Source Book - 1
A Word from the Prophet
“I understood that some were anxious to know if Mrs White still held the same views that she did years ago when they had heard her speaking in the sanitarium grove, in the Tabernacle, and at the camp meetings held in the suburbs of Battle Creek. I assured them that the message she bears today is the same that she has borne during the sixty years of her public ministry. She has the same service to do for the Master that was laid upon her in her girlhood.” 1 SM 35.
“I refuse to go into an argument with those who oppose the truth, but call their attention to the publication of the truth given me, which has been written under the Holy Spirit’s representation. If they will carefully read Great Controversy, the Testimonies for the Church, Patriarchs and Prophets, Desire of Ages, and all the many books that are in circulation, that bear testimony to the truth given at varied times and in varied places over a period of half a century, they would not be entering into temptation and walking in false paths where some are today.” MS 34‐1906.
“In these books that I have been called in the visions of the night to write, I am presenting the things I have seen and have been instructed of God to write. These writings are immortalized…. The power of the Holy Spirit has opened before me the wonderful things of God’s Word, and many souls that have been imbedded under the thick layers of darkness and scientific sophistries have received the light and been converted….” ” MS34‐1906.5
Let the Pioneers Speak
“A few are still alive who passed through the experience gained in the establishment of this truth. God has graciously spared their lives to repeat and repeat till the close of their lives, the experience through which they passed even as did John the apostle till the very close of his life. And the standard-bearers who have fallen in death, are to speak through the reprinting of their writings. They are to bear their testimony as to what constitutes the truth for this time.” CW 32. Ellen White.
“I tell you now, that when I am laid to rest, great changes will take place… and I desire to warn all against the devices of the devil.” EG.W. Ms 1. 1915.
A Word from James White
“The greatest fault we can find in the Reformation is, the Reformers stopped reforming. Had they gone on, and onward, till they had left the last vestige of Papacy behind, such as natural immorality, sprinkling, the trinity, and Sunday-keeping, the church would now be free from her unscriptural errors.” J.S. White R & H Feb 7. 1856.
“… The way the spiritualizers have disposed of or denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ is first using the old unscriptural Trinitarian creed, viz., that Jesus Christ is the eternal God, though they have not one passage to support it, while we have plain Scripture testimony in abundance that He is the Son of the eternal God.” J.S.White. The Day Star. Jan 245. 1846.
“The Father was greater than the Son in that he was first. The Son was equal with the Father in that He had received all things from the Father.” J.S.White. R&H. Jan 4. 1881.
A Word from S.N. Haskell
“Before the creation of our world ‘there was war in heaven’. Christ and the Father covenanted together; and Lucifer, the covering cherub, grew jealous because he was not admitted into the eternal council of the Two who sat upon the throne.” S.N. Haskell. The Story of the Seer of Patmos p 217. 1905.
A Word from J.N. Andrews
“The doctrine of the Trinity which was established in the church by the council of Nice A.D. 325. This doctrine destroys the personality of God, and His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The infamous, measures by which it was forced upon the church which appear upon the pages of ecclesiastical history might well cause every believer in that doctrine to blush.” J.N. Andrews. Mar 6. 1855. R&H. Vol 6 No.24 p185.
A Word from M.E. Cornell
“The mass of Protestants believe with Catholics in the Trinity, immortality of the soul, consciousness of the dead, rewards and punishments at death, the endless torture of the wicked, inheritance of the saints beyond the skies, sprinkling for baptism, and the PAGAN SUNDAY for the Sabbath; all of which is contrary to the spirit and letter of the new testament. Surely there is between the mother and daughters, a striking family resemblance.” M.E. Cornell. Facts for the Times p76. 1858.
A Word from J.B Frisbie
“We should rather mistrust that the Sunday God came from the same source that Sunday-keeping did.” J.B. Frisbie. R & H. Mar 7. 1854. The Sunday God p50.
A Word from E.J. Waggoner
“As the Son of the self-existent God, He has by nature all the attributes of Deity… The angels are sons of God, as was Adam (Job 38:7; Luke 3:38) by creation; Christians are the sons of God by adoption (Rom 8:14.15), but Christ is the Son of God by birth.” E.J. Waggoner. Christ and His Righteousness p11-13., 1890.
