WHEN ADVENTISTS REFER TO

“GOD” WHOM DO THEY MEAN?

By Derrick Gillespie

The Adventist Church uses the word “God”

to mean: (1) the person of “the Father”, and
(2) the class of Heavenly persons who have
the ‘divine nature’ (or ‘Godhead’), or
natural divine substance, and is called “ the
Deity”.
The truth is that “God” for the Adventist
refers to He who is called and identified
by *the Bible as “LORD (Jehovah)
God”, or “the I AM”. Principally and
ultimately this refers to “the Father”, but carefully note the following
inescapable truth of how bona fide Adventism uses the word “God” in a
collective sense.

"God says, [notice after this whom the writer means says this]
"Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and
will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." [Now notice carefully]
This is the pledge of [not one person, but] the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit [i.e. the *pledge to receive and be "a
Father" to you]; made to you if you will keep your baptismal
vow, and touch not the unclean thing… In order to deal
righteously with the world, as members of the royal
family, children of the heavenly King, Christians must feel
their need of a power, which comes only from the [three]
heavenly  agencies that have pledged themselves to work
in man's behalf. After we have formed a union with the
great THREEFOLD POWER [singular; collective], we shall
regard our duty toward the members of God's family with
a sacred awe.”                                                                                         

                     -E.G. White, Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901

How is this to be explained if, as it does appear in the Bible, “God” is
supposed to be the Father, one individual being? Paul in 2
Thessalonians 2:4 distinctly declares that Satan will ‘oppose’,
through false religion, * “ALL [plural] that is called God or that is
worshipped”. Who is “called God”, and is to be “worshipped” or
“served”, according to the Bible? Many fail to recognize the truth here,
even though they read this passage over and over. This verse refers to
the true God, not to false gods, despite various Bible commentaries have
literally so translated this verse, simply because they recognize the
inescapable, inherent or internal plural element in this verse. It is
obvious that Satan would not “oppose” or “exalt himself” above false
gods (his own inventions) since they fulfill his purpose, but clearly he
has and always will continue to be opposed to “ ALL that is called God”
in the true and highest sense. Mrs. White sheds light on this verse in
Chapter 3 of the book “Great Controversy”, by relating it specifically to
the Jehovah Godhead. After quoting this verse, Mrs. White re-worded
the very same verse this way:

“…Compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in… ‘the

man of sin’ foretold in prophecy OPPOSING AND EXALTING
HIMSELF AGAINST *GOD” [not ‘gods’, but the proper noun
“God”].
-E.G. White- Great Controversy
See the first page, and pages 50-51, of Chapter 3 (or the whole chapter)
of that book for confirmation of this truth. Yet notice that this verse
distinctly refers to “all that is called God or that is worshipped”; a
*PLURAL reference. The truth here is inescapable! The Apostle Paul
knew that “GOD” to the Christian couldn’t be known or
worshipped without an acceptance of the Father through the Son by
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Three Persons in the Godhead.
Why? A few quotes will make you see the truth.

1. “Thou shalt worship the Lord (Jehovah) thy God [the Father] and
Him *only shalt thou serve”- Jesus- Matthew 4:10

2. “And Thomas answered and said unto Him [Jesus] *MY LORD
(Jehovah) and MY GOD [‘O Theos mou’, or ‘the God of me’]. Jesus
said unto him, Thomas because thou hast seen ME, thou hast
believed: blessed are they that have not seen ME and yet have
believed”[do you?]
- John 20:28

“ And again, when HE [the Father] bringeth in the firstbegotten [Jesus]

into the world [that is, into our world at Jesus’ incarnation], He saith,
and let all the angels of God worship Him [Jesus, the man]”. –
Hebrews 1:6

3. “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me’ and *HIS [the Spirit’s] word
was in my tongue. The GOD of Israel [the Spirit] said, the Rock of
Israel [the Spirit] spake by me...” David- 2 Samuel 23:2,3
“…Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost…thou
hast not lied unto men but unto GOD [the Spirit]”. –Peter- Acts 5:3,4

But isn’t this confusing? Are there three (3) “Lord (Jehovah) God” or
“God of Israel”? Is there more than one Person called “Jehovah God”?
Are there others, in addition to the Father, truly called “GOD”, and “in
the highest sense”, despite the Bible declare “one God, the Father”, as
recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1Corintians 8:6? Let us see how
Adventism historically saw the truth.
In 1872 Adventists declared in its ‘Fundamental Principles’ that,
quote:
“There is One God, a personal spiritual being who is the Creator of all
things…and is everywhere present by His Representative, the Holy
Spirit”.
However, the ‘official and inspired voice’ in Seventh-day Adventism
subsequently (or later) made it clear that this *singular “PERSONAL
GOD” exists from “all eternity” as a * “UNITY OF CHRIST WITH
HIS FATHER”. Yes, a UNITY!! Here is this amazing truth again for
you to contemplate dear reader:

