There are definite differences between the Catholic version of the Trinity and the Seventh-day Adventist version. Jets of Light does not deny this. There are also many similarities. The question to you reader is, do the differences mean we worship a different God than the Catholics? Do these differences mean that our version is closer to the truth? This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia found at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm:
“The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion — the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another.
Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: “the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God.” In this Trinity of Persons the Son is begotten of the Father by an eternal generation, and the Holy Spirit proceeds by an eternal procession from the Father and the Son. Yet, notwithstanding this difference as to origin, the Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. This, the Church teaches, is the revelation regarding God’s nature which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came upon earth to deliver to the world: and which she proposes to man as the foundation of her whole dogmatic system.”
This is from the Seventh-day Adventist website found at https://www.adventist.org/en/beliefs/god/trinity/:
There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. God, who is love, is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation.
Immortal, all-powerful and all-loving, God is a relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The only being worthy of our worship, God is our Creator, Redeemer and Friend.
And from our 28 Fundamentals:
“God the Father…” (p.29) “God the Son…” (p.37) “God the Spirit…” (p.59)
All three are God, yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
There are differences between the Catholics’ Trinity and the Seventh-day Adventists’ Trinity, the eternal generation of the Son of God is one of them. But there are even bigger similarities, mainly, that God is a unity of three persons where all three persons are God, yet there is still only one God.
Many of our SDA brethren that I’ve talked to believe that our Trinity is so different from the Catholic Trinity that it means we are safe from Catholic errors. Yet the Catholics don’t see it this way. Despite the differences, they say, “Seventh-day Adventists agree with many Catholic doctrines, including the Trinity” (http://www.catholic.com/tracts/seventh-day-adventism).
According to the Catholics, we agree with their doctrine on the Trinity. So, to them, these differences don’t mean that much, or change the fundamental Trinity that we both worship.
For evidence that the foundational concept of the Trinity is the same for Seventh-day Adventists, Catholics and Protestants please look at the following four pictures:
First Picture – Seventh-day Adventist Trinity
Our Seventh-day Adventist bookstore has a large book entitled “Pictorial Aid for Bible Study” which has the following picture on page 74:
(As of September 28, 2016 you can purchase this book in our Seventh-day-Adventist book store for $59.99)
http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/new-pictorial-aid-for-bible-study.html
Second Picture – Catholic Trinity
This picture is taken from a Catholic website which is the same picture except in black and white and surrounded by angels.
http://www.catholicbible101.com/theholytrinity.htm
Third Picture – Protestant Trinity
The third picture is from a very popular Protestant question and answer website called gotquestions.org. This picture shows the same concept as the Seventh-day Adventist symbol and the Catholic symbol above.
http://www.gotquestions.org/Trinity-Bible.html
The symbol that is used by SDA’s, Catholics and Protestants is also known as the “shield of the Trinity.”
Fourth Picture – Common Doctrinal Beliefs Held In Common
Mark Finely, the Vice President of Evangelism for the General Conference, agrees that the Godhead is a common doctrinal belief between our church and the Catholic church. In the book “Studying Together” on page 131, Mark Finley mentions the Godhead as one of the common beliefs held between Catholics and Seventh-day Adventists. Other common beliefs mentioned include, the Virgin Birth (although not the immaculate conception), the necessity of obeying God, the inspiration of the Bible, the second coming of Christ and the importance of prayer. I’m sure the Pastor would agree that there are differences (eternal generation of the Son) but the point is that he believes the foundation of the Trinity is a common doctrinal belief.
Why the Differences Don’t Mean that Much
The differences between the different versions of the Trinity that make the Seventh-day Adventist version unique don’t mean that much because the differences are about the details, not the foundational concept of the Trinity. Both the Catholic Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church agree that God is a unity of three persons – three Gods yet not three Gods but one God. The details that proceed from this base can differ (eternal generation), but as long as the main teaching of the Trinity remains intact, that God is a unity of three persons, we believe in the same fundamental Trinity.
