Good News ForSeventh

7/28/2019 Good News ForSeventh

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Good News for Seventh-Day Adventists

The Theology of Ellen G. White

Table of ContentsIntroduction.2

Bible.5

God .11

Man.16

Christ...22

Law and Gospel..50

Justification.56

Sanctification..74

The Church..89

Last Things..96


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Introduction

As editor ofPresent Truth Magazine, I have, over the last four years, written reviewson three great sections of the Christian churchRomanism, Pentecostalism andevangelicalism. This has been done in the light of the great central doctrine of

justification by faith. With Luther, I believe that this is the article of the standing andfalling church. I also agree with T. F. Torrance, who said that justification by faith mustcall all systems, churches, creeds and practices into question.

So we have published material on justification by faith and Romanism, justification byfaith and the charismatic movement, justification by faith and the holiness movement,

justification by faith and the current religious scene, etc. It seemed inevitable,therefore, that I should get around to justification by faith and Adventism.

Adventism stands somewhat apart from the rest of conservative Christianity. Thoughnumerically not very great (about three million strong), the Seventh-day AdventistChurch is nevertheless a strong body with far-flung mission stations, impressiveinstitutions, indeed an organizational apparatus which dwarfs that of most Protestantchurches many times larger.

Adventism is a real theological system. I feel that critics have not been as effective asthey might have wished because they have picked up a few doctrinal points here andthere while failing to get to the roots of that system.

Adventism is best represented by Ellen G. White.1

Although Mrs. White did not write asystematic theology, there is no doubt but that she wrote in the framework of atheological system. She herself frequently referred to Adventism as a "system of truth."

Surprisingly, no one, either apologist or critic, has heretofore published a systematicanalysis of Ellen White's theology. Apologists have defended her visions, lauded hercontributions in the field of health (which are quite considerable, too), and justifiedcertain predictions, etc. Critics have written on snatches of her teachings here andthere. But to date there has not been a publication which has really grappled with hertheology in a systematic way. That is the purpose of this publication.

I can claim some qualification for the task at hand. For several years I have gatheredmaterial for this work, not only by reviewing the theology of Ellen White, but bycarefully relating every doctrinal point to the major theological controversies in thehistory of the church.

Plan of Approach

The reader should be appraised of my plan of approach:


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1. To begin with, if the reader is interested in cheap polemics, he will be verydisappointed. I am not interested in that sorry business.

2. Book 1 is neither a criticism nor a defense of Ellen White's theology. Our first task is

to understand the system. And may I say quite pointedly, If any person is notinterested in understanding Ellen White's theology, he should not be interested incriticizing it either! Irresponsible criticism does more harm than good, and oftentimes itharms most the very people we are trying to set straight.

Our first task, therefore, is to lay the entire theological system right out so that we canreally understand its problem areas. Having done that, we can attempt in Book 2AnEvangelical Reflection.

3. Truth, justice and charity demand that we look at a person's theology in its best light.What a lesson Hans Kung, the great Catholic theologian, gives us in his book on Karl

Barth (Justification: The Doctrine of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection)! In the firsthalf of the book Kung presents a digest of Barth's doctrine of salvation. Does he putBarth in his very worst light? No. Rather, he presents his theology in its best light,holding up its strongest points just as if he were in Barth's shoes. He does the task sowell that Barth himself congratulates Kung for presenting such an accurate reflection ofhis theology.

Should any less be expected of us? I therefore invite the readerespecially the onewho wants to be a responsible criticto come with me on an honest-to-goodnesssurvey of Ellen White's theology. Don't be afraid to acknowledge anything good. Don'tbe disappointed if you find that she is even orthodox on some points on which you

were sure she was heterodox. (Love rejoices in the truth. It is ready to believe the bestof everyone.) Mrs. White was, after all, the most prolific woman writer of all time (aboutsixty books, or thirty million words), and very few men have ever written as much. Herworks even attain a high degree of literary excellence.

Therefore my task in Book 1 is to present an outline of Ellen White's doctrinal systemfrom beginning to end. Utmost care has been taken not to distort. Truth demands frankadmission where the theology is orthodox or where it is heterodox. Let us not shrinkthe slightest from looking the strongest points of this theology straight in the eye.

Method of Procedure

The reader should also be appraised of the intended procedure:

1. This book will not be concerned with periphery issues such as Mrs. White'spersonality, charismatic phenomena, and various other things which people haggleabout to no profit. Our approach with the charismatic movement has been the same.Tongues, miracles, spiritual giftsthese are no issue. Who is to say what the HolySpirit might do or not do with any human being? When Paul had problems arise in


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Galatia, did he waste time arguing about ceremonies as such? Did he not go directly tothe eternal verities of the Christian faith? Therefore we must ask, Where did Mrs.White really stand on these eternal veritiesthe Godhead, the Trinity, Christology, theblood atonement, the finished work of Christ, and above all, justification by grace, forChrist's sake, through faith?

2. We shall survey Mrs. White's theology in a systematic way, covering epistemology(Bible), theology (God), anthropology (man), Christology (Christ's Person and work),soteriology (law and gospel, justification, sanctification), ecclesiology (church) andeschatology (last things).

3. We shall frequently pause to see where Mrs. White's theology stands in the greatstream of church history. Particular note will be taken of where she stands in relation tothe great Christological and soteriological controversies in that history. How does thispoint or that point compare with the teachings of Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Arminius,Pelagius and so on?

4. I have made it my business to try to read allthat Mrs. White has said about a certainsubject before attempting a digest of her viewpoint.

Any responsible critic knows the hazard of building a case on an incidental statement.Greatest weight must always be given to passages where a particular matter is treatedin a systematic way. It is shameful to erect straw men out of isolated statements. Wealso need to be aware of the fact that Mrs. White did not try to be a theologian in theclassical sense of the word. She had no formal theological education. In fact, due to achildhood misfortune, she only obtained a third grade education. Most of her literatureis of a very practical nature, written in the context of concrete situations which arose in

her own church. These things are not pointed out so that the reader will expect toreview theology of "one candle power" mentality. Mrs. White was clearly a religiousphenomenon and literary genius in her own right. But for all that, we must makeallowances for the way she expressed theology in her own unsophisticated style. Ourtask is to get to the content and not to haggle over isolated expressions.

5. The reader needs to exercise some patience, because the points of real controversyin the Adventist system are in the last chapter (eschatology). Many make the mistakeof trying to criticize Adventist eschatology before they understand Adventistsoteriology. This is a mistake. Let us first take a little time to examine the roots of thesystem.

6. I have tried to be thorough in presenting the outline of the following chapters withoutbeing too tedious. The reader will have to judge how well I have succeeded.

Book 1 simply attempts to faithfully portray The Theology of Ellen G. White. No effort ismade to defend. No effort is made to refute.


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Come, let us reason together!

1

Mrs. Ellen G. White (1827-1915), along with her husband James, was among those who founded theSeventh-day Adventist Church in the middle of the last century. For a period of seventy years of publicministry, she was the authoritative spokesman of the church's aims, outlook and beliefs.

Although she led Adventists in establishing a very thorough church organization having duly appointedleaders, Mrs. White herself held no administrative position in the church. Her overwhelming influence inthe Advent movement stemmed from her unusual gifts as a charismatic leader. Seventh-day Adventistsrecognized her as "the Lord's messenger," who gave, as they believed, the Lord's counsel and guidanceto the fledgling church.

BibleMrs. White does not leave her readers in doubt about her estimation of the Bible. About3,000 direct references are made to its importance, place, value, etc. Her position isbasically the traditional position of conservative Christianity. The Bible is frequentlyreferred to by such terms as "the Book of God," "the inspired record," "the holy Word,""the blessed Book," "the Supreme authority," and "the Book of books."

The Authority of the Bible

"The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His[God's) will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test ofexperience."