***“The existence of a [singular] Personal God [not ‘personal Gods’] the

UNITY OF Christ with His Father [a plurality of Persons] lies at the foundation
of all true science [and true religion]”

-E.G. White- Manuscript 30, Oct. 29,1904- quoted in “The Upward Look”(1986),
pg. 316
So the truth is that both Paul (1
Cor. 8:6) and ‘Spirit of
Prophecy’ (Mrs. White’s
writings) instruct the Seventh-
day Adventist Church to
recognize, by the authority of
‘scripture compared with
scripture’, that our “Personal
God” is clearly the Father, who
has always been revealed in a
UNITY with His eternal Son,
and this “Personal God” is
everywhere present by His very
real and ‘Personal’
Representative, the Holy Spirit!
Adventism’s leading pioneer and
writer put it this way:

"The salvation of human beings is a

vast enterprise, that calls into action
*every attribute of the divine nature
[i.e. the Godhead]. The Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit have pledged
themselves to make God's children
more than conquerors through Him
that loved them."

- E.G. White- Pacific Union

Recorder, January 5, 1905

Notice now, very carefully, how,

to Mrs. White, “every attribute
of divine nature” equates with
whom she described as “God”
and whom she distinctly calls
“the Eternal Godhead” of
Father Son, and Holy Spirit…all
three united!!

“Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ
Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven *who
[all three called “who”] are working in your behalf. Doing this you will
reveal to the world the principles of righteousness…God says, [notice
after this whom she means says this] "Come out from among them, and
be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
 daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." This is the pledge of [not one
person, but] the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit [i.e. the *pledge to
receive and be a Father to you]; made to you if you will keep your
baptismal vow, and touch not the unclean thing… In order to deal
righteously with the world, as members of the royal family, children of
the heavenly King, Christians must feel their need of a power, which
comes only from the [three] heavenly agencies that have pledged
themselves to work in man's behalf. After we have formed a union
with the great THREEFOLD POWER [singular; collective], we shall
regard our duty toward the members of God's family with a sacred
awe.”

-E.G. White, Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901

"When we have accepted Christ, and in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit have pledged ourselves to serve God, the
Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit—the three dignitaries and powers of
heaven—pledge themselves that every facility shall be given to us if we
carry out our baptismal vows to come out from among them, and
be...separate."

-E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 6, pg. 1075—

This means that for the TRUE Adventist the Three CANNOT be separated
generically or relationally, and in our worship and salvation experience!!
This means that if the true God of the Bible is to be known and worshipped,
one Person of the Godhead cannot be known without accepting and “serving”
the others. That is why the Christian experience of God MUST be through the
recognition of a ‘TRI-UNITY’ (unity of a “Trio” of Persons) in the Godhead.
Clearly “GOD” is the Father, “Jehovah” or the “I AM” by name, but is
eternally and inseparably united with His Spirit and His Son, who are also
“GOD” in nature and authority. The Person we now know as Jesus is the
Eternal Son. He is also “truly God” in the “highest sense”. He is “THE ONLY
ONE PERFECT PHOTOGRAPH OF GOD” (E. G. White, S.D.A. Bible
Commentary, Vol. 7, paragraph. 906). As a separate Person, He functions as
“the Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6) and, “from all eternity”, is Himself also
called “Jehovah” or the “I AM”, seemingly given this name “from all
eternity” by the Father. Note the following Biblical truth, and supporting “Spirit
of Prophecy” testimony:

“But unto the Son [Jesus] He [the Father] saith, Thy throne *O God is forever…
And Thou *LORD [“Jehovah”-Ps. 102:1,25] in the beginning laid the foundation
of the earth ”-Hebrews 1:8,10.
“Hosea will tell you, He [Jesus] is ‘the LORD [Jehovah] God of Hosts, The
LORD [the name Jehovah] is His memorial’, Hosea 12:5”
E.G. White- Desire of Ages, pg. 578-579