It’s finally come down to this, I knew it was coming, I have been in the Church fifty years and always believed in the almighty God and his begotten Son, with the Holy Spirit being from God or what Jesus said was the comforter, guess it’s time to move on, I am living a lie being in the SDA church
Wow, you are blessed to have known for the past fifty years that the trinity doctrine is false. I came to know about this only last year.
Whats the main difference to the Sonship of Christ and Holy Spirit between Sda and Catholics
Well I guess you guys don’t believe in virgin birth/ 2nd coming of Christ / Catholic share the same belief Ellen white did about the heavenly trio, it takes two seconds to find that out. I mean the alternative produces a lot more problems than it solves, Jesus has no beginning (you believe he does without the trinity). Jesus is not a lesser god. Also, if Jesus is in the sanctuary, God on his throne, and the Holy Spirit in the world reconciling man and convicting them to do the work of Gods will, how do we not see 3? The issue with people is they don’t understand Oneness in the bible. There is unity, you can’t have love without another to express that love, unless it’s Self love. Self love basically satanic.
God is a person. Christ is a person. 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.
Trinity is a manmade conception of God. A philosophical idol. But the true God, have revealed Himself with no need of human speculation.
1Corinthians 8:6
without going into details, there i s no question that God the Father is God….however,is Christ presented as a Deity…the answer is YES!…you already have a situation where the human mind cannot understand how two Persons can be in the Godhead and yet that’s how they have presented themselves .this understanding that Christ is God is not catholic, it is biblical,Christ has used terms only used by a Deity..I and my Father are one..the Jews wanted to stone Him..they understood Him clearly and had never heard those words from human lips …….before Abraham was IAM…those words were unheard of….Christ used devine attributes to describe Himself hence the jEWS GOT MAD…..the Bible reveals Christ that way…it is not catholic to believe that CHRIST IS God….its in the revealed Word……..the next reference of debate is the position of the comforter,Christ calls Him another Comforter,the Holy Spirit…….the bible reveals the earthly office of Christ being taken over by the Holy Spirit as Christ ascended…too much is speculated about the HOLY SPIRIT when its not necessary…the HOLY SPIRIT GUIDES people to ALL TRUTH…this means to understand His Role church members would do well to pray more for the filling of the HOLY Spirit and He will reveal to them the truth about the Holy Spirit…there is too much human reconstruction about who the Holy Spirit is, or is not, too much debate and less prayer.The Holy Spirt has been revealed with enough details for our salvation,He reveals hIMSLEF TO PRAYING HUMBLE BRETHREN WHO HE REALY IS….No amount of debate will resolve the tensions in debate apart from personal connection with God through the work of the HOLY SPIRIT….then people will arrive at conclusions .Without heart regeneration ,there will be unnecessary debates on things not revealed.If people asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit that will be better than being filled with debate
The SDA and Catholic denominations can never have the same views on trinity. The difference is like light and darkness. The problem is that the SDA leadership is leading the Remnant Church into a dangerous territory of apostasy.
Thank you for your comment David. Do you have some bullet points why you believe the difference is like light and darkness when it comes to the Trinity doctrine? How did you come to your conclusion?
You see a problem with the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist church leading towards apostasy. Does this mean you are in opposition to the SDA leadership? Do you still support the SDA leadership in their leading people into apostasy? What would you recommend a member of the SDA church do when they clearly see their leaders guiding them into apostasy? Do you ever see the day when members of the Seventh-day Adventist church will have to apply Revelation 18:4 to their own denomination?
Thank you again for taking the time to add to the comments.