1The entire Bible is to be accepted as infallibly reliable. By it all doctrines

and opinions must be called into questioneven the doctrines and opinions of Seventh-day Adventists. "There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position . . . that all ourexpositions of Scripture are without an error," declares Mrs. White to her own church."The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for years by our people is not aproof that our ideas are infallible."2 "We cannot hold that a position once taken, an ideaonce advocated, is not, under any circumstances, to be relinquished. There is but Onewho is infallibleHe who is the way, the truth, and the life."

3" . . . every position we take

should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures. "4

The authority of the Bible must stand above all human experienceeither the privateexperience of the individual or the collective experience of the church. "A 'Thus saith theLord' is not to be set aside for a 'Thus saith the church.' . . . " 5 Since the Holy Spirit hasinspired the Bible, the Spirit and the Word must always agree. "The Spirit was notgivennor can it ever be bestowedto supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly


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state that the Word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience mustbe tested."

6

The Perspicuity (clarity) of the Bible

Some portions of the Bible are difficult to understand. There are mysteries that we willnever comprehend in this life. Yet all the truths necessary for salvation are plainlyrevealed. "The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it wasdesigned for the common people. The great truths necessary for salvation are made asclear as noonday; and none will mistake and lose their way except those who followtheir own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God."*

7". . . the words of

inspiration are so plain that the unlearned may understand them."8". . . there will be no

excuse for any one who perishes through misapprehension of the Scriptures. . . . In theword the plan of salvation is plainly delineated."9 "Take the Bible as your study book. Allcan understand its instruction."

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This does not mean that man has innate ability to comprehend saving truth. Although"God desires man to exercise his reasoning powers," he cannot understand saving truthexcept by the gracious illumination of the Holy Spirit.11

The Sufficiency of the Bible

The canon of Scripture opens with Moses and closes with the Revelation of St. John.12

"The Bible contains all the principles that men need to understand in order to be fittedeither for this life or for the life to come." 13 Mrs. White quotes approvingly from theillustrious Protest of the Protestant princes at the Diet of Spires in 1529, which says:

There is no true doctrine but that which conforms to the Word of God. The Lord forbids the teaching ofany other faith. The Holy Scriptures, with one text explained by other and plainer texts, are, in all thingsnecessary for the Christian, easy to be understood, and adapted to enlighten. We are therefore resolvedby divine grace to maintain the pure preaching of God's only Word, as it is contained in the scriptures ofthe Old and New Testaments, without anything added thereto. This Word is the only truth. It is the surerule of all doctrine and life, and can never fail or deceive us.

Mrs. White adds, ". . . there is need of a return to the great Protestant principletheBible, and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty." 14

The Inspiration of the Bible

Mrs. White does not subscribe to the mechanical view of verbal inspiration which isgenerally held by fundamentalists. God did not dictate to men the words that appear inthe Scriptures. This is obvious from the diverse literary stylesdepending upon whetherthe writer was a humble shepherd or fisherman, or a learned courtier or rabbi.

The writers of the Bible had to express their ideas in human language. It was written by human men.These men were inspired of the Holy Spirit . . .


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The Bible is not given to us in grand superhuman language. Jesus, in order to reach man where he is,took humanity. The Bible must be given in the language of men. Everything that is human is imperfect.Different meanings are expressed by the same word; there is not one word for each distinct idea. TheBible was given for practical purposes . . .

The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God's mode of thought and expression. It is that of

humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. ButGod has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The writers of the Bible wereGod's penmen, not His pen. Look at the different writers.

It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired Inspiration acts not on theman's words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, isimbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind isdiffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of theman are the word of God.

15

The Creator of all ideas may impress different minds with the same thought, but each may express it in adifferent way, yet without contradiction.

16

The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands; and in the varied style of itsdifferent books it presents the characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are all "given byinspiration of God;" yet they are expressed in the words of man. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit hasshed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, symbols andfigures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have themselves embodied the thought in humanlanguage. . .

Written in different ages, by men who differed widely in rank and occupation, and in mental and spiritualendowments, the books of the Bible present a wide contrast in style, as well as a diversity in the nature ofthe subjects unfolded. Different forms of expression are employed by different writers; often the sametruth is more strikingly presented by one than by another. . . .

He [God] guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write. The treasure was entrusted

to earthen vessels, yet it is, nonetheless, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed through the imperfectexpression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God; and the obedient, believing child of Godbeholds in it the glory of a divine power, full of grace and truth.

17

This view of inspiration is neither fundamentalist nor liberal/neo-orthodox. It standsbetween the "right" and the "left."

The Two Testaments of the Bible

The Old and New Testaments are equally inspired and of equal value.18

No discord orgreat contrast exists between the Old and the New. 19 The New does not take the place

of the Old and therefore does not present a new religion.20

Rather, the New Testamentis an advancement and unfolding of the Old Testament.

21The Old Testament finds its

fulfillment in the Christ of the New Testament.22"The New Testament does not present anew religion; the Old Testament does not present a religion to be superseded by theNew. The New Testament is only the advancement and unfolding of the Old."

23

If comparison will be helpful, Mrs. White's general view seems to agree with theseremarks by Dr. John Bright:


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The Old Testament is, therefore, an incomplete book. . . . It is a noble building indeedbut it lacks a roof.That roof, by its own affirmation, the New Testament supplies. . . . It is impossible to set the NewTestament apart and to construct a purely New Testament religion without regard to the faith of Israel.The New Testament rests on and is rooted in the Old. To ignore this fact is a serious error in method, andone that is bound to lead to a fundamental misunderstanding of the Bible message. He who commits ithas disregarded the central affirmation of the New Testament gospel itself, namely that Christ has cometo make actual what the Old Testament hoped for, not to destroy it and replace it with a new and betterfaith . . . .

For if anything is clear, it is that Christ did not come to contribute a new ethic. . . . Nor was Christ'smission to teach His people some new and loftier idea of God. . . . The New Testament, then, does notpresent us with a new religion we may study for itself alone . . . .

The two Testaments are organically linked to each other. The relationship between them is neither one ofupward development nor of contrast; it is one of beginning and completion, of hope and fulfillment. . . .The Bible is one book.

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The Theme of the Bible

Christ is the theme of the entire Bible. Concerning the Old Testament:

In every page, whether history, or precept, or prophecy, the Old Testament Scriptures are irradiated withthe glory of the Son of God. So far as it was of divine institution, the entire system of Judaism was acompacted prophecy of the gospel. To Christ "give all the prophets witness." From the promise given toAdam, down through the patriarchal line and the legal economy, heaven's glorious light made plain thefootsteps of the Redeemer. Seers beheld the Star of Bethlehem, the Shiloh to come, as future thingsswept before them in mysterious procession. In every sacrifice Christ's death was shown. In every cloudof incense His righteousness ascended. By every jubilee trumpet His name was sounded. In the awfulmystery of the holy of holies His glory dwelt.

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Concerning the New Testament:

In Christ is gathered all the glory of the Father. In Him is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is thebrightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of Godare expressed in His character. The gospel is glorious because it is made up of His righteousness. It isChrist unfolded, and Christ is the gospel embodied. Every page of the New Testament Scriptures shineswith His light. Every text is a diamond, touched and irradiated by the divine rays.

We are not to praise the gospel, but praise Christ. We are not to worship the gospel, but the Lord ofgospel.

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Concerning the entire Bible:

Christ as manifested to the patriarchs, as symbolized in the sacrificial service, as portrayed in the law,and as revealed by the prophets, is the riches of the Old Testament. Christ in His life, His death, and Hisresurrection, Christ as He is manifested by the Holy Spirit, is the treasure of the New Testament. OurSaviour the outshining of the Father's glory, is both the Old and the New.

27

The Study of the Bible

The Word of God is an infinite treasure that a thousand years of research could notexhaust.28 One sentence is worth more than 10,000 ideas of men. 29


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The word of the living God is not merely written, but spoken. The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, justas surely as though we could hear it with our ears. If we realized this, with what awe would we openGod's word, and with what earnestness would we search its precepts! The reading and contemplation ofthe Scriptures would be regarded as an audience with the Infinite One.

