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Commentary on "The Triune God"
Day 7: Friday, January 6, 2012 - Further Study
Overview
Today's lesson contains a summary of the week's lessons on the Adventist teaching of "the Godhead,” a quotation from Ellen G. White, and a couple of discussion questions.
Observations
The lesson for today opens with the following statements: "In the doctrine of the Trinity, we do not find three different divine roles displayed by one Person (that is modalism). Nor are there three gods in a cluster (that is tritheism or polytheism).” And the Easy Reading Edition paraphrases the second sentence this way: "There are not three gods in a group.”
These statements are indeed true of the orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity, but not the Adventist doctrine, despite their denials. That second sentence is exactly what they have taught all week (including, as we'll see, in today's lesson): that there are "Three Divine Beings” (Tuesday's lesson) in a "group” (Wednesday's lesson). They just (usually) don't like to call them "gods,” because they don't want to be accused of polytheism, which is exactly what their doctrine is.
Then, immediately after this denial of tritheism, in the very next sentence, the author shows strikingly once again that Adventism does indeed believe in tritheism: "The one God ('He') is also, and equally, 'They,' and 'They' are always together, always closely cooperating.”
As we saw on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Adventist "God” (made up of "Three Divine Beings”) cannot legitimately be referred to as a "He” (a single living Being), and the Bible never refers to God as "They” (tritheism).
If Adventism really believed in "one God” and that God is a "He,” then the author wouldn't need to say that "They” are "always together, always closely cooperating.” But, as we have already seen this week, the idea that "They” are "always together, always closely cooperating” is actually Adventism's definition of God's "oneness.” The Teachers Edition says:
“How have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit worked together in our behalf from before the foundation of the world? […]
“What feelings toward God are stirred by descriptions of the ways in which the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit cooperate for our salvation? […]
“Summary: While we have a hard time comprehending the nature of the Author of the universe, Scriptures help us to understand that God exists in three distinct Persons, each with different functions. Yet, They work together as One.”
Again, we see that "They” merely "work together as One.” This is tritheism—a group of three coworkers.
Also, the above remark about how "They” have "worked together in our behalf from before the foundation of the world” hints at the Adventist denial of the orthodox teaching of timelessness (the Biblical definition of eternity)--that God is outside of time and space. The Bible teaches that God is the "I AM” (Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, among others)--there is no temporal sequence of past, present, or future for God, but rather, everything is NOW to Him, as He is outside of time (which indeed has a "beginning” and was created by God--see Genesis 1:1-5 and John 1:1-3). Instead, Adventism teaches, including in their scholarly publications, that "God” is "historical,” and has always existed within time, space, and matter. The Adventist "God” is trapped inside of time, and has existed within time for an infinite number of years in the past (an illogical concept). In essence, Adventism rejects the eternity of God. They believe that time and space/matter (since, remember, their three "divine beings" are material and spacial) have always existed, uncreated--rather than having been created by God. Thus, time, space, and matter become god.
Also related to this rejection of timelessness is the Adventist denial of the orthodox teachings of the eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit, which help to safeguard against tritheism. (See more here: http://web.archive.org/web/20060829014118/http://www.theopedia.com/Eternal_generation_of_the_Son and here: http://www.theopedia.com/Eternal_generation_of_the_Son) This Adventist denial is critically important to them and is something which they must do, because they teach three separate beings and therefore cannot teach the eternal generation of the Son or the eternal procession of the Spirit.
Today's lesson also contains a quotation from the Seventh-day Adventist prophetess Ellen G. White, whose writings are "a continuing and authoritative source of truth,” according to Adventism's "Fundamental Beliefs,” number 18. The quote from White must be interpreted in light of her polytheistic definitions for "one with the Father” and "image of God.” (For more on this, see here: http://www.cultorchristian.com/#EGW)
The first of the two "Discussion Questions” for today says the following:
“Some early Adventists struggled with the doctrine of the Trinity. Today the church has taken a firm stand on the doctrine. How does this change over time reveal to us the unfolding nature of truth? In your own experience, how have you grown in your understanding of truth? What beliefs did you once hold that, today, you no longer accept?”