So it becomes clear that Jesus, by a

“mysterious” eternal unity with the Father,
is not just God in nature, having the true
“God” identity, but is also “God” in equal
*AUTHORITY and function[see *John
20:28,29], even though He is not the Father
in Person (who is often just called “God”,
simply because he never became man like
Jesus). That is part of the “mystery of
godliness”.
Note carefully below how true Adventism sees Jesus as “God”:

“Think of the life of Moses…Paul in his

epistle to the Hebrews says, ‘for he endured
as seeing Him who is invisible [Hebrews
11:27]. Moses had a deep sense of the
presence of GOD. He saw GOD. He was not
only looking down through the ages to a
Christ that would be revealed [God
manifested], but [in reality, and at that very
time] he saw Christ [God] in a special manner
accompanying the children of Israel in all
their travels [1Corintians10: 1-5]. God [Christ] was real to Him and present in
his thoughts. When called upon to face danger…for Christ’s [God’s] sake, he
was persevering… God [Christ] was to Him a present help in every time of
need”.
-E.G. White-Letter 42, April 7, 1886; or in “The Upward Look”(1986) pg.
111.

“Papal [Roman Catholic] priests pretended… to convert the simple

bread and wine into the actual ‘body and blood of *CHRIST’… with
blasphemous presumption, they openly claim to the power of creating
*GOD [Christ], the Creator of all things…”

- E.G. White- Great Controversy, pgs. 59-60

Notice that Mrs. White saw Jesus as God, to the point where the words
“Christ” and “God” were interchangeable to her without any need for
clarification. Jesus was, and is God, *just like the Father!! That is
why the Pope could assume the place of God by pretending to be,
not the Father, but another Jesus (2 Thess. 2:4), thus equating
himself with the Father. But the question is, was Jesus just “God” on
earth on behalf of His (unseen) Father, or in His Father’s ‘absence’, but
is not “God” in His Father’s presence along with Him in Heaven? Note
again what Adventists really believe:

“From everlasting [Micah 5:2/Psalms 93:2] He [Jesus] was the

Mediator of the Covenant [Hebrews 7:3]… was *GOD essentially and
*IN THE HIGHEST [nothing higher] SENSE… [existing] from *ALL
ETERNITY GOD OVER ALL [Rom. 9:5]… a distinct [separate]
Person, yet one [united] with the Father”.
E.G. White- Review and Herald, April, 1906

“The Son of God was the acknowledged *SOVEREIGN [‘supreme

ruler’] of Heaven, *ONE [equal and united] in power and
*AUTHORITY with the Father”.
–E.G. White- Great Controversy, pg. 494

“Christ ascended to Heaven [after coming to earth as God] amidst a

cloud of angels who glorified Him saying ‘who is this King of Glory?’
[so He is not just ‘Prince of Heaven’] And from thousand times ten
thousands the answer comes, the LORD [Jehovah], *HE [Jesus] IS
the King of Glory”.
E.G. White- Signs of the Times, May 10, 1899 and
*Desire of Ages, pgs. 832-833

That is very clear dear reader about Jesus and the Father * BOTH being
recognized and served as “God over all” and as “Jehovah”.
The fact that Jesus was pictured as being ‘given all things’ by the
Father, does not diminish, even by one iota, His equality with the
Father in the office of being “GOD over all”, and Him being such
from *ALL eternity, whether He is in or out of the Father’s
immediate presence. No true Adventist would deny this truth!
But the next obvious question is, WHY DO ADVENTISTS ALSO
REGARD AND SERVE (EVEN PRAY TO) THE HOLY SPIRIT AS
GOD?
Here is the absolute, undeniable truth about what SDAs eventually cane
to believe about the Spirit in the following references:

“You are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. You are raised up out of the water to live henceforth in
newness of life--to live a new life. You are born unto God, and you
stand under the sanction and the power of THE THREE HOLIEST
*BEINGS IN HEAVEN, who are able to keep you from falling…
When I feel oppressed, and hardly know how to relate myself
toward the work that God has given me to do, I just *CALL UPON
THE THREE GREAT WORTHIES, and say; You know I cannot
do this work in my own strength. You must work in me, and by me
and through me, sanctifying my tongue, sanctifying my spirit,
sanctifying my words, and bringing me into a position where my
spirit shall be susceptible to the movings of the Holy Spirit of God
upon my mind and character. And this is the prayer that every one
of us may offer. . .”
-E.G. White, Manuscript Release, Vol.7, pgs. 267, 268
(Ms 95, 1906, pp. 8-12, 14-17; "Lesson from Romans 15," October
20, 1906.) 