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We should not put a forced, mystical or spiritualistic interpretation on the plain words of

the Bible.31 They are to be taken literally and at their face value unless it is clear that asymbol is being used. A symbol must not be taken literally.

32In short, Mrs. White

advocates the historical-grammatical approach.

The Bible is its own interpreter and expositor.33 We should be careful to notice thecontext of texts.34And when we want to know what the Bible teaches about a givensubject, we should bring together all that is said on that subject.

35One text should be

explained by other and plainer texts.36

The central theme of the Bible should always be kept in view.37

Speculation should beavoided on things not clearly revealed and matters which will not help us spiritually.38

We should not major on minors, but always try to keep our views and religiousexperience within the bounds of the Bible.

39"Before accepting any doctrine or precept,

we should demand a plain 'Thus saith the Lord' in its support."40

A great number of people do not search the Bible for themselves, but "accept itsteachings as interpreted by the church . . . ."41 This is a warning for allincludingSeventh-day Adventists.42 Yet there is need to counsel with brethren of experiencebefore receiving or advocating new ideas.

43Mrs. White had much to say about the need

for counseling together, law and order in the church, and the need to submit to theauthority of the church. But if it comes to a crunch between individual conscience boundby the Scriptures and the authority of the church (any church), she is decidedly

Protestantthe Word of God is above the authority of the visible church.44

Summary

One further question may persist in view of Mrs. White's claim to the charismatic gift of"the spirit of prophecy." Does this negate her own claim that the Scriptures are all-sufficient?

There are three things which she says about her writings:

1. She saw her special work as being God's "messenger" to the Advent movement. Her

particular gift was not to be made an issue before the rest of the Christian church. 45

2. If the Adventist people had studied and obeyed the Word of God, they would nothave needed this charismatic counsel.

46One almost gets the impression that she

regarded her counsels, reproof s, and appeals for radical holiness as pedagogica sortof disciplinary agent to lead God's people to Christ and justification by faith. If this istrue, her work stands as a reproof rather than a commendation to Seventh-day

Adventists.


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3. Mrs. White called her writings "a lesser light" to lead her own people back to theBible, because the very movement which she believed had a God-given mission toperform had neglected the Bible.47 She emphatically disclaimed that her "testimonies"constitute any new rule of faith. Those who are continually say, "She says, she says,"while they neglect the Bible severely reproved, as the following verbatim remarks

indicate.

Lay Sister White right to one side; lay her to one side. Don't you ever quote my words again as long asyou live, until you can obey the Bible. When you take the Bible and make that your food, and your meat,and your drink, and make that the elements of your character, when you can do that you will know betterhow to receive some counsel from God. But here is the Word, the precious Word, exalted before youtoday. And don't you give a rap any more what "Sister White saidSister White said this, and SisterWhite said that, and Sister White said the other thing." But say, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel," andthen you do just what the Lord God of Israel does, and what He says

.48

Now God wants every soul here to sharpen up. He wants every soul here to have His converting power.You need not refer, not once, to Sister White; I don't ask you to do it.

49

But don't you quote Sister White. I don't want you ever to quote Sister White until you get your vantageground where you know where you are. Quote the Bible. Talk the Bible. It is full of meat, full of fatness.Carry it right out in your life, and you will know more Bible than you know now. You will have freshmatterO, you will have precious matter; you won t be going over and over the same ground, and youwill see a world saved. You will see souls for whom Christ has died. And I ask you to put on the armor,every piece of it, and be sure that your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel.

50

It is often said that Seventh-day Adventists, in practice if not in theory, put the writings ofMrs. White on a par with the Bible and even in place of the Bible. It is clear, however,that she did not encourage them to do this.51

1 GC 72 CW 353 TM 1054 Ev 695 AA 69 (cf. GC 204)6 GC 77 SC 89 (cf. 5T 331)8 GW 1069 FCE 18710 8T 29911 SC 109, 11012 GC 5; AA 585

13 Ed 12314 GC 204, 20515 1SM 19-2116 1SM 2217 GC 5-718 CW 26; COL 12619 6BC 106120 SD 48; 6T 39221 6T 39222 AA 247


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23 6T 39224 John Bright, The Kingdom of God in the Bible and Church , pp. 195-200.25 DA 211, 21226 7BC 90727 COL 12628 FE 44429 7T 7130 6T 39331 GC 598; 1SM 196; AA 474, 475; GW 14732 GC 599; RH Nov. 25, 188433 CT 462; Ev 581; GC 52134 Ev 35835 CG 51136 GC 20337 Ed 12538 GW 14739 2SM 3340 GC 59541 GC 59642 TM 106, 107

43 ST 29344 GC 20445 TM 34, 3546 LS 198-20147 Ev 257; 2T 455; ST 234, 674; 2T 60548 Spalding-Magan Collection, p. 167.49 Ibid., p. 170.50 Ibid., p. 174.51 Ev 256, 257

GodMrs. White's doctrine of God is generally in harmony with the three great catholic(universal) creeds of the ancient churchthat is, the Apostles' Creed, the AthanasianCreed and the Nicene Creed. God is Eternal, Infinite, Almighty, Creator, DivineSovereign, King, Lawgiver, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Immortal, Infallible, Unchanging.The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not threeGods, but one God. "There are three living persons of the heavenly trio . . . theFather, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. . . ."

1Christ is one with the Father "in purpose, in

mind, in character, but not in person."2

The Knowability of God

Mrs. White has no time for any endeavors to know God from the standpoint ofrationalism, humanism or natural religion. No time is spent trying to prove the existenceof God. Jesus never tried to prove that truth was truth. Neither should we.

There is, of course, evidence for God's existence. The works of God in nature are ample


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testimony to the existence of an all-wise, loving Creator. Paul's words are cited: "Theinvisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understoodby the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead."

3But there are two

reasons why God cannot be adequately (savingly) known in the things of nature. First,man is blinded by sin and therefore is unable to correctly read God's message in the

lesson book of nature. Second, because of man's sin even nature itself is not perfect.Evil is also at work.4 Therefore man needs a more direct revelation of God. Man cannotsearch Him out.5 The gracious God must reveal Himself to man. This revelation is givenin the Wordfirst in the written Word, and then supremely in the Word made flesh.

The right concept of God is given only in the Bible.6 We should all speculativeknowledge and be careful not to go beyond the message revelation.

7There is far more

that is unrevealed about God than is revealed, but He has given us sufficient evidenceof His love, justice and truth for us to gladly trust Him.8 "The greatness of God is to usincomprehensible."

9

The revelation of Himself that God has given us in His word is for our study. This we may seek tounderstand. But beyond this we are not to penetrate. . . . Let not finite man attempt to interpret Him. Letnone indulge in speculation regarding His nature. Here silence is eloquence. The Omniscient One isabove discussion . . . .

As we learn more and more of what God is, and of what we ourselves are in His sight, we shall fear andtremble before Him . . . .

Man cannot by searching find out God. Let none seek with presumptuous hand to lift the veil thatconceals His glory.

10

All that man needs to know or can know of God has been revealed in the life and character of His Son.11

Christ, the Light of the world, veiled the dazzling splendor of His divinity and came to live as a manamong men, that they might, without being consumed, become acquainted with their Creator. No manhas seen God at any time except as He is revealed through Christ.

12

God's awful majesty and transcendent glory are cause for us to come before Him withreverent awe; yet we may know Himsavingly know Him.13 "If we keep the Lord everbefore us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall havea continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of aconversation with God as we would talk with a friend."14 Mrs. White continually tries toblend two conceptsthe transcendent God before whom we come with no trace offamiliarity, yet an intimate Friend who is ever near.

