unexplainable (i.e. incomprehensible) belief.
  • Ibid. EGW quotes used to disprove Ted Wilson's declarations:
    • DA 769.2 - "In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after Their work of Creation. ... Heaven and earth will unite in praise, as “from one Sabbath to another” (Isaiah 66:23) the nations of the saved shall bow in joyful worship to God and the Lamb."
    • YI July 7, 1898, par. 2 - "The Father and the Son alone are to be exalted."
    • GC 493.1 - Christ, "the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God."
    • GC 676.4 - "The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son."
  • The Times of the Gentiles, Part 2 - with Pastor Allen Stump. Duration 1:00:29. Quotes EGW (in 1901) declaring that there should be no GC President. In 1901 the GC Office of the President was abolished and a committee took its place. This change lasted only two years when it was overturned in 1903. As someone said at that time, the SDA Church has "set a blueprint to establish another papal system."