The devil’s conspiracy was “to be like the most High” not “TO BE THE MOST HIGH” Isaiah (14:14) that caused all the chaos in heaven and desolation and woah upon the earth; and yet there is only one who is LIKE THE MOST HIGH; the one who is the express image of His person, the one by whom and through Him He created everything- even the only Begotten of the Father; our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is our God, but not the “Father’s God,” Our Heavenly Father Has no GOD, But our LORD and Savior has a GOD. and this does not mean that Jesus is inferior to His Father, for no Son even in the earthly matters is inferior to His Father whose DNA He carries, an inferior son is no son at all. Lucifer could not be like the Most High because He cant be like the Most High, for he is only a CREATURE like as we are. therefore one of the subtle and destructive consequences of trinity doctrine in all its forms, whether catholic or SDA is that it destroys the Son-ship of Christ which He (Christ) defended with His own blood here on earth. and also eradicating the true ground of the controversy we are in. lucifer’s jealousy was found in the exalted position of the Son of God as to why He should be worshiped. am afraid, whoever will receive the truth of God and His Son and their Holy Spirit as it is revealed in the bible and the spirit of prophecy and rejects it, will not receive the seal of GOD in our time
today.
Thank you for you this thought.
Oh dear… the Anti Trins are out full force!
“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio. In the name of these three powers, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will cooperate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.” Bible Training School, March 1, 1906
I can prove word for word that the “Seventh-day is the Sabbath of thou Lord thy God.” I can prove word for word, “The dead know not anything.” Where is it written in the Bible word for word, “There are three Divine living persons make up the one God?” True, Matthew 18:19, I John 5:7 seem to come close, but those verses and no other verse has “Three Divine persons to be one God!” Not even close! Trinity is 100% Catholic paganism, period. Michael
Michael Diamond sums up the problem nicely. There is a God Head, of three distinct persons, but there is only One God, the Father. Jesus is fully eternal, yet, begotten. God (His Father) has ordained that Jesus be equal in all regards to Himself. Jesus is eternal because His Father said so. You cannot reason this out. And THAT is WHY the Fundamental Beliefs make an ASSUMPTION concerning the character of the Father and His Son because it cannot be reasoned out. Just accept it. Jesus is a Prince, the Son of God (His Father). The Son’s destiny is to one day become King of and overall. That day will come, but it is not yet. Until then, the Prince is respectful and obedient in all regards to His Father’s will, as He will be even after He becomes King overall.
The SDA did NOT originally teach the pagan doctrine of the Trinity. “Up to the 1890s most Seventh-day Adventists were anti-Trinitarian.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-day_Adventist_theology#Trinitarian_development,_Christology_and_Pneumatology
Please, please people, study to show yourself approved, http://www.TheLORDis.One. God does not imply anything, He tells us plainly who He is, and His Messiah.
The catholic phrase “eternal generation”, that means the Son is continually generated from the Father, turns out to be a nice way of denying the sonship of Christ, they are effectively saying He is not the Son of God, the SDA as well are saying the same thing by saying that the Son had no beggining, meaning that the phrase “Son of God” is metaphorical. So, both agree by saying the three are co-equal, meaning that they are of the same age, if that make any sense.
The SOP has direct statements about the Holy Spirit; since we are also told that this God that we serve is infinitely beyond our comprehension, why do we belabor this already incomprehensible subject. Anything spiritual that is beyond our comprehension leaves us only, and I emphasize “only” the inspired statements regarding the subject; those direct quotes is all we have; the human suppositions added to those quotes are an exercise in futility; they are clearly treading on forbidden ground. I personally see perfect harmony among these inspired statements focused on the Godhead; but why is this an issue? God is the Father, Jesus is the Saviour, the Holy Spirit is the influence that we must yield to in order to be lead along the path of salvation. If I am yielding to that influence, I will arrive at the end of the path, no matter the technicalities I hold regarding a subject that I am warned that I cannot comprehend. When I am in Heaven, face to face with Jesus, maybe then I can inquire about the fine details if it seems important then; until then, this whole “Trinity” infatuation is nothing more than that, an unnecessary, unresolvable, distracting, infatuation.