The Personality of God

Mrs. White places great emphasis on the fact that God is a Person. This is a genuinecornerstone of her entire theology and undergirds her whole spirituality. He iscontinually presented as the God who sees me, knows me, loves me, and is interestedin everything I do. Yet this God sits enthroned "above the distractions of the earth" and"from His great and calm eternity . . . . orders that which His providence sees best." 15

This sovereignty does not roll over humanity like a great impersonalistic determinism.


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God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image. As a personal being, God hasrevealed Himself in His Son . . . . As a personal Saviour He came to the world. As a personal Saviour Heascended on high. As a personal Saviour He intercedes in the heavenly courts . . . . He has an intimateknowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand.

16

God is not "an all-pervading principle, an activating energy." While His power brought

nature into existence, ordained the laws of nature, and sustains all life continually, thatpower is not God. God does not personally dwell in the things of nature. He ordainedlaws to govern the things which He has made, but He is not bound by His laws, for He isabove all law. Thus the least approach to pantheistic sentiments is stoutly resisted.17

No intangible principle, no impersonal essence or mere abstraction, can satisfy the needs and longings ofhuman beings in this life of struggle with sin and sorrow and pain. It is not enough to believe in law andforce, in things that have no pity, and never hear the cry for help. We need to know of an Almighty armthat will hold us up, of an infinite Friend that pities us. We need to clasp a hand that is warm, to trust in aheart full of tenderness. And even so God has in His word revealed Himself.

18

The Character of God

If Mrs. White's theology has a dominant theme, it is the character of God. This was theprevailing theme in the personal ministry of Jesus on earth.

19It must therefore be the

dominant theme of His servants.

What makes this world dark is the misapprehension of the character of God.20

Satanwho is regarded in the conservative Christian sense as a personal, rebel angelhas asupreme object in his work of deception, and this is to falsify the character of God. Heseeks to clothe the just and loving Creator with his own attributes of character so thatmen will hate Him. Satan has deceived men into thinking that God is selfish andoppressive, lacking in compassion and pity, revengeful and implacable, tyrannical, sternand severe, a harsh and exacting creditor, a vindictive taskmaster, the author ofsuffering, sin and death.21

From the beginning it has been Satan's studied plan to cause men to forget God, that he might securethem to himself. Hence he has sought to misrepresent the character of God, to lead men to cherish afalse conception of Him. The Creator has been presented to their minds as clothed with the attributes ofthe prince of evil himself,as arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving,that He might be feared, shunned, andeven hated by men. Satan hoped to so confuse the minds of those whom he had deceived that theywould put God out of their knowledge. Then he would obliterate the divine image in man and impress hisown likeness upon the soul; he would imbue men with his own spirit and make them captives according tohis will.

It was by falsifying the character of God and exciting distrust of Him that Satan tempted Eve totransgress. By sin the minds of our first parents were darkened, their natures were degraded, and theirconceptions of God were molded by their own narrowness and selfishness. 22

In this context we are directed to understand the mission of Christ to this earth.The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, thatthe world might be brought back to God, Satan's deceptive power was to be broken . . . . To know God isto love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only oneBeing in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could makeit known. Upon the world's dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, "with healing in His wings."

23


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Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring theservice of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christreveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are "thoughts of peace, and notof evil." It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is strongerthan death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessaryto the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is

neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The wholetreasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, andlaid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All theseare for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven.His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.

24

The varied aspects of God's character are often dwelt uponHis holiness, justice,righteousness, impartiality, compassion, mercy, love, etc. All righteous attributes ofcharacter dwell in God as a perfect whole.

25While Dr. A. H. Strong singles out holiness

as the supreme attribute of God's character (and many theologians agree), love is thesupreme attribute in Mrs. White's thinking. Any idea of a weak, sentimental feeling isfurthest from her mind. Love is a high and holy principle. The five volume Conflict of the

Ages Series (about 4,000 pages) begins with the words, ''God is love.'' Its last words

are, ''. . . God is love.''

With words of deep feeling and moving eloquence, Mrs. White appeals to the people ofher own church:Brethren, with the beloved John I call upon you to "behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowedupon us, that we should be called the sons of God." What love, what matchless love, that sinners andaliens as we are, we may be brought back to God and adopted into His family! We may address Him bythe endearing name, "Our Father," which is a sign of our affection for Him and a pledge of His tenderregard and relationship to us. And the Son of God, beholding the heirs of grace, "is not ashamed to callthem brethren." They have even a more sacred relationship to God than have the angels who have neverfallen.

All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of humanhearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to theboundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pencannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scripturesdiligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you,in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is aninfinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and thebreadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itselfcan never fully reveal it.

26

The revelation of God's love to men centers in the cross. Its full significance tongue cannot utter; pencannot portray; the mind of man cannot comprehend. Looking upon the cross of Calvary we can only say:"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should notperish, but have everlasting life."

Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high, is the science ofsalvation that we are to learn and to teach.

27

Then in a chapter describing the Passion, Mrs. White pauses at the height of herdescriptive panorama of the suffering Christ to say:Who can comprehend the love here displayed! The angelic host beheld with wonder and with grief Himwho had been the Majesty of heaven, and who had worn the crown of glory, now wearing the crown ofthorns, a bleeding victim to the rage of an infuriated mob, fired to insane madness by the wrath of Satan.Behold the patient Sufferer! Upon His head is the thorny crown. His lifeblood flows from every lacerated


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vein. All this in consequence of sin! Nothing could have induced Christ to leave His honor and majesty inheaven, and come to a sinful world, to be neglected, despised, and rejected by those He came to save,and finally to suffer upon the cross, but eternal, redeeming love, which will ever remain a mystery. . . .

Oh, what love! What amazing love! that brought the Son of God to earth to be made sin for us, that wemight be reconciled to God, and elevated to a life with Him in His mansions in glory. Oh, what is man, that

such a price should be paid for his redemption!

When men and women can more fully comprehend the magnitude of the great sacrifice which was madeby the Majesty of heaven in dying in man's stead, then will the plan of salvation be magnified, andreflections of Calvary will awaken tender, sacred, and lively emotions in the Christian's heart. Praises toGod and the Lamb will be in their hearts and upon their lips. Pride and self-esteem cannot flourish in thehearts that keep fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary. This world will appear of but little value to thosewho appreciate the great price of man's redemption, the precious blood of God's dear Son. All the richesof the world are not of sufficient value to redeem one perishing soul. Who can measure the love Christ feltfor a lost world as He hung upon the cross, suffering for the sins of guilty men? This love wasimmeasurable, infinite.

Christ has shown that His love was stronger than death. He was accomplishing man's salvation; andalthough He had the most fearful conflict with the powers of darkness, yet, amid it all, His love grewstronger and stronger. He endured the hiding of His Father's countenance, until He was led to exclaim inthe bitterness of His soul: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" His arm brought salvation.The price was paid to purchase the redemption of man when, in the last soul struggle, the blessed wordswere uttered which seemed to resound through creation: "It is finished."

28

Whatever we may think of some of Mrs. White's theology, it would be difficult to doubther devotion to Christ.

Since a person's ideas of God mold his own character,29 it is important to know truthwhich portrays the divine character correctly and to reject erroneous doctrines whichdistort that character. ""There is nothing that more decidedly distinguishes the Christianfrom the worldly man than the estimate he has of God." 30 Church members should

make the character of God their theme of contemplation.31

This theme is the centralconcern of Mrs. White's literature.

Summary

Any outline of a writer's theology would do great injustice unless it truly reflected wherethe dominant accents of that theology fall. It is said that Beethoven was not tooconcerned if a musician made a few mistakes in rendering his composition, but hewould become angry if the overall spirit was misinterpreted. We want to do two things inthis outline: (1) correctly present the points of the theological system under review, and(2) correctly present a true idea of its overall tone.

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Man

Mrs. White believes that the creation account presented in the book of Genesis isliterally true. Since the philosophy of creation is a basic ingredient of this system oftheology, we shall briefly summarize it at the outset of this chapter.