“While both are of the same nature, the Father is first in point of time. He is also greater in that He had no beginning, while Christ’s personality had a beginning.” E.J. Waggoner. ST. Apr 8. 1889.
A Word from A.T. Jones
“He was born of the Holy Ghost. In other words, Jesus Christ was born again. He came from heaven, God’s first-born, to the earth, and was born again…He was born again, and was made partaker of the human nature, that we might be born again, and so made partakers of the divine nature” The Review and Herald, Aug. 1, 1899.
The God of the universe
“There is one God…” 1 Timothy 2:5.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God…” John 17:3.
He is “… the only true and living God, the Sovereign of the universe.” 3 SM 256.
“We can never by searching find out God. He does not lay open his plans to prying, inquisitive minds. We must not attempt to lift with presumptuous hand the curtain behind which he veils His majesty.” R&H. Apr 7. 1885.
He is “… the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy…” Isaiah 57:15.
“The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. The Lord’s throne is in heaven…” Ps 11:4. Education 132.
The first Commandment: “Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the Source and Sustainer of all, is alone entitled to supreme reverence and worship.” PP 305.6.
“Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord.” Deut 6:4.
The scribe/lawyer asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment. Jesus answering says: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.”…. And the scribe said unto him, Well Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.” Mark 12:29-32. Jesus is acknowledging with the scribe that there is only one God. He is not including Himself, as He is the Son of God. Remember, the subject is the first Commandment.
“God is our Father, who loves and cares for us as His children; He is also the great King of the universe.” Faith Live By 39.
He is “... The Lord God Almighty….” Revelation 21:22.
“The Father… is the great Source of all…” Desire of Ages 21.
“It is He (the Ancient of Days) the Source of all being, and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in the judgment.” GC88 479.
“The greatness of God cannot be measured or comprehended.” ST. Jun 27. 1895.
“God is omnipotent, omniscient, immutable. He always pursues a straightforward course. His law is truth -- immutable, eternal truth. His precepts are consistent with His attributes.” ST. July 23. 1902. Psalm 19:7-9.
“Now unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God, to Him be honor and power eternal.” 1 Timothy 1:17.
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:16.
“I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, ‘If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist’…” EW 54.
“On page 54, I stated that a cloud of glorious light covered the Father and that His person could not be seen. I also stated that I saw the Father rise from the throne. The Father was enshrouded with a body of light and glory, so that His person could not be seen; yet I knew that it was the Father and that from His person emanated this light and glory. When I saw this body of light and glory rise from the throne, I knew it was because the Father moved, therefore said, I saw the Father rise. The glory, or excellency, of His form I never saw; no one could behold it and live; yet the body of light and glory that enshrouded His person could be seen.” EW 92.
“We can never by searching find out God. He does not lay open His plans to prying, inquisitive minds. We must not attempt to lift with presumptuous hand the curtain behind which He veils His majesty. The apostle exclaims: ‘How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!’ It is a proof of His mercy that there is the hiding of His power, that He is enshrouded in the awful clouds of mystery and obscurity; for to lift the curtain that conceals the divine presence is death. No mortal mind can penetrate the secrecy in which the Mighty One dwells and works. We can comprehend no more of His dealings with us and the motives that actuate Him than He sees fit to reveal. He orders everything in righteousness, and we are not to be dissatisfied and distrustful, but to bow in reverent submission. He will reveal to us as much of His purposes as it is for our good to know; and beyond that we must trust the hand that is omnipotent, the heart that is full of love.” 5 Testimonies 301.
“One omnipotent Power, great in goodness in mercy, and in love, has created the earth… Nature's voice speaks, saying that there is a God back of nature, but it does not, in its imperfections, represent God.” HL 296.
“Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy.” STC 9.
Extra Scriptures: Psalm 118:28.29. 116:5. 108:5. 106:47.48. 104:1.2. 18:30.31. Isaiah 40:28.22.26.
God Dwells in Light
“Bless the Lord O my soul. O Lord my God Thou art very great. Thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment…” Psalm 104:1.2.
Hymn No. 21 – first and 45th verses.
Hymn 83 – first and 2nd verses.
“The Father is enshrouded with a body of light and glory, so that His person could not be seen; yet I knew that it was the Father and that from His person emanated this light and glory.” EW92.