And the Easy Reading version puts it this way:
“Some early Seventh-day Adventists struggled with the doctrine of the Trinity. Today, the church has taken a strong stand on the doctrine. How does this change over time show us that truth is progressive and, that as we accept the light God gives us, we grow and change? In your own experience, how have you grown in your understanding of truth? What beliefs did you once hold that today you no longer accept?”
Again we see the dishonest claim that only "some” early SDAs merely "struggled with the doctrine of the Trinity,” when the truth is that the early SDA Church was united in its clear opposition to the orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity (and even to the current SDA heresy of Tritheism). And yes, the SDA Church today has indeed taken a strong stand on the doctrine of the Trinity: they oppose the orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity and have taken a firm position of anti-Trinitarian tritheism in its place.
The next part of the discussion question is astounding, implying that the "change over time” within Adventism (from classical Arianism to Tritheism) is a revelation of the "progressive” or "unfolding nature” of "truth.” This typical Adventist understanding of "progressive revelation” (or, as they like to call it, "present truth”) is extremely flawed. God's revelation to us does not begin with error (such as Arianism) and somehow "progress” to truth, such as the doctrine of the Trinity (which never occurred in Adventism anyway). And God's revelation certainly does not begin with a heresy such as classical Arianism and "progress” to a related heresy such as Tritheism (as did occur in Adventism)! Furthermore, they won't even admit that "some” early Adventists actually believed heresy, but instead they are defending them by resorting to their unbiblical mantra of "truth is progressive.”
Additionally, the doctrine of the Trinity was not something that even needed to be "revealed” or "unfolded” in the 19th century! Why would God need to reveal it (and even that, "progressively,” starting with admitted error) to the early "Adventist Church” when He had already revealed it to the early Christian Church? This claim itself shows that Adventism's "Trinity” teaching is a different doctrine than the historic, orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity. The early Adventists had available to them the entire Old and New Testaments, as well as 18 centuries of Christian teaching, confessions, and creeds on the Trinity. Instead, they chose to rebelliously reject Christianity in favor of anti-Trinitarianism and polytheism, and the SDA Church has never given up this position, only modifying its details near the beginning of the 20th century.
Summary
- The Adventist "God” is not a "He” (one living being/monotheism), and the Biblical God is not "They” (three divine beings/tritheism).
- God is outside of time and space, and is the "I AM.” Time, space, and matter were created by God, and have not always existed uncreated.
- Adventism denies the orthodox, Biblical teachings of the eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Spirit.
- Adventism's authoritative founder and prophet Ellen G. White rejected the doctrine of the Trinity (which she had been raised to believe in the Methodist denomination) and taught anti-Trinitarianism her entire career, eventually formulating the current Adventist heresy of Tritheism. (For the documentation on this, see: http://www.cultorchristian.com/#EGW)
- God's revelation to us does not begin with error and then "progress” to truth (much less to more error!).
- Adventism rebelliously chose to reject Christianity in favor of anti-Trinitarianism, to which they still hold today.
- As we have seen throughout this week, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, including its authoritative prophetess Ellen G. White, does not teach the historic, orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity (as their own scholars admit—see here: http://www.cultorchristian.com/sdaadmissions.html), but instead teaches a tritheistic "Godhead” that is a group of three separate physical divine beings (gods), who are "one” only in purpose, character, etc. This teaching is nearly identical to "the Godhead” of Mormonism.
- The Adventist "Jesus” is not the Jesus of the Bible, who is the one true God, but is instead merely one of three gods.
- For further study of the Biblical, Christian doctrine of the Trinity see Christian apologist Robert Bowman's study "The Biblical Basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity,” available online at: http://www.irr.org/trinity-outline.html Also, a short collection of helpful Christian quotes on the Trinity can be found here: http://www.cultorchristian.com/christiantrinity.html
- For an in-depth examination and documentation of the differences between the Adventist "Godhead” and the Christian Trinity, see my website here: http://www.cultorchristian.com/
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised December 29, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 1
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 1
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Wk 1
Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings
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