Waitara Seventh-day Adventist Church did a presentation on the trinity doctrine for the congregation because people in the area were being encouraged to critically examine the current trinity doctrine of the church which is one of the Seventh-day Adventist 28 Fundamental Beliefs. This presentation by Restitution Ministries goes through each one of the main reasons to believe in the trinity and examines the reasons based on the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy.
Video length: 3hr 8min
Notes from the video with time code:
Abbreviations:
Waitara Church = WC
Restitution Ministries = RM
4:00
RM: Why are we doing this?
2SM 152 – “God requires that the warning be as broad as the injury done”
7:00
WC: There are many texts which affirm that God the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit are ONE in purpose, in character, in eternal co-existence, but are separate personalities. These include:
Isa 48:16, Mat 3:16-17, Mar 1:10-11, Luk 3:21-22, Joh 14:16, Joh 14:26, Joh 15:26, 2Co 13:14, Eph 4:4-6, 1Pe 1:2, Rev 1:4-5
RM: None of the above texts mention any of the following:
-Father, Son and Spirit are ONE
-They are “in eternal co-existence”
-That they are “separate personalities”
8:00
WC: Christ existed from ETERNITY, yet is still called the “only begotten Son of God”
In that respect, human terms to describe the relationship are INADEQUATE, but the NEAREST WE CAN IMAGINE is the relationship between an earthly father and his son.
RM: No support for these claims.
GC 599 – The language of the Bible should be explained to it’s obvious meaning, unless a symbol or figure is employed.
Pro 8:22-30
Christ was brought forth
1co 1:24, 1co 1:30
13:00
1SM 247, 248 – The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father….then quotes Pro 8:22-27
RM: EGW connects Pro 8 with Christ.
WC: Studies for Restitution tracts deceive the reader into believing in a “Holy Spirit”, when they claim that Christ is the Comforter
RM: That Christ is the comforter is no our claim. The Prophet of God makes this claim, not us!
14:40
-The Saviour is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be. 8MR 49
– ..and we adore God for His wondrous love in giving Jesus the Comforter. 19MR 297,298
-how to live the prayer of Christ. He is the Comforter. RH Jan 27, 1903
15:45
WC: Joh 14:16, Joh 14:26, Joh 15:26 The Spirit is called “HE”. That is ANOTHER Comforter.
RM: Christ tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and the Comforter is the Holy Ghost…(then quotes Joh 14:16,17)…This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter.” 14MR 179
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. 14MR 23
19:00
WC: So the Comforter is a distinct person (“He”), who is the Holy Ghost, proceeds from the Father and REPRESENTS CHRIST.
RM: The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. DA 805.3
-Christ gives them the life of his life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in mind and heart. RH Jan 5, 1911 par6
-Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. MH 159
-The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. RH Oct 26, 1897, par15
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. RH Nov 29, 1892 par 3
This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,–the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin. RH May 19, 1904 par 1
WC: This means that the Holy Spirit DOES THE WORK OF CHRIST ON EARTH amongst His believers, so it is no surprise that He is called the SPIRIT OF CHRIST
RM: This sounds good but what does EGW say? Who does the work of Christ on earth?
While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth. He is withdrawn from the eye of sense, but His parting promise if fulfilled, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Mat 28:20. While He delegates his power to inferior ministers, His energizing presence is still with His church. DA 166.2
24:15
We only have one mediator.
1Ti 2:5
We don’t have two mediator’s, Christ and someone else. We have one mediator. Christ. And while Christ is in the sanctuary above He is still by His Spirit minister of the church on earth. We don’t have two ministers. We have one minister who operates on two levels in the physical flesh in heaven above and by His own personal presence, by His own Spirit in our hearts on earth. He is the minister of the heavenly temple and the minister of the earthly temple. The temple of earth is His people as Paul tells us. Ye are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1Co 6:19 Christ is the minister of both temples. We don’t have two different priests, one in heaven and one in the temple on earth. The earthly temple, the body of His people, His bride is ministered to by our high priest. And He does this by His own personal presence. It’s called His Spirit
25:30
WC: In other words, while Christ was on earth, the Holy Spirit was in heaven, and when Christ went to heaven, the Holy Spirit came to Christ’s followers on earth. How much more of a separate person could there be?
RM: Is the Spirit a separate person, or the glory of Christ?
Why did Christ have to go to heaven before He could send the Spirit to earth?
Joh 7:38-39 KJV 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
An important link here between Jesus and his glorification and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not yet glorified and that is the reason why the Spirit was not yet given. Notice the words of Christ just before He dies. Notice what He asks for
Joh 17:5 KJV And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Christ is now asking here for the glory. In other words he is asking for his people for the pouring out of his Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was not yet fully manifested; for Christ had not yet been glorified. The more abundant imparatation of the Spirit did not take place till after Christ’s ascension DA 805.2
It tells us nothing about another individual. It actually tells us the reason why the HS was not poured out was Christ was not yet glorified. He had to ascend and be glorified before he could pour out his spirit. In other words he had to have the acceptance and inauguration of his Father. He had to be accepted in the life that he lived. And when that happened. When he was glorified in heaven that Spirit was poured out. That life, that he lived on earth, that victorious life “the life of his life”, “the very soul of his life” that is the Holy Spirit and that was poured out upon his people after he went to heaven and after it was accepted. Now it could be poured out upon his people.
Joh 17:22 KJV And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
RM: Is the Spirit a separate person, or the glory of Christ?
The Holy Spirit is the breath of spiritual life in the soul. The imparation 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 whoe life the Christ-life is manifested, are to stand as representative me, to minister in behalf of the church. DA 805.3
30:00
WC: The Spirit or His Spirit?
Most antitrinitarians teach that the Spirit is just an ATTRIBUTE of God, not a separate entity. They use texts referring to “His spirit” and “the Spirit of God” to prove this. Tellingly, there is NOT ONE instance of the term “His Holy Ghost” in the whole Bible.
RM: Yes, that’s true. But there are certain terms that are synonymous.
The terms: Spirit of God, the Spirit, and Holy Ghost, are synonymous.
Strongs 4151
Mat 3:16, Mar 1:10, Luk 3:22
but look at these verses:
Isa 63:10, Isa 63:11, 1Th 4:8
There are instances (his holy spirit)
34:30
For all those people who are to separate the spirit of God from God. Or trying to separate (create a distinction) between God and His Spirit and drive a wedge between God and His Spirit and make the spirit another God all on his own. Let’s ask ourselves the question:
Is the Holy Spirit God Himself or is it someone else?
God is a Spirit; yet He is a personal being; for so He has revealed Himself. FLB 40.2 (faith i live by)
God is a spirit; yet he is a personal being, for man was made in His image. Ed 132
It is Jesus that we need; His light, His life, His spirit, must be ours continually. ML 15 (my life today)
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life Joh 6:57, Joh 6:63. Christ is not here referring to His doctrine, but to His person, the divinity of His character. 1SM 249
Therefore, in giving us His Spirit does God give us Himself or someone else?
2Co 3:17 KJV Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
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
39:00
WC: (scriptures to prove that the Holy Spirit is more than an influence).
RM: It is definitely more than an influence. It is the very life, the very soul or our Master. It is his very own personal presence.
WC: 1Jn 5:7 KJV For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Can an “influence” bear record?
RM: We are not told that these 3 are one God. Ppl believe that it says these three are one God. The three is about “the record”. They are 3 in testimony.
(Read the SDA commentary regarding this verse: 1Jn 5:7)
WC: Mat 12:31 KJV Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Can you blaspheme against someone who is not God?
End of notes. To be continued.
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