He is “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:16.
After the fall of man, God’s Son approached His Father. “Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He came from the Father we could see His person. His countenance was calm, free form all perplexity and trouble, and shone with a loveliness which words cannot describe. He then made known to the angelic choir that a way of escape had been made for lost man…” EW 126.
The Omnipresence of God
“The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy beings, all waiting to do His will. Through these messengers He is in active communication with every part of His dominion. By His Spirit He is everywhere present. Through the agency of His Spirit and His angels He ministers to the children of men.” MH 417.
“The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. ‘The Lord’s throne is in heaven’ (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand.” Education. 132.
The One God is the Father
“Blessed be God, even the Father…” 2 Corinthians 1:3.
“One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:6.
“…there is none other God but one… there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him…” 1 Corinthians 8:4.6.
“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…” Extra text: Matthew 6:9-13.
God the Father has a Son
“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Colossians 1:3.
“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath… established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” Proverbs 30:4.
“God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God.” 8 Testimonies 268.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” 1 Peter 1:3.
“For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son…” John 3:16.
“While (Jesus) was praying… from the highest heaven was heard the voice of the infinite One, God the Father, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 2 Sermons and Talks 167.
“That ye may with one mind and one mouth glory God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5.
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, is truly God in infinity, but not in personality.” EGW. MS 116. Dec 19. 1905.
Christ is the Son of God
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace…” Isaiah 9:6. (The Son is not His own Father, but ours. See DA 483)
Jesus asks His disciples, ‘Whom do you say I am?’ Peter says. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15.16.
Jesus said, “ ‘My Father….’ Then they took up stones to stone him…. ‘For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou being a man, makest thyself God.” John 10:29-33.
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the
surpassing glory of heaven. He was the Commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right.” LHU 16.
“We may have the witness in ourselves that the Bible is true, that Christ is the Son of God. We know that we are not following cunningly devised fables.” Steps to Christ 112.
“Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was manifest in the flesh.” Review & Herald. Aug 31. 1905.
The high priest asked Jesus under oath, “I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God….Jesus saith unto him, ‘Thou hast said’.” Matt 26:63.64. In Mark the reply under oath is, ‘I am’. Mark 14:61.62.
“Beneath the guise of humanity they discerned the glory of the Son of God.” DA 412.
“The world's Redeemer did not come with outward display, or a show of worldly wisdom. Men could not see beneath the guise of humility, the glory of the Son of God.” Gospel Workers 392.
“The Lord possessed (to own, to procure, to create, to get) me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old…. Before there were no depths, I was brought forth… Before the mountains were settled… was I brought forth… I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:22.24.25.30.
“And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: "The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting. . . . When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him." Proverbs 8:22-30. PP 34. See also LHU 16.
“Through Solomon Christ declared: "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. . . . When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." LHU 17.
Extra Scriptures: Daniel 3:25. John 11:25-27. John 10:35-38.
Christ is Son of the Father
“And lo a voice from heaven saying, ‘This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased’.” Matthew 3:17.
“The words of confirmation that Christ is the Son of God was given to inspire faith in those who witnessed the scene, and to sustain the Son of God in His arduous work. Notwithstanding the Son of God was clothed with humanity, yet Jehovah, with His own voice, assures Him of His sonship with the Eternal. In this manifestation to His Son, God accepts humanity as exalted through the excellence of His beloved Son.” 2 SP 60.
“Grace be with you… from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” 2 Jn 3.
“That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom He created all things, and by whom they do consist.” R&H. Aug 22. 1912.
“He shall be… called the Son of the Highest…” Luke 1:32.35. Compare ‘shall be called’ with: Luke 1:36.
Satan “saw the brightness of the Father's glory overshadowing the form of Jesus, thus pointing out with unmistakable assurance the One in that crowd whom He acknowledged as His Son.” 5BC 1078.
“Who is Christ? -- He is the only begotten Son of the living God. He is to the Father as a word that expresses the thought -- as a thought made audible. Christ is the word of God.” Youth’s Instructor Aug 28. 1894.
“Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was manifest in the flesh.” Review & Herald. Aug 31. 1905.
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, is truly God in infinity, but not in personality.” E.G. White. MS 116. Dec 19. 1905.