Love is the essence of God's nature. This love is power.1

It is the creative energy whichbrought the world into existence.2 God's love is life.3 It is therefore a creative power."Every manifestation power is an expression of infinite love."4

Since the world was brought into existence by a great outpouring of love, all created

things were an expression of God's love.5 Man was its crowning manifestation.6

God's creative love was not a blind impulse, emotion or sentiment. It was a high, holyprinciple of divine self-giving without any element of weakness or irrationality. 7 It was aresponsible love that carefully planned man's future and spared nothing to provide forhis present and eternal well-being. The idea of God's love bringing people into existencewithout complete provision for their eternal happiness is unthinkable. "The sovereigntyof God involves fullness of blessing to all created beings.8


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The Image of God in Man

"'God created man in His own image,'. . . and it was His purpose that the longer manlived the more fully he should reveal this imagethe more fully reflect the glory of the

Creator."9

"He made Adam a partaker of His life, His nature.10

"There were no corruptprinciples in the first Adam, no corrupt propensities or tendencies to evil. Adam was asfaultless as the angels before God's throne. "11 "God made man upright; He gave himnoble traits of character, with no bias toward evil."

12

Physical resemblance is included in "the image of God." "Man was to bear God's image,both in outward resemblance and in character."

13"When Adam came forth from the

Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to hisMaker."14 This high view of the body is very un-Grecian, but it is not foreign to Hebraicthinking, even among the Jews today.

The "image of God" therefore includes the whole man. "He [Adam] stood in the strengthof his perfection before God. All the organs and faculties of his being were equallydeveloped, and harmoniously balanced."

15"His nature was in harmony with the will of

God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affections were pure;his appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy and happy inbearing the image of God and in perfect obedience to His will."

16

The Wholistic Man

There is no trace of Grecian dualism in Mrs. White's concept of man's nature. Thephysical body is not regarded as inferior or unworthy of esteem. The body is the only

medium through which the mind and soul find expression.17

She looks at manwholistically. The soul cannot be isolated and called a man any more than a soullessbody can be isolated and called a man. Man is the homo toto.

As for the human soul, this author says, "When God made man in His image, thehuman form was perfect in all its arrangements, but it was without life. Then a personal,self-existing God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living,breathing, intelligent being."18

Soul is "living, breathing, intelligent being," the whole living man. Soul is a synonym forlife. In other places, however, Mrs. White does use the word soul to designate man's

individual personality, real identity, or character.19

God's purpose in man's creation isexpressed by referring to the Westminster Catechism: "The great object of life is welldefined in the old-time catechism, 'to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.' " 20

The Dependent Man

Fundamental to this doctrine of man is the concept of the creature's dependence uponGod. Just as surely as God gave life to man, He must continually sustain life. God did


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not give man an endowment of life that he could possess independently of God. Man "isnot like a clock, which is set in operation, and must go of itself. . . . In God we live andmove and have our being. "21 If God would stay His hand for a moment, man would die.His "dependence on God is absolute."

22

The Probation of Man

Quite an orthodox Reformed position is taken of man's test and trial. By way ofcomparison, the view is very similar to that of the late Dr. Louis Berkhof ( SystematicTheology). Adam was righteous negatively, but not positively. That is to say, he wasinnocent and without sin. But he had not yet lived a life of positive righteousness.Placed under law, he was required to live out the precepts of God's law in positiveobedience.Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed beyond the possibility ofwrongdoing. God made them free moral agents, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence ofHis character and the justice of His requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience.They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy angels; but before they could be rendered

eternally secure, their loyalty must be tested. 23

Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he [man] wasto have access to the tree of life.

24

If man had proved true to the test, his destiny would have been sealed, and he wouldhave been granted immortality.25 Yet man will always be a dependent creature.

The Fall of Man

Mrs. White's understanding of the test and fall of our first parents is along the lines ofthe traditional orthodox view of conservative Christians. She emphasizes three points

about the fall:

1. God did not plan that Adam and Eve should sin. "Nothing is more plainly taught inScripture than that God was in no wise responsible for the entrance of sin; that therewas no arbitrary withdrawal of divine grace, no deficiency in the divine government, thatgave occasion for the uprising of rebellion. "

26

2. There is no reason for the existence of sin. "In the judgment of the universe, God willstand clear of blame for the existence or continuance of evil. It will be demonstrated thatthe divine decrees are not accessory to sin. There was no defect in God's government,no cause for disaffection. "27

3. "God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw itsexistence, and madeprovision to meet the terrible emergency. "28

Mrs. White writes extensively on the nature of sin. Although she depicts evil in the greatvariety of its sinister colors, the following features are most prominently displayed:

1. Since it was Satan who incited man to sin, sin must be seen as the spirit of the first


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great apostate. "Satan is the originator of sin. . . . he prevailed on Adam to sin. . . .Every sin committed awakens the echoes of the original sin. "

30

2. Unbelief is the root of all sin. This unbelief is especially related to the character ofGod. "It was distrust of God's goodness, disbelief of His word, and rejection of His

authority, that made our first parents transgressors. "31

3.Above everything else, selfishness is emphasized as the essence of sin. "Sinoriginated in self-seeking."32 "Satan is the originator of sin. In heaven he resolved to liveto himself. . . . selfishness became the law of those who placed themselves under hisleadership. "

33" . . . selfishness took the place of love."

34"Selfishness is the essence of

depravity. . . . "35 "Under the general heading of selfishness came every other sin."36

4. In concrete terms (referring frequently to 1 John 3:4), sin is the transgression of thelaw of God. It is therefore the spirit of lawlessness and rebellion.

37The first conflict

between truth and error was over the authority of God's law, and the final conflict on this

earth will be of the same order. "From the very beginning of the great controversy inheaven it has been Satan's purpose to overthrow the law of God. . . . The last greatconflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversyconcerning the law of God."38

The Sinful State of Man

Adam did not merely stand before God as an individual man. He was the head andrepresentative of mankind.39 It was therefore inevitable that Adam's fall should involvethe whole human race, which was "lost in Adam" at the point of the fall. 40 " . . . he[Satan] prevailed on Adam to sin. Thus at its very source human nature was

corrupted."41

"Through man's sin, Satan had gained control of the human race. . . . "42

"Having conquered Adam, the monarch of the world, he [Satan] had gained the race ashis subjects. . . . "

43

We may speak of "Adam's sin" and "man's sin as if they were interchangeable terms. Inthis way Adam represents the whole of mankind. The sin of Adam is the sin of the race.

Mrs. White subscribes to the concept of man's inherited sinfulness as taught by Luther,Calvin, Wesley, and the mainstream of the church's great teachers. There is no trace ofPelagianism here.

As related to the first Adam men receive from him nothing but guilt and the sentence of death."

44

Because of sin his [Adam's] posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience."45

The inheritance of children is that of sin. Sin has separated them from God."46

It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But hefailed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous.Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law."

47


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The result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is manifest in every man's experience.There is in his nature a bent to evil, a force which, unaided, he cannot resist.

48

As for the state of man:

The vileness of the human heart is not understood. 49

The natural heart is full of hatred to the truth as it is to Jesus.50

. . . . our hearts are naturally depraved. . . . .51

He [man] has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to apure and holy God.

52

All . . . are in just as helpless a condition as is Satan himself. . . .53

. . . man is hopelessly ruined, . . . without strength to do any good thing.54

There was no part of man's nature which escaped the fall. The Arminian idea that thehuman will was left free in the fall is rejected. "This will, that forms so important a factorin the character of man, was at the fall given into the control of Satan." 55 This pointshould be duly noted, for in other contexts Mrs. White does speak of a certain freedomof the will. That freedom, however, is not a freedom inherent in man's natural powers,but a freedom that comes to him through grace on account of Christ's redemptive act.(More will be said about this in the chapter on justification.)