But one thing is clear, the Catholic “Trinity” is not the same as the Inspired description of the “Godhead” and any effort to say otherwise should call into question the honesty of the source.
Hello Larry,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
There are direct statements about the Holy Spirit I do agree. The article did not suggest otherwise. An example of one of these quotes would be found in Acts of the Apostles page 49:
So mightily can God work when men give themselves up to the control of His Spirit. { AA 49.1}
The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to any race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with His followers unto the end. From the Day of Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His service. To all who have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit has come as a counselor, sanctifier, guide, and witness. The more closely believers have walked with God, the more clearly and powerfully have they testified of their Redeemer’s love and of His saving grace. The men and women who through the long centuries of persecution and trial enjoyed a large measure of the presence of the Spirit in their lives, have stood as signs and wonders in the world. Before angels and men they have revealed the transforming power of redeeming love. { AA 49.2}
Notice that the Holy Spirit is described as the divine influence of Christ’s Spirit. This description of the Holy Spirit is all throughout the writings of Ellen White. Another example can be found here:
The work of the ministry is no common work. Christ is withdrawn only from the eye of sense, but he is as truly present by his Spirit as when he was visibly present on earth. The time that has elapsed since his ascension has brought no interruption in the fulfillment of his parting promise,—“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” God has provided light and truth for the world by having placed it in the keeping of faithful men, who in succession have committed it to others through all generations up to the present time. These men have derived their authority in an unbroken line from the first teachers of the faith. Christ remains the true minister of his church, but he delegates his power to his under-shepherds, to his chosen ministers, who have the treasure of his grace in earthen vessels. God superintends the affairs of his servants, and they are placed in his work by divine appointment. { ST April 7, 1890, par. 6 }
We see that it is Christ’s Spirit that will be with us even unto the end of the world. The paragraph shows that it is Christ’s power that is delegated to his under-shepherds.
One more quote from Desire of Ages that I would like to share is found on page 805:
“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}
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}
The two paragraphs in The Desire of Ages mention the Holy Spirit with the words “Christ breathed His Spirit upon them.” The Holy Spirit is “His Spirit”. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s Spirit. Ellen White is being very clear and then continues to show that the Holy Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. These thoughts are a really different picture than a third being that is different than the Father or the Son. When you go to the Seventh-day Adventist Church website as of July 10, 2022 it says the following:
Seventh-day Adventist Christians believe there is one God. And that this one God is three co-eternal beings who work together in unity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have always been, and always will be. (https://www.adventist.org/trinity/)
Notice that the church is declaring that there are 3 beings and that one of those beings is called the Holy Spirit. It is a different picture than what Ellen White wrote in the book The Desire of Ages. I believe the website statement about “this one God is three co-eternal beings who work together in unity” would fit the definition of a human supposition.
The danger that I see is in people yielding to the influence of a Spirit that they are very adamant is different than the Spirit of Christ. People will strongly oppose the thought that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ because they are declaring that the Holy Spirit is another co-eternal being separate from the Father and the Son.
I would be concerned if you believe in three co-eternal beings who work together in unity but if you do not believe what the Seventh-day Adventist church is declaring on their website then you hold a different belief than what the church teaches.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and I hope what I have said helps to clarify why I believe it is an important subject to talk about.
Jason
Hello- At the end of the post “Is the Seventh-day Adventist trinity the same catholic trinity?” There is a photo of Mark Finley’s booklet “Studying Together” at the end of the post with a comment “Why the differences don’t mean that much”. I only have the 1991/1995 copy of that booklet and I can’t find that quote. Is that quote from Mark Finley or someone else? Can you supply me with the source of that quote?
Thank You and great peace!
BT
Hello, thanks for your inquiry. The comment “Why the differences don’t mean that much” is NOT a quote from Mark Finley’s booklet. This comment along with the rest of the paragraph below is from Jets of Light. Hope that helps.