Extra Scriptures: John 8:38-42. 5 BC 1078. John 8:38-42.
God’s Son begotten of Father
“For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son…” John 3:16.
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us… the glory as of the only begotten of the Father… No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son…he hath declared him.” John 1:14.18.
“Thou art My Son; this day I have begotten thee.” Psalm 2:7.
“A complete offering has been made; for ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son’ -- not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father's person… one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection.” ST. May 30. 1895.
Five years earlier E.J. Waggoner said, “The angels are sons of God, as was Adam… by creation; Christians are the sons of God by adoption (Rom 8:14.15), but Christ is the Son of God by birth… and so Christ is the ‘express image’ of the Father’s person.” Christ and His Righteousness p12. 1890.
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18.
“No one less holy than the Only Begotten of the Father, could have offered a sacrifice that would be efficacious to cleanse all...” God’s Amazing Grace 103.
“For thirty-three years the Only Begotten of the Father dwelt among the children of men.” AU Gleaner. August 19. 1903.
“As the apostles set forth the glory of the Only-Begotten of the Father, three thousand souls were convicted.” COL 118.
“The highest gift of Heaven, even the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, was able to redeem the lost.” Messenger. June 7. 1893.
“Christ claimed to be the Only Begotten of the Father, but men encased in unbelief, barricaded with prejudice, denied the Holy and the Just One. He was charged with blasphemy, and was condemned to a cruel death…” 2 SM 271.
“The sword of justice was unsheathed, and the wrath of God against iniquity rested upon man's substitute, Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father.” 5 BC 1102.
“The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave His only begotten Son, tore from His bosom Him who was made in the express image of His person, and sent HHim down to earth to reveal how greatly He loved mankind.” R&H. Jul 9. 1895.
“For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things... we believe that thou camest froth from God. Jesus said, ‘Do ye now believe? ” John 16:27-31.
“Who is Christ? -- He is the only begotten Son of the living God. He is to the Father as a word that expresses the thought -- as a thought made audible. Christ is the word of God.” Youth’s Instructor Aug 28. 1894.
“If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.” John 8:42.
“Father… I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me… Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.” John 17:6-8.
“Those who are recipients of His grace, who contemplate the cross of Calvary, will not question concerning the proportion to be given, but will feel that the richest offering is all too meager, all disproportionate to the great gift of the only-begotten Son of the infinite God.” R&H Jul 14. 1896.
Today many want to deny the word monogenes means ‘begotten’ and they speak of God’s only Son when they say John 3:16. This is a denial of Christ’s true identity. It is actually siding with the Jewish leaders who condemned Jesus to death for claiming to be the Son of God.
“The dedication of the first-born had its origin in the earliest times. God had promised to give the First-born of heaven to save the sinner.” DA 51.
"Who can anticipate the gifts of infinite Love. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God’s love for the world was not manifest because He sent His Son, but because He loved the world He sent His Son into the world that divinity clothed with humanity might touch humanity, while divinity lays hold of infinity. Though sin had produced a gulf between man and his God, divine benevolence provided a plan to bridge that gulf and WHAT MATERIAL DID HE USE? A PART OF HIMSELF, the brightness of the Father’s glory came to a world all seared and marred with the curse, and in his own divine character, in his own divine body, bridged the gulf, and opened a channel of communication between God and man. The windows of heaven were opened, and the showers of heavenly grace in healing streams came to our benighted world. O what love, what matchless, inexpressible love!” Ellen White to Brother Washburn: 1888 711.
“The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave His only begotten Son, tore from His bosom Him who was made in the express image of His person, and sent Him down to earth to reveal how greatly He loved mankind.” The Review and Herald, July 9, 1895.
“Christ is the only literal son of God. ‘The only begotten of the Father’ John 1:14. He is God because He is the Son of God.” John Matheson. The Review and Herald, Oct. 12, 1869, p. 123.
“To be the only begotten Son of God must be understood in a different sense than to be a Son by creation; for in that sense all the creatures He has made are sons… He must therefore be understood as being the Son of God in a much higher sense than any other being. His being the only begotten of the Father supposes that none except Him were thus begotten; hence He is, in truth and verity the only begotten Son of God; and as such He must be Divine; that is, be a partaker of the Divine nature.” J M Stephenson. The Review and Herald, Nov. 14, 1854.