No attempt is made to explain how sin is transmitted. There are no theories aboutimmediate ormediate imputation. Mrs. White's view of the origin of each human soul isthe traducian rather than the creational. It is nowhere stated that sin is biologically

transmitted as if it were a genetic aberration. The substance of human nature is notsinful (as in the theology of Flacius), but sin is seen as a foreign element which hasinfected human nature. "Our condition through sin has become preternatural. . . . "

56

"The fall did not create in man new faculties, energies, and passions . . . These powerswere perverted. . . .57At this point Mrs. White's position resembles that of the LutheranFormula of Concord, which declares that "original sin is not the nature itself, but . . . anaccidental defect and damage in the nature. . . . Moreover, original sin is not somethingby itself, existing independently in, or apart from the nature of the corrupt man, as itneither is the real essence, body, or soul of corrupt man, nor the man himself." 58 Wedraw attention to this because it is especially relevant in trying to grasp Mrs. White'smuch misunderstood teaching on the human nature of Christ.

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39 6T 236; GC 64740 SD 12041 RH Apr. 16, 190142 PP 7743 RH Feb. 24, 187444 6BC 107445 5BC 112846 CG 47547 SC 6248 Ed 2949 MM 14350 ML 26151 CT 544

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Christ

Part 1: The Person of ChristIntroduction

It Christ, the great Center, from whom radiates all glory.1

These words express theoverwhelming preoccupation of Mrs. White's theology.2 Christ is declared to be thecenter of all true doctrine, the center of all the promises which God has made to Hispeople,

3the center of faith

4and hope

5and the great center of attraction in all evangelical

preaching. Christ is the Alpha and Omega of all truth.6

Before election or anything else, there is Jesus Christ. Nothing is before Him, and Goddoes nothing before Him or without Him. From everlasting He was appointedRedeemer.7 He is the truthwhether the truth about God or man. All that man can know

or needs to know about God has been revealed in Jesus Christ. 8 He is also therevelation of God's purpose for man.

9"Christ . . . is the riches of the Old Testament.

Christ . . is the treasure of the New Testament."10 "Every page of the New TestamentScriptures shines with His light. Every text is a diamond, touched and irradiated by thedivine rays."

11"In every page, whether history, or precept, or prophecy, the Old

Testament Scriptures are irradiated with the glory of the Son of God."12

"Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. . . . This is our message, our argument,our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, thehope of every believer."13 Paul's confession, "For It me to live is Christ, is said to be "themost perfect interpretation in a few words, in all the Scriptures, of what it means to be a

Christian. This is the whole truth of the gospel."14

Church members are constantly urged to make Christ the theme of their evangelicalthrust. "Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high,is the science of salvation that we are to learn and to teach." 15 Ministers must lift up "theMan of Calvary, higher and still higher. There is power in the exaltation of the cross ofChrist."

16

In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis toRevelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present beforeyou the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemptionthe Son ofGod uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers.

17

Christ and His righteousnesslet this be our platform, the very life of our faith. 18

Of all professing Christians, Seventh-day Adventists should be foremost in uplifting Christ beforethe world. . . . O that I could command language of sufficient force to make the impression that Iwish to make upon my fellow-laborers in the gospel. My brethren, you are handling the words oflife; you are dealing with minds that are capable of the highest development. Christ crucified,Christ risen, Christ ascended into the heavens, Christ coming again, should so soften, gladden,and fill the mind of the minister that he will present these truths to the people in love and deepearnestness. The minister will then be lost sight of and Jesus will be made manifest.


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Lift up Jesus, you that teach the people, lift Him up in sermon, in song, in prayer. Let all yourpowers be directed to pointing souls, confused, bewildered, lost, to "the Lamb of God." Lift Himup, the risen Saviour, and say to all who hear, Come to Him who "hath loved us, and bath givenHimself for us." Let the science of salvation be the burden of every sermon, the theme of everysong. Let it be poured forth in every supplication. Bring nothing into your preaching to supplementChrist, the wisdom and power of God. Hold forth the word of life, presenting Jesus as the hope ofthe penitent and the stronghold of every believer. Reveal the way of peace to the troubled and the

despondent, and show forth the grace and completeness of the Saviour.19

In a message directed to Seventh-day Adventists, Mrs. White wrote that "the meagerviews which so many have had of the exalted character and office of Christ havenarrowed their religious experience and have greatly hindered their progress in thedivine life."20

The Divinity of Christ

Christ is divine in the highest sense, "one with the eternal Fatherone in nature, incharacter, in purpose.21 "He is equal with God, infinite and omnipotent.22 Christ is boththe Son of the eternal God and the eternal Son of God. 23 "In Christ is life, original,unborrowed, underived."

24

"Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from alleternity, God over all, blessed forevermore."

25Even when He assumed humanity, He

did not cease to be God.26 " . . . He was God in human flesh."27

The truth about Christ's divinity is not a mere theological tenet, but a truth of the highestimportance and practical import. It is necessary for "a true conception of the characteror the mission of Christ, or of the great plan of God for man's redemption 28 Oursalvation was an infinite work, and it could be accomplished only by an infinite Person.The life and sacrifice to save man had to be equal to the demands of an infinite law. Itwas Christ's exalted Person which gave value to His work.29

The divinity of Christ shows the infinite value of God's gift to humanity. Christ is "thewhole treasury of heaven. At an infinite cost30 the race has been purchased.31 It is thedivinity of Christ which connects humanity with heaven and elevates man in the scale ofmoral worth with God.

32"God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast

hold upon the divinity of Christ.33

"The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance ofeternal life."34

The Two Natures of Christ

Mrs. White adheres to the doctrine of the two natures of Christ which received theconsent of the early church. This doctrine was set forth by the Council of Chalcedon andreaffirmed by the Reformation. Accordingly, Christ had two naturesdivine andhumanblended in one Person. The two natures were united, yet each maintained itsdistinct identity. Christ was a divine Person who took into union with His divinity ahuman nature which had no pre-existence.


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The author's Christology also adheres to the orthodox concepts of the communion andtransference of the attributes of the two natures. That is to say, while there was acommunion of attributes (whatever can be said of either nature may also be said of thePerson), there was no transference of the attributes (substance, essence) of one natureto the other. Following are a selection of representative statements from the pen of Mrs.

White:

The limited capacity of man cannot define this wonderful mysterythe blending of the twonatures, the divine and the human. It can never be explained.

35

The human did not take the place of the divine, nor the divine of the human. This is the mystery ofgodliness. The two expressions "human" and "divine" were, in Christ, closely and inseparablyone, and yet they had a distinct individuality. Though Christ humbled Himself to become man, theGodhead was still His own.

36

In Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not37

degraded to humanity; divinityheld its place.

[His] human nature never had an existence in His preexistence.

38

Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No;the two natures were mysteriously blended in one personthe man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt allthe fullness of the Godhead bodily. When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died.Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible.

39

As a member of the human family, He was mortal; but as a God, He was the fountain of life to theworld.

40

Christ ascended to heaven, bearing a sanctified, holy humanity. He took this humanity with Himinto the heavenly courts.

41

Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. . . . By the Spirit the

Saviour would be accessible to all.42

This last statement makes it clear that Mrs. White adopts the view of Calvin and rejectsLuther's view of the ubiquity of Christ's human nature. In a comment which appears tobe an echo of the Christology of Athanasius, Mrs. White declares, " . . . Christ wroughtout a redemption for men. This was not done by going out of Himself to another, but bytaking humanity into Himself. Thus Christ gave to humanity an existence out ofHimself."43 Like Athanasius, she held that the human nature was taken into union withthe divine nature and dwelt in the divine naturenot the other way around. The humanexisted in the divine nature, and created a capacity for suffering to endure that whichresulted from the sins of a lost world."44

The Human Nature of Christ

Mrs. White's view of the human nature of Christ is liable to be misunderstood or badlydistorted unless it is realized that equal emphasis is given to two aspects of Christ'shuman nature.

1. On the one hand, Christ took the essence, or substance, of human nature ("faculties,"or "powers," are her own words) in its weakened condition in consequence of the fall.


