Our Leaders Speak

As far as we are concerned, the only real authorities are God's Word and the Spirit of Prophecy writings, however, many think of church leaders and pastors, so we have given them that title. Unfortunately many church members look to church leaders as the authority on truth. However, history proves that the majority have always been wrong. Jewish congregations looked to their rabbi for truth, and as a people, they rejected Christ. It is not safe to rely on another human being. No, not someone you respect highly, those you love, or someone on a website. You must study for yourself.

On the subject of the Trinity, it is a sad fact, that church leaders are leading the people astray. This is not just because they may believe in the Trinity themselves and want church members to 'known the truth', but because deliberate lies are being told about the beliefs of those who do not believe in the Trinity. In some instances, the lies are not deliberate, but simply because the pastor or leader has not studied for himself or herself, and they rely on the words of another.

Fernando L. Canale, professor of theology and philosophy at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, gave very wise counsel regarding what we believe. He said in his theology, "Because human philosophy is called to be subject to the Bible, and since divine philosophy is already available in the Scriptures, our understanding of God must stand free from human speculations." Fernando L. Canale, the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology, Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopaedia Volume 12. page 105. 'Doctrine of God.

He also says, "What we can know about God must be revealed from the Scriptures." Ibid. On the following page he writes in summary his introduction, saying, "In short, true knowledge about God can be attained only on the basis of Biblical revelation." Ibid. p106.

In 1855, J.N. Andrews wrote, "This doctrine [the trinity] destroys the personality of God and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The infamous, measures by which it was forced upon the church which appear upon the pages of ecclesiastical history might well cause every believer in that doctrine to blush." J. N. Andrews, Review and Herald, March 6th 1855, 'The Fall of Babylon'.

JAMES WHITE – 1853: "To assert that the sayings of the Son and his apostles are the commandments of the Father, is as wide from the truth as the old trinitarian absurdity that Jesus Christ is the very and eternal God." The Review and Herald, Aug. 5, 1852.

R.F. COTTRELL – 1869: "This (the trinity) has been a popular doctrine and regarded as orthodox ever since the bishop of Rome was elevated to popedom on the strength of it; but each person is permitted to explain the doctrine in his own way... My reasons for not adopting and defending it are: 1. Its name is unscriptural – the Trinity, or the triune God, is unknown to the Bible... 2. I have never felt called upon to adopt and explain that which is contrary to all the sense and reason that God has given me..." The Review and Herald, July 6, 1869.

JOSHUA V HIMES – 1835: Speaking of the early Adventists who came from the various denominations he says, "At first they were generally Trinitarians; subsequently they have almost unanimously, rejected the Trinitarian doctrine as unscriptural." 'Christian Connection' from Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, T Newton Brown, ed., 1835, p. 382.

J.N. LOUGHBOROUGH – 1861: "Question 1. What serious objection is there to the doctrine of the Trinity? Answer. There are many objections which we might urge, but on account of our limited space we shall reduce them to the three following: 1. It is contrary to common sense. 2. It is contrary to scripture. 3. Its origin is Pagan and fabulous." The Review and Herald, Nov. 5, 1861.

JOSEPH BATES – 1868: "Respecting the trinity, I concluded that it was an impossibility for me to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, was also the Almighty God, the Father, one and the same being..." Autobiography of Joseph Bates, 1868.

URIAH SMITH – 1856: "The doctrine called the Trinity, claiming that God is without form or parts; that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the three are one person, is another... Christ is the express image of His Father's person." The Review and Herald. July 10. 1856.

In 1981, a special issue of the 'Adventist Review' was published specifically to explain the fundamental beliefs held by Seventh-day Adventists. This was the year after the Trinity doctrine was added to our fundamental beliefs. It contained the following: "While no single scriptural passage states formally the doctrine of the Trinity, it is assumed as a fact by Bible writers and mentioned several times". Review and Herald, Special issue, Volume 158, No. 31 July 1981, 'The Trinity. It also said, "Only by faith can we accept the existence of the Trinity." Ibid.

Are they all wrong? If one listens to many Adventists on our media who believe in the Trinity, you would wonder how they could have found so many 'Trinitarian' texts. We are not being critical of our brothers and sisters, but there appears to be an incredible need to keep proving that the Trinity is clearly shown in the Bible by finding more 'evidence'. It still stands that you must study the Bible for yourself. Take a mental note of what the 'authorities' have said, and then see if your proof texts are suppositions, hints or assumptions. Have you gained your text by eisegesis? Did you add to the text the thoughts of your head? Or are you listening to God?

Many thanks to Terry Hill at http://theprophetstillspeaks.co.uk/ Also http://mycog.com/trinity6.htm, and others for the quotations.