“We may believe that Christ came into existence in a manner different from that in which other beings first appeared; that He sprang from the Father’s being in a way not necessary for us to understand.” C W Stone. 1886. The Captain of Our Salvation, p. 17.
“And as to the Son of God…He had God for His Father, and did, at some point in the eternity of the past, have beginning of days.” J N Andrews. The Review and Herald, Sept. 7, 1869.
“As Christ was twice born, once in eternity, the only begotten of the Father, and again here in the flesh, thus uniting the divine with the human in that second birth…” R & H. April 14, 1896. W.W. Prescott.
Extra Scriptures: Hebrews 1:5.6.
The Son given Equality
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.” John 10:17.
“The only way in which the fallen race could be restored was through the gift of his Son, equal with Himself, possessing the attributes of God.” 7BC 738. Omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immortality, justice, purity and love. PP 120-123.
“Be unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which is his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:14-16.
“All created things live by the will and power of God. They are recipients of the life of the Son of God. However able and talented, however large their capacities, they are replenished with life from the Source of all life. He is the spring, the fountain, of life. Only He who alone hath immortality, dwelling in light and life, could say, ‘I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again’.” MS 131, 1897. 5BC 1113. 1MCP 28.
“Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection, and the life." In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. "He that hath the Son hath life." The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life.” Desire of Ages. 530 (1898)
“… Jesus said, ‘I and my Father are one.’ The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as he put forth the claim that he and the Father were of one substance, possessing the same attributes.” ST. Nov 27. 1893.
“The Scriptures clearly indicate the relation between God and Christ, and they bring to view as clearly the personality and individuality of each. [Hebrews 1:1-5 quoted.] 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.” 8 T 268.
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. "I lay it down of myself" (John 10: 18).
“He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. ‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent’. (John 17:3). This is the open fountain of life for the world.” 1SM 296. Original article -- ST Apr 8. 1897.
“They (the angels) are the appointed messengers of Him who is the Commander of all heaven. But Christ is equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. He could pay the ransom for man's freedom. He is the eternal self-existing Son, on whom no yoke had come." YI June 21. 1900. 5BC 1136.
“In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character.” COL 115.
“He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent… He is the eternal, self-existent Son.” Ms 101. 1897. (Some people did not believe in Christ’s pre-existence, thinking He was just a man, a prophet, but Christ is all the above, and begotten)
“The Father and the Son alone are to be exalted.” Youth’s Instructor. Jul 7. 1898.
James White said, “The Father was greater than the Son in that He was first. The Son was equal with the Father in that He had received all things from the Father.” R&H. Jan 4. 1881.
“Immeasurable love was expressed when One equal with the Father came to pay the price for the souls of men, and bring to them eternal life.” Christian Stewardship 226.
“And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in the manger. Far higher than any of the angels, equal with the Father in dignity and glory, and yet wearing the garb of humanity!” FLB 48.
“To save the transgressor of God's law, Christ, the one equal with the Father, came to live heaven before men, that they might learn to know what it is to have heaven in the heart.” Fundamentals of Christian Education. 179. 7ABC 437.
“The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host.” Story of Redemption 15.
“He (Christ) was the Majesty of heaven, He was equal with the Father, He was the Commander of the hosts of angels, yet He died for man the death that was, above all others, clothed with ignominy and reproach.” That I May Know Him 339.
“And that doctrine that denies the absolute Godhead of Jesus Christ, denies also the Godhead of the Father; for no man knoweth the Son but the Father.” ST. Jun 27. 1895.
“Jehovah, our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ are alone to be exalted.” Ms 11. 1898. (Jun 29.1898) par 11.
Extra Scriptures: Heb 1:4.6.8.13. Col 2:9. Joh 8:56-59. Luk 10:21.22.
God the Father gave His Son
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16.
“When God would assure us of his immutable counsel of peace, he gives his only begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain his human nature as a pledge that God will fulfill his word.” R&H. Apr 3. 1894.
“He gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him to the fallen race. To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only-begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature….
“God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven. It is the "Son of man" who shares the throne of the universe…Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love.” DA 25.26.
