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Further Study Notes

1 John 2:22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

The antichrist is he who denies the Father and the Son. There is no mention of the Holy Spirit.

The God of Christ is the Father

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Then comes the end, when he [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. . . . When all things are subjected to him [the Father], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.

2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for ever, knows that I do not lie.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

Colossians 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

1 Peter 1:3a Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Revelation 3:12 He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

"God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son." --Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 8, p. 268

Now the guilt of Satan stood forth without excuse. His lying charges against the divine character and government appeared in their true light. He had accused God of seeking merely the exaltation of himself in requiring submission and obedience from his creatures, and had declared that while the Creator exacted self-denial from all others, he himself practiced no self-denial, and made no sacrifice. Now it was seen that for the salvation of a fallen and sinful race, the Ruler of the universe had made the greatest sacrifice which God could make. It was seen, also, that while Lucifer had opened the door for the entrance of sin, by his desire for honor and supremacy, Christ had, in order to destroy sin, humbled himself, and become obedient unto death. {4SP 322.2}

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. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall (although unseen by you), [THIS PHRASE WAS ADDED BY ELLEN WHITE.] teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" [John 14:26]. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will come not unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you" [John 16:7]. {14MR 23.3}

Need to study the name "Jehovah" and its usage

Jehovah is the name given to Christ. "Behold, God is my salvation," writes the prophet Isaiah; "I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day ye shall say, Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted." "In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."--The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899, p. 2. {7ABC 439.3}

"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." (Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, pp. 17,18, emphasis supplied)

  • 1900 "The mighty angel who instructed John (Rev. 1:1) was no less than the person of Christ" (ms 59, 1900).
  • 1903 "The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty" (ms 150, SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 5, p. 1129)
  • 1904 "To Christ had been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father" (Testimonies vol. 8, p. 268)
  • 1905 Rev 10:6 "In swearing by the creator, the angel who is Christ, swore by himself" (ibid., p. 798)

The Alpha and Omega of Deadly Heresies. Describes Dr. Kellogg's Alpha heresy and its relation to who the Holy Spirit is. "As far as I can fathom, the difficulty which is found in the Living Temple, the whole thing may be simmered down to this question: Is the Holy Ghost a person? You say no. . . . How the Holy Ghost can be the third person and not be a person at all is difficult for me to see." (J.H. Kellogg to G. I. Butler Oct. 28, 1903)

Kellogg said what it boils down to was, “Is the Holy Ghost a person.” Hmmm! Now that is interesting! It sounds like pantheism was not the only problem with Kellogg’s thinking according to the pioneers. Evidently Dr. Kellogg from taking misunderstood thoughts from Sister White out of context, came to the conclusion that this God which was in everything was the Holy Spirit, a being other than the Father and the Son. Now G.I. Butler the general conference president, wrote this letter back to Kellogg in reply regarding his misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit.

“God dwells in us by His Holy Spirit, as a Comforter, as a Reprover, especially the former. When we come to Him we partake of Him in that sense, because the Spirit comes forth from him; it comes forth from the Father and the Son. It is not a person walking around on foot, or flying as a literal being, in any such sense as Christ and the Father are - at least , if it is, it is utterly beyond my comprehension of the meaning of language or words.” (Letter from G.I. Butler to J.H. Kellogg, April 5, 1904)

"…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. . . 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." (Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, pp. 17,18, emphasis supplied)

Devolve: To transfer from one person to another: hand down. --Webster's Dictionary

The article "Trinity" acknowledges this implies that "he was not equal to the Father before that time", for Jesus’ command was only ‘devolved’ or handed-down from the Father, and his equality was ‘conferred’ or positional equality rather than being equal by nature, as necessary for True Deity. (Gal 4:8).