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On occasion she even calls this "fallen human nature"words liable to bemisunderstood by many who would take this expression to include the element oforiginal sin. We must, however, be careful to judge a writer's meaning by the way heuses his own terms and what they mean to him rather than by what they might mean tous. This is a fundamental hermeneutic principle. It must be remembered, as we pointed

out in the preceding chapter, that Mrs. White viewed sin as a foreign element which hasinfected human nature. It is not an essential property of the substance of human natureitself.

2. On the other hand, Christ's human nature was without a taint, inclination orpropensity to sin. Although Christ took the essential properties (substance) of humannature as it had been weakened by the fall, He did not take that foreign element whichtheology generally calls original sin. That is to say, He took the substance of humannature as it was affectedby sin, but not infectedby sin.

Mrs. White's Christology is fully in harmony with this statement by Reformed theologian

Louis Berkhof: "Christ assumed human nature with all its weaknesses as it exists afterthe fall, and thus became like us in all45

things, sin only excepted." Her Christology alsoagrees very well with the statement from the Westminster Confession, Article 8, whichdeclares that Christ did "take upon Him man's nature, with all the essential propertiesand common infirmities thereof, yet without sin, being conceived by the power of theHoly Ghost in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance."

Some of Mrs. White's critics have affirmed that she holds an Irvingian position on thehuman nature of Christ. (Irving taught that Christ's human nature had our tendencies tosin.) Three different factors have apparently influenced these critics to make thisconclusion:

1. They have been in too great a hasteas critics sometimes areto find some heresy.

2. Some Seventh-day Adventists have taught Irving's heretical Christology.

3. There is a Docetic tendency in some evangelical thinking. A certain emphasis onChrist's divinity tends to swallow up the reality of His humanity. Consequently, Christappears to be more superman than man. For this reason, any full-blooded teaching onthe reality of Christ's human nature is liable to strike some as being unorthodox.

Following are a group of statements teaching that Christ took the substance of humannature as it was affected by the fall:

Christ did not make believe take human nature: He did verily take it. He did in reality possesshuman nature. "As the children are par-takers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise tookpart of the same. He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to humandescent.

46

When Jesus took human nature, and became in fashion as a man, He possessed all the humanorganism.

47

He . . . clothed his divinity with humanity, thus bringing himself to the level of man's feeble


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faculties.48

He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions.49

Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Likeevery child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity.

God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weaknesses of humanity.50

Christ, who knew not the least taint of sin or defilement, took our nature in its deterioratedcondition.

51

Christ took upon Him the infirmities of degenerate humanity.52

He condescended to connect our fallen human nature with His divinity.53

Jesus was in all things made like unto His brethren. He became flesh, even as we are. He washungry and thirsty and weary He was sustained by food and refreshed by sleep.

54

If Mrs. White had said nothing more than this, she would have had a very one-sided

view of Christ's human nature. But although on the one hand she speaks of Christ asbeing our Exemplar in the reality and weaknesses of human nature, on the other handshe emphasizes His being our Substitute and Representative. In this context it is thesinlessness of Christ which is emphasized. In order to be our Substitute, Christ had tobe what the rest of humanity was not.

He was born without a taint of sin.55

no trace of sin marred the image of God within Him.56

He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, Hisnature recoiled from evil.

57

We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of Christ.

. . . This holy Substitute is able to save to the uttermost.58

Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of Christ. Do not setHim before the people as a man with the propensities of sin. Not for one moment was there inHim an evil propensity.

59

Never, in any way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or inclinationto, corruption rested upon Christ.

60

Then also, in order to be our Representative (that is, to stand in Adam's place), Christ's humannature had to be as sinless as Adam's.

Christ is called the second Adam. In purity and holiness, connected with God and beloved by

God, He began where the first Adam began.61

He vanquished Satan in the same nature over which in Eden Satan obtained the victory.62

Christ came to the earth, taking humanity and standing as man's representative, to show in thecontroversy with Satan that man, as God created him, connected with the Father and the Son,could obey every divine requirement.

63

He was to take His position at the head of humanity by taking the nature but not the sinfulness ofman.

64


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He is the second Adam. The first Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sinupon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did fall through transgressing.Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience. But JesusChrist was the only begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature, and was temptedin all points as human nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not forone moment was there in Him an evil propensity.

65

This brings us to one aspect of Mrs. White's Christology that is more heterodox thanorthodox. Although the point has been hotly debated in church history, most theologiansin the stream of orthodox Protestantism hold that it was impossible for Christ to sin. Mrs.White does not hold to this majority view. She maintains that it was possible for Christ tofall. Divine loss.66

The Father also took the "fearful risk."67

How God could foresee Christ's victory (whichshe elsewhere affirms) and yet take a risk is not explained. She simply holds twoparadoxical positionsGod's sovereignty and God's risk.

Two reasons are presented to support the idea that Christ could have fallen:

1. "Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. . . . He could nothave been tempted in all points as man is tempted had there been no possibility of Hisfailing."68

2. "Many claim that it was impossible for Christ to be overcome by temptation. Then Hecould not have been placed in Adam's position; He could not have gained the victorythat Adam failed to gain. If we have in any sense a more trying conflict than had Christ,then He would not be able to succor us. But our Saviour took humanity, with all itsliabilities. He took the nature of man, with the possibility of yielding to temptation. Wehave nothing to bear which He has not endured."69

The two natures of Christ are presented as Christ's unique qualification to be the world'sRedeemer.

These qualifications were found alone in Christ. Clothing His divinity with humanity, He came toearth to be called the Son of man and the Son of God. He was the surety for man, theambassador for Godthe surety for man to satisfy by His righteousness in man's behalf thedemands of the law, and the representative of God to make manifest His character to a fallenrace.

70

Being divine and human, with His long human arm He could encircle humanity, while71

with Hisdivine arm He could lay hold of the throne of the Infinite.

Christ's work was to reconcile man to God through His human nature, and God to man throughHis divine nature.72

Christ was without sin, else His life in human flesh and His death on the cross would have beenof no more value in procuring grace for the sinner than the death of any other man.

73


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Part 2: The Redemptive Work of Christ

The Covenant of Redemption

The starting point of Mrs. White's teaching on redemption is her teaching about thecovenant made between the Father and the Son from eternity. This follows quite closelythe line of thought adopted by the covenant theologians of the Reformed faith. Whereassome of these theologians make a distinction between the covenant of redemption(between the Father and the Son) and the covenant of grace (between God andbelievers), she does not appear to do this. Commenting on Christ's dying words, "It isfinished," Mrs. White says:

When Christ spoke these words, He addressed His Father. Christ was not alone in making thisgreat sacrifice. It was the fulfillment of the covenant made between the Father and the Son beforethe foundation of the earth was laid. With clasped hands they entered into the solemn pledge thatChrist would become the substitute and surety for the human race if they were overcome bySatan's sophistry. The compact was now being fully consummated. The climax was reached.Christ had the consciousness that He had fulfilled to the letter the pledge He had made.

74

This covenant was made from eternity.75 It is called the covenant of grace76 and thecovenant of mercy. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan,and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordainthat sin should exist, but He foresaw77 its existence, and made provision to meet theterrible emergency. "In the councils of heaven, before the world was created, the Fatherand the Son covenanted together that if man proved disloyal to God, Christ, one withthe Father, would take the place of the transgressor, and suffer the penalty of justicethat must fall upon him.78 This covenant, also called an agreement or arrangement,79

was fulfilled and sealed by Christ's death.80

God's redemptive love is therefore seen to precede His creative love. It was a love that

carefully planned man's future and made provision for every emergency. 81

Mrs. White parts company with Reformed theologians in one aspect of this plan ofredemption. The starting point of the Reformed view is election, followed by the councilof heaven appointing Christ as Redeemer of those whom God has decreed to elect. Butin her thinking the starting point is Christ and His appointment to the office ofRedeemer. In this respect her thinking is more Wesleyan than Reformed.