“The Lord God of heaven collected all the riches of the universe, and laid them down in order to purchase the pearl of lost humanity. The Father gave all His divine resources into the hands of Christ in order that the richest blessings of heaven might be poured out upon a fallen race. God could not express greater love than He has expressed in giving the Son of His bosom to this world. This gift was given to man to convince him that God had left nothing undone that He could do, that there is nothing held in reserve, but that all heaven has been poured out in one vast gift.” YI Oct 17.1895.
The Son Begotten in Eternity
“But thou Bethlehem….He will come out of thee… whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2. In Hebrew, ‘everlasting’ (olam), simply means ‘hidden’, or long ages beyond human understanding, not eternity as we understand it today.
“And although we may try to reason in regard to our Creator, how long He has had existence, where evil first entered into our world, and all these things, we may reason about them until we fall down faint and exhausted with the research when there is yet an infinity beyond.” 7 BC 919. 1888.
Speaking of Christ. “His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures.” ST. May 3. 1899.
E.J. Waggoner said: “The Word was ‘in the beginning’. The mind of man cannot grasp the ages that are spanned in this phrase. It is not given to men to know when, or how the Son was begotten… We know that Christ ‘proceeded forth and came from God’ (John 8:42), but it was so far back in the ages of eternity as to be far beyond the grasp of the mind of man.” Christ and His Righteousness. p9. 1890.
“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God… In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.” Signs of the Times. Aug 29. 1900. (Last phrase quoting Proverbs 8:30)
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son’ – not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person…” E.G.W. T May 30.1895.
“In His incarnation He gained in a new sense the title of the Son of God... While the son of a human being, He became the Son of God in a new sense.” Signs of the Times Aug 2, 1905.
“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven.” Faith Live By 46.
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the Commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right.” Faith I live By 46.
Compare the following statements in relation to ‘all eternity’ and ‘never was a time’.
“The plan of salvation had its place in the counsels of the Infinite from all eternity.” Christian Education 83.
“The salvation of the human race has ever been the object of the councils of heaven. The covenant of mercy was made before the foundation of the world. It has existed from all eternity, and is called the everlasting covenant. So surely as there never was a time when God was not, so surely there never was a moment when it was not the delight of the eternal mind to manifest His grace to humanity.” Faith I Live By 76.
Eternity, as we generally understand it, is a period of time that has no beginning or end. At times the Bible and Sister White speak of certain things that clearly have a beginning as existing from eternity or all eternity, such as the ‘everlasting covenant’. Also the words ‘never was a time’ in relation to ‘grace to humanity’. Compared with our time, Christ has been with His Father from eternity, yet He was begotten at a point in eternity.
We understand this for the subject of the state of the dead and hell, but have problems with the subject of God’s Son. Jude 7 speaks of ‘eternal fire’ and we know it is not burning now. Other verses speak of ‘everlasting’ that are clearly only as long as the person lives or in relation to fire as long as there is something left to burn.
Christ is “God's thought made audible.” Desire of Ages 20.
God’s Son and the everlasting covenant would have existed in the mind of God for all eternity, as well as the desire to manifest His grace to humanity. The past, present, and future are all alike to God.
Son inherited Father’s nature
“Christ was the Lord of heaven and earth, yet for our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He was made in the likeness of God, yet He humbled Himself, and took upon Him the form of a servant, that He might save us.” Upward Look 134.
“How can it be that the helpless babe in Bethlehem's manger is still the divine Son of God? Though we cannot understand it, we can believe that He who made the worlds, for our sakes became a helpless babe.” 3 Selected Messages 127.8.
“Though higher than any of the angels, though as great as the Father on the throne of heaven, He became one with us. In Him God and man became one…” 3 Selected Messages 127.8.
“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9.
“For it pleased the Father than in him should all fulness dwell.” Colossians 1:19.
Christ, “who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Philippians 2:6.
“Christ Himself is the pearl of great price. In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character.” COL 116.
“The greatness of God cannot be measured or comprehended. And that doctrine that denies the absolute Godhead of Jesus Christ, denies also the Godhead of the Father….” Signs of the Times. Jun 27 1895.
“Christ humbled himself from the position of one equal with God to that of a servant.” CTBH 78.