“When we have accepted Christ, and in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy spirit, have pledged ourselves to *SERVE
[worship] [1] God, the Father, [2] Christ and [thirdly] *THE HOLY
SPIRIT, the Three Dignitaries [‘Persons of important position, high
rank or office’-Oxford dictionary] and Powers of Heaven, pledge
Themselves that every facility shall be given us if we carry out our…
vows”
E.G. White- Manuscript 85,1901

“God is a Spirit…” -John 4:24

“The Lord is the Spirit…” - 2 Cor.
3:17,18
“The Spirit of the Lord [is]…The God
of Israel…[and] the Rock of Israel…” –
2 Samuel 23:2,3
“…To lie to the Holy Ghost? Thou has…lied to GOD” -Acts 5:3,4,9
“Thou shalt worship [only] the Lord thy God [who “is the Spirit”] and
Him *only shalt thou *SERVE” [worship] -Matthew 4:10

Now *if the Holy Spirit is not to be “SERVED” Mrs. White was in
serious error. But clearly she is not, since the Bible, as shown in the
foregoing, supported her, as is similarly the case with the modern
Adventist. The foregoing references, among others, clearly show why
Mrs. White could make such an amazing statement, and even
exemplified prayer directed to Him along with the Father and the Son;
the “three holiest beings in Heaven”. The Holy Spirit is God,
seemingly even pictured literally as the Father Himself!! Notice
carefully however that the Holy Spirit is mentioned separately and
specifically by her to be worthy of ‘service’, due only to “all that is
called God, or that is worshipped” (2 Thessalonians 2:4) in the Godhead.
She even made it absolutely clear that the Spirit is separate from Christ
Himself, though he effectively “personifies” Christ (and the Father):

“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ's name. He personifies

[represent] Christ, yet is a distinct personality” – Manuscript
Release,Vol. 20

That’s plain and doesn’t ‘beat around the bush’. The Spirit is the “third”
being of the “three holiest beings of heaven”. Plain and simple!! The
words “three” and “beings” CANNOT be explained away or watered
down, as some on the fringes of Adventism often seek to do!! The Holy
Spirit is not God the Father or Christ themselves literally in personage,
but is their “Representative” (as used so often by Mrs. White). He is a
“third” Godhead being and operates as if the other two themselves are
present. And the word “Representative” speaks rather eloquently in this
regard. Much more will be said on the Holy Spirit later in this
presentation. But in conclusion here, it must be reiterated that:

OUR “PERSONAL GOD” IS THE FATHER *IN

UNITY WITH HIS ETERNAL SON, AND IS
EVERYWHERE PRESENT BY THE REPRESENTATION
OF THE “THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD”, THE
VERY REAL AND PERSONAL HOLY SPIRIT, WHO
MUST ALSO BE “SERVED” AS GOD!
Put another way, the Three Persons are called “GOD”, not ‘gods’,
because the One “true God” the Father is, by His very nature, revealed in and
worshipped through His Eternal Son, and is present everywhere and “served”
through His Holy Spirit, “the Third Person of the Godhead”. The idea of
‘gods’ in the Godhead is one of Satan’s first lies told on earth. This lie,
recorded distinctly in Genesis 3:5, and illuminated in E.G. White’s, “Great
Controversy”, pgs. 532-533, is one which he told because he knew that more
than one Person in the Godhead is properly called “GOD”(Gen. 3:22), but
also knowing that a misunderstanding of *the
unity is what would cause us to falsely see Them
either as separate ‘gods’ or worse, as a monstrous
‘three headed’ individual being. This lie
(counterfeit) is found in almost all ancient
religions of the world, simply because, by his
knowledge of the real truth, Satan was able to
plant the ‘seed of misunderstanding’.
Why is there such a coincidence of ‘divine threes’
in counterfeit religions? Evidently it was by
Satan’s influence (himself knowing the truth about the true Godhead) that
these ancient pagan religions unwittingly recognized that truly there is a
plurality of persons in the Godhead, but unfortunately the persons are either
seen as ‘gods’, or God is seen as a personal being (personality) with three
forms!
No Christian should therefore seek to promote these pagan lies, or on the
other hand go to the other extreme of unwittingly opposing “all that is called
God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4), in the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
simply because they cannot understand how, when the Three are spiritually
united in the Godhead, 1x1x1 =1(one) God, and not 1+1+1=3(three) gods. But
in the same way Christ has many members yet this does not produce several
‘Christs’ or several ‘true Churches’, so too is the Godhead with three
members and yet there remains one God and one Godhead!!