From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant.81

[He was] set up from everlasting to be our substitute and surety.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 manifestHis grace to humanity.

84

Mrs. White sides with Wesley in rejecting the idea that God has elected85 some men tosalvation and others to reprobation. The "sovereignty of God involves fullness ofblessing to all created beings."86 "Men fail of salvation through their own willful refusal ofthe gift of life."87 Her view may be summarized as follows: From eternity God gave His


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Son as the Redeemer of the whole human race. He covenanted to accept Christ'ssubstitutionary atonement as the basis upon which men could be saved. He decreedthat this salvation would be effective for all who would believe on Christ. "The Lord hasaccepted this sacrifice [of Christ] in our behalf, as our substitute and surety, on thecondition that we receive Christ and believe on Him."

88The following statements are

similar to Wesley's position:In the council of heaven, provision was made that men, though transgressors, should not perishin their disobedience, but, through faith in Christ as their substitute and surety, might become theelect of God, predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according tothe good pleasure of His will. God wills that all men should be saved; for ample provision hasbeen made, in giving His only-begotten Son to pay man's ransom. Those who perish will perishbecause they refuse to be adopted as children of God through Christ Jesus.

89

God has declared that those who receive Christ as their Redeemer, accepting Him as the Onewho takes away all sin, will receive pardon for their transgressions. These are the terms of ourelection. Man's salvation depends upon his receiving Christ by faith. Those who will not receiveHim lose eternal life because they refused to avail themselves of the only means provided by theFather and the Son for the salvation of a perishing world.

90

There is no such thing in the Word of God as unconditional election. 91

Actually, this author has written extremely little on the subject of election. Not only hasshe no time for speculating about the divine decrees, but she is critical of thosetheologies which do.

The Life of Christ

The life of Christ has great redemptive significance in Mrs. White's soteriology. TheArminians focus almost exclusively on the death of Christ. They deny any significantredemptive role in the life of Christ. Even Wesley, in opposition to the Reformed, playeddown the role of Christ's active obedience in his system of soteriology.

92Mrs. White,

however, comes down very solidly on the Reformed side of this controversy. Her viewmay be summarized as follows:

1. The condition of eternal life is not just absence of sin, but positive obedience to thelaw of God. Adam, as God created him, was without sin; yet only by rendering perfectobedience to the law of God could he become entitled to eternal life.

93The law of God

cannot be modified or relaxed to meet man in his fallen condition. "He [God] demandsnow as ever perfect righteousness as the only title to heaven. " 94 "Under the newcovenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under theoldperfect obedience.

95

2. In order to gain a full title to eternal life, man needs more than pardon by virtue ofChrist's death. He needs to possess righteousness. "The law demands righteousness,and this the sinner owes to the law.96

3. In his fallen state man is absolutely incapable of fulfilling the condition of perfectobedience (or righteousness)" . . . he is incapable of rendering it."97

4. "As representative of the fallen race, Christ passed over the same ground on which


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Adam stumbled and fell. By a life of perfect obedience to God's law, Christ redeemedman from the penalty of Adam's disgraceful fall."

98"In the new and better covenant,

Christ has fulfilled the law for the transgressors of the law, if they receive Him by faith asa personal Saviour."99 "He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to takeour sins and give us His righteousness."

100"By His obedience to all the commandments

of God, Christ wrought out a redemption for men."

101

"By His perfect obedience He hassatisfied the claims of the law, and my only hope is found in looking to Him as mysubstitute and surety, who obeyed the law perfectly for me.

102

5. This positive righteousness exhibited in the life of Christ is imputed to the believer.103

"The active obedience of Christ clothes the believing sinneth the righteousness thatmeets the demands of the law."

104Thus the believer is counted as righteous, and

through Christ he has a free title to eternal life.

Christ's life is not only substitutionary, but exemplary. His obedience was that of a truehuman being.

In our conclusions, we make many mistakes because of our erroneous views of the humannature of our Lord. When we give to His human nature a power that it is not possible for man tohave in his conflicts with Satan, we destroy the completeness of His humanity. His imputed graceand power He gives to all who receive Him by faith. . . . Jesus, the world's Redeemer, could onlykeep the commandments of God in the same way that humanity can keep them

105unless He met

man as man, and testified by His connection with God that divine power was not given to Him in adifferent way to what it will be given to us, He could not be a perfect example for us.

106

Jesus met temptation and overcame in the strength given Him of God. He worked nomiracle on His own behalf so as to lessen the reality of the test and trial of His humannature.107 No man will ever be so fiercely tested by temptation as was Jesus. 108 "It wasas difficult for Him to keep the level of humanity as for men to rise above the low level oftheir depraved natures, and be partakers of the divine nature. " 109 "'He . . . sufferedbeing tempted,' suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness. But the prince ofdarkness found nothing in Him; not a single thought or feeling responded totemptation."110

Christ's life is often put forward as the example for believers, and they are thereforeexhorted to overcome as He did. Christ's life shows that for sin, and no grounds to say itis impossible to over-come there is no excuse .111

The superficial reader could gather the impression that Mrs. White leaves the road ofChristian orthodoxy for the route of perfectionism. But that is not so. "We cannot equalthe example, but we should copy it,112 she declares. The life of Christ reveals "aninfinitely perfect character."

113

There was an excellence of character found in Him, which never had been found,neither could be, in another.

114The more the believer comes to understand and

appreciate the perfection of Christ's character, the more he will confess his ownsinfulness.115

The believer's contemplation of the life of Christ will therefore produce two paradoxicalreactions. Because Christ's life is our example (law), it makes radical demands upon us.


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It causes conviction of sinfulness, mourning and repentanceand that not onlycontinually, but increasingly.

116On the other hand, because the life of Christ is the

gospel and a free gift which is imputed to the believer, he can hide his lack of perfectionin Jesus and rejoice that Christ's victory is really his victory. 117 Thus Christ's perfection isan occasion for both repentance and faith, mourning and rejoicing, at the same time.

This is indeed a paradox, but "the deepest joy of heart comes from the deepesthumiliation."118

The Death and Atonement of Christ

Mrs. White has written so much about the cross that it is difficult for us to do three thingsat once: (1) We must here reduce a great volume of literature to a brief outline. (2) Inthis brief outline we must preserve the main aspects of the doctrine of the cross. (3)Perhaps most difficult, we must (if we may again refer to the illustration of Beethoven)correctly portray the overall spirit of the composition.

Estimate: In presenting an organized outline of Mrs. White's doctrine of the cross, wemust first deal with her estimate of this subject. What place did the atonement have inher theology? The following statements are representative:

The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truthscluster.

119

There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of theScripturesChrist and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and powercorresponding to its relation to this theme.

120

Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. . . . This is our message-- our argument, ourdoctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for everybeliever.

121

To remove the cross from the Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky.122

The cross is an inexhaustible theme, the vital theme of Christianity.123 It must hold thecentral place, be the central theological truth, and be presented as the grand, centraltheme for consideration.

124

When men and women can more fully comprehend the magnitude of the great sacrifice whichwas made by the Majesty of heaven in dying in man's stead, then will the plan of salvation bemagnified, and reflections of Calvary will awaken tender, sacred, and lively emotions in theChristian's heart. Praises to God and the Lamb will be in their hearts and upon their lips. Prideand self-esteem cannot flourish in the hearts that keep fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.

This world will appear of but little value to those who appreciate the great price of man'sredemption, the precious blood of God's dear Son. All the riches of the world are not of sufficientvalue to redeem one perishing soul. Who can measure the love of Christ felt for a lost world asHe hung upon the cross, suffering for the sins of guilty men? This was love immeasurable, infinite.

125

That Christ, so excellent, so innocent, should suffer such a painful death, bearing the weight ofthe sins of the world, our thoughts and imaginations can never fully comprehend. The length, thebreadth

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