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power." AA 473.2
“Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Extra texts: Hebrews 1:4. John 11:25.26.27. John 12:47-50. 14:13.14.
The Father owns the Universe
“My Father is greater than I.” John 14:28.
Jesus said, “I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:29.
“Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13:32.
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” Luke 11:2.
“Then cometh the end, when He (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He (Christ) shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He (Christ) must reign, till He (God) hath put all enemies under His feet… And when all things shall be subdued unto Him (God), then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him (God) that put all things under Him (God), that God may be all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven is named.” Ephesians 3:14.15.
“The Father could not change nor abolish one precept of his law to meet man in his fallen condition. But the Son of God, who had in unison with the Father created man, could make an atonement for man acceptable to God, by giving His life a sacrifice, and bearing the wrath of His Father.” Signs of the Times. 01.30.79.
God’s Son given Authority
Christ Jesus “is the head of the body, the church….that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:18-20. (This authority was to fulfil the plan of redemption)
“Jesus might have remained at the Father's side… But He chose to give back the sceptre into the Father's hands, and to step down from the throne of the universe, that He might bring light to the benighted, and life to the perishing.” Desire of Ages 22.
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18. “Standing but a step from His heavenly throne, Christ gave the commission to His disciples. "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” DA818.
“And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels (Lucifer) aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.” PP 35.
“To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father.” 8 Testimonies 268.
“I saw… one like the Son of man came… to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom… an everlasting dominion… and his kingdom… shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13.14.
“Our great Exemplar was exalted to be equal with God. He was high commander in heaven. All the holy angels delighted to bow before Him.” 2 Testimonies p426.
Christ was given an “exalted position as the loved Commander of heaven, who was worshipped and adored by the angelic hosts.” Bible Echo, Dec 1. 1893.
“Some of the angels sympathized with Satan in his rebellion, and others strongly contended for the honor and wisdom of God in giving authority to His Son.” Early Writings 146.
“The Son of God was next in authority to the great Lawgiver. He knew that His life alone could be sufficient to ransom fallen man.” 2 Spirit of Prophecy. 9. Lift Him Up. 24.
“To Christ, and to Christ alone, is given the right of authority over all things.” Home Missionary. Vol 16. p15. 1900.
Jesus said, “All power (authority) is given unto me, as Mediator between God and man.” 16 Manuscript Release. 15.16.
“He (Christ) comes to the Ancient of days in heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be given Him at the close of His work as a mediator… our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God . . . to perform the work of investigative judgment..” FLB 209. “The Ancient of days is God the Father.” FLB 209.
He was the “Commander of all the heavenly host.” 1 SM 243. 4 T 219.
Jesus will return “with power and great glory” that He had in the beginning with His Father. Matthew 24:30. John 17:5.22.24.
God is Father--God of Christ
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:3.
“I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” John 20:17.
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21.
“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem…. out of heaven from my God…” Revelation 3:12.
“The Father, in union and loving sympathy, with His Son, subjected Himself to suffer with His Son… This gift of Christ is the crowning truth of God’s love, and His Fatherhood, through time and through eternity. Here is the love of God in His Fatherhood. Let us drink in this love, that we may know by experience what a real, tender, joyful experience there is in a realization of the Fatherhood of God.” Spalding & Magan. 68. 1897.
God's Son sits on Father’s Throne
“The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both.” Patriarchs and Prophets 35-36. (Prior to the incarnation and after it)
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God…” Hebrew 10:12.
“I am set down with my Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21.
Christ is “set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Hebrews 8:1
Jesus “…is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2.
“I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, ‘If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist’.” Early Writings 54.
Extra texts: Col 3:1. 1 Peter 3:22. Mark 16:19.
Oneness of Father and Son
“I and my Father are one.” John 10:30.
“That they all may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee…” John 17:21.
“Perfect oneness--a union as close as the union existing between the Father and the Son--this is what will give success to the efforts of God's workers.” Reflecting Christ 200.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. (The same nature, deity)
“The love existing between the Father and His Son cannot be portrayed. It is measureless.” 16 Manuscript Release. 337.
“Christ is one with the Father, but Christ and God are two distinct personages… the unity that is to exist between Christ and His followers does not destroy the personality of either. They are to be one with Him as He is one with the Father.” R&H June 1. 1905. 5BC 1148.
“From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character.” Youth’s Instructor. Dec 16. 1897.
“No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” Matthew 11:27.
“God could not express greater love than He has expressed in giving the Son of His bosom to this world.” Lift Him Up 232. (Father and Son are so close)
“The Saviour trod the winepress alone, and of all the people there was none with him. And yet he was not alone. He had said, ‘I and my Father are one.’ God suffered with his Son.” 3 Spirit of Prophecy 100.
“It is essential that he (the human agent) hold as vital a relation with God as does the Son to the Father.” Letter 43. 1895. 7BC 943.
After Lucifer’s fall, “The only begotten Son of God swept back the hellish shadow in which Satan has enveloped the Father and declares, ‘I and My Father are one; look on Me and behold God.” ST May 1. 1901.
Son Mediator of Universe
“The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate—a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings.” PP34.
“Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give. "I do nothing of Myself," said Christ; "the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father." "I seek not Mine own glory," but the glory of Him that sent Me. John 8:28; 6:57; 8:50; 7:18. In these words is set forth the great principle which is the law of life for the universe. All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all. And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life.” DA 21.
Son enters councils of Father
“Christ the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father -- one in nature, in character, and in purpose -- the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” Great Controversy 88 493. PP34.
“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.” 8 Testimonies 268.
“Having stood in the counsels of God, having dwelt in the everlasting heights of the sanctuary, all elements of truth were in Him, and of Him; for He was one with God.” R & H Dec 1891.
“Even the angels were not permitted to share the counsels between the Father and the Son when the plan of salvation was laid.” MH 430. This was Lucifer’s objection, as he was not permitted to enter these councils.
“Christ is the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” GC 493.
Son is Subject to His Father
“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath set me.” John 5:30.
“O My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass form me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39.
“… the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11:3.
“Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out His will and His purposes but would do nothing of Himself alone. The Father's will would be fulfilled in Him.” Lift Him Up 18.
“The Son of God was next in authority to the great Lawgiver.” R&H Dec 17. 1872.
“Before He came to earth, the plan lay out before Him, perfect in all its details. But as He walked among men, He was guided, step by step, by the Father's will. He did not hesitate to act at the appointed time. With the same submission He waited until the time had come.” DA 147.
“But the Son of God was surrendered to the Father's will, and dependent upon His power. So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God's plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans.” DA 208.
“The one law of His life was the Father's will.” A 486.
“In His heart was the peace of perfect oneness with the Father's will, and with eager steps He pressed on toward the place of sacrifice.” DA 547.
“The Son of God had wrought the Father's will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven… Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God's plan.” PP 36.
God’s Son Prince of Heaven
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people…” Daniel 12:1.
“….Michael your Prince.” 10:21. 10:13.
“God's own Son, the Prince of Heaven, by His example teaches that we should obey.” Story of Jesus 17.
“The monarch (Persian king) had resisted the impressions of the Spirit of God during the three weeks while Daniel was fasting and praying, but heaven's Prince, the Archangel, Michael, was sent to turn the heart of the stubborn king to take some decided action to answer the prayer of Daniel.” Reflecting Christ 90.
“Though He was the Prince of heaven, He lived and suffered and died under the abuse and scorn of fallen men; and this that He might prepare for the human family mansions in the heavenly courts.” This Day with God 168.
“There is before us the Prince of heaven, the Son of God. He laid aside the royal crown and the princely robe and came to take His position in our world as a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Ms 156. July 22.1907. Upward Look 217.
“The Prince of heaven, the Commander of the heavenly hosts, stepped down from His high position, laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, and clothed His divinity with humanity.” TDG 373.
“As you stand before the cross, and see the royal Prince of heaven dying for you, can you seal your heart, saying, ‘No; I have nothing to give’?” AUCR. Apr 1.1901.
“Think of what the Prince of heaven did to manifest His love for the Father and for us. He resigned His position as Commander in the heavenly courts, and clothed His divinity with humanity… Those who receive Him are adopted into the royal family as sons and daughters of God. They are made heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, to an immortal inheritance.” R&H. Nov 29. 1900.
“The Prince of heaven, he who was one with the Father in the creation of the world, came to our world to labor for the salvation of men.” R&H. Apr